(Source: The Texas Tribune)

Image Courtesy: Theatlanticright.com via Google Images

A threat from the federal government to shut down Texas airports or cancel flights may have killed legislation, House Bill 1937, pushed by Tea Party conservatives in the Texas Capitol to prohibit federal Transportation Security Agents from conducting “invasive searches.”

The Texas Tribune has the scoop: The bill passed by the House earlier this month, would make it a misdemeanor offense for a federal security agent to “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly [touch] the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of the other person, including touching through clothing, or touching the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person.”

Two TSA officials visited Patrick at the Capitol earlier today to discuss the legislation. They warned him that the legislation “could close down all the airports in Texas,” he said. After their departure, U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy sent a letter to Speaker of the House Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst saying the bill would “conflict directly with federal law” and that if it became law, “TSA would likely be required to cancel any flight or series of flights for which it could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew” until the agency could seek a court order stopping the measure from being carried out.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Note: This is not the first time or the first issue the Texas legislature has butted heads with the Federal government.  There is the legendary EPA vs Texas reg. the federal takeover of lax pollution standards in the state. And now a new issue looks to threaten the already fractured relationship and this one involves a brown, beady-eyed, two-and-a-half-inch animal – the sagebrush lizard.  The Texas House this morning approved a resolutioncalling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rescind its proposal to bring the lizard under the Endangered Species Act. For the West Texas lawmakers, this federal proposal to protect the dunes sagebrush lizard could halt the production of millions of barrels of oil and gas. Is this another classic Texas story where greed reigns supreme or a genuine concern for the people who depend on the oil & gas revenue?

(Source:  Telegraph, UK)

Officers are under investigation after amateur video recorded a sniffer dog being forced to run alongside (for 2 Kilometers!!!Yes, you heard it right) a police van in Poland. Footage of the act, filmed by a trailing motorist, has caused outrage in Plock, Poland, where the police officers are based.

(Source: Youtube via Reddit)

The video’s owner had this comment: “My brother was pulled over by Officer Board. When he came back to the car I asked him “can I ask you a question” he says “sure”. Officer Board arrested me asking a question that he said I could.”

Whatever be the case it is, the cop seems to be overreacting and escalated a situation that did not need all that level of “enforcement.”   I’d not be surprised if his momentary lack of good judgment costs his job and ends up costing the local government/policy agency a ton of money if this victim goes to court.

(Source: Reddit)

Found this gem contributed by fellow Redditor beer_OMG_beer.  Who knew some police departments/officers had it this good. A nice BMW 3-series convertible with an awesome license plate to boot.   I can see this a nice recruitment tool if the Fairfax police ever run short of a few men for the force.

(Source: Reddit & theCHIVE)

A note, shared by fellow Redditor – jnnorris,  about this awesome roadside capture says the incident took place in Apalachin, NY! The vehicle was spotted driving down the road where the speed limit is 65….. NYS Trooper stopped! and someone has also made available the dash cam shot on theChive.  Long live the interwebs for bringing such gems to us.

Image Courtesy: theCHIVE.com

Image Courtesy: Reddit.com

(Source: Houston.culturemap.com)

Anti-big brother Houstonians rejoiced when a referendum passed last November to take down the city’s network of red light cameras. Nearly six months later, data collected by the camera service provider, Phoenix-based ATS, suggests that citizens’ temporarily cautious attitude towards red lights has already reversed.

ATS analyzed 10 high-traffic intersections in different parts of the city that had seen noticeably decreases in violations when the cameras were installed, but have now suffered unprecedented increases. For example, the westbound intersection of Richmond Avenue and Hillcroft Avenue dipped from 5,628 violations in 2009 to 2,532 in 2010 — only to rocket back up to 3,799 in the first few months of 2011.

Editors Note:  This is yet another study that bolsters the need for installing the enforcement devices at intersections.   Oh well, there is always a counter to this and wait till someone surfaces with a new study showing how the removal of these devices has made life a lot better for poor Houstonians.

(Source: MSNBC)

Image Courtesy: bored383.com via Google Images

An air traffic controller was suspended Wednesday after being asleep while a medical flight was landing in Nevada, marking the fifth lapse so far this year among controllers at the nation’s airports. Four involved sleeping controllers.

In response to the lapses, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it was immediately putting a second controller on the midnight shift at 26 airports and a radar facility around the country that currently have only one overnight person.

