Friday, February 8, 2013

The Next Time a Cashier Asks “Paper or Plastic?” Think of Abbie Schoenwetter

Advocates of big government should all be shown this. Chilling. Must watch. Nothing more needs to be said.




(Via Heritage)

15 comments:

  1. They went after Gibson guitar company using the same law.

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    1. Yep. I was just going to type that. Very similar to the Gibson ordeal. What a joke.

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  2. Time and time again...all too familiar.
    I have a very good friend who recently was forced to close her medical practice. A practice that she built up through sweat and tears for years. This, because an "anonymous" tip to the FBI (by a disgruntled employee,BTW)claimed that she was a "pill mill".
    They came with guns to seize her patient records, which she was denied access to in her own defense, or incidentally, use in the treatment of her patients.
    After years of threats, legal feints, and general harassment, she finally had to call it quits due to sheer exhaustion. They never returned an indictment, or any charges, just years of subpoenas, and court appearances etc. etc.
    Another family practice bites the dust. Another career (and life)ruined.
    The country of our youth is dead. Welcome to the Reich.

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    1. All agents involved in these raids should carry personal liability insurance. If she was not found guilty (much less if charges were never filed) the agents involved should be responsible for 10x damages. Perhaps they would be a bit more careful with skin in the game.

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  3. I saw this on a fox news special called something like "everything is illegal" (it's on YouTube and worth a watch).

    But this story literally makes me sick to my stomach. I feel terrible for this man and his family.

    How on earth can you be a prosecutor in this case and go through with these charges? How can the judge possibly look at himself in the mirror knowing he sentenced someone to jail for 8 YEARS for using plastic and not cardboard boxes (which the Honduran gov said was OK!). Clearly the people in government involved in this have no souls. Shame on all of them, including the SCOTUS for not hearing the appeal.


    Is this not the most obvious case for nullification?

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  4. Clearly the problem is competition. If we just did away with the free market and let the government manage the lobster trade (and all others), nothing like this could happen again, right?

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  5. The caption at the end got it wrong: "You Are A Criminal" more accurately reflects the law enforcement mindset.

    Interesting to see Ed Meese writing the intro to the book. Wonder if he mentions his reflections on asset forfeiture, greenlighting the Giuliani Drexel Burnham witch hunt, and all the other things he did to reduce overreaching government during his "service" with St. Ronald?

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    1. Yep, these "Heritage" types really seem to cherry pick their incidences.

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    2. Great points. Meese is a summer soldier when it comes to defending freedom. That's too nice of a way to put it too.

      I have been called for jury duty twice, and escaped both times. Yet, in the depths of my heart, there are times I wish I was called on a case like this one, so I could do everything in my power to be (quite likely) that lone juror who votes Not Guilty.

      I can only assume, these days, people like us would be kicked off the jury box and punished. We are dealing with people who have no souls. Yet, trying to defend innocent people like Abbie is worth it.

      I once told two coworkers that I would never convict people of things like "tax evasion." As soon as I knew I was on a tax case, I wouldn't even need to hear any evidence: Not Guilty.

      Of course, I would try to hide that during jury selection.

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  6. I can tell you as a business owner in manufacturing that there are a myriad of laws I have break daily in order to make a living.

    I'm convinced all of the various gov't agencies know this and like it this way. Every day I operate is doing so with the proverbial Sword of Damocles over my head.

    Sometimes I wish I was a banker...but the risk of fines for disabled safety switches is less troublesome to me than the thought that I would make a living off of a system based on theft.

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  7. There was a wonderful bit of dialog in "Atlas Shrugged" that perfectly illustrated the purpose of laws.

    Laws are just one of the strongest means for government control over people. Arbitrary and destructive laws are not the result of stupidity, but deliberate to tighten the noose around the majority of people, with which they can be blackmailed if they should get uppity about their rulers.

    According to the supreme court, cops do not have a duty to protect citizens, but they do have a duty to enforce the law.
    Get the message?

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    1. That dialog from Atlas Shrugged was the first thing that came to mind.

      --quote:
      “Did you really think we want those laws observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them to be broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against… We’re after power and we mean it… There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Reardon, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”

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  8. This stuff will continue as long as Americans keep acting like sheep.

    So, keep acting like sheep until they strip you down to rags and moldy bread. Then all of a sudden, it will become clear to you that it's okay to fight back against tyranny.

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    1. Rags and moldy bread are illegal. Just sayin'.

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