Individual freedom is too precious to trust to "the system". As Henry Steele Commager wrote, "First, we should remember the absolutely fundamental principle that liberties are inalienable. They are not something conferred on men by a gracious government; they are something inherent in men as men. There cannot be a question how much liberty government may permit, but only and always how far society may impose limits on the exercise of its own liberties for the common good."
Occasionally we receive a forceful reminder of how precious personal freedom is, how far an intrusion has already been made, and what happens when the system screws up.
Innocent
Janlori Goldman in the article "Taking a Byte Out of Privacy" (Playboy, November 1987) reports the events in the life of Terry Dean Rogan.
According to the article, Rogan lost his wallet while visiting Detroit, Michigan. The wallet was apparently picked up by an individual who traveled the country under Rogan's name.
The problem was that the individual with the wallet and ID's apparently committed two murders and several robberies.
Though Rogan, when the problem was discovered, reportedly requested that the public records be corrected, they were not.
In an unbelievable series of events Rogan was arrested and jailed five times because computer checks would show him wanted in Los Angeles for murder and robbery.
On one occasion he reportedly spent five days in jail before a fingerprint check by authorities confirmed that he was not the man wanted in L.A.
A routine traffic check put Rogan behind bars for days. (Moral: Make sure your turn signal works and that you don't lose your wallet!)
Wrong Eviction
In an incident reported in USA TODAY, October 7, 1987, it wasn't the government but a Miami mortgage company that screwed up. According to the victim, however, the police helped it along.
According to USA TODAY the mortgage company sent an eviction team to the wrong house, and though the owner told them it was the wrong house they broke windows and threw antiques and other household belongings into the street.
"They laughed at me," the owner was quoted as she pleaded with the eviction team to stop.
Then the police stepped in.
A police officer "told me to shut up or he'd put me in jail," she said.
(Moral of this incident: Make sure your house payments are current...and that all of your neighbors are current with their payments...and that everyone who has the same last name as yours is current with their payments...and that everyone who has the same last name as your wife's maiden name is current with their payments...and that everyone who has the same last name as your ex-wife's maiden name is current with their payments...and that...and that...and that...and don't forget that...)
Don't forget that individual freedom is very precious.
Regulation
USA TODAY, October 8, 1987, reported that a jury of his peers has acquitted David Jackson of the charges against him.
With what dastardly crime had Jackson been charged? Breaking in line at the Great America Amusement Park.
Potential sentence: six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Jackson was the first, and surely the last, to be charged with violating the city ordinance in Santa Clara, California.
Perhaps the best statement to come from the entire incident was that of the jury foreman, who declared, "I don't know why we are wasting our time and the taxpayers' money prosecuting this kind of garbage!"
Animal-Control Injures Child
The Dallas Times Herald carried the unbelievable story (September 21, 1987) about a seven-year old Lewisville, Texas boy who was injured when he was hit by a bullet fired by an animal-control officer attempting to kill a vicious dog.
According to the newspaper account, the animal-control officer, fired one shot at the dog. The dog then turned and charged the officer, who fired several more pistol shots, finally killing the dog.
One of the shots grazed the shoulder of the seven-year-old boy!
(We know who controls the animals! But who controls the animal-control!)
Dogs Buried Alive
Another animal-control officer made the paper, this one in a June 25th story in the Dallas Morning News.
According to the article by Greg Hansard, seventeen dogs were shot and buried, some still alive, at the city dump in Canton, Texas.
Canton, apparently, has one of these First-Monday trade days. The dogs not sold at a "dog alley" sale ("Dog Alley" provides space for sellers to offer animals for sale) are picked up by the city for disposal.
According to the bulldozer operator, the animal-control officer and an assistant, took the dogs to the dump in a wire basket and shot them through the basket. The basket was then placed in the bulldozer blade and buried.
The bulldozer operator told the Morning News, "One or two dogs were still crying when I covered them up. I didn't look any more than I had to, because I don't enjoy the job I do, but someone has to do it."
The animal-control officer, when questioned about the incident, was quoted as stating, "We elimnate so many dogs each month I don't remember one particular time from the other...We shoot them, sometimes we knock them in the head. If you're going to kill them, one way is as good as another."
Need we say more?
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