Nothing Stops Cops In Florida

Something bizarre is showing up in the orange juice down in God's waiting room. Or maybe too much sunshine is baking the brains of the local cops. No one knows for sure what the cause of the problem is, but it is a large problem.

Cop falls asleep while speeding 73-mph in a fifty and kills another motorist.

Henrietta Strong was killed Sept. 6, 2010, during her morning walk on State Road 520 in Cocoa when she was struck by the police car of Brevard County Deputy Vincent Marino-Vitani, who was going 65 mph in a 40-mph zone, according to FHP. Investigators found her partly at fault, saying she failed to yield while trying to cross the road.

Guess pedestrians no longer have the right-of-way, at least when it comes to cops.

Monroe County Deputy Melissa Powers died in this 106-mph crash in 2010. The Sheriff's Office quickly began patrol reforms.

106-mph patrol speed is one hell of a patrol speed.

The Orlando Sentinel found that approximately 7,400 crashes per year are caused by cops. Not from pursuit, but from all forms of lousy driving. Distracted driving is the cause - like texting, cell phone usage and playing on their computers while driving. Oh, and also, driving way to fast for conditions - i.e. careless and reckless driving.

Well, luckily they are almost never ticketed for the lack of respect they show for the traffic laws they supposedly enforce. In fact, they are ticketed only 11% of the time, while the average motorist is ticketed 64% of the time.

No one is above the law you say. Whatever.

A Picture's Worth - 30 Years

One of the more photogenic states, Florida, may soon become one in which you DO NOT want to bring a camera should you visit, or throw out your camera(s) if you live there.

A bill introduced by Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, hopes to make the act of photographing a farm, or any part of a farm, a first-degree felony without first receiving written permission from the farm owner(s). A farm is defined as ANY land "cultivated for the purpose of agricultural production, the raising and breeding of domestic animals or the storage of a commodity." A first-degree felony on the other hand is one that is punishable by 30 years in jail. The only sentences that cannot be meted out by a judge are life in prison or death, if found guilty.

To put this in perspective -

Rape is a second-degree felony as is Slavery or Third-degree murder.

Said Wilton Simpson, a farmer in Norman's district, the bill is needed to protect "intellectual property" relating to farming. WOW - that must be some kind of "intellectual" property.

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Judy Dalglish, the executive director, had this to say - the bill "...is just flat out unconstitutional not to mention stupid." Sharky&Sharky aren't sure about the stupid part, but the Constitution is long gone.

©Sharky&Sharky

Life Guards In Wheelchairs? Who Knew?

In a continuing quest to turn EVERYONE into a politically correct bobble-head, the state of Florida has rendered it's final decision.  Clearwater Beach, Florida's lifeguard station must be made handicap accessible - even though the ONLY people who have access to and use said station are life guards.