Sunday, November 28, 2004
No pay, no play.
Smiley again.
I just read here that Congress included in the most recent omnibus appropriations bill a provision that would dock countries’ foreign aid based on the amount of traffic fines their UN delegates rack up. According to the article, 110% of the amount of unpaid traffic fines from the period spanning April 1997 through September 2004 would be garnished from offending countries.
Good, I say.
While my friends are always impressed when I tell them that I have diplomatic immunity, the truth of the matter is, diplomatic immunity doesn’t exist so that someone can get out of parking tickets. It exists to protect foreign diplomats from being needlessly harassed by the host country. In my current post, staff has been told in no uncertain terms that they are expected to pay all parking/traffic fines they incur.
As well they should. Welcome to belonging to a nation of laws.
11/28/2004 10:42:00 PM posted by Dr. Demarche
I just read here that Congress included in the most recent omnibus appropriations bill a provision that would dock countries’ foreign aid based on the amount of traffic fines their UN delegates rack up. According to the article, 110% of the amount of unpaid traffic fines from the period spanning April 1997 through September 2004 would be garnished from offending countries.
Good, I say.
While my friends are always impressed when I tell them that I have diplomatic immunity, the truth of the matter is, diplomatic immunity doesn’t exist so that someone can get out of parking tickets. It exists to protect foreign diplomats from being needlessly harassed by the host country. In my current post, staff has been told in no uncertain terms that they are expected to pay all parking/traffic fines they incur.
As well they should. Welcome to belonging to a nation of laws.
