-Caveat Lector- =============================== > NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY > 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 > Washington DC 20037 > World Wide Web: http://www.LP.org > =============================== > For release: October 5, 2000 > =============================== > For additional information: > George Getz, Press Secretary > Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 > E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > =============================== > > > Should police have the power to handcuff and jail people who don't wear > seatbelts? > > WASHINGTON, DC -- The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear five > cases this session that involve the power of police to stop, search, > and arrest you for drug and seatbelt violations -- proving that such > "victimless crimes" are now the driving force behind the assault on our > Constitutionally protected liberties, the Libertarian Party said today. > > "If police win the right to haul you off in handcuffs for not > wearing a seatbelt, scan your house at whim with a thermal imaging gun, > and set up random roadblocks so dogs can sniff your car for drugs then > victimless crimes will be to blame," said Steve Dasbach, the party's > national director. > > "These are the issues the Supreme Court will decide this term - > - - and every one of these frightening expansions of police power is > being justified by so-called crimes that have no victims. The War on > Victimless Crimes has turned into an all-out War on the Bill of > Rights." > > Starting this week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear five major > cases to determine whether law enforcement has the right to stop, > search, test, restrain, and arrest people to enforce drug and seatbelt > laws. The cases include: > > * Indianapolis vs. Edmond, which will decide whether police can > set up random roadblocks on public streets to question motorists and > use drug-sniffing dogs to inspect their vehicles. > > * Ferguson vs. Charleston, which will decide whether hospitals > can secretly test pregnant women for cocaine, and turn the results over > to police. > > * Illinois vs. McArthur, which will decide whether police can > restrain people from entering their homes while police are seeking a > warrant to search the premises for drugs. > > * Atwater vs. Lago Vista, which will decide whether people can > be handcuffed and hauled off to jail for not wearing a seatbelt. > > * Kyllo vs. United States, which will determine whether police > can scan homes with a thermal imaging gun, searching for heat patterns > that may indicate a marijuana-growing operation. > > What do all these cases have in common? They all seek a > dramatic expansion of police power and they all involves "crimes" where > there is no victim, noted Dasbach. > > "The criminal justice debate is no longer about what is > permissible when catching violent criminals like murderers, rapists, > and robbers -- it's now about how far law enforcement can go in > violating the Fourth Amendment to catch people who harm no one but > themselves," he said. > > The cases being heard by the Supreme Court are not an > unexpected side-effect of victimless crime laws, but a natural > consequence, said Dasbach. > > "There's a reason why police aren't setting up random > roadblocks to find people who have been the victims of robbery or a > violent crime," he said."In those kinds of cases, people go to the > police to seek justice. But with drug and seatbelt laws, there is no > victim to complain -- just people engaging in consensual behavior that > harms no one but themselves. > > "As a result, law enforcement must engage in police-state > behavior to catch the so-called criminals. To combat victimless crimes, > police use sting operations, paid informers, anonymous tips, no-knock > raids, warrantless searches, and high-tech surveillance. Their impulse > is to always push the boundaries of the Fourth Amendment -- until they > begin to routinely violate everyone's privacy and rights." > > It's that last aspect that should be most troubling to > Americans, said Dasbach, even to people who don't use drugs or violate > seatbelt laws. > > "When police set up a random roadblock, a hundred innocent > people are inconvenienced and threatened for every one person who is > arrested," he said. "Your Constitutional rights are violated, your > freedom is limited, and your safety is diminished -- just so police can > catch a few individuals who engage in peaceful behavior the government > has criminalized." > > These five cases give the Supreme Court an opportunity to draw > a "line in the sand" about how far law enforcement can go to fight > victimless crimes, said Dasbach. > > "The Supreme Court has an opportunity to decide what kind of > country we will live in," he said. "Will it be an America where any > violation of the Bill of Rights is justified in the name of a War on > Victimless Crimes? Or will it be an America where ordinary people can > live in freedom, privacy, and safety, and where the Bill of Rights is > respected? That's the real issue on this year's Supreme Court docket." > The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ > 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 > Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 > line. > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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