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You may have heard of civil asset forfeiture.
That's where police can seize your property and cash without first proving you committed a crime; without a warrant and without arresting you, as long as they suspect that your property is somehow tied to a crime.
Now, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has a device that also allows them to seize money in your bank account or on prepaid cards.
It's called an ERAD, or Electronic Recovery and Access to Data machine, and state police began using 16 of them last month.
Here's how it works. If a trooper suspects you may have money tied to some type of crime, the highway patrol can scan any cards you have and seize the money.
"We're gonna look for different factors in the way that you're acting," Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. John Vincent said. "We're gonna look for if there's a difference in your story. If there's some way that we can prove that you're falsifying information to us about your business."
...
News 9 obtained a copy of the contract with the state.
It shows the state is paying ERAD Group Inc., $5,000 for the software and scanners, then 7.7 percent of all the cash the highway patrol seizes.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bradley13 on Thursday June 09 2016, @12:59PM
"...If there's some way that we can prove that you're falsifying information to us about your business"
Why, in that case, they could get a warrant, start a prosecution, and generally follows the laws of civilized countries. Asset forfeiture is nothing less than legalized robbery, but at least it used to be limited to whatever cash you had on you. Also of importance: The company that makes this equipment is getting a cut of the takings. I wonder whose election campaigns they have contributed to recently?
Don't Americans have a saying? "There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo. Please use in that order."
Is it time for the fourth box yet. Not that you should be shooting the police - they're mostly just foot soldiers doing what they're told. It's the politicians who approve and fund programs like this, who urgently need to discover that actions have consequences.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by SecurityGuy on Thursday June 09 2016, @01:08PM
Personally, I still think it's time for a lot more of us who find this stuff outrageous to run for office, get elected, and vote idiotic things like this down. By and large, we're a nation of people who complain about things on the internet, but don't actually get involved.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 09 2016, @02:54PM
it takes time and money we don't have to be in office.
Thus, the pool is small and the other filters establishment elites have in place work to keep you from being elected or achieving any goal.
It's a shame there is no more unclaimed land on this planet. I would vote with my feet and live in Soylentnewsy Land if such a place existed. There's no where left to run, so they expect us to turn and fight. Don't fall for the trap. As soon as you lash out you're easily disposed of. Better to wait for the jackboot to crush a few more necks so you have enough support to prevail. It may mean moving elsewhere or surviving under a draconian regime. Now is the time to be prepared, but never forget that anything can be an excuse for going door to door and taking away your rights. [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 09 2016, @05:45PM
I've thought about it, but who's going to listen to a short, overweight dweeb without a wife, no kids, no luxury car, no house worth 7 figures?
Ballot box is busted as it is. Not saying I'd get elected if it weren't busted.
Thanks to the internet, the soap box is having a brief second wind.
Jury box was out of commission the moment that knowing about the inherent right of jury nullification became a reason to throw somebody out of the jury selection process.
There really does seem to be only one box left. It's just not quite the right time. As somebody else said, wait until we have enough pissed off rednecks.. wonder if they'll realize there are gays who are libertarian precisely because they knew they couldn't trust the government...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 09 2016, @01:45PM
Often can't get to the general without going through the soliders first.
The foot soliders _actually_ do the acts too. So yes they are at fault.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 09 2016, @06:06PM
True, but that's highly inefficient. The foot solders won't have any orders to follow if the criminal order-givers are killed in a defensive war.
Government behavior is typically inefficient and stupid, but it can be informative. Take note of all the "decapitation attack" attempts the US gov has used against others for decades - it's one thing they know works on them, so they idiotically assume it works on everyone else.
It's been said that criminal governments will fight to the last dead cop, FBI agent, soldier, etc.; will they fight to the first dead senator, second propaganda publisher, or third head bureaucrat?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 09 2016, @05:58PM
I don't think it's time for the ammo box yet. The US fedgov (and thus many other levels of US gov) relies on personal income taxes for about 75% of its revenue. There are multiple ways to sharply reduce that number, some of which include: changing the number of W-4 exemptions to a high enough number that no tax withholding occurs; working less so that your net income taxation is zero; starting your own small business and simply ignoring the IRS entirely.
Sure, ideas like the above are going to get you labelled as a criminal by criminals. However, with a little bit of forethought, the odds of there actually being a problem for any such individual go down sharply. Don't keep resources in places easily stolen from (e.g., dollars in banks, inventory in customs lockup), plan on keeping titled property until you die (vehicles, houses, etc.) or look at moving such property into trusts, and don't rely on government services (social security, etc.).
In short, the only reason why the literally criminal insanity continues with US governments is because individual people choose to keep funding said criminal government. When government criminals start shooting/kidnapping people who are taking that last peaceful step, then it would seem time for the ammo box - and yes, such people have already been kidnapped, so keep your powder dry.