Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Monday March 23 2020, @06:07PM   Printer-friendly
from the Live-to-ride,-ride-to-be-fined dept.

Off-Road Riders Fined while Riding on their Own Property:

Four teens in Hampden, Massachusetts, were fined $750 each by the Massachusetts Environmental Police while riding on their own property. The teens were riding on land owned by the parents of one of the boys, with the parents' permission, when the environmental police arrived and questioned them for two and a half hours. In the end, each teen received a $250 fine for operating an unregistered recreational vehicle, and a $500 fine for the operation of a recreational vehicle without a safety certification.

Speaking to 22News, Melanie Beck said her son and three friends were riding around her wooded yard, with her permission, when Massachusetts Environmental Police arrived and questioned the boys before handing out the fines. Beck wondered why the boys were not given a warning instead of a fine, considering the laws that they broke are apparently not well known in the area. She says other parents in the area have taken to social media to express their displeasure with the fines.

One of the teens told 22News that they were just trying to have fun, in contrast to other teens "doing drugs and vaping" instead of participating in outdoor activities.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Environmental Police, Craig Gilvarg, told 22News that safety education requirements for young riders have been in place since 2010. Additionally, the state of Massachusetts requires all recreational vehicles operated on public and private lands to be registered through the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

Earlier in February, 22News reported that ATV and dirt bike riders riding on city streets have been an ongoing issue in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, saying that they had received multiple viewer complaints about the illegal activity. Police there have used undercover cars, motorcycles, and cameras to attempt to stop the problem, and have asked the public to keep an eye out for where the riders might be storing their vehicles.

See also: Four teens fined $750 for violating dirt bike laws in Hampden; What are the rules?

Environmental police? Huh? They're just jealous because they can't get it up, let alone up on two!


Original Submission

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday March 23 2020, @06:29PM (4 children)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday March 23 2020, @06:29PM (#974515) Journal

    Michigan Environmental Police...

    So they're just Rangers with a fancy name, then?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @06:42PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @06:42PM (#974522)

      No, they're the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Big difference that.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday March 23 2020, @08:06PM (1 child)

      by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Monday March 23 2020, @08:06PM (#974567)

      So they're just Rangers with a fancy name, then?

      If you mean "park rangers" then it would seem so. Although these apparently also have have jurisdiction over private land and enforce laws that no one else has heard of.

      My cousin in WI would let his 13 and 14 year old sons drive their unregistered, uninsured old "junker" pickup around the farm to help take care of the place. Used to be that what you did on your own property was your business as long as it didn't harm anyone else, annoy the neighbors or create a provable hazard to the surrounding area.

      brings to mind;
      "There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws." -- Ayn Rand

      --
      "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
      • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday March 23 2020, @09:29PM

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday March 23 2020, @09:29PM (#974605) Journal

        I got a speeding ticket once from a park ranger once. So enforcement is definitely in their wheelhouse.

        I believe I was still inside the park, though.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Monday March 23 2020, @06:31PM (39 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday March 23 2020, @06:31PM (#974516) Journal

    the state of Massachusetts requires all recreational vehicles operated on public and private lands to be registered through the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

    But why were the cops on the property?

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @06:47PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @06:47PM (#974526)

      How can you ask questions like this in a time of national emergency?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @08:36AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @08:36AM (#974855)

        "Get off my property"

    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by canopic jug on Monday March 23 2020, @06:53PM (28 children)

      by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @06:53PM (#974530) Journal

      The cops probably turned up because of the noise pollution heard over the adjacent 1km to 5km depending on the shape of the terrain they were on and near. Even on "private" property the noise can spread over great distances.

      There is also the matter of the permanent damage to the terrain, including erosion and run off. The destruction are permanent and those assholes are only on that land temporarily and so do not have the right to remove it from future generations, assuming there will be any.

      Further, there is the matter of the petrochemicals used to fuel those things. The supply chain for those petrochemicals is not exactly a source of peace, love, and happiness for any part of the world, let alone those countries with the misfortune to have productive wells. If the kids needs something to do instead of drugs, just pack them off to the army to get more petrochemicals. There will be plenty of activity in that regard for the foreseeable future.

      However, at the end of the day, all that is moot: They were flagrantly breaking state law and have no standing to whine about it.

      --
      Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 23 2020, @07:09PM (6 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @07:09PM (#974536) Journal

        They were flagrantly breaking state law and have no standing to whine about it.

        The nanny state knows best! Live free or die - as long as Nanny says it's alright? Yeah, I know, that motto came from a close neighbor, not Mass.

        • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday March 23 2020, @07:50PM

          by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Monday March 23 2020, @07:50PM (#974561) Homepage

          I don't have the least bit of sympathy for these faggots. Their parents are more likely than not Hillary voters and if they were conservative or libertarian they wouldn't be living in that fucking state. Massachusetts is not like California where you have a lot of boonies where you can be safely conservative or libertarian and ride on your own land or even in town without being fucked-with by the law.

          Hell, in El Centro, California I rode down city streets on a quad and anybody can do that as long as they're not riding in front of the cop shop on Main street.

        • (Score: 2) by Rich26189 on Monday March 23 2020, @07:55PM (4 children)

          by Rich26189 (1377) on Monday March 23 2020, @07:55PM (#974563)

          Live free or die

          That's New Hampshire's state motto, at least that's what they put on their license plates.

          I think Mass's motto is "Capitulate"

          • (Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday March 23 2020, @08:09PM (3 children)

            by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Monday March 23 2020, @08:09PM (#974569) Homepage

            There's no excuse for New England to be a hotbed of anti-American faggotry. The Jews did this.

            • (Score: 2, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 23 2020, @08:17PM (2 children)

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:17PM (#974575) Journal

              No, I think just good ole American faggots did that faggotry.

              • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:40PM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:40PM (#974639)

                I don't see what sexual preference has to do with this topic.

                Oh wait. A runaway post. Gotta use that homophobia for something huh?

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:54AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:54AM (#974730)

                  And the Philohoplia. He's one sick, fat, bastard!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:12PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:12PM (#974537)

        You seem to have confused "private" land with "public" land.

        The owners have the legal right to do all kinds of "permanent damage" to "their" terrain. So check your outrage at the door lest they change the deal.

        • (Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Monday March 23 2020, @09:25PM (1 child)

          by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday March 23 2020, @09:25PM (#974604) Journal

          Who owns the polluted air over your private land?

          Who owns the polluted air that is now over my private land, too?

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:16PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:16PM (#974540)

        So now the family registers the vehicles and get the boys certified. They'll be free to burn gas and rip up the terrain 24-7 until the end of time. All the while fragrantly obeying the state law.

        Stop tilting at windmills and put this situation in perspective.

        • (Score: 2) by canopic jug on Monday March 23 2020, @08:18PM

          by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:18PM (#974578) Journal

          Wrong again. Once licensed they be able to burn gas, spew exhaust, and rip up the terrain 24-7 until they turn 17 or 18 and ideally because their parents signed an age waiver to pack their sorry asses off to the Middle East for a fillup. The damage they leave on the land will last for centuries, and the damage they leave on society will last for decades.

          --
          Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
      • (Score: 2, Interesting) by khallow on Monday March 23 2020, @08:11PM (11 children)

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:11PM (#974571) Journal

        There is also the matter of the permanent damage to the terrain, including erosion and run off. The destruction are permanent and those assholes are only on that land temporarily and so do not have the right to remove it from future generations, assuming there will be any.

        As the AC noted, they do have the right to do permanent damage to terrain they own. And like most jack-booted authoritarians, you haven't thought through what that means. If we can sacrifice something they own for nebulous future generations, an easy to game criteria, then we can sacrifice something you own for the same nebulous causes. After all, that motorway for future generations has to be run through your property, seized without compensation for those future generations. And since you're there, your free labor will be used to help build it - for those future generations. Any obscene profits I happen to make off this exercise are my sacrifice for those future generations too!

        • (Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Monday March 23 2020, @09:33PM (8 children)

          by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday March 23 2020, @09:33PM (#974606) Journal

          As the AC noted, they do have the right to do permanent damage to terrain they own. And like most jack-booted authoritarians, you haven't thought through what that means.

          The runoff mentioned above is a pretty good example, let's think that through...

          When you turn your whole lot into dust, and the rain flushes all that turbidity into the river, and that turbidity kills all the fish that Buzzard was trying to catch, what happens then?

          • (Score: 2) by https on Monday March 23 2020, @10:03PM (1 child)

            by https (5248) on Monday March 23 2020, @10:03PM (#974617) Journal

            Then hopefully, Buzz has the time to figure out a way to shadowban Nazi recruitment efforts.

            --
            Offended and laughing about it.
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:28AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:28AM (#974716)

              Step 1: ban Ethanol-Fueled's account
              Step 2: .....
              Step 3: Get on with life

          • (Score: 3, Insightful) by khallow on Monday March 23 2020, @11:28PM (5 children)

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @11:28PM (#974659) Journal

            and that turbidity kills all the fish that Buzzard was trying to catch, what happens then?

            At that point, you're damaging other peoples' property in the now. There's clearly identifiable people who are harmed.

            • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday March 24 2020, @02:34PM (3 children)

              by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday March 24 2020, @02:34PM (#974984) Journal

              Runaway doesn't own the rivers he fishes on, the public does.

              What happens now?

              • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday March 24 2020, @02:37PM

                by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday March 24 2020, @02:37PM (#974987) Journal

                Haha! Oops, wrong conservative!

                But hey, it's a public river, Runaway can fish there too.

              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday March 24 2020, @04:11PM (1 child)

                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 24 2020, @04:11PM (#975054) Journal
                What does it mean that "the public" "owns" a river? If an entity has ownership in the usual sense, then there's a party to be harmed.
                • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday March 24 2020, @04:37PM

                  by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday March 24 2020, @04:37PM (#975082) Journal

                  Rivers are not private property in the US. That's what allows any rando with a boat to use them.

                  So Buzzard can fish in them and they can be used for shipping and whatnot.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 25 2020, @12:06PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 25 2020, @12:06PM (#975414)

              Wrong. Clearly they stole all that dust from your property and tried to hide it in their stream, so you press changes againt them to get your dirt back.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:58AM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:58AM (#974735)

          As the AC noted, they do have the right to do permanent damage to terrain they own.

          No, they do not. It is not their private property, it is real estate, and they are merely temporary stewards of the land. It is this stupid motherfucking (she's my mom! I can do what I like with her!) libertarian bullshit that is going to cause all Mega Church members to die of Covid-29!! It's all your fault, khallow, you callow and indifferent knave!

          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday March 24 2020, @09:38AM

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 24 2020, @09:38AM (#974867) Journal

            No, they do not. It is not their private property, it is real estate, and they are merely temporary stewards of the land.

            What is "real estate" here? What rights does a "steward" have, if any?

      • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday March 23 2020, @08:17PM (1 child)

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Monday March 23 2020, @08:17PM (#974576) Homepage

        Man, I sure hope you're not an American with voting rights.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @09:33PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @09:33PM (#974607)

          Well I sure hope you're just a slug crawling across someone's keyboard. Would you like a little pepper and salt before you toss the salad?

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by sjames on Monday March 23 2020, @10:24PM

        by sjames (2882) on Monday March 23 2020, @10:24PM (#974629) Journal

        Not so flagrantly since according to TFA few know of that law. IMHO, the old saw "ignorance of the law is no excuse" went out the window somewhere before the point that laws multiplied enough that even a lawyer working within his own sub-specialty had to start looking them up.

        I agree with the people in TFA saying it should have been a warning rather than a fine given it's the first offense against a little known law. This is particularly true since the law in question runs against the common understanding that the various laws about motor vehicles only apply to vehicles operated on public property.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @07:28PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @07:28PM (#975157)

        fuck you bitch. enviro-pigs come on my property and that's what the ak is for.

    • (Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Monday March 23 2020, @07:40PM (3 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday March 23 2020, @07:40PM (#974554)

      But why were the cops on the property?

      Neighbors heard the noise and called 'em, probably directly.

      We had a "helpful neighbor" who would call the local DEP anytime she heard a chainsaw, and the DEP is obligated to investigate. I cleared some scrub from the back of our property to put in a swingset, out of sight of the road so as not to piss off the HOA, but, instead, "helpful neighbor" called the DEP on me who - grudgingly - came out, observed what I had done, and wrote me a formal letter requiring me to "remediate" my property back to the wild state (meaning, 30 years of untended growth after having been cleared when the home was constructed) it was in before I installed the swingset - as they are required to do by the statutes that they are employed to enforce. The DEP agent also informed me that "helpful neighbor" is usually out of town on weekends, so if I have any chain-sawing that I want to do I can do it then and they won't get called out on me.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:50PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:50PM (#974591)

        remember sendpoop is a thing.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @09:36PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @09:36PM (#974610)

        I'd have a recording of a chainsaw running every 40 minutes of every hour all weekdays.

      • (Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:56AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:56AM (#974702)

        HOAs, HMOs, what a country!

        Remember when the cops used to give a warning shot?

        Old black guy has this antique car with one of those old horns you squeeze the bulb, and it would go, "Honk-KEE, Honk-KEE"

        So his white neighbor fires up the chain saw, "RRUNNNN niggerniggerniggernigger

        Dress up as Leatherface next Halloween.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:42PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:42PM (#974556)

      Here's a GIS presentation of various State rules for ATVs (4-wheelers). I'm guessing (but didn't look) that similar applies to off-road motorcycles and snowmobiles too.

      It's not like when I was a kid--had a go-kart in the early 1960s at age 6 or 7, operated in the side yard of our far-suburban house, no hint of regulation (except to stay off the street).

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:42PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:42PM (#974557)

        Duh, here's the link: https://www.edgarsnyder.com/atv/atv-laws-by-state/ [edgarsnyder.com]
        From an ambulance chaser(?)

      • (Score: 2) by sjames on Monday March 23 2020, @11:15PM

        by sjames (2882) on Monday March 23 2020, @11:15PM (#974651) Journal

        In some states, that's still the case. I don't know about now, but back in the '70s when I was growing up, nobody cared if kids drove go-karts or minibikes on streets in the subdivision either as long as they weren't jackasses about it.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Monday March 23 2020, @07:55PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @07:55PM (#974562) Journal

      But why were the cops on the property?

      To ensure compliance with the law!

      If some state were to, hypothetically [snopes.com] have a law limiting the number of dildos per household to two, wouldn't you want police to ensure universal compliance with such an important law meant to protect us all?

      And what if a state were to mandate that Pi be set equal to three? Ensuring compliance would be very important.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Monday March 23 2020, @06:41PM (1 child)

    by acid andy (1683) on Monday March 23 2020, @06:41PM (#974521) Homepage Journal

    Police there have used undercover cars, motorcycles, and cameras to attempt to stop the problem

    What problem? Other than a bit of pollution, which would happen to a significant degree with registered vehicles too, I don't see any problem. There are times when I do think the state should stick its nose into people's business. This definitely isn't one of them.

