Britain Announces "Latex Glove Control" Program (and other stories)

Former husband guilty of attempted murder with latex glove

Yes it's true (if you believe The Guardian.)

Some Idiot tried to kill his ex-wife by capitalizing on her alergy to latex gloves.

Given that Great Britain has totally banned the private ownership of firearms (including posession of toy guns in public), most knives, pepper spray, tasers, lasers and phasers ... they should be an entirely peaceful crime-free society.

Sadly, not. Who knew?

Well, of course the ex was an American, and she should have known that all Americans are red-necked cowboys. And gangsters. Still, one wouldn't normally have expected such -- originality from an American.

Worse, he was a potential mass-murder.

He had six more latex gloves in his pocket.

No 'film at 11', but expect the Brits to enact a law which prohibits purchase of more than 1 latex glove per month. (That's the way WE would handle it!)

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Wait, it gets better.

Do you recycle?

If you don't, and you live in the 99 - 44/100% of the world with something better to do than promote a nanny state, you're only guilty of being socially incorrect. (San Francisco may be America's "Nanny State".)

In London, it can cost you big bucks ... up to £2,500. (I can't tell you what that is in real money, but figure it will cost you something like $4,000 for putting your London Times in the 'dustbin' instead of in the recycling bin.)


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Here's the capper:

British police "want spy planes to fight anti-social behavior".

That's right. The police are so overwhelmed with the need to write out warnings, they can't patrol anymore. They're looking for high-tech gadgets to do their job for them.

Don't know what "anti-social behavior" means? Neither did I, until I went to the website (see link) and discovered the elements of anti-social behavior:

Anti-social behaviour has a wide legal definition – to paraphrase the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, it is behaviour which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people who are not in the same household as the perpetrator. Among the forms it can take are:

• graffiti – which can on its own make even the tidiest urban spaces look squalid

• abusive and intimidating language, too often directed at minorities

• excessive noise, particularly late at night

• fouling the street with litter

• drunken behaviour in the streets, and the mess it creates

• dealing drugs, with all the problems to which it gives rise.

All these are issues which concern everyone in the community. They cannot be written off as generational issues – they impact on the quality of life of young and old alike. And they require a response which puts partnership into action.

Incidently, Answers.com provides some profound insight into the "Antisocial Behavior" phenomenon. Essentially, it considers it a "personality disorder" (Specifically, "Antisocial Personality Disorder") and states that "Antisocial Behavior" is characterized by, well, "Antisocial Behavior":

A personality disorder characterized by a history of continuous and chronic antisocial behavior that is not attributable to severe mental retardation, schizophrenia, or manic episodes.

And we wonder why the Brits are so fixated on "Antisocial Behavior"? They don't know how to define it, but they 'know it when they see it'.

Unfortunately, they see it all too often. See "Yobs".

Here's a thought:

To my Dear British Friends,
Why, when you see "Antisocial Behavior", do you not act upon it? Instead of just writing out an "Antisocial Behavior Order" (ASBO), why don't you just ... stop it?
Your most obedient servent,
Jerry the Geek

The answer, of course, is because a significant portion of the public is so politically correct that they object to even this minimalist approach to widespread social "issues".

Here's one Brit's take on it:

Criminalizing Anti-Social Behavior

Should the state have the power to throw you in jail because you're obnoxious, annoying, or generally a community nuisance? That seems to be what is occurring in Britain: police can obtain an "Anti-Social Behavior Order" that restricts a person's ability to do legal things. Violators can be thrown in jail.

Oh dear, that would be ... bad ... wouldn't it?

Here's my Geekish take on it.

You see that people have no respect for themselves, each other, or authority. They act out in public. But instead of penalizing them for doing "bad things", you write them a TICKET saying they shouldn't do that any more.

When they continue to act out, you write them another ticket ... read, 'ASBO'.

Here's a thought, courtesy of that 'lazy thinker', Albert Einstein:

Insanity may be defined as doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

Until you get your heads around the fact that what you are doing does not yield the hoped-for results ....

... you people are so screwed. SCREWED!

I trust I have made myself sufficiently clear.