OT: Supreme Court and Freedoms..

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Monday, Jan. 24, 2005.. the Supreme Court overturned an appeals court ruling by 6 to 2 that stated Police use of drug sniffing dogs in cases of no reasonable cause or suspicion was unconstitutional.. that for whatever reason they choose they can summon a "sniffer" in so much as they don't impose an unreasonable period of detainment.. Expanding on that ruling, a Columbia law professor said that this unleashes the restraints that have, to date, kept police from random sniffer searches.. it opens the door for sweeps of public parking areas, school parking lots, basically any venue where the public is permitted.. another immediate action will be to begin routine sniffing of airline and public transportation parcels and people..

In a related story, it was last year when the founder of Gibson guitars was driving to a real-estate closing with exactly the amount of cash in his possession needed to close the deal when he was pulled over for exceeding the posted speed limit by 6 m.p.h., a sniffer alerted troopers to his car and a search revealed that the cash had traces of drugs on it (surprise, huh?) no other illegal substances found.. he was arrested, charged and retained legal counsel at his expense up until the day before the trial, when prosecutors dropped all charges.. and left him with embarrassment and huge legal bill..

Public servants should restore anyone's assets if they can't convict them.. otherwise it is just another intimidation tactic at the expense of the people that pay their salaries..

This Nation is quickly moving toward a police state.. Storm trooper-like LEO's accompanied by "man's best friend".. and, a Bush packed Supreme Court will only make it worse.. in the face of disappearing freedoms we need to re-evaluate the what is defined as criminal.. if we can't control the court, we can compel our law-makers to adjust the laws to represent our inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness..

Be well..

[Becca]

They have been doing this regularly for years now. It is now legal. Honestly, I have never seen anyone abuse it. I have been pulled over and searched for the flimsiest of excuses. I didn't have any problems. I have to wonder if some of those who are having problems and aren't guilty of posessing drugs aren't antaginizing the police. Yes, I know this doesn't make it right. But it does make it more understandable.

[mickey]

TaiChiBob,

This is a great post. One only had to see the gross contradiction between Bush's "Freedom" address after he was sworn in and the following military motorcade parade to see the writing on the wall. We will be seeing stupid/dangerous crap like that all over the country. While we have legislated our liberties we have not legislated our right to privacy. Right now the needs of the few far outweigh the needs of the many.

We have been without a Constitution since Bush was given the Presidency.

I have said this before, our Republic has been lost. We need to get that back if we have some semblance of safety in this country. If your notice, this country is not pushing for a Republic in Iraq.

mickey

[Hua Lin Laoshi]

Didn't you know? Due to overcrowding in our jails the US prison system is expanding outside the walls. Didn't you get that memo?

US Inmate # <insert SS# here>

[mickey]

Hua Lin Laoshi,

It is more like the reverse. Our SS# is becoming our inmate number, whether we commit a crime or not.

It makes me want to go to Canada and grow pot.

mickey

[Vash]

Just another reason to make my mind and my body strong.

Though I am not a conspiracy theorist, it's obvious we are losing ourselves. I am waiting for the men in the White House to officially announce the cancellation of freedom.


The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

*waits for men in black suits*

[Hua Lin Laoshi]

"Though I am not a conspiracy theorist, it's obvious we are losing ourselves. I am waiting for the men in the White House to officially announce the cancellation of freedom."

Don't fall for the BS conspiracy nut tag associated with concerned citizens. If you believe "the men in the White House" will someday "announce the cancellation of freedom" then there is, indeed, a conspiracy .

Gotta go make some coffee for the FBI guys when they get here. Later (maybe).

[Christopher M]

I can't help but feel that American leftists are lying in the bed they've made on this one. They asked for a big, interventionist state, and now they've got it. Sucks when the big, interventionist state doesn't share your ideology, doesn't it?

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Christopher M: Leftist, rightist or centrist.. loss of rights and freedoms from whatever the source is cause for action.. while i agree that most "controlled substances" should be "controlled".. this is not the American way to do it.. we, in this country, are presumed innocent until found guilty (or so the law asserts).. this Supreme Court approved action assumes that everyone is potentially guilty and authorizes unreasonable search without cause..

