Comments
by Alex Blaine...
This column
is named Below The Fold ostensibly due to it's location way down
here in the bowels of this website, but it also refers to the fact that
I am not afraid to expose the lowliest members of our miserable species.
Those that populate the seaming heaps of dung Below the Fold.
You remember the line: "You
don't have to make a federal case out of it"...well, if you're a modern-day
pirate, you do. You make every single instance of highway robbery
into a federal matter so you can keep most of the booty you steal from
citizens. Oh, did I say Pirate? I meant Police. Sheriff,
Highway Patrol, your basic law enforcement.
Thanks to an unfortunate
loophole, these normally moral, and righteous officers become lawbreakers.
Most states have laws against cops keeping the cash and property seized
from citizens. Most states require any legally seized money to go
to education, you know, little kids. So in a sneaky effort to evade
those puny meaningless local laws, the cops turn any loot they grab over
to the feds. After a small handling fee is subtracted, the local
constabulary gets the stolen money back.
It's a legalized money-laundering
operation. The cops justify the entire slimy episode by saying they'd
never have enough money to catch more crooks, if they can't keep the money
they find. Oh, I get it, if we let you break state law, and keep
your ill-gotten gain, you'll be able to afford more illegal seizures.
Hey, it's simple economics. Why was I so upset?
Because this is just what
our founding fathers were trying to avoid when they put limits on police
authority. This is America, land of the FREE, not a chain gang.
The obvious argument most people make at this point is, "These people are
criminals. This is drug money, and not even their's to begin with,
so what's the problem?"
First off, you are innocent
until proven guilty, or have you been brainwashed to forget that minor
detail? Secondly, not all the people whose cash and property have
been legally stolen, were guilty. Many were simply guilty of driving
too fast, and in possession of a large amount of cash.
I'm not so gullible as to
believe that the average person carries thousands of dollars around with
them, like a drugdealer would. But it does happen, and that in itself
is not a crime. Neither is being black, or driving a very expensive
car, but all of these things will make a good law enforcement officer's
nose to perk up.
These guys are highly-trained
to detect certain patterns, to profile possible perpetrators, and maybe
prevent a crime from occuring. It sounds good, until you realize
this is a nation of great diversity. We like to look differently,
to be a little flashy, or just plain weird. That's the way we are,
and it's not a crime.
So remeber, if you drive
through Alabama, or Indiana, or Utah, or nearly any other state, and you
come into contact with the man, be sure you're carrying plastic.
Cash is just too dangerous. |
