They're watching you...

[solarguy]

Ahh, those famous words.

L. Gordon Crovitz: You Commit Three Felonies a Day - WSJ.com



The crux of Mr. Crovitz article is that the typical american, going about his or her business with no felonious intent, unknowingly commits, on average, three felonies per day.

Perhaps he overstates the case. Maybe it's orders of magnitudes less than that. Perhaps it's only one per year that you unknowingly commit.

All I can say is that you better kiss the boots of every law enforcement officer, every prosecuting attorney, every judge, and every politician you run across. If they want to put you in jail, they can and they will.


Did you know that the U.S. incarcerates more people, per capita, than any other developed country in the world, except russia? At our current rates, 5% of the population of the U.S. will spend some time in jail in their lifetime. Rates are going up though.

FCNL: Where Race, Economics, and Criminal Justice Intersect: Questions of Civil Rights

Let's look at a recent example that is hard to believe it is so ridiculous.


About a year ago in michigan, the Department of Natural Resources made a declaratory ruling that defines "feral" pigs, as pigs that have any one of ten different phenotypes, or physical characteristics. "Feral" suddenly had nothing to do with being in the wild, or properly fenced and cared for on a farm.

If you own a pig with erect ears, or floppy ears, the possession of that pig makes you a felon.

If you own a pig with a straight tail or a curly tail, you are now a felon.

Keep in mind, this is not a law per se. A department just made a ruling, and a truck load of farmers became overnight felons. No legislation, just a ruling.

I'm seriously not making this up.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dn...L_371200_7.pdf


It seems like a silly example.

Not to this guy:

Battle Over Michigan's New Swine Rules Goes Hog Wild : The Salt : NPR

They threatened his customers when he wouldn't kiss their feet. His business dried up. They countersued him for $700,000 hoping to shut him up.

He might win, he might not.

Oh, even though they -could- lock up every pig farmer in michigan, they will only enforce it against the BAD people. Selective enforcement is the tool of totalitarian regimes.



Do you really think, really, that you have nothing to hide?


troy

[XYZ]

Originally Posted by solarguy

All I can say is that you better kiss the boots of every law enforcement officer, every prosecuting attorney, every judge, and every politician you run across. If they want to put you in jail, they can and they will.

If everyone were to do what you suggest, it would not just welcome but guarantee the establishment of an authoritarian state.

Not to this guy:

Battle Over Michigan's New Swine Rules Goes Hog Wild : The Salt : NPR

They threatened his customers when he wouldn't kiss their feet. His business dried up. They countersued him for $700,000 hoping to shut him up.

He might win, he might not.

God bless him. He is willing to fight back. You can fight city hall - but it takes time, money and effort.

Oh, even though they -could- lock up every pig farmer in michigan, they will only enforce it against the BAD people. Selective enforcement is the tool of totalitarian regimes.

It looks like the pig farmers need to unite and form a political action committee. The one thing all politicians and legislators understand is being voted out of office.

[t vago]

Remember! Law abiding citizens have nothing to fear!

Don't Get Too Comfortable—Nationwide License Plate Tracking Will Be Back - Popular Mechanics

These are not just abstract fears of abuse. As the Washington Post reports, abuse is already happening. In Washington, DC, one patrolman kept track of license plates outside a gay bar, then tried to extort the car owners. In Edmonton, Canada, the abuse was higher-level: "Edmonton officials admitted in 2005 that authorities had improperly used police computer systems to gather information on a Canadian newspaper columnist and the former head of the city's police commission, both of whom had been critics of the police department. The two became targets of a failed drunk-driving sting targeting them, according to an official review of the operation."

This stuff is bad enough at a local-government level, but at least you could move. If the federal government—already accused of abusing IRS power to stifle critics, and still reeling from the revelations of the NSA spying on citizens—were to abuse this sort of information, it would be much, much worse. That's why people were worried when news broke of a potential nationwide license plate tracking system.

[XYZ]

Was Niemoller paranoic, or did history prove him to be correct?

First they came ... - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia...

BTW, it doesn't matter much which particular groups he cited at the time he made his pronouncement. The plan was that every group other than that of the prevailing authoritarian state be exterminated over time.

[Cobb]

Its just nice to read a conversation like this without the mention of Bush or Haliburton.

Wait a second, its too quiet, thats the sign the kids I baby sit are up to something.

[freebeard]

Its just nice to read a conversation like this without the mention of Bush or Haliburton.

"Obama". "Blackwater/Academi".

[Xist]

I am just paranoid about my second Statistics test and the final--the class is on-line, but the tests are e-proctored, so I will supposedly have someone watching through my webcam and my desktop, and each experience will cost $30!

Why drive to a campus or testing center when you can take your exams at home?

I live too close to drive to school! I would rather carry my bike the five blocks than pay thirty dollars!

It's like having an exam concierge.

proctoru.com

Please bring a reflective surface such as a CD, DVD or mirror. This is so you can show the edges of your monitor to your proctor.

Can't I just take this in the testing center?

[P-hack]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Its just nice to read a conversation like this without the mention of Bush or Haliburton.

This isn't a misanthropic "I think all you people are bad because of X" thread.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by freebeard

"Obama". "Blackwater/Academi".

The Trilateral Commission! Bilderberg Conference! Build-a-Bear! The U.N.! The Council on Foreign Relations! The Illuminati! The Freemasons! Lizard People! Children!

[t vago]

Originally Posted by Xist

The Trilateral Commission! Bilderberg Conference! Build-a-Bear! The U.N.! The Council on Foreign Relations! The Illuminati! The Freemasons! Lizard People! Children!

Cats! Dogs! Klingons! Canadians!