protectionist
Diamond Member
- Oct 20, 2013
- 56,723
- 18,175
We’ve all been taught about the 3 branches of government. But the government tree is actually bigger than that. There’s also the 4th branch. No, I’m not talking about the fake newsboys or the churches.
I’m talking about the AGENCIES. Yup. Just when you thought you had all the dangers of American life all figured out (terrorists, tornados, Ebola, etc.), along comes Protectionist with more stuff to worry about (that your school teachers probably neglected to mention).
Bad enough that they don’t teach squat about criminal law that we are commonly in proximity of. What’s as bad is all the pitfalls of lawbreaking you can fall into which you never even dreamed about. Look out for those agencies and their lurking, unknown laws.
Many of federal regulations enacted in recent years lack, or have weak, mens rea requirements – ie. Federal prosecutors don’t have to show criminal INTENT. This is a major change from the longstanding mens rea principle of English and American law, that distinguishes between those who willfully commit crime, and those who harm others unintentionally, sometimes just by accident.
Examples:
1. Eddie Anderson – convicted of removing Indian arrowheads from federal land. A felony punishable by up to 2 years in prison.
2. Retired race car champion, Bobby Unser, inadvertently drove his snowmobile onto federal land, when he got lost in a snowstorm. He was charged with violating the Wilderness Act, and convicted of a misdemeanor, and fined $75.
3. Lawrence Lewis – convicted of violating the Clean Water Act, when he temporarily diverted a backed up sewer line to an outside storm drain, so it wouldn’t flood an area of housing for sick & elderly patients.
4. George Norris –charged with being the “kingpin” of an international smuggling ring. Actually, Norris, 72 years old and never arrested before, is an orchid collector, and ordered orchids from Latin America. They had confusing paperwork that failed to identify all the orchids. A federal agent posing as a fellow hobbyist, ordered orchids from Norris, and then charged him with violating regulations under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. The bewildered Norris was sentenced to 17 months in federal prison.
But take heart, embattled Americans. These troubling circumstances are quietly being cleaned up by the Trump administration, as part of their agenda to reduce government regulations, while Democrat politicians and MSM noisily attack him with whatever they can come up with.
Too many laws, too many prisoners
I’m talking about the AGENCIES. Yup. Just when you thought you had all the dangers of American life all figured out (terrorists, tornados, Ebola, etc.), along comes Protectionist with more stuff to worry about (that your school teachers probably neglected to mention).
Bad enough that they don’t teach squat about criminal law that we are commonly in proximity of. What’s as bad is all the pitfalls of lawbreaking you can fall into which you never even dreamed about. Look out for those agencies and their lurking, unknown laws.
Many of federal regulations enacted in recent years lack, or have weak, mens rea requirements – ie. Federal prosecutors don’t have to show criminal INTENT. This is a major change from the longstanding mens rea principle of English and American law, that distinguishes between those who willfully commit crime, and those who harm others unintentionally, sometimes just by accident.
Examples:
1. Eddie Anderson – convicted of removing Indian arrowheads from federal land. A felony punishable by up to 2 years in prison.
2. Retired race car champion, Bobby Unser, inadvertently drove his snowmobile onto federal land, when he got lost in a snowstorm. He was charged with violating the Wilderness Act, and convicted of a misdemeanor, and fined $75.
3. Lawrence Lewis – convicted of violating the Clean Water Act, when he temporarily diverted a backed up sewer line to an outside storm drain, so it wouldn’t flood an area of housing for sick & elderly patients.
4. George Norris –charged with being the “kingpin” of an international smuggling ring. Actually, Norris, 72 years old and never arrested before, is an orchid collector, and ordered orchids from Latin America. They had confusing paperwork that failed to identify all the orchids. A federal agent posing as a fellow hobbyist, ordered orchids from Norris, and then charged him with violating regulations under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. The bewildered Norris was sentenced to 17 months in federal prison.
But take heart, embattled Americans. These troubling circumstances are quietly being cleaned up by the Trump administration, as part of their agenda to reduce government regulations, while Democrat politicians and MSM noisily attack him with whatever they can come up with.
Too many laws, too many prisoners
