Pre-emptive policies

Laws were originally created to punish those who commit crimes. When did it become policy to punish those who may commit a crime? I've noticed an emerging pattern here. Most of our laws are no longer punishment after the fact, but instead meant to punish those who fit the profile of a criminal. The original idea was to prevent crime by punishing those who actually commit crimes, therefore deterring those who might think of committing a future crime. Now, we charge people with offenses for things that have the potential to become a future crime (or accident), but aren't actually crimes.

Stop the drug users, BEFORE they do something wrong. Stop the drunk drivers, BEFORE they hurt someone. Stop the criminals, BEFORE they commit a crime. Stop the terrorists, BEFORE they commit acts of terror.

Apparently, this has also become our foreign policy. America has become so hell bent on preventing unforeseeable consequences, that it has now become illegal to do anything that could even lead to an accident or crime. Furthermore, it's illegal to assume there won't be an accident. Even safety has become pre-emptive, mandatory law, in many cases. All of our policies are dedicated to stopping bad things BEFORE they happen, which really isn't possible. It's actually become policy to arrest people who appear to be in a situation that might eventually lead to a crime. So, non-criminals are being arrested for the mere possibility that their intentions might be leaning toward a crime, instead of arresting people after they commit a crime. They're no longer deterring crime, but deterring what they deem "criminal behavior." The problem is, paranoia has deemed too many things "criminal behavior."

So, we've reached an age when not only are Americans subject to this pre-emptive law enforcement, but so is the rest of the world. Where does it stop? It's becoming a "Minority Report" scenario, and we don't even have psychics that can tell us a crime is going to happen. I foresee a time when you may be incriminated by your own genes.

Just last month, another teen was arrested for writing poetry with "dark overtones." Have we reached the age of thought police? It certainly would seem so.

Where does it stop? Why don't people realize what's happened?

Originally posted by Damned
Laws were originally created to punish those who commit crimes. When did it become policy to punish those who may commit a crime? therefore deterring those who might think of committing a future crime. Now, we charge people with offenses for things that have the potential to become a future crime (or accident), but aren't actually crimes.

Stop the drug users, BEFORE they do something wrong. Stop the drunk drivers, BEFORE they hurt someone.

I take issue with the Drug users and Drunk Drivers reference that you use here.

What you might not understand is that if a drug user has used drugs, then he's already broken the law... drugs are illegal.

A driver of a vehicle who has been drinking and gets behind the wheel of a car, is breaking the law...

I sort of see part of the point you are trying to make, I think or did you just recently watch Minority Report ?

Yes, but the only reason drugs are illegal is because people have been misled to believe drug users are more dangerous than non-drug users. It's 100% BS. And more people are killed by sober drivers than drunk drivers, per year. MADD deliberately uses bad, or mixed, statistics to rally support for their agenda. Even if the victim was the one who was killed by a sober person, it goes in their books as an "alcohol related death," implying that the alcohol was indeed the cause, when it wasn't.

"If any person involved in an accident is found to have any amount of alcohol in their blood stream, the accident is declared alcohol related." i.e.; If a sober driver loses control of his car which jumps a curb and strikes a pedestrian who is drinking a glass of wine in a sidewalk cafe - that accident is declared "Alcohol Related."

The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that, "The use of a cellular phone while operating a motor vehicle is as dangerous as driving with a .10 BAC. Yet, that's not illegal at all, or if it is, it's not enforced.

Police average 3,014 DUI arrests every day. Most of these arrests are directed at social drinkers who have consumed as little as two drinks.

In other words, we've created laws that make the criminal profile illegal, and not just the actual crime. Non-violent crimes are not crimes. If I smoke a joint under a tree in my back yard, am I violating you in any way? No, but I'll still be arrested as a criminal, if someone calls the cops on me.

No, I didn't just recently watch Minority Report. I thought about this in an earlier thread when someone pointed out how happy they were that a marijauna bust happened, and on the same road his bro and sis went to high school! As if that makes any difference.
I thought to myself, if he hadn't been caught, chances are you'd never even know the guy existed. And even if you did happen to see him, chances are you'd never even know he smoked pot. How is that so harmful, then? The guy was arrested merely because he had some pot, period. He hadn't done anything wrong, otherwise, nor violated anyone's rights. (as far as I know, I mean) This is the case 95% of the time.

Now days, you're arrested just for being drunk, or just for having drugs. No crime is committed until it's committed. Associating certain substances with crime does not prevent crime, but it sure makes alot more people criminals. The sad thing is, a majority of those who now fit the profile will probably never commit a crime, other than fitting the pre-crime prevention profile, which is a crime itself. I'm a criminal merely because I choose not to wear my seat belt.

Do some reading here...

www.damm-madd.com...

[edit on 11-11-2004 by Damned]

Have we reached the age of thought police? It certainly would seem so.

Where does it stop? Why don't people realize what's happened?

Well, most of us thought it would stop with the election, but it seems we no longer have control over such things...nor our nation.