You're (Probably) a Federal Criminal

"Federal law now criminalizes activities that the average person would never dream would land him in prison. Consequently, every year, thousands of upstanding, responsible Americans run afoul of some incomprehensible federal law and end up serving time in federal prison."

Source Link: www.foxnews.com...

With all the attention that's been paid lately to long federal sentences for drug offenders, it's surprising that a far more troubling phenomenon has barely hit the media's radar screen. Every year, thousands of upstanding, responsible Americans run afoul of some incomprehensible federal law or regulation and end up serving time in federal prison.

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This Aug. 19, 2008, photo shows the inner and outer security fence surrounding the medium security federal prison in Marion, Ill. Once the nation's securest prison, the federal lockup near this southern Illinois town has housed everyone from spies to a Columbian druglord to dapper mob boss John Gotti. (AP Photo/The Southern, Steve Jahnke)

Our Government does seem to be ramping up ways to ensure that most if not all Americans are booked and processed making it easier for them to control us. Once you realize that the rights you thought were there to protect you are gone the more helpless they believe you will be as they impliment their changes without our knowledge... It's okay to have the opinion that I'm wrong but please explain how we are expected to follow the rule of law if they keep changing the rules making it harder and harder?

The free speech zone at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
en.wikipedia.org...
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Sorry citizen, this is not a Free Speech Zone, turn around and place your hands behind your back.
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Read this Article
The administration quarantines dissent
www.amconmag.com...


People do not realize what has happened already.

The other hardened criminal whose story members of Congress will hear today is retiree George Norris. A longtime resident of Spring, Texas, Norris made the mistake of not knowing and keeping track of all of the details of federal and international law on endangered species -- mostly paperwork requirements -- before he decided to turn his orchid hobby into a small business. What was Norris's goal? To earn a little investment income while his wife neared retirement.
....
Facing 10 years in federal prison, Norris pled guilty and served almost two. His wife, Kathy, describes the pain of losing their life savings to pay for attorneys and trying to explain to grandchildren why for so long Poppa George couldn't see them.

OK, the first story gave me lumps in my throat and pain in my chest! They were simply targeting this guy because of his area of work! They don't want any "alternnative" energies. The fact that they found a loophole to convict him is ludicrous! The defense atty should have implored the jury to ignore the law and use common sense, but I doubt it would have helped!

The second story is just plain ridiculous, I quoted it since it was a little shorter!

NOTE TO GOVERNMENT: Continue picking on these good citizens, you may get away with it for awhile. If you decide to pull this crap with some of the people you have labeled as terrorists because we love our guns, or we have a lot of friends with similar hobbies, you will find yourself in a fight! Not a legal one! We have tried to be peaceable citizens, and contribute to the greater good, but enough is enough! We are at a tipping point, and I pray for a peaceful solution to our precarious situation. The ball is still in your court, choose your next moves wisely.

Less Government
Less Taxes
Less Spending
Less War

That's all I ask for! The overwhelming majority of people are good. There is no reason to have so many laws that target responsible, good people. We don't need "big brother" watching out for us. Give Americans guns, so the bad guys are out armed, and stop looting our paycheck to pay for stuff nobody asked for or wanted.

It would take a miracle to place every single federal law at the fingertips of the common person.

Federal criminal law did not get so badly broken overnight, and it will take hard work to get it fixed. It is encouraging that members of Congress such as Reps. Scott and Gohmert are now paying attention to the toll overcriminalization takes on ordinary Americans. Congress needs to begin fixing the damage it has done by starting to restore a more reasonable, limited and just federal criminal law. Today's hearing is an excellent first step.

[edit on 24-7-2009 by Hazelnut]

Here's a thread where the OP is teetering on the brink of becoming a felon over some bureaucratic nonsense.

It might be easier to just have a written form telling us what is absolutely legal rather than what is or could be construed as illegal.

This freedom smells a little like an outhouse.

OK the part about the guy who got slammed a second time for "abandoning hazardous waste" I think he might have a case against the feds.

I would shift the blame on the govt. itself and file a lawsuit. The feds knew about it when they arrested him the first time and took no action to ensure the public's safety. Instead they were neglectful of their requirement to ensure the general public safety by doing nothing with the stored cells they had full knowledge of. Not to mention they are the ones that caused the cells to become abandoned in the first place.

