Comments on: Ambulance given Denver boot during emergency response

By: cdh1971

cdh1971 — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Man…does everything have to be a conspiracy theory? I’m sure there was no international intrigue involving the CIA, MI6 or whatever agencies. Most likely, the convenience store employee was simply stupid!!!

By: cdh1971

cdh1971 — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:17:00 +0000

Just read down the thread foobar — ignore my first post – I agree with your logic – guess I posted too soon.

By: cdh1971

cdh1971 — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:15:00 +0000

Dinos and Drosophila, sweet-pea.

By: Sparg

Sparg — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:07:00 +0000

Yes. Check out The Denver Boot.

By: Baldhead

Baldhead — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Seems like an intelligence barrier to me.

By: Ari B.

Ari B. — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:32:00 +0000

As a kid, I always heard it called a Denver Boot or Jersey Boot.

By: ChickieD

ChickieD — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:49:00 +0000

True dat. People who haven’t lived there tend to associate Cajuns with New Orleans, but it’s more of a rural type of culture than city folk. I, personally, think that the most important think to know about Cajun culture is ZYDECO!!! (heads up: music plays when you click the link) http://www.zydecoonline.com/dev/index.php

By: Aeron

Aeron — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:42:00 +0000

If I went to Bali and saw an emergency vehicle I would immediately recognize it as an emergency vehicle. You don’t have to speak English to rub two brains cells together and understand what its function is. Especially when it’s in rave-mode!

By: smr

smr — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:22:00 +0000

*Denver* boot doesn’t travel so well, though.

1950s Colorado parking enforcement is a bit of a niche thing overseas.

By: smr

smr — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:19:00 +0000

No Jets games, sure, but “where do you keep the milk?”

By: DrDave

DrDave — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:40:00 +0000

I assume “to boot” in this context comes from “Denver boot”, another term for wheel clamp. Denver first used the clamps in the 1950s.

By: Dlo Burns

Dlo Burns — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:34:00 +0000

But they only catch fire on the days its under 120% humidity.

By: Ernest Valdemar

Ernest Valdemar — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:20:00 +0000

You know, it’s cases like this that make it clear why my considered opinions/personal biases should be implemented as federal statutes/state laws/reasonable guidelines/actionable torts.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Clamp is definitely in use in the US to describe the application of a boot. In this case, booted is in quotes and is a play on words since it also means to eject someone. Now bugger off, you gormless tit.

By: Warren_Terra

Warren_Terra — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:28:00 +0000

We don’t use “Lorry”, We don’t eat “Crisps”, we don’t recognize “Brown Sauce”, and we don’t say “Clamp”.

(Actually, for all I know some Americans do say “Clamp”, and I am personally fond of Britishisms. Just thought I’d pointlessly rant. And if you’re looking to rationalize the English language, even just its American variant(s), you’re going to be busy, and frustrated).

By: Alex Liggett

Alex Liggett — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Lafayette, LA is the heart of Cajun Country and has a population of 125,000 people…not really the “boonies.”

By: foobar

foobar — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:55:00 +0000

Right, as @samfen:disqus says. I’d rather hoped that went without saying.

By: kenmce

kenmce — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:46:00 +0000

What did he think the ambulance was there for?

I’m going to guess that he was new to the first world ( NOLA is at least honorarily first world), had been given simple instructions about booting anyone who was not standing in the checkout line, had no idea why that fancy looking truck with all the lights on it was in his parking lot, and didn’t care, because his instructions were quite clear.

By: kenmce

kenmce — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:33:00 +0000

How do you work in a convenience store and not speak the language of the majority of the population in the area?

I’m going to guess that the people in that store are all from somewhere, and that poor bastard Sidi speaks the same language they do. He has the least English so he works in the back, cleans, stocks, boots, makes sandwiches, etc.

By: jackbird

jackbird — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:55:00 +0000

That’s because the PPA is run by the state, not the city, and there’s no love lost between them and the police department. Or really between them and humanity.

By: SamSam

SamSam — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:20:00 +0000

Never been booted, have you?

That said, you could always call Angle Grinder Man…

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fgKOj2LAse0/UED7XlCaisI/AAAAAAAABLs/pZV6vto9MGQ/s1600/angle20grinder20man20web.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGQMq3hNv-g

By: SamSam

SamSam — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:16:00 +0000

I think foobar was replying to the general assertion that booting cars who illegally park in your property was the action of a “rip off joint.”

I think that in the abstract foobar is certainly correct. In this exact instance, of course, I don’t think anyone disagrees that no one should be booting ambulances…

By: Kevin Hill

Kevin Hill — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:06:00 +0000

Once saw some guys in Philadelphia using an acetylene torch to get a boot off. A police cruiser pulled up, told the guys to hurry up before they got in trouble and drove off.

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:56:00 +0000

What kind of evil puzzle-master would torture our brains with a word that has more than one possible meaning? STOP FUCKING WITH US, LINGUISTS!

By: Joel Phillips

Joel Phillips — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Okay, to boot already has lots of meanings: to kick out, to put boots on something, to start up (and that’s just the verbs). How about we all start using using “wheelclamp” or “clamp” and make the world a less ambiguous place?

By: Warren_Terra

Warren_Terra — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:37:00 +0000

A typical tire boot has a metal cover over at least a significant portion of the hubcap and at least one of the lugnuts, so I don’t really see how you’d swap out the booted tire for the spare.

By: Jason Weisberger

Jason Weisberger — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:31:00 +0000

Hahahahaha.

By: K-9

K-9 — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:21:00 +0000

To be honest, I’m kind of relieved it was a schmuck of a convenience store worker who did it. I was perfectly prepared to read that it was done by the city parking enforcement.

By: Marc Mielke

Marc Mielke — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:13:00 +0000

What about: I’m going to use my spare tire and steal your boot? Unless you are the police I don’t see anything you could do about it.

By: Marc Mielke

Marc Mielke — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:11:00 +0000

You really trust some random dude to know whether the first responders are responding or just knocking off for lunch? Letting them just park illegally all the time is much less harmful than risking some guy’s life to protect your goddamn property rights.