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| 'Allo, 'allo, 'allo, what's all this then? I hope someone said |
It's Day 15 of the government shutdown, assuming that Columbus Day counts. (Can you have a Federal holiday and a government shutdown at the same time, or is that like a double negative?) All I know is that I had to go to work again today, and I'm getting paid again this week, same as I did last payday. The crisis continues, I guess, but frankly, it's an abstraction.
It relieved my workday ennui to see that Hillary Clinton's car was ticketed in London today. Job well done, Westminster City Council traffic warden! I'll bet that never happened to Hillary in DC.
The Westminster City Council warden put an £80 penalty notice on the former US secretary of state’s silver Mercedes vehicle in Central London while she was attending an event at Chatham House.
-- snip --
The warden then arrived and put a ticket on the car which had transported 65-year-old Mrs Clinton to the event, prompting her security detail to jump out of the van in protest, [photographer] Mr Brennan said.
The photographer claimed he saw one of the agents angrily waving his arms and flashing his badge to the warden, who remained unflustered and continued to issue the ticket to Mrs Clinton’s vehicle.
Judging by the photos that accompanied the news stories, I suspect that the angry arm-waiving was not done by her security detail, but rather by some senior official, presumably an American, who was waiting around outside while Hillary was doing her business in Chatham House.
The photo above shows the traffic warden with four men from Hillary's party. Three of the four are mature gentlemen with silver-grey hair, at least two of whom are unlikely to be security detail material due to their age and, well, gravitas. The third grey-hair could be a supervisory agent of some type, but I don't think so, based on the way he keeps well out of the action. The fourth man in the photo is younger and is the only one who is visibly wearing a lapel pin (a low-profile recognition device used by security details). None of the older gents appear to be wearing those tell-tale ear pieces. Deduction: I see one security agent and three geezers whose function is unidentified.
It was one of the three older gents who got in the warden's face.
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| Senior Official #1 explaining this is a b-i-g, b-i-g, problem |
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| Senior Official #1 threatening to execute the warden |
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| Senior Official #1 ordering the warden to leave immediately |
All the officious arm-waiving was a waste of time, because the warden was not to be intimidated. England is the land of the Magna Carta, after all, where they invented the concept of equality before the law. Pay the £80, Mr. Senior Official, and let that be a lesson to scofflaws everywhere.
11 comments:
Great reportage TSB! The security detail was probably inside with Hillary .. it would be fun to know who the old geezers are. gwb
Right you are - the agents were with the principal (HRC) except for the one left with the vehicles. The geezers, and I use that term out of generational empathy, might be embassy staff detailed to handhold Hillary's visit, or maybe personal-political aides. It's not impossible they could be British officials, although the news stories don't mention that.
TSB: My favorite guy on the shutdown last night was on CNN. George Papandreous speaking better English than any of our politicians was on to explain that Greece ran into some problems because they hired too many government workers and they had to make some 'adjustments' but that everything is fine now!
I think what he mean't is that all the people who never had to pay taxes in Greece are doing pretty good. So now we are 'cleared to $18 Trillion!! and free health care to boot! Carry On! gwb
TSB: Thanks for the generational empathy!
http://rt.com/news/research-iraqis-died-war-247/
Of course these wars will cause some 'generational emnities'. gwb
Well analyzed! My guess geezer #3 (standing apart) has to report inside to very personal Hillary aides. The guy with the pin has the "what's this all about" look on his face. Love the last pic, arm straight out, the lean forward, etc.
Don't you know they hate these pics and story getting out. Bet there was ass chewing later!
Just like all those foreign diplomats who pay their NYC parking tickets, right?
TSB!! James!! Keith punched his ticket! : gwb
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-16/keith-alexander-nsa-head-stepping-down
TSB: Biden has been released! http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/biden-offers-federal-workers-handshakes-hugs-and-kisses_763654.html
Now that the CRISIS is over it's safe to let Joe loose.. He might be stopping by your office later with some muffins! The reason the federal debt remained exactly the same for 150 days in a row was that Bernanke was monetizing it daily. The reason they didn't want any federal reserve 'forebearance'was that they all want to spend a lot more money like that 2 billion for the Kentucky-Ohio bridge. It's 20 Trillion or Bust!! gwb
"Just like all those foreign diplomats who pay their NYC parking tickets, right?"
Foreign diplomats paid a NYC parking ticket? Who? When?
They actually are supposed to pay those - for all I know, some of them do - but they don't have to pay anything considered a tax such as the London congestion charge. But you make me wonder: why can't we declare a traffic congestion zone around the British UN Mission and then, after they run that up to a few million, swap our debts?
GWB: That's good news about Keith Alexander; now he's free to go to work for Google.
I saw a photo of Joe Biden delivering mini-muffins to an office somewhere in DC. Just my luck to work in a Virginia suburb!
TSB: I am still griped about the Benghazi deal. The ReapUblicans keep grousing about lies and nobody held responsible.. The Hell! ? Carter Ham's resignation was announced a couple weeks later so somebody was held responsible.
And we even know the Major's name who fired him.. So why can't get him to tell the public who had him do that? What's everyone so afraid of? Leon Panetta? gwb
Ham
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