Thursday, February 18, 2010

Keystone Capers

If any politicians ever wonder why the American people have lost faith in their government, they need look no further than this.

In a dispatch from CNN, it appears that the Department of Homeland Security has lost 179 weapons because 'officers did not properly secure them'. The Inspector General issued a report outlining some of the embarrassing details surrounding these losses.

For example:

A customs officer, for instance, left a firearm in an idling vehicle in the parking lot of a convenience store. The vehicle was stolen while the officer was inside.
In the Army, gross negligence (according to Army Regulation 735-5 ... it is amazing some of the crap I remember from the army) is defined as:

an extreme departure from due care resulting from an act or omission of a person accountable or responsible for Government property which falls far short of that degree of care for the property that a reasonably prudent person would have taken under similar circumstances. It is accompanied by a reckless, deliberate, or wanton disregard for the foreseeable loss or damage to the property.
This kind of conduct would certainly cost a soldier their job and their career. In an extreme case, it might mean jail time. Let's hope that there is some accountability in this matter but I don't foresee any change.

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