Police State

Privacy must be considered a psychological as well as legal issue. There's no way to predict what will happen to people who have no privacy. But while privacy is surely a good, it is not a right in itself. You have a right to protect your privacy, much as you have a right to seek out health care, but you have no right to either privacy or health care.

Congress has eviscerated the Fourth Amendment.

Running useless red lights is good for you and for society.

"If a road tax collector happens to see me perform this maneuver, he will “cite” me not for causing any harm but rather for my failure to …. sit there like a well-trained German Shepard. Because I did not obey my master’s voice. It will actually state this explicitly on the form itself and later, in court – though not using the same phraseology. The “defendant” – aka, the German Shepard – will be scolded for having done Thus and So against the strictures of the traffic code. Which is the equivalent, in two-legged terms, of being told bad boy! and swatted across the snout for climbing onto the sofa."

What a great analogy.

"If you are right – and “the law” is demonstrably wrong – why (leaving the possibility of potential punishment aside) obey? It’s mindless – literally, devoid of mind – to obey for the sake of obeying. When you know there’s no reason to obey – other than “just because,” or “it’s the law.” There is nothing intrinsically wrong with disobeying “the law” – and often, a great deal to be said in favor of so doing. It’s something most people never think about, but really ought to. No, more than that. It is essential for them to consider the difference between “the law” – and right or wrong. That “legal” does not necessarily mean right. And just as important, that “illegal” does not necessarily mean wrong."

I wonder how many people think about that.

"The guy waiting behind me at the light will see no harm or chaos resulted from me “running” the light. It may – and hopefully will – arouse annoyance in him. Not at me – but at the idiocy of just sitting there, wasting gas and time… because a light is red. Not because there is cross traffic. Not because it isn’t “safe” to proceed.But because a light is red.
This is how animals are conditioned. Men – human beings – are supposed to be defined by their capacity to think. To use reason, to exercise judgment. It’s time for more of us to begin acting that way – and show others they can, too.
Traffic law – one form of his master’s voice – is merely a good place to start."

This is a great article.

What if there were no cops?

"The first thing that would happen is that all the motorists and commuters of the city would find that during their drives to, and from work, they were no longer being watched by officers hiding in speed traps, picking and choosing who to detain and demand monetary extortion from for the "crime" of violating arbitrary traffic laws. People would smile from ear to ear as their daily drives were no longer threatened by the number one predator to innocent people on the streets across the city, the police officer. If you don't think this is true, ask yourself, when's the last time you felt safe when you found a police car driving behind you rather than find yourself nervous that you might be next on his list of victims to shake down?"
"The next thing that people would notice is their taxes were lower, as the ever-growing amount of money taxed from them was no longer necessary to pay for the now nonexistent police force."

Both would make people wealthier.

"Of course, people would immediately notice that people at the zoo weren't being tazed, family pets weren't being shot, or SWAT teams weren't being used to break and enter into homes where people are storing plants."

That would make people safer.

"Although it is true that 99% of the people in the city courthouse on any given day are there for nonviolent "crimes" such as traffic violations or possession of substances the governing class currently does not like, there remain a small number of legitimate criminals who will need to be addressed once the police are gone and not there to react to the crime. The fact is that people want security, and where there is demand for a certain service, a market will develop. Security is no different in this case. Property owners, especially those in the heart of the city, will want to ensure that their properties will be safe from the inevitable thug that will try to agress against them and their property. The most likely scenario that would play out in this case is that existing private security firms, seeing the void left behind from the police, will act as fast as humanly possible (remember, there is money to be made) to enlarge their services to offer security and protection to individuals and property owners across the city."

That would make people safer at a much lower price.

"As an added bonus, people will no longer find themselves at the opposite end of an uncooperative, threatening, or angry police officer. Private security firms whose agents antagonize their customers will quickly find out that that sort of behavior is bad for business as customers flock to the firms which provide not only the highest quality service, but in the most courteous way. These security service providers will truly be servants of the public, when each individual of the public holds the power to shut of their service at any time. Competition between security firms will create service that is miles above anything we have now under our monopolistic police agencies where everyone is forced to pay for service that in many cases hurts them and acts against their interests."

Higher quality security, delivered courteously, at a lower price. Who wouldn't want that?

A vulture equipped with spy equipment is believed to have been outfitted by Israel. That's cheaper than drones, but you can't control them as well.