(Source: Jalopnik)

Too bad the cops just left before the fury from hell was unleashed on that poor Cadillac Deville.. There is no stopping this one mad woman who is hell bent on taking it all out.. I’m assuming the man identified as the “bitch ass punk” seen lurking in the background is the party responsible for this outburst.. He did the best thing anyone could have asked for in such a domestic situation without getting hurt.. He stayed the hell away from her and did not take a chance of stopping her from doing what she needed to cool herself.. Damn!

Thank you, Jalopnik for delivering such gems! And as sadistic as this sounds, I liked the music in the background, which Jalopnik identified as the jilted woman vandal anthem sung by Jazmine Sullivan

(Source: Times of India & Central Chronicle)

Times of India report on this topic:

The Supreme Court on Thursday left no option for the Centre and states but to speedily implement the policy on installation of high security registration plates (HSRP) in 9 crore vehicles across the country.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia andJustices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar slammed the states for their lethargy in implementing the court’s 2008 judgment upholding the Centre’s 2001 notification on mandatory HSRPs for vehicles.

Writing the judgment for the Bench, Justice Kumar said the executive must implement the court’s order within the stipulated time, especially when the issue concerned safety of citizens, which was of paramount interest for the governments.   It lamented non-implementation of the court`s May 8, 2008 judgment pronounced on a petition filed by Maninderjit Singh Bitta and issued contempt notices to the transport secretaries of Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Some of the interesting aspects of the ruling include:

• If officials are found guilty of not implementing GPRS-enabled high security number plates they would not only be punished for contempt but also be liable to personally pay heavy cost.
• States which have initiated the process are directed to complete it in six weeks.
• Defaulting state transport secretaries are to file affidavit in four weeks.

click here to read the entire article.

Editor’s note: Given the constant security threats facing the nation, the swift implementation of high security registration plates makes a lot of sense. How on earth can they track rouge/unsafe elements on the road amongst a burgeoning vehicle population of 90 million that is continuing to grow leaps and bounds with each passing day? If anything, this should be a top priority at the Ministry of Transportation.

(Source: TheCityFix.com)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a 3 percent decrease in road fatalities between 2009 and 2010, which still adds up to 32,788 deaths. According to LaHood, last year’s traffic fatalities fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a 0.7 percent increase in the number of miles Americans drove—about 20.5 billion extra miles—and an 11 percent increase in congestion in the country’s 100 biggest metropolitan areas, making the decrease in traffic fatalities especially noteworthy.

Here is the USDOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Press Release:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the number and rate of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a significant increase in the number of miles Americans drove during the year.“Last year’s drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell three percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788. Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent, from a total of 43,510 fatalities in 2005. The same estimates also project that the fatality rate will be the lowest recorded since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the 1.13 fatality rate for 2009. The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of nearly 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled.

A regional breakdown showed the greatest drop in fatalities occurred in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, where they dropped by 12 percent. Arizona, California and Hawaii had the next steepest decline, nearly 11 percent.

“The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be.”

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing roadway fatalities by promoting strong traffic safety laws coupled with high-visibility enforcement and through rigorous vehicle safety programs and public awareness campaigns.

In 2009, Secretary LaHood launched a national anti-distracted driving campaign modeled on other successful NHTSA efforts to reduce fatalities, such as its “Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” and “Click It Or Ticket” campaigns to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use. The U.S. DOT has launched a dedicated website, Distraction.gov, to provide the public with a comprehensive source of information on distracted driving. DOT has also hosted two national summits devoted to the issue, crafted sample legislation which states can use to adopt distracted driving laws, and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, Conn., and Syracuse, N.Y.

NHTSA has also taken action to improve vehicle safety. The agency has urged automakers to swiftly and voluntarily report safety defects to keep the driving public safe. NHTSA has also encouraged the development and use of technologies to prevent crashes, such as electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems. The agency also unveiled an updated 5-star rating system in 2010, which established more rigorous crash-test standards and began providing consumers with improved information about which cars perform best in collisions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also been encouraging the use of Safety Edge technology — which reduces drivers’ risk of running off the road by shaping pavement edge — on new road and highway projects. FHWA has also promoted the use of rumble strips and cable median barriers to separate opposing directions of traffic to reduce the incidence of crossover head-on collisions.

To view NHTSA’s latest statistical projections of traffic fatalities in 2010, including regional estimates, click here.