NO PARKINGArturas Zuokas, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, has found a solution to the city’s ongoing problem with illegally parked cars. “Mayor Zuokas wanted his message to be loud and clear that the city will not tolerate brazen and disrespectful behavior by drivers who disobey parking rules,” said his spokeswoman, Irma Juskenaite. “The mayor hopes that he will not have to repeat his performance, although he said that he is prepared to do so,” she said. The “performance” came when Zuokas drove a tank over an illegally parked Mercedes Benz. He then posted the video on his YouTube page, along with his identification of other illegally parked high-end vehicles. (MS/New York Times) … It’s definitely more of a deterrent than a ticket.OBLIVIOT OF THE WEEK“I guess he thought it was a big joke,” said attorney Daniel L. Castillo about his client, Rick Ehlert, 45. Ehlert is “not denying he did it,” Castillo said, but what he did shouldn’t be considered a crime. He says Ehlert was drunk on a cruise ship headed for Tampa, Fla., when he broke into the control room and dropped the moving ship’s anchor, and then tossed a life buoy overboard at 5:25 a.m. The captain stopped the ship and assembled all passengers and crew on deck for a head count. No one was missing. “Everybody was mad at him,” Castillo said, but “where’s the crime?” The crime, federal prosecutors said, is attempting to damage the ship – a statute that was strengthened after transportation-related terrorist attacks. Dropping anchor on a moving ship could damage it enough to cause it to sink. The 719-foot MS Ryndam holds 1,260 passengers and 580 crew, and all were put in grave danger. Prosecutors are only calling for probation, but Castillo is trying to get him off anyway, noting “an alcohol-induced reckless act does not necessarily equate to a violation of federal criminal statutes.” Also, Castillo added, “He’s got a lot of money.” (RC/Tampa Tribune) … Oh, well, if he’s got money, then by all means let him commit “alcohol-induced reckless acts” with impunity.Source: http://thisistrue.com
