1 in 4 US Adults Now Have Criminal Record - Around 65 Million Citizens

reply to post by DragonTattooz

Did I break the law? Yes. I commited a misdemeanor according to the VA statutes. I read them and stayed within those limits so that if I did get caught, it wouldn't ruin my life. It never occurred to me that they would manufacture a felony case against me. Call me naive.

Did you break the law? No. You may have violated some statute, but I can not stress how important it is to understand that legislation is not law, merely evidence of law, and our prison nation has grown to the size it is precisely because so many people are way too willing to equate legislation with law.

That the prosecution had to fabricate lies in order to trump up the charges only serves as more evidence that they are not prosecuting law, but instead are aggregating power.

Presumably this happened before a jury, and while the American people in the most recent past have foolishly accepted the tyranny of the state, more and more people are waking up, and the term "jury nullification" is becoming a term used more and more often by people.

I am sorry for your troubles, but take heart, there will come a time that, just like the 18th Amendment, the bogus legislation over drugs will be repealed, and it will happen because, just like the 18th Amendment, juries will begin en masse to refuse to convict someone for the possession of, and even the sale of "illicit drugs". More and more people are coming to understand that if there is no victim, there is no crime.

Originally posted by buni11687
reply to post by BadBoYeed

 

I do remember hearing about that and I think I first heard about it here on ATS.

I personally think there are 2 major differences between us and them.

First is pretty much a given - their drug policy. Get caught here with a tiny bit, even less than a gram, of some stuff, and your looking at a few years in prison.

Second - We have a for-profit prison industry. The more people we put in jail, the more money the corporations that run the prisons make. Heck, they trade their stocks..... (humans) ......on the stock market.

Your Absolutely 100% right Star for you!!! The Judicial system in California is a JOKE!! I only say California because I've only lived in a few other states besides Cali and the system hasn't gone into overdrive there yet but I'm sure it has in other states.. As a former Convict (been about 7years free and clean) I have seen first hand how the system blatantly exploits peoples rights and we end up prosecuted by people that commit the same crimes but are on the opposite side of the divide.(Makes Me Sick!) I committed 1 crime where nobody was hurt I didn't cause any damage to anybody elses property and it was