tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post969431844525856207..comments2024-02-19T07:24:42.397-08:00Comments on Anglican Curmudgeon: Life Surpasses Art: a Fish TaleA. S. Haleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05108498446058643166noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post-69776856758729558862014-05-05T11:41:51.119-07:002014-05-05T11:41:51.119-07:00I work for a corporation in environmental manageme...I work for a corporation in environmental management - I have to deal with vast and conflicting state and federal regulations, forms, and reports. What I enjoy most, is when I interact with a government inspector that decides to reinterpret a defined meaning of something in order to increase the amount of fines and penalties. Two examples: 1) an upset condition requires an initial report within 24 hours of the incident, and a final report within 14 days. State inspectors decided to redefine 14 days as fourteen 24 hour periods starting from the time of the incident - so if the incident started at 2 AM, and if you filed your final report on day 14 at 8 AM, you were in violation - failure to submit the required report on time. 2) a hazardous waste inspection regulation says you record the name of the person conducting the inspection - but does not stipulate the form of the name. The inspector tried to issue me a violation saying that having first initial and last name was wrong, it had to be first name, middle initial, and last name. This person signs everything that way. I refused to accept the violation and eventually won, but only after spending $20K on lawyers. This inspector had been getting away with this for 2 years because companies thought they would accept the violation with no fine, and save on legal fees. K in Texashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04184778133745804287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post-73371838180805742782014-05-03T20:00:57.296-07:002014-05-03T20:00:57.296-07:00As Rumpole once said in heartfelt appeal to the ju...As Rumpole once said in heartfelt appeal to the jury, as he summed up his case at the Old Bailey, "Justice is not the same as law."The Thoughtful Pilgrimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08837834966880921191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post-63514276285042424382014-04-30T10:10:21.549-07:002014-04-30T10:10:21.549-07:00The time is during the white-winged dove season in...The time is during the white-winged dove season in northeastern Mexico, late Summer in 1978. We are returning across the border at the Reynosa - McAllen crossing of the Rio Grande. There is an horrific bridge tie-up and line crossing, causing long lines in Reynosa.<br /> One of us is ahead in a van with 9 men, and I in the rear with 10 men. We have 19 legal limits of white-winged dove under ice in the ice chests on top of the vans.<br /> The Reynosa traffic police, trying to speed up the movement of the lines, are directing this vehicle here and that vehicle there. In our case, van number one is here and van number two is there. We become separated by direction of legally established authority. We cross the bridge in separate lines (there are 8 lanes).<br /> Finally we come together under the roof that covers vehicular inspections. Van number one looks like it is prepared for junking, Seats have been pulled out, ice chests strewn from phooey-poo to breakfast. Shotguns are strewn as well, outside of their cases, and shell are being counting, for no known reason.<br /> As I stop, three agents from Federal Fish and Wildlife begin physically "helping" the hunters and your humble servant out of the van. They began tossing ice chests, bags of iced-down birds, shotguns and ammunition into a jumbled mess. They pulled out the seats and began checking underneath the van.<br /> Finally, they told us they were confiscating all the birds and ticketing the owner of the hunting organiser, a long-term operator with an impeccable record. The fine wound up being 500 dollars.<br /> The offense? One van had 9 limits and 10 hunters. The other van had 10 limits and 9 hunters. This is spite of the official advisory that stated, "....in no case shall the number of hunters and the number of limits fail to reconcile. You can enter with differential counts, but when all hunters are present at the inspection area, the number of limit bags must equivolate or be fewer than the number of hunters."<br /> That was one of my top five worst experiences with American federal officers. David Christian Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02486433908063462273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post-68415197497572150812014-04-28T18:34:43.716-07:002014-04-28T18:34:43.716-07:00I keep thinking I can't be shocked, because I&...I keep thinking I can't be shocked, because I've already heard the most ridiculous, then you post this !Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10906980382835490734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post-25305074461390236952014-04-28T12:29:01.549-07:002014-04-28T12:29:01.549-07:00I said Shakespeare said that "The Law is an i...I said Shakespeare said that "The Law is an idiot." Seems that Charles Dickens was the \culprit instead and the line was "The Law is an ass...a idiot!"<br /><br />I humbly beg your pardon for improper citation!Allen Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00853861649876959271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759178030677978044.post-39720999597844784182014-04-28T12:18:19.784-07:002014-04-28T12:18:19.784-07:00All of which causes me to agree with Shakespeare t...All of which causes me to agree with Shakespeare that "the Law is an idiot."<br />Allen Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00853861649876959271noreply@blogger.com