`The Institute for Justice (LEGAL AID LIB) is an extreme right-wing outfit, but they come together with the civil libs likes of the ACLU on matters such as the ongoing and outrageous trashing of our 4th & 5th Amendment rights.
4th The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, ... but upon probable cause ....
5th No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
So, there you have it. A clearly unconstitutional law written almost 200 years after, and in stark disregard of, at least, three Constitutional Amendments (as well as the 14th).
In light of these diametrically opposed canons, which is the law of the land? And what does it say about this republic if the germane portions of the Bill of Rights do not ultimately prevail? Did the Founders intend to simply repeat the confiscatory policies of Merry Old England, or were the people's bill of rights - a condition of Confederation - meant to guarantee due process before such naked theft took place?
I won't go into the abysmal Constitutional scholarship required by a majority of Congress in order to pass such clueless legislation in the first place.
Nor is this the place to examine the razor-sharp Constitutional casuistry necessary in order to craft such cynical legislation. It must be noted that, as with almost all unconstitutional law, the edifice is built upon some ginned-up "war" to better protect the people; in this case, The War On Drugs, inflicted on us by the CIA-Bush-organized crime axis since the Late 50s. Even today, this nation would court economic disaster were the "laundered" portion of its GDP (one-half to one trillion $) to disappear.
forfeiture includes a nice sum-up of the Alexander and Bennis cases - also limns how screwed up the judiciary has become on this issue - they are confused and divided enough, IMHO, to render useless the civil liberties of anyone remotely entangled in this web of entrapment and contradiction
seizure here again, a round-up of law enforcement's efforts to bend this term to mean greater rewards when seen from their remunerative and self-serving POV
The ACLU welcomes help from whatever quarter cares to give it, but just so you don't go all fuzzy and cuddly on these guys, here's their 3-minute vid on how to build a politician.
Tea Partiers will love every second of Camp Politics; my reader/viewership, not so much after the 2-minute mark. Hint: Citizens made these folks jump for joy.
Nigel Watson freethinker 727.493.1990 skype orbizen2
Blog: ORBizen Memo http://orbizenmemo.blogspot.com/
"There is no greater disaster than greed." – Lao-tzu
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Krishnamurti
1 comment:
That is why the government pays you when it exercises eminent domain.
Right wing scare tactics.
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