Par for the Course

Monday, 04 August 2008 19:00

(originally launched into cyberspace on 08/05/2008) Well, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has, at long last, ruled on the appeal of my conviction. They have decided that the First, Fourth and Sixth Amendments don't really mean what they say. They've decided that it's perfectly okay for the feds to steal every copy they can find of a perfectly legal video. They've decided that it's perfectly okay for the feds to do a giant fishing expedition, under the guise of a "search warrant," without bothering to limit the search to evidence of supposed "crimes," and without even alleging the existence of any evidence or information not already in the government's possession. They've ruled that it's perfectly okay, in a trial hinging entirely on a defendant's beliefs, to prohibit the defendant from showing the jury anything he ever said or wrote. Am I surprised? No. The "referees" are all appointed and paid by the other team. How fair and objective would anyone with a brain expect them to be? It's nice timing, though. Since "Kicking the Dragon" just came out, it makes a nice example of what a joke the "justice" system is. Now people can read the whole ridiculous story, and then say, "Wow, three appellate court judges thought all of that was just fine." Like I've said before, control freaks perform a very valuable service when they drop the facade of fairness and justice, and expose themselves for the god-complex crooks they are. That's all this ruling does. It would have be nice to get my $10,000 fine back (especially right now), but other than that, if I had won, all the government would do is say, "Oops, you're not convicted after all; sorry we locked you up for a year." I would get no compensation for that anyway. So on a practical level, it doesn't make much difference for me. And as a matter of exposing the fraud, it makes for another fine addition to the already astounding array of examples of people in power lying, cheating and stealing, ignoring the law, the truth, and justice, in order to maintain their power. Par for the course. Larken Rose http://www.kickingthedragon.com < Prev   Next >