Carpundit

Boston Police Helicopter?

The Boston Police are not actually getting their own helicopter, as this article in the Boston Globe explains, but they will be flying in one.  The State Police are supplying the helo, the fuel, and the pilot.  This is a great deal for the city.  There is a crime problem here, the helicopter can help, and the cost is borne by the whole state.

Boston police are already girding for criticism about noise and intrusion from city residents who are now accustomed to having copters whirring overhead only in the case of a manhunt or disaster.

Who would criticize?  It's not as if they'll be setting it to hover over one house at a time.  It's a great idea.  My only concern was that the Troopers and the Boston cops inside the cockpit might kill each other, because the inter-agency rivalry has been known to boil over on occasion.  But it seems everyone is playing nice, and that's to the benefit of the city.

Red Light Cameras Are For Thieves, Not Witches

I meant to mention this last week when I saw it on UH - there's another call for red light cameras, this time in Salem, Massachusetts, a pleasant town known for its witches, not its thieves.

It's a horrible idea.  It sacrifices individual liberty for no appreciable gain.  No gain except revenue.  It will generate revenue.  Not fairly and not well, but generate nonetheless.   What I last said references what I last said before that.

Bottom line: these cameras will not prevent red-light running.

Car-Related Work for Boston's Vagrants?

BPD reported a sharp rise in vehicle break-ins, as you may have seen on BPD News.  It's in the Boston Globe this morning, here.  The article includes this gem, from a high-ranking BPD official, speaking about people they've arrested for breaking into cars:

"They've actually made statements, 'If you're not letting me panhandle, I've got to do something else,' " he said in an interview yesterday.

The bum blames society.  I blame the bum.  How about getting some honest work at a modern facility?

Like sewing jumpsuits here.

Who Can Solve the Senate 1 Mystery?

Readers tell me I am wrong about my assumption that Robert Travaglini was the bad weather bad driver behind the wheel of Senate 1 last weekend.

So who was it?  Who can tell us the driver of a black American sedan -likely a Mercury, I now think- with Mass. Reg. Senate 1?  First one with the correct answer wins the Carpundit Know-It-All award for the week.

James Bond Can't Drive, Either

My lovely wife bought me a DVD of Casino Royale as a late birthday present.  Not knowing much about electronics, she bought the full screen version instead of the wide screen.  If you have a decent modern TV of a fair size, you'll want to skip the full screen version.  Everyone looks slightly short and a bit fat.  "Squat" is a good word.  But that's not my point.

I didn't notice when I saw it in the theater -one of only two films I saw in theater last year, because I hate movie theaters and their prices and their f***ing Buick commercials- but the movie has no respect for cars.  They rolled an Aston DBS, for God's sake.  C'mon, he's James Bond.  You'd think they'd let him keep it wheels down.

Great Bond, though.  Hope he's back soon.

Robert Travaglini or Ted Kennedy Can't Drive

I assume, without knowing, that Massachusetts motor vehicle registration plate Senate 1 is assigned to Senate President Robert Travaglini.  I know, without assuming, that the driver of Senate 1 is an ass.

Saturday morning, in a storm, with snow and ice on the highway and rain falling, Senate 1 was a left-lane tailgater, zooming up behind reasonably-driven cars and bumper locking them until they moved.  His lights were off -when everyone else's were on- and the day was gray.  The road spray and falling rain made the visibility very bad, but Senate 1 didn't seem to care.  Off he sped, at 70+, down route 3 as fast as his shitty Ford would go.

Maybe he was off to sign an employment contract, but that was bad judgment.  And worse driving.

If I'm wrong about who gets those plates, it must have been Ted Kennedy, as senior man.  I won't make another joke about his driving.  But it said "Senate," not "U.S. Senate."  Sorry about the lack of detail but, as I said, the conditions sucked and the sucker was fast.

Fires On the Balcony

Another tragic fire involving B.U. students?  This time, we can say clearly, "How about some common sense, people?"

BTW, an open fire (which includes a charcoal grill) within 30' of a building appears to violate the city fire code (see section 15.01).  Gas grills on balconies and roof decks are prohibited, if memory serves, though I can't find the cite right now.  Maybe it's because I'm old.

Craig Jackson's Not Making Any Friends

Barrett-Jackson is pissing a lot of people off these days.  Remember the Keith Martin scandal?  Well, now they're suing one of their consignors.  To be fair, according to the BJ complaint, the consignor is off his rocker panel.  But it's ugly nonetheless.  (And note that I haven't read the answer, so I don't know the other side of the story; the complaint was filed this week, so the defendants have a while to get the answer in.)  Good thing I don't care about muscle cars, or I might be more upset.  As it is, BJ is one event I have no desire to attend anyway.

Also, a blogger was involved in this particular BJ mess, and they appear to have threatened to sue him.  Which is just another reason I think Craig Jackson is a schmuck.

Admin: that's a '70 Cuda; not the '70 Cuda.  (HT: SCM for the story.)

Toyota Has G.M. On the Ropes, In Trucks Too

Recently, one of my subordinates at work made the mistake of asking me something about cars: what did I think she should do about her massively defective Dodge minivan?  (This gave me a captive audience.)  She asked specifically about GM products; I told her the truth.  My recommendations (Sienna and Odyssey) were out of the question, because her husband is a union man, and an American-only car guy.  Not knowing there were any of those left, I explained that he was sadly mistaken both in his automotive leanings and his political ones, it being the unions, after all, that nearly killed GM.  I was kind of a jerk, in retrospect, though I didn't intend to be.

We talked about trucks, too.  Isn't GM the truck leader, she asked?  Well, no.  There's Ford, for one thing, at least for now.  But Toyota, having killed GM in every car category, is learning about trucks.  I explained about the T100, which didn't get it done, and the Tundra, which will.  The Proof?  GM is desperate.  I got this email from GM today,

Beacon Hill Slime

Am I the only one who thinks it's disgusting that our top pols ooze out of their jobs right into $300,000 lobbying jobs?  Is there a state-mandated waiting period before they can begin strong-arming and stroking their nominally-former colleagues?  If not, there should be.  If so, it should be longer.