Can't wait to get out of here

I will go even further with this.

Lets say he had weed, I don't know lets say for the sake of it a quarter bag and they found that.

Did they have the right to just stop him for no reason even if they found something on him?

NOTE NOTE NOTE
HE DID NOT HAVE ANY WEED ON HIM. This is just a what if.

It just feels wrong to me. It can't be legal. can it?

In the olden days, I tried to be a hippie-looking musician-type when most of the other people my age were trying to be American Graffiti-type teenagers. I got stopped several times because I "matched the description" of somebody wanted for a crime. Yeah, right. There was a certain profile that they wanted off the streets and into jails. By the grace of God or whatever roll of the dice you care to believe in, I was never arrested or anything, knocking on wood as we speak.

I got harrassed a few years ago walking to the Waffle House. That's less than 1 mile. Granted I was drunk but not hurting anyone. Keep in mind that I'm on the hoof - not even a bicycle. I was starving and going for some coffee and breakfast. He pestered me for an ID which I wasn't carrying any - just enough cash for the food. He started giving me a hard time about not carrying an ID. He kept on me about it and I kept telling him I was just going for breakfast and why do I need an ID for that? He went ahead and ran my jacket with my SSN. No problem. He kept on about the ID crap until I started feeling my oats and stood my ground "show where in the constitution of the United States that I have carry papers identifying myself while I'm just going to get some breakfast". I think he was wanting to start by replying "are you smart with me Mr. White?". "No sir, not at all. I just know my rights and the Constitution."
He finally had enough with me and let me on my way. The Waffle House is about 100' across the county line and he just had to say something about that. Well.... I happen to know exactly where the line is and he was wrong. I probably should have said nothing but had to correct him. He asked how I knew that and I said I [currently then] worked for the guy that surveyed the line himself and it's not where most people think it is. We were still a couple hundred yards away and I offered to show him exactly where it was if he'd care to drive me over there.
He just waved at me saying something like "man, just get out of here and be careful".
Come to find out from the WH folks, I was lucky he didn't haul me anyhow. I asked what for? I wasn't doing anything. They said it doesn't matter 'round here. They'll just haul you in and figure it out later.

Big E

I think "Drunk and Disorderly" is a handy charge for a cop to mess with you just about anywhere in this country. You're lucky you didn't get messed with more than you did. I know a couple of cops and they're OK guys but they have prejudices like anybody else and if they encounter people that they think are "pukes", those pukes are a lot more likely to go downtown than non-pukes that are doing the same dang things.

In fairness to the cops. (I guess tonights event just went through me)

I have been stopped by the cops and let go without a ticket, warning or whatever you get.

I went down to get an inspection sticker because it was dead by a day or two. Look at my registration, dead. Walked to the rear of my vehicle and looked at my tags dead. Somehow I had been driving on dead tags for a couple months and didn't realize it. So I got back in my truck and headed straight for the DMV.

Got pulled over almost as soon as I pulled out. Driving illegal all that time and almost the moment I realize it I get pulled over. Cop let me go. I went down and got everything renewed.

A few months later, sitting at the house, my brother calls and needs to borrow a saw or something. I was 'lounging' so I slipped on my slippers and drove downtown.

Get stopped by the cops again. he said, "I stopped you a few months back and I went ahead and ran your name. Did you know your license have been suspended?" He wanted to see my license and that is when I realized I was in 'lounge' mode. I didn't have them on me. I left my wallet at the house. He ran my name and my license had been fixed so they weren't suspended anymore. They got suspended while I wasn't even in the USA. They were back to good luckily because my wife had been caught first. She got a big ticket, called the DMV to figure out what was going on and it was just a big mess and neither of our license should have been suspended but they had suspened both of our license. Had to pay the fine anyway because the wife had already been to magistrate and pleaded guilty.

He let me go then also.

If you are breaking the law that is one thing but to just stop somebody, search them and let them go for no reason at all is another.

I know if I walked downtown drunk in this town I might be in trouble. I have seen them let less than sober people walk home. It's a very good argument to make, "Ossiffer would you rather I drive home THIS DRUNK?"

public intoxication.

