-Caveat Lector- .............................................................. Forwarded from the New Paradigms Project [Not Necessarily Endorsed]: From: LeMaster <Use-Author-Address-Header@[127.1]> Subject: The Police State Is For Real Date: Monday, November 01, 1999 7:44 PM **forwarded post** From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: The "police state" isn't just philosophical chatter anymore . . . Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tonight, during Halloween weekend, I went downtown in my small college town. There were police walking in and out of the bars all night--they'd stroll in, look around for smokers (it's illegal in California), walk through the bar to assert their presence and then leave. It's becoming a really common occurence in this town--holiday weekend or not. It got me thinking about my personal brushes with the law over the last year, and how it seems the police in my town (and in the news) are becoming more and more present in my life. I should note first that I'm White, 32, engaged, gainfully employed, and a homeowner. My hair is short (and getting shorter), I have no tattoos or piercings, and I generally shy away from clothing with slogans such as "by any means necessary," etc. In short, not the type of guy that usually meets the profile of a troublemaker. I mention these things not to blab about how fantastic a citizen I am, but just because I often wonder if I'M getting so much hassle, what about the folks who are little out of the ordinary in appearance or lifestyle? Here's a quick summary of my last year with the cops. There have been no beatings, no major incidents--I just want to show how the police in my town (and elsewhere) are becoming more and more a part of our lives, with more power to confiscate, question, and detain citizens. 1. By way of a press release, police informed citizens in our town that couches on porches are a fire hazard, and that they will be ticketed--and hauled away if necessary. 2. A few months ago, a friend borrowed my car on an errand and was pulled over for a minor traffic violation. She was informed that her license had been suspended for failing to pay a previous parking fine, and because she was non-licensed, MY car was confiscated by the police and impounded. 3. I do computer development and often work late nights. When I'm on the street late at night, I'm usually tailed and "profiled" by an officer about one out of three trips. Occasionally, cruisers will follow my car closely for ten or more blocks, including turns. Recently, a cruiser turned off its headlights while following me. I drive like a grandmother, so none have ever pulled me over. 4. This summer, my band was recording in a garage on the outskirts of town. The local Sheriff came out and informed us there'd been a noise call. We shut down, packed up, and started to BBQ with friends and family. The Sheriff returned with five deputies as backup, came into the homeowner's back yard and arrested the homeowner for noise violation. They also arrested two others for "drunk in public" (in a back yard?) but both requested blood-alcohol tests and were released after being booked and held for hours. The deputies also confiscated all of our music equipment and held it as "evidence" for three days. 5. Last Thanksgiving I and my fiancee drove six hours south so she could meet my parents for the holiday. On our return, we were stopped by a CHP and told that our car's registration was expired more than a year (it was). We were left on the side of the road at about 11 p.m, 50 miles from our home while the police first searched and then confiscated our car. (Nothing was found in the search but a bear claw donut on the dashboard) 6. My neighbor was walking to work at 5 am one morning, a time when our local streets are very dead. He made his usual shortcut (which required a short jaywalk across a one-way street in which traffic would have been visible for several blocks in either direction). A police cruiser had just passed by. The cop spotted my neighbor, and backed up three blocks going the wrong way on the one-way street to issue a jaywalking ticket. 7. At a local bar, my band had just finished a set when we heard some noise outside. Apparently a patron had stepped out of the bar holding a water glass, and three cruisers were out front assessing the situation. The bartender on duty apologized and the officers were ready to leave, when the bar owner's voice took on a tone that displeased one of the officers. Three officers went inside the club, went immediately behind the bar, and began shining flashlights through the liquor bottles searching for "contaminants." Two bottles were found to be contaminated, both of them top-shelf liquors. 9. After playing a gig at a local bar and having three beers in the process, I was driving home and found a cruiser on my tail, but hanging back a block or so. Not knowing if three beers would put me over the limit, I figured it best to pull over and walk. When my fiancee and I got out and started walking, the cruiser immediately pulled up next to us and both officers jumped out to detain us. Another car joined them a few minutes later. They asked us questions having little to do with alcohol: where were we going, where did we live, where did we work, where were we coming from, etc. After about 10 minutes of grilling, they let us go. Forwarded for info and discussion from the New Paradigms Discussion List, not necessarily endorsed by: *********************************** Lloyd Miller, Research Director for A-albionic Research (POB 20273, Ferndale, MI 48220), a ruling class/conspiracy research resource for the entire political-ideological spectrum. 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