The potential sources of "false positives" for sniffers is too far-reaching to to make this a palatable solution.. currency, contact with people recently in contact with "controlled substances", etc.. what this implies is that any one of us colud be detained simply because the money in our pockets alerted the sniffer, or the last guy we shook hands with just handled cannibis or some other substance.. soon enough, there will be sniffers looking for your guns and ammunition, desperate to disarm the citizenry fearing a rebellion against the New Police State..

The terrorists won. They have panic'd the masses into submission.. the leaders have sounded the call to patriotism and assured us that liberty is a small price to pay for security (same strategy used in Germany in the mid 1930s).. instead of Jews it is Muslims.. Terrorists know they can't defeat us externally, they will simply watch as the people grow weary of Government domination.. as they grow weary of watching the nations resources disappear into the "War on Terrorism" (another 80 billion dollars requested yesterday), and still, no one's safe in Iraq.. and, still, the Bush administration looks hawkishly at Iran and N. Korea.. our future is being spent today..

The US expands its "Democratic Empire" to the dismay of independent Soverignties.. but, Democracy at the point of a gun is hardly "Democracy".. installed puppet governments is not independent leadership for the "liberated" oppressed.. The only way to win a "war against terrorism" is to win the hearts, not puncture them with "full metal jackets"..

So, when you or your kids experiment with some controlled substance.. or the money in your pockets alerts the sniffers.. or when the pleasant person you just shook hands with just rolled a joint.. when you look into the eyes of "Big Brother" and recognize that your future has been altered negatively.. will you shut up and tow the party line or revolt.. reclaim the ideals of our founding fathers..

The more laws we make, the more criminals we make.. common-sense will prevail over legislated morality.. legalize Hemp for commercial products, it's far more renewable than anything currently available..legalize cannibis, the legal market profits from limitless paraphanalia, many publications asserting its benefits, its cultivation, its medical use, its preferential use for recreation compared to alcohol.. a Nation of commercial frauds, make money supporting an illegal substance, sanction it as free-speech, but.. get caught with the real thing and you are in big trouble..

The hypocrisy is blatant and a national embarrassment..

Be well..

[HopGar]

I'll have to back Christopher M on this one. Left wingers want a powerful government and they think it's the most wonderful thing in the world to have your government support you. Now, that the government has all of this power that they have been given by the people, they're "abusing it" as some left-wingers would say, and you're suprised!?!

This is what happens when a democracy - as you left-wingers love to call the US government (which it's not, it's a republican government) - deteriorates, you get mob rule that is more similar to an oligarchy.

You have a problem with activist judges? Then blame Democrats and FDR who stuffed the supreme court with judges who would support his policies. That was the beginning and it has not stopped since.

Any by the way Bob, I want to see the whole ruling, not just a snippet that supports your claim.

[HopGar]

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2...pdf/03-923.pdf

this is is the link so the supreme court's website. It's long as hell, but I think this is what Bob is talking about.

[Serpent]

Just nuke yourselves and everything will be fine.

[Merryprankster]

It was the end of the world when segregation was considered unconstitutional too. Just ask the fellows down in Alabama.

Miranda meant perps would get off. Remember?

The tide will turn again. It's NO BIG DEAL. The courts are unlikely to rule in ways which will clearly violate our basic freedoms.

But in the meantime, we should all throw our hands up in the air and scream that the sky is falling.

[Radhnoti]

I agree that the bloated beaurocracy is getting bigger and worse, but it's short sighted to call it "right wing", or to blame the current administration.
'Course it's not infringing on freedoms to cancel Constitutional gun rights or any other freedom the "left" in this country want to eliminate, right?
Left and right, we've all got to start supporting each others freedoms, or time will take it all from from us in little chunks as different parties come into power. MP, the government almost never relinquishes a power they've "stolen" that I've noticed. There was time U.S. citizens were guaranteed not to ever have to pay a direct tax...
Any big government is bad, facist states are called "right" and communist are called "left" but the result is the same. Power to a small group, sure to be abused given time.

[count]

Originally posted by Christopher M
I can't help but feel that American leftists are lying in the bed they've made on this one. They asked for a big, interventionist state, and now they've got it. Sucks when the big, interventionist state doesn't share your ideology, doesn't it?

Thanks, that's the best laugh I've had in a long time.