I've even seen them drive people home just to get them out of the downtown area. (I guess they drove them home, hmmm.)

but then you see the cops acting like morons sometimes too. I fully understand things can get boring while keeping the peace, sometimes they just create problems when there wasn't a problem to begin with and before you know 3-4 cop cars all over one person for pretty much nothing. I guess they are just 'havign fun' at other expense.

"Hey man why were all those cops all over you last night?" "Oh I had a tail light out."

I know a guy that got stopped because one of his two license plate lights was blown out. He got searched, everybody in the vehicle got searched. For a blown out light bulb.

Who are they protecting again?

When my son was shot in the chest with a BB gun nothing happened. When I had a kids riding four wheelers through my yard the entire time I was at work and tearing the crap out of my lawn, nothing happened. I was told to put up posted sign, I did. The kids tore them down. I was then told to put the posted signs inside my house in my window so the kids couldn't get to them. :-S

Those kids are lucky. Many people I have known are the luckiest sob's to walk he earth, looking back on their lives. The stuff that they did by today's standards would be catastrophic to their futures if they had been caught. Today, although "productive member of society" might be overstating it a bit, I don't think these people are a threat to society. I took some risks as a young guy and the dice rolled my way. If they hadn't, my life and our society's outlook about me would be far different. Whosoever is without sin, cast the first stone.

Steve the weed part was made up completely.

I just added that as a 'what if' senario.

I didn't think it was legal to randomly stop people and search them.

So if they were illegally searched and did have weed on them, then they would have been in trouble regardless if the search was legal or not.

There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Businessmen drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it is worth.

We're going to see Mr. Dylan in Tahoe tomorrow and in Oakland Tuesday night. Maybe San Francisco Wednesday night. According to the Rolling Stone reviews, he's better than ever. I'm psyched!!!

Big E

I wasn't disorderly at all. Most polite. I wasn't even slurring.
But by all accounts I was lucky he didn't mess with me more.

NO THE POLICE WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO SEARCH HIM IN ANY WAY HE COULD HAVE REFUSED--THAT IS PRECISELY WHY WE HAVE THE CONSTITUTION-- THE POLICE COULD STOP HIM QUESTION HIM --HE DOES NOT HAVE TO ANSWER THEM --HE DOES HAVE TO HAVE AN ID OR TELL THEM WHO HE IS AND WHERE HE WAS GOING, NOT WHERE HE HAS BEEN--REALIZE THEY COULD DETAIN HIM BUT FACE CHARGES IF THEY GET SUED--BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO SUE THE POLICE--

THERE IS ONE RULE TO NEVER BREAK--NEVER TALK TO THE POLICE, OTHER THAN NAME, ADDRESS, PURPOSE, NEVER ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS NO MATTER HOW SIMPLE THEY SOUND STATE THE 3 THINGS ABOVE AND ASK AM I UNDER ARREST ??? 99.99 PERCENT OF THE TIME THEY WILL BACK OFF--BE PREPARED FOR A TRIP DOWNTOWN--IT MAY HAPPEN AND YOU MAY HAVE A CIVIL SUIT AGAINST THEM-----

I WILL SAY NOW UNDER THE NEW HOMELAND SECURITY LAWS YOU CAN BE DETAINED, IMPRISONED, PUNISHED , TORTURED, BE DENIED COUNSEL, BE USED FOR EXPERIMENTS AND DRUGS, BE THREATENED WITH RAPE OR BEATINGS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY INDEFINITELY, YOU CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO YUGOSLAVIA TO A ISRAELI TORTURE CAMP FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AND THE GOVT CAN SAY THEY NEVER HEARD OF YOU--WELCOME TO NAZI AMERICA !!! TDD

Big E

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_intoxication

In Georgia, public intoxication is a class B misdemeanor. Public intoxication is defined as a person who shall be and appear in an intoxicated condition in any public place or within the curtilage of any private residence not his own other than by invitation of the owner or lawful occupant, which condition is made manifest by boisterousness, by indecent condition or act, or by vulgar, profane, loud, or unbecoming language

Ed, etal. (except Mr. Falk),

sorry and thanks.

Have a good day all (including Mr. Falk)

:good: