N.J. State Troopers Get Revenge On Public

Jon Corzine wasn’t the only victim of the Don Imus-caused highway wreck last month. The state troopers — a trooper was driving the car 91mph in the Corzine crash, and didn’t arrest Corzine on the spot for not wearing a seatbelt or something — have been under fire from the public as well, apparently.

Now, the troopers fight back.

Some state troopers, feeling they have been publicly ridiculed for the accident that almost killed Gov. Jon S. Corzine, appear to be plotting a ticket blitz against the public this month, followed by a slowdown in June, according to a chilling series of anonymous online postings.

This is what passes for chilling nowadays? Some random anonymous online messageboard posts by “20alphabravo” and “soundsgood” telling people if they speed they will be ticketed.

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Corzine Goes 5 Miles Above Speed Limit; Citizens Riot

Choose Your Own Adventure: Let’s say you’re a, oh, I don’t know, governor who recently got into a car accident. In the accident, your car was traveling 91 miles per hour and you weren’t wearing your seatbelt. Although you suffered serious injuries, you’re okay, and you’re finally leaving the hospital.

To leave the hospital in a car obeying all traffic laws, turn to page 36.
To speed away from the hospital so you don’t miss the next episode of 24, turn to page 57.

Guess which one Jon Corzine chose?

This is a pretty simple question, since I wouldn’t be writing about Corzine had he left the hospital by obeying all traffic laws. Yes, the New York Times reported Corzine was clocked going 70 on the highway for several minutes at a time, while speed limits were 55 and 65.

Now, 70 miles per hour isn’t really all that fast, especially in a 65 mph zone. But you’d think your driver would, just this one time, go about 5 mph below the speed limit, since, oh, I don’t know, the New York Fucking Times might report about you speeding home from Cooper University Medical Center. (And then other papers would pick it up.)

I can only agree with a commenter on Philly.com, who expressed this sentiment, bad grammar aside (just [sic] the whole thing):

He should of been paralyzed from the waist down! Maybe then he would of learned is lesson.

Uh, yeah.

Report: Corzine speeding after leaving hospital [Inquirer]

Rendell Gives Greenlight To Speeding

Way back in 2004, the Daily News broke the story Ed Rendell had been clocked going over 100 miles per hour in his limo several times. (This led to a running Joe Conklin gag, who had the governor saying things like, “I’m gonna leave East Falls at 12:15, and make to Pittsburgh by quarter-to-one for the game.”)

Rendell apologized (I guess) back in ‘04 and later a state police probe — of course! — said Rendell’s driver should only speed when it was an emergency. While he may not be clockin’ 100 mph anymore, he’s sure driving faster than 55. The guv told the Patriot-News, “I’ve told my troopers that I don’t want them exceeding 80 unless they need to pass or unless there’s some real exigent circumstance.”

Sweet! Eighty! Rendell then laid down this bombshell:

“We do the appropriate speed,” Rendell said. “Sometimes we adhere to the speed limit, sometimes we don’t. On many of Pennsylvania’s highways, if you adhered to the speed limit, you’d be a safety hazard.”

You see? The governor is authorizing speeding. Just, y’know, don’t go above 80. Seventy-five is safer than 55, but 81 is just plain dangerous.

Sometimes Rendell feels need for speed [Patriot-News]