    --
    If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
    • (Score: 2, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:03PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:03PM (#974532)

      For each $750 fine for four boys, the MEP probably spent $1500 in fuel, $6500 in salary, and $350 in coffee and donuts during the undercover surveillance.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Freeman on Monday March 23 2020, @07:39PM (7 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Monday March 23 2020, @07:39PM (#974553) Journal

    This seems to be a straight up invasion of privacy. Gotta make sure people are doing what I think they should do on their land. Perhaps the Massachusetts Environmental Police would better serve the public, if they went after actual problems. As opposed to teenagers joy riding on their parents' property, with their parents' permission. They could do any number of worse things to the property / environment and not be in trouble with the "law".

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Monday March 23 2020, @07:45PM (5 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday March 23 2020, @07:45PM (#974559)

      Gotta make sure people are doing what I think they should do on their land.

      If the land is in any way deemed "environmentally sensitive" (qualifications include: trees, "important" plants, animal nesting sites, animal migration routes, watersheds, wetlands, sensitive drylands, etc.) then, your elected representatives in the state and federal legislatures have passed laws granting the state/feds jurisdiction over private lands to protect these valuable environmental resources.

      If they would protect the commons with nearly as much zeal as they go after the violations on private land, I might almost approve of the efforts - but, instead, they grant logging rights in the national forests, rape and plunder of the seas and rivers, exploitation of the tundra, etc.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Monday March 23 2020, @08:06PM

        by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:06PM (#974566) Journal

        Under the US Constitution the States are suppose to have whatever power they choose to take to deal with local matter. About the only real regulation that's supposed to happen is that the states are required to have a republican form of government.

        That states have usually held private property beyond their normal jurisdiction isn't because of federal law....or at least it didn't used to be. Things like some of the amendments have legally changed things a bit, but the real change is rapid communication and people living in closer contact. (If it took someone a hour or two to file a complaint by walking to the police station, there'd be less inclination to do so.)

        Now your local state constitution may provide different protections. In Louisiana I believe you are presumed guilty if officially accused. (Code Napoleon.)

        --
        Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:10PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:10PM (#974570)

        Yard riding is/was ok here as long as it's your own yard. If you're driving up on someone else's front lawn and doing a full throttle burnout on the nicely manicured grass it could be a problem. Especially if the tires dig in too far and you get stuck. (I saw a guy do that once)

      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:15PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:15PM (#974573)

        Environmentally sensitive? This is Massachusetts. The state bird is a mosquito! I've seen it on a T-shirt!

        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday March 23 2020, @09:14PM (1 child)

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday March 23 2020, @09:14PM (#974599)

          Environmentally sensitive?

          "Environmentally sensitive" is the statute language for "excuse to meddle."

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2, Touché) by khallow on Monday March 23 2020, @08:13PM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:13PM (#974572) Journal
      I suspect the kids made the mistake of talking to the police.
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by DannyB on Monday March 23 2020, @08:00PM (11 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:00PM (#974564) Journal

    They weren't fined for riding. They were fined . . .

    each teen received a $250 fine for operating an unregistered recreational vehicle, and a $500 fine for the operation of a recreational vehicle without a safety certification.

    But then . . .

    Earlier in February, 22News reported that ATV and dirt bike riders riding on city streets have been an ongoing issue in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, saying that they had received multiple viewer complaints about the illegal activity.

    Ah ha! It looks like they were looking to punish someone due to various complaints. They had to nail someone. To demonstrate that they "are doing something!" So they found someone to pick on. To send a message to other teens that would dare venture outside into daylight.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:44PM (10 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @08:44PM (#974589)

      Ah ha! It looks like they were looking to punish someone due to various complaints. They had to nail someone. To demonstrate that they "are doing something!" So they found someone to pick on. To send a message to other teens that would dare venture outside into daylight.

      That may well be so. However, it is the law in Massachusetts.

      How do the folks in Massachusetts get laws? IIUC, every few years they hold these events called "elections" where the residents of the state choose (by popular consent) who will make/modify laws for the state. Weird, right? Who would ever do something so strange?

      One thing they also do is *publish* those laws [mass.gov].

