Today In The USA

Marvin E. Schur was 93-years-old when he froze to death in his own home in Bay City, Michigan.

His cold and lifeless body was found by a neighbor on January 17th.

So what did Ol’ Marvin do to deserve being left to die in the cold and dark?

Reportedly he did not pay his electric bill, or more than likely, could not pay his electric bill.

Bay City Manager Robert Belleman told the Associated Press today that Schur owed over $1,000 to Bay City Electric Light & Power which ultimately killed Marvin Schur when a workman for the city owned utility installed a “limiter”, a device to restrict the use of electricity at Schur’s Bay City home on January 13.

The “limiter” acts like a fuse and blows out like a fuse if electricity consumption rises past a pre-set level. If the device blows, power is not restored until the device is reset and apparently poor Mr. Schur either was not told how the device worked or did not understand.

Kanu Virani, Oakland County’s deputy chief medical examiner, performed the autopsy on Marvin Schur and said the man died “a slow, painful death”.

Virani went on to say, “It’s not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they’re burning.”

Dr Virani said today that Schur, who lived alone, died as a result of hypothermia and that the house was cold enough that ice had formed in the kitchen sink. “He was wearing a double layer of clothes, trying to stay warm”, according to Dr. Virani.

Neighbors said that when Schur’s body was found, there was ice on the inside of the windows of his home.

Bay City Manager Robert Belleman says that he didn’t know if anyone made personal contact with Schur to explain how the “limiter” device works.

And in an absolute perfect display of idiocy, Belleman also said he doesn’t believe the city did anything wrong.

Mr. Belleman, here’s a clue for you – when you kill a resident of your city by disabling their utility service in the dead of winter, you have done something wrong…

Read reports of this shameful incident at the following links:

93-year-old Bay City man froze to death indoors

Bay City man, 93, lost life trying to stay warm in home

Autopsy: Bay City man froze inside his home

CNN has produced a report that should knock the warm and fuzzy feelings out of any air traveler that thinks for a minute that all the so called “security measures” in place at U.S. airports protect them from anything.

The Transportation Security Administration permitted CNN to accompany an official on an undercover test of airport screeners at Tampa International Airport. The fake terrorist managed to smuggle a mock bomb concealed inside an elastic back support right past security screeners.

Had this undercover officer been an actual terrorist and had the mock bomb been real odds are high that real passengers on a flight departing Tampa International Airport would have been falling from the sky in pieces somewhere along the planned path of their flight.

Read it at TSA tester slips mock bomb past airport security and wonder if TSA will allow CNN to video tape future tests…

From the “Government Run Amok” department:

(1) An outbreak of idiocy has swept through the city government of St. Charles, Missouri where the city fathers are considering a bill that would ban swearing in bars, along with table-dancing, drinking contests and profane music. Basically the proposal would ban indecent, profane or obscene language, songs, entertainment and literature at bars. Evidently while still allowing them in churches, schools and homes. Read it at St. Louis-area town considers proposal that would ban swearing in bars and understand what happens when small time politicians have way, way too much time on their hands.

(2) The Town Council of Huntington, New York must have too much time on its hands also as the town is considering a proposal to ban Silly String and similar substances during “parades, processions, fairs and expositions.” Seems someone came up with the idea that Silly String damages the finish on fire trucks. Read it at LI Town Seeks Silly String Ban, Claiming The Plastic Goo Mars Finish On Fire Trucks and wonder if next they will go totally nutz and try to ban swearing in bars…