When's the last time NATO dismantled a nuclear weapons program and left the nukes behind, giving the public access to the bombs or possible radiation leaking? They haven't because if they had they would be in a whole lot of trouble. Therefor the fed. is directly responsible for the outcome, because the fed caused the outcome.

It's like saying "Ya he planted a bomb 2 years ago so we arrested him and just left the bomb on the train. It was his bomb he should have taken better measures to ensure it's safety."

Sounds like a loop hole that the govt. no longer takes responsibility for it's own actions when it endangers the lives of civilians and instead charges the original person with a separate crime on the existing crime to avoid the hole can't be tried more than once for the same crime.

Now if you argue that this is a separate crime then the separate crime was actually committed by the feds themselves for not ensuring the public's safety in the first place when the first arrest was made.

No matter how you cut it the arresting organization was whom committed the second crime.

reply to post by Rams59lb


I am subject to a satellite voice transmitter a former postal employee
and still am wondering what crie i have committed? Anyone wh any help to a solution to this please contact [email protected]

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Here's a thread where the OP is teetering on the brink of becoming a felon over some bureaucratic nonsense.

It might be easier to just have a written form telling us what is absolutely legal rather than what is or could be construed as illegal.

This freedom smells a little like an outhouse.

Nothing is legal....not without someone's permission ahead of time!

Literally, anything you do on a daily basis could be construed as a crime!

Menacing? A real crime. Could affect someone that you snarl at because they bumped your grocery cart!

I grow tomatoes and jalapenos. I don't have agricultural zoning! If I give some jalapenos to my neighbor, and then he cuts my grass, we have evaded taxes! I have commenced commerce without a license. We have both participated in unlicensed activity! We might get 3 strikes for a neighborly gesture!

I have a well, and a septic, and I plan on getting Solar this year. Does that put me off-grid? NO WAY!!! Each has to be inspected and licensed every year. I had to get a permit to install them. I have to hire a licensed electrician to connect my solar.

My house flooded last year during a hurricane. The county has done a lot of storm drainage improvements that channeled the water to a small pond behind my house. No attorney will represent me against the county. So I decided to build a berm around my house to keep the water out. County stopped me. Said I would be liable for any damage done to my neighbors or the road if the flood occured again. I contacted attys that agreed, if I altered the flow of water, I would be liable. I cannot protect my home!

I could go on all day! Let's play a game. You guys pick a nice gesture, or friendly activity and I will prosecute you!

reply to post by getreadyalready


Good post. I have felt for a while now that everyday nearly every single person in my country breaks the law a number of times.

You can be as careful as you like;
Only crossing the road ate designated crossings.
Never driving faster than the speed limit.
Not taking that chocolate wrapper form your car to the public rubbish bin.
Move your car to a different parking space every 2 hours while your at work with prior permission from your employer.
Waiting for an arbitrarily long enough time before calling back to a number to which a previous call was unanswered.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

It does not matter, at some stage in the day, you're gonna break the law. Perhaps a way to reduce the potential abuse of the system by the powerful and power hungry is to have every position in state (and, in the case of America and a number other countries, federal) service randomly rostered out to the general populous, sort of like how Jury duty is done. That could bring about some good change.

I would just like to say I am proud to be a Federal Criminal!

I would rather be a Pirate, a Rogue, a Knave and a Scoundrell, a Hooligan and that bad boy with the good heart that gets to bed the really good looking woman who doesn't want to marry him but just bed him than...

What is it the rest of you do?

I love this planet!

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
I would just like to say I am proud to be a Federal Criminal!

I would rather be a Pirate, a Rogue, a Knave and a Scoundrell, a Hooligan and that bad boy with the good heart that gets to bed the really good looking woman who doesn't want to marry him but just bed him than...

What is it the rest of you do?

I love this planet!

That does sound romantic! I love good girls that love bad boys!!!

I ride a motorcycle everyday! I have guns! I like to fight!!

Where are my women?

Seriously though, I do agree. It is better to be a good-hearted hooligan than an evil-hearted public servant! I think we are in pretty good company!