      But it gets weirder. If folks don't like the laws that the folks elected for that purpose make, they can vote for *different* people in the next election in an effort to get the laws with which they disagree changed. I know, I know, this is like some wacky bullshit out of a dystopian sci-fi novel, but it's really true!

      But when it gets *personal*, things get much, much crazier! In cases where the law is applied and folks don't think the law was applied appropriately or fairly, they can do this unusual thing called a "legal defense." That can include pleading not guilty and forcing the state to prove that the law was applied appropriately, and/or (who ever heard of this????) filing a lawsuit challenging the appropriateness of the particular application of such law, the validity of the law itself, or both.

      Those crazy Massholes [wiktionary.org] even have names for this ridiculous shit: representative democracy and the rule of law.

      Who ever heard of such insane stuff? Sheesh!

      • (Score: 4, Troll) by DeathMonkey on Monday March 23 2020, @09:21PM (2 children)

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday March 23 2020, @09:21PM (#974603) Journal

        Conservatives have recently become opposed to the rule of law.

        So that may explain the confusion...

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @09:36PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @09:36PM (#974609)

          It is not recent, they merely stopped caring about the optics.

        • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:05AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:05AM (#974706)

          Liberals and immigration law enforcement? Glass houses, my sanctuary city friend.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:14PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:14PM (#974622)

        If folks don't like the laws that the folks elected for that purpose make, they can vote for *different* people in the next election in an effort to get the laws with which they disagree changed

        That just sounds like an endless cycle of elected officials tearing down the policies of the previously elected official no?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:37PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:37PM (#974637)

          If folks don't like the laws that the folks elected for that purpose make, they can vote for *different* people in the next election in an effort to get the laws with which they disagree changed

          That just sounds like an endless cycle of elected officials tearing down the policies of the previously elected official no?

          So you think what we need is a supreme ruler who makes laws by edict, and for which there is no appeal or remit. Because that's what it means to be an American, right?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:42PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:42PM (#974641)

          That is how it goes, and hopefully not an endless cycle as the morons die off and better policies are accepted. This whole Trump stupidity throws everything off, tearing shit down to spite Obama and just for the hell of it.

          What maroons.

      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:45PM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @10:45PM (#974643)

        Problem is that the busybodies and pressure groups work full time to get their pet laws passed. They do this BEFORE and AFTER the election, non-stop. Do you have time and money to lobby non-stop? I don't; I work for a living and have a family to raise and even if I did have the time to lobby, I mostly just want to be left alone to live my life. This actually describes most people yet... you are on your high horse telling me it's my fault things got the way they did. Sorry, it's not. Just because we have a representative democracy doesn't mean the will of most people is what becomes law. It's a never ending war, and the firepower is not evenly distributed across the citizens. Surely you are not going to ignore the influence of $MONEY$ in politics, are you?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @11:02PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @11:02PM (#974647)

          I'll summarize my own point: voting for candidate A over candidate B is not enough to get the laws you want. First of all, is your pet issue even on the radar of one of the candidates? If not, I don't see how voting will affect anything. Secondly, and even more importantly, you may live in one of those places where a single political party has such a stranglehold on the electorate that you don't even have a choice between two candidates: the ruling party is guaranteed to win, and thus the laws that their party passed will NOT be overturned by the new politician of the same party who wins... again.

          In order to influence politics, you need to build up a coalition and fund it. A lone person's vote is no more than a drop of piss in a toilet.

          • (Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:31AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @01:31AM (#974717)

            Your summary is longer than the original post. Without "I'll summarize my own point" it is almost the same.

            #Fail
            #SystemOfContracts

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:16PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:16PM (#974919)

          Some people think laws are more important than money, others that money is more important.

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:14PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 24 2020, @12:14PM (#974918)

    am i missing something?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 25 2020, @12:02AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 25 2020, @12:02AM (#975259)

      Nope, hence the site colors and the conservatives who run the place. They're usually the good ones though, but they tolerate dickheads like Ethanol-Filled without even down modding his garbage.

(1)