I usually scoff at claims that we’re living at a police state. I believe we are living in the definition of a police-state, but not the traditional Nazi Germany sense. More and more I’m doubting that. Almost every other day I get a story in my google reader feed about someone being arrested for another dumb reason. The one I saw today blew my mind. A guy actually got arrested for standing on the sidewalk.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/nyregion/18movealong.html?_r=1

That sort of story is straight out of Nazi Germany. There was a law the British Government passed after the Boston Tea Party making it illegal for more than two people to talk in public. This is so parallel it is not even funny. This isn’t the only ridiculous article I’m finding. Now that I search my Google Reader inbox I’m finding so many I don’t have enough room for tabs.

This one is a little more questionable. The kid had the Anarchist Cookbook, but nonetheless, it is not illegal to possess any information, unless it’s classified intelligence. The Anarchist Cookbook is filled with different types of homemade explosives. Stuff that could be found with a Google search or on Wikipedia. I understand their reasoning, but I still find it to be a violation of the kids rights.

Here is one where a protestor/attorney gets arrested for putting up a Political Poster. It’s scaring the hell out of me just as I’m reading.

This one may get a bit controversial in most people’s eyes, but what needs to be pointed out is that no court or official has ever showed a law or resolution that forces the American people to obey IRS code. Technically, we don’t have to pay income tax, its simply an unauthorized donation.

Here is one where a guy gets pulled over for not wearing a seat belt, and then gets thrown in the back of a squad car for “coughing in the officer’s face”. According to the suspect he coughed at the cop’s belt, but the officer says otherwise. It’s a hearsay case, but it sounds like the cop is on a power trip.

This one is a little less defensable from the point of people getting arrested for meaningless charges, but it’s ridiculous nonetheless. What right does the government have to say we can’t smoke marijuana? It doesn’t adversely affect our health, it’s not causing any deaths, it’s less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes. So why should people be getting arrested for it? Our Declaration of Independence states that the only purpose of government is to protect the individual’s life, liberty, and property. It’s infringing upon their liberty with a falsely stated purpose of protecting our life. Do some research congress. Marijuana is harmless.

This one is making me scream. The couple attempted to use the liberty dollars to purchase some food. Liberty dollars are currency backed by a private organization. Considering the currency crisis we face right now I can’t blame the couple for switching. It may be a little impractical, but it’s for safety, and makes a statement. The police state that it is not legal tender and not backed by the United States Government. THE DOLLAR ISN’T EVEN BACKED BY THE GOVERNMENT! Where the hell do these people get their facts? It’s none of the governments business what form of currency two party’s use to barter. That’s why it was legal in the 1800’s for private wildcat banks to appear. If the company they were purchasing with didn’t want the liberty dollars, they just void the contract and move on. The couple committed no crime.

Here is a case that is unbelievably creepy in it’s Police-Stateness. An old woman was confronted by a police officer at her house about her lawn. She neglected to identify herself, which she has a legal right to refuse to do, and the officer arrested her! Read the article and allow your jaw to drop.

Now it’s going to be illegal to have sex with a woman if she’s had to much to drink.

This is actually something I’ve been interested in for a while now. Our crusade against pedophilia and sexual assault has really taken a toll on men. I found an article a while ago about the effects it’s having on men, but I lost that one. Instead you’ll have to put up with this ridiculous article about a man who is arrested for raping an 8 year old girl on simply hearsay. He was innocent and then sued the city for 10 million dollars. In my opinion the guy deserves the money.

Here’s one where a guy got arrested in a prostitution scandal. He was with his wife and when the undercover cop posing as a prostitute leaned in the window and asked if they wanted sex they both laughed realizing the woman didn’t need help, as they had assumed. Cops were around their car in seconds. What the hell?

This is something that has been bugging me for a while. I remember hearing a while back about someone who wasn’t allowed in the Capitol Building with a political tee shirt. I found that to be extremely strange considering the Capitol Building is the Capitol of American Politics. It just made no sense to me. This one is about a guy who got arrested after aguing with cops about getting into the Patreus hearing. He was wearing a button that said “I Love the People of Iraq”. Apparently that’s illegal. It’s getting to the point that America is more like Maoist China. You don’t know what the law is until you violate it.

Here is one where a kid at a fast food restaurant is facing criminal charges for over-salting a police officer’s burger. The kid accidentally spilled a little salt. His manager told him to go ahead and serve it. If the cop felt that badly about it, complain and get a new one! Don’t abuse your powers!

Here is a kid getting arrested for throwing a cheeto bag in his dad’s face. It’s a friggin’ cheeto bag. How bad is his dad actually hurt?

Apparently now you can’t even sleep in your car when your drunk. I guess they would prefer him to be sleeping on a bench and then get in trouble for public drunkenness. This one is also scaring the crap out of me. DUI’s should be reserved for actually driving under the influence, not for being in a position to drive. What’s next? A DUI for drinking with your keys in your pocket?

This one is also creeping me out a bit. This guy got arrested for refusing to identify himself. When you go to a store and after you purchase your products and leave sometimes they check our bag. They have no right do this, but we allow them anyway. Well, this guy refused it. He said “No” and walked out. The employee followed him out and then a cop asked for him to show his ID. The guy wasn’t driving and the cop expected him to identify himself. He doesn’t have to, so he didn’t. He got arrested. It’s like knowing your rights nowadays doesn’t count for anything, because the police don’t even know your rights.

Here’s a guy that got arrested on charges of obstructing a sidewalk. The guy was holding an impeach Bush/Cheney sign on a five foot wide sidewalk. Another oppressive power hungry cop. This stuff is creeping me out. I’ve still got like ten more tabs with stories open.

Alright, well anyway, I closed the tabs. I’m not going to bother. You get the message. It’s confusing to me. The way I understand the way our goverment is supposed to operate is that we don’t have to worry about the law in our daily lives. We should never have to come in contact with a police officer except when we’re a victim or there’s some kind of dispute or something serious. Not small stuff. There are too many laws and statutes on the books. My definition of a Police State encompasses the United States.

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