Daily Kos: License to Steal
Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 7:15 pm | By: Radical Russ
Daily Kos: License to Steal
You’re driving down the road in a borrowed jalopy, an envelope on the seat next to you lovingly stuffed with hard earned cash to bid on a sporty car you’ve wanted since you first saw one in a neighbor’s driveway at age 10. It’s a beautiful day, not a care in the world; until you see the police roadblock. After waiting in the line of lumbering cars, your turn finally comes. The officer politely nods to you as he asks for your DL and proof of insurance. He then adds nonchalantly, perhaps noticing a bumper sticker advertising a local rock radio station or the preponderance of melanin in your skin, “Mind if I have a look in your car?” Next thing you know, you’ve been patted down, your friend’s vehicle is being towed away, all that money confiscated. They found no contraband, you’re not wanted, you’re not even under arrest, but they take it all anyway. Surprise! Your property has been seized.Long before “9-11 changed everything,” and George Bush declared war on the Bill of Rights, everything had already been changed and the Constitution already a victim. An ancient practice once used to enrich Kings and Warlords was sadly resurrected in the United States: Asset Forfeiture, a government issued license to steal, backed up by a crew armed to the teeth, and divisions of consiglieres and judges all in on the take that would make any old style Mafia Capo look like an amateur.
A great read in the Sunday edition of Daily Kos, the highest-trafficked blog in cyberspace. Many mainstream pundits, from the left and the right, are calling on this mandate of change to manifest in a serious discussion of our criminal justice policies toward drugs. Economic realities demand that we trim wasteful ineffective government spending, and you’ll find no better example than the Drug War.
Topics: asset forfeiture, Daily Kos
