Author Topic: The American Police State  (Read 1148 times)

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Offline Glock32

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The American Police State
« on: March 14, 2014, 01:13:29 AM »
H/T: Western Rifle Shooters


"The Fourth Estate is less honorable than the First Profession."

- Yours Truly

Online Libertas

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2014, 07:08:11 AM »
No!  They aren't saying what I think they are saying, are they?!

How can that be?

We were always told "That can never happen here!", right?

Obviously somebody must be lying...but who?

People or Government?  Gosh, that's a toughie!

/
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2014, 09:12:33 AM »
I always have a hard time with the prison stats. Are they saying that we are "guilty" of too many wrongful prosecutions? Inordinately strict sentencing guidelines? Or maybe that we have too many people doing bad shyt.

Online Libertas

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2014, 01:47:35 PM »
In this case probably the first one.  But then again how many in prison say they were unjustly prosecuted vs those who actually were...not a stat people keep track of, I guess for obvious reasons.

Also, I think the implication is that making more criminals via ever-increasing statist offenses equals a "better watch your ass" warning with two meanings - a) next one could be you and 2) if I ever get out y'all gonna die.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline AlanS

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2014, 02:30:13 PM »
If prisoners didn't have more rights than victims, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to get there.
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."

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Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2014, 11:42:45 AM »
We have more people in prison than just about anywhere else I've read.
War on Drugs has been a big contributor.
Rise of the Police State is the consequence of it.

We're all criminals just haven't been caught.
Yet

Online Pandora

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2014, 12:23:53 PM »
Laws have been passed that require strict interpretation, which means that simple errors -- clerical and otherwise -- unintentional violations and ignorance of the law are prosecuted without respect to mens rea.  No harm has been done, there is no victim (aside from the prosecuted) but the law has been broken.

George Norris, buyer/seller/cultivator of orchids, home-based business, SWAT-raided by US Fish & Wildlife ...

Quote
Mr. Norris ended up spending almost two years in prison because he didn't have the proper paperwork for some of the many orchids he imported. The orchids were all legal - but Mr. Norris and the overseas shippers who had packaged the flowers had failed to properly navigate the many, often irrational, paperwork requirements the U.S. imposed when it implemented an arcane international treaty's new restrictions on trade in flowers and other flora.

Then there's Abner Schoenwetter:

Lacey Act violations is what was used against Gibson Guitar as well.

Quote
Schoenwetter was charged with violating the Lacey Act, which basically says that if you violate the wildlife laws in another country, then the U.S. can charge you in this country. The law in question was that the lobster was not packaged correctly; the exporter had them packaged in plastic bags, but Honduran law says they must be packaged in cardboard boxes.

So, Schoenwetter fought the case in court. Even the Honduran Attorney General came forward with a written statement defending Schoenwetter. The statement said that the laws of Honduras were not applicable to Schoenwetter’s case, and that they were invalid laws.

By my reading (if I'm correct), "exporter" means whoever shipped the lobsters from Honduras packaged them incorrectly, but Schoenwetter was tried, convicted, and spent six and a half years of an eight year sentence in prison.

More recently, there's this:  Wyoming welder faces $75,000 a day in EPA fines for building pond on his property.

Lives in Wyoming on eight acres, got a permit from the state, followed the rules, now the EPA is on his ass -- assuming facts not in evidence -- for building a pond on his own property, requiring he prove his "innocence".  He'll go to prison unless this is settled because he avows to fight.

How many others are in prison as a result of this kind of bullsht?

"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." - Mark Twain

"Let us assume for the moment everything you say about me is true. That just makes your problem bigger, doesn't it?"

Online Libertas

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2014, 01:42:51 PM »
Some people have a hard time understanding the war has already begun and refuse to fight back in kind, so more Intolerable Acts to follow...
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Glock32

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Re: The American Police State
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2014, 02:36:01 PM »
For some reason the image doesn't always display at full size.  Click the link and you should then be able to click it again to zoom in, if it's not showing up right.

The most significant point on it IMO is the "managed democracy" portion.  They have figured out how to maintain the illusion of consent.  This is one of the most compelling reasons to withdraw from the process, because as long as people participate in the charade they'll be able to point to it as evidence that they're simply enacting the people's will.
"The Fourth Estate is less honorable than the First Profession."

- Yours Truly