RANT: Civil forfeiture needs to be abolished; only if people are convicted of a crime can their assets be taken

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/18/civil-asset-forfeiture-explained/74802279007/

Old legal quirk lets police take your money with little reason, critics say
Jeanine Santucci USA TODAY
Published 5:08 a.m. ET Aug. 18, 2024 Updated 11:46 a.m. ET Aug. 18, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Law enforcement was able to take the money through a controversial practice called civil asset forfeiture. Advocates against the practice say it amounts to legalized government theft, at times from ordinary, innocent Americans. 

*** and ***

Civil forfeiture has been effectively eliminated in only North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico and Maine, according to the Institute for Justice. But dozens of other states have tried reforming their laws. Some have elevated the standard for burden of proof that law enforcement has to have to seize property. Others have improved the transparency of their procedures, Rulli said.

A federal loophole makes it easier for law enforcement agencies across the country to evade state reforms. The federal government isn’t beholden to state laws, Rulli said, so law enforcement agencies can call federal authorities in, which will seize property and split the profits with the local agencies.

*** end quote ***

This is unConstitutional trickery that the Gooferment at all levels pulls on “We, The Sheeple”.

I find the Gooferment’s conduct immoral, ineffective, and inefficient. As well as untrustworthy.

Hopefully you do too!

Argh!

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ADHOC: Why does the Gooferment get to tax “winnings”?

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

nj1015.com/5-bet-turns-into-1-million-at-hard-rock-atlantic-city/

Why does the Gooferment get to tax “winnings”? I doubt that I am “ahead” even though I-paid taxes on my winnings that exceeded the “threshold”.

And why does the Gooferment get to run the lottery?  At least the bookies paid fair odds.

Also, why when a lotto jackpot go unclaimed does the Goofermentget to keep it?

Argh!

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ConspiracyTheories: New photo emerges of Crooks communicating — real or photoshopped?

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1824867330280534219

George Papadopoulos @GeorgePapa19

🚨New photo emerges of Crooks communicating with an unidentified individual/agency right before he began firing

Image

# – # – # – # – # 

DJT assassination attempt 

No idea if this is “real or imaginary”?

If it is real, it certainly raises a lot of questions!

I, for one, would like “the truth”.

Right now, I’d call it “8. Generally Accepted As False” until it is authenticated.

“Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.” Colonel Jessep in A Few Good Men played by Jack Nicholson

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ENCOURAGING: Anyone in Prospect Park, PA should consider this fellow for plumbing work, imho!

Monday, August 26, 2024

FROM. QUORA

“I want to take a moment to recognize my cousin Andrew Henry and here’s why. My neighbor Gregory who is elderly, retired, and disabled recently had a sewer line break in our shared front lawn. The sewage was backing into the houses. After speaking with Greg a few times about the issue It became clear that he didn’t have the insurance needed to repair the sewer or have sufficient funds, actually none. As you can imagine it was an unpleasant situation and was not something that should be left unattended. Andrew spoke with Gregory and also found out that he is a retired Air Force veteran. After a few rounds of conversation back and forth, Andrew decided he wanted to help Gregory in a time of need. This Saturday, on his day off, and with a $1000 donation (cost of material), he gathered some help and put a new sewer line in for him. Thank you Andrew for giving back to your community and for helping Gregory and my family. The world could definitely use more people like you. If anyone in Prospect Park, PA or surrounding towns needs the services of an excellent plumber please consider reaching out to Andrew.”

# – # – # – # – # 

Probably need a little more identification for those folks in the neighborhood.

Definitely needs recognition.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Kei cars are the antithesis of the big American SUV — but let the Free Market decide

Sunday, August 25, 2024

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/08/states-keep-banning-cheap-little-kei-cars-for-fear-theyre-deathtraps/

A cute, cheap death trap? Japanese Kei cars banned by yet another US state
Limited in size and power, Kei cars are like fishes out of water on US roads.
Jonathan M. Gitlin – 8/15/2024, 3:36 PM

*** begin quote ***

Kei cars are the antithesis of the big American SUV. Where EPA regulations effectively penalize automakers for building smaller, more efficient cars, Japan’s Kei car regulations cap size, weight, and power to just fractions. Kei cars aren’t just small, they’re also pretty cheap, a fact that has made them a sales success in Japan and highly desirable as a gray-market import, particularly by people who think new cars have gotten too large, too complicated, and too expensive. A few years ago, Ars even wrote a guide on how to go about importing one from Japan.

But not everyone is a fan of the diminutive Kei import. As far as the federal government is concerned, as long as it’s more than 25 years old, an imported car does not have to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards or fuel economy standards; just makes sure you pay all your import duties.

That’s because the federal government doesn’t license vehicles to operate on public roads. That task belongs to the individual states, and increasingly, they are giving Kei cars the thumbs down—sometimes even in cases where previously those cars posed no problem.

*** and ***

<<< a comment on the story >>>

Mungus the Unhyphenated

The root of the problem stems from an organization called AAMVA — the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. It’s an organization that’s part non-governmental regulatory organization (managing the Commercial Driver License system), part advisory organization, and part lobbying organization. They create more or less ready-to-deploy rules and legislative proposals.

AAMVA has had it in for “mini trucks” (Kei trucks) for years, and has expanded their efforts to all Kei vehicles now.

Do we really want an organization like this — which isn’t answerable to the public at all — effectively dictating to states’ motor vehicle departments? My thought is “no”, but how many average people even know of its existence, let alone agendas, to speak up about it?

August 15, 2024 at 8:43 pm

*** end quote ***

Just what we need an entrenched bunch of bureaucrats for the benefit of Gooferment bureaucrats.  What could POSSIBLY go wrong?  Everything!!!

The Federal Gooferment is worried about Google?  How about worrying about stuff closer to home.  Here’s an organization that is a non-governmental regulatory – advisory – lobbying organization.  Argh!

Close the borders and open up trade.

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GOLD: Pot of Gold found; testament to its eternal value

Saturday, August 24, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/archaeologists-find-literal-pot-of-gold-but-its-not-in-ireland/

Archaeologists Find Literal Pot of Gold, but it’s Not in Ireland
By Andy Corbley – Aug 8, 202

*** begin quote ***

It’s one of the best things an archaeologist can hope to find: a hoard of gold coins. One was dug up recently in a terracotta pot, meaning that, if one sustains the pun, they found a pot of gold.

They didn’t find it at the end of a rainbow, however, but it was at the ‘end’ of something—Asia—as the Ancient Greeks would have considered it.

Excavations among the ruins of Notion, an ancient city-state in modern-day Turkey, turned up the foundations of a house dating to the Achaemenid Persian Empire buried under another house built from the Hellenistic Period, or about 180 years later.

“The coins were buried in a corner of the older building,” Dr. Christopher Ratté, lead archaeologist on the project, told the New York Times. “We weren’t actually looking for a pot of gold.”

The coins are known as darics, which stems from the name of the Emperor Darius I, or from ‘dari-‘ the root word for gold in the Persian language. Dating to the 5th century BCE, it was a time of great upheaval as Greek city-states fought against each other, against Persia, and sometimes on behalf of Persia against other Greeks, when mercenary soldiers made up key components of many major armies in Asia Minor.

The running hypothesis as to the coins’ provenance is that they were buried with the full intention of recovering them later. They probably represented savings, as each daric would be around one month’s pay. However, the fact that they were never dug up from their little hole in the corner of the house suggests the worst.

*** end quote ***

For a number of reasons, I loved this story.  Sad for the original owner who never was able to retrieve his stash.  Wondering about any reward for the discoverers.  Curious how much they are worth.

Mine aren’t buried, but could be if need arises. 

There is something practical about having stashes and caches in turbulent times.

As usual, the politicians and bureaucrats of the Gooferment want everything they can steal so stash and cache are two prudent strategies for dealing with the modern day equivalent of pirates.

Argh!

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POLITICAL:”Grocery price gouging” crowded out the 1.7T$ in handouts

Friday, August 23, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/08/16/us-news/kamala-harris-unveils-economic-plan-including-a-whopping-1-7t-in-handouts-fed-ban-on-grocery-store-price-gouging/?lctg=6080ba40747925275a09dcd3

Kamala Harris unveils economic plan — including a whopping $1.7T in handouts, fed ban on grocery store ‘price gouging’
By Diana Glebova, Josh Christenson and Victoria Churchill 
Published Aug. 16, 2024
Updated Aug. 16, 2024, 6:53 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

RALEIGH, North Carolina — Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday unveiled the economic policies she would enact in her first 100 days in office — and it comes with a whopping estimated $1.7 trillion in handouts, as well as government price controls on groceries amid ravaging Biden-Harris administration inflation.

Her economic plan includes measures to dole out $25,000 to help first-time homeowners with their down payments and give up to a $6,000 tax breaks for lower and middle-income families who have a child in their first year of life. Harris did not say what incomes qualify as “lower” and “middle.”

The housing subsidies alone are “absolutely inflationary” and would “push a $2 trillion dollar deficit even higher,” Brian Riedl, a senior economic fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told The Post, referring to the already projected budget shortfall for 2024. Those subsidies make up just $200 billion of the total $1.7 trillion handouts pledged to voters.

*** end quote ***

The “grocery price gouging” had me in a coffee thru my nose moment.  I fired off a blog post  —  along with a slew of other people, academics, libertarians, and real economists  —  from across the political spectrum.

I was so distracted and enraged I “overlooked” the $1.7 trillion in handouts.

Clearly the woman has no economic sense of what causes empires to fall  —  debasement of the currency cause by overspending.

Argh!

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ADHOC: out of sight alpaca farm visit

Thursday, August 22, 2024

And my favorite. “alpaca” was … …

Laugh!

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RANT: Any jurisdiction that does not honor a “detainer” with “no bail” should immediately lose all federal funding

Thursday, August 22, 2024

https://palexander.substack.com/p/5-five-illegal-immigrants-charged?publication_id=579356&post_id=147792523&isFreemail=false&r=onvra&triedRedirect=true

5 (five) illegal immigrants charged with kidnapping Indiana teen; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer for the five men; Five illegal immigrants were arrested in Missouri early early Monday for allegedly kidnapping a teen girl in Indiana. All five men in the car were arrested and booked into the Macon County Jail.
Dr. Paul Alexander
Aug 16, 2024

*** begin quote ***

All five came into the country illegally and were being held without bail on kidnapping charges.

*** end quote ***

Hopefully they will stay locked up util they are deported.

John Oliver said that illegal alien crime was “overstated”.  Stories like this seem to prove him wrong.

Any jurisdiction that does not honor a “detainer” with “no bail” should immediately lose all federal funding.  Ditto for State funding, but that is up to the State Gooferment.

Argh!

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RANT: Another legal trick reinforces why Shakerspear said “kill all the lawyers”

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/disney-says-man-cant-sue-wifes-death-agreed-disney-terms-service-rcna166594

Disney says man can’t sue over wife’s death because he agreed to Disney+ terms of service

Jeffrey J. Piccolo filed a wrongful death lawsuit after his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, died after she consumed food containing allergens at a restaurant in Disney World.

Aug. 14, 2024, 4:54 PM EDT

By Minyvonne Burke

*** begin quote ***

Disney is trying to have a widower’s wrongful death lawsuit dismissed and sent to arbitration because the man had signed up for a Disney+ account several years ago.

Jeffrey J. Piccolo sued Disney Parks and Resorts in February, months after his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, died after she consumed food containing allergens at a restaurant in Disney World.

Piccolo said in his complaint that he, his wife and his mother went to dinner at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at the resort in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 5. They asked several times whether Tangsuan’s allergies could be accommodated, according to the complaint. Despite the server’s having assured them, Tangsuan had a severe allergic reaction and died at a local hospital, the complaint said. 

*** end quote ***

“Let’s kill all the lawyers” is a line from William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 2, Act IV, Scene 2. The full quote is: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”. It is among Shakespeare’s most famous lines. 

First, the suit is only for 50k.  If I was on the jury, I’d question the number of zeros.  Some one made a clerical error. She’s a doctor.

Second, the Disney lawyer is trying to use an obscure factoid to absolve the restaurant of liability.

Third, the couple, knowing that she was at risk, should have been more careful.  To the point, eating out should not be a “game” of Russian roulette.  A substantive penalty should alert all restaurant operators to the risk; their insurance companies should price the risk accordingly,

Argh!

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