Free Republic

When heavily armed marines and government tax agents stormed eight marinas on Mexico's Pacific and Caribbean coasts, boaters thought they were witnessing a major drug takedown. The mostly American and Canadian retirees found out that the target was actually them — couples spending their golden years sailing warm-weather ports in modest 40-foot boats. After inspecting more than 1,600 vessels in late November, the Mexican government's Treasury Department announced it had initiated seizure orders against 338 boats it accused of lacking a $70 permit. The office says it has four months to decide whether to release the boats or sell them...

A Thurston County sheriff's deputy tased a man twice early this morning after he interrupted the man having sex with a woman outside a home in the 14000 block of Vail Cutoff Road, according to the sheriff's department. Patrick Bergin, 21, of Yelm, was placed under arrest on suspicion of third-degree assault, Thurston County Chief Criminal Deputy James Chamberlain said. According to Chamberlain: The incident began around 2 a.m. when a deputy was responding to a complaint of loud music outside a residence on Vail Cutoff Road. As the patrol car approached the residence, its lights passed over a couple...

Senator Hopes To Stop Police Ticket Quotas Some Believe Law Would Make Patrol Officers Less Accountable NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Police won't admit it, but many drivers are convinced officers have a quota on the number of the speeding tickets they are supposed to write. Now, there's legislation that would prohibit all police in Tennessee from establishing quotas. "I think there is, and it always has been a quota system. I don't care what they say," said one Nashville driver. State Sen. Tim Burchett, a Republican from Knoxville, believes ticket quotas are happening because of revenue, not for safety reasons. He...

<p>New Yorkers can earn cash rewards for ratting out bodegas, groceries and individuals selling bootlegged cigarettes if a bill supported by Mayor Bloomberg wins approval.</p> <p>Under the bill, the city would give a "suitable" reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the detection of violations of the cigarette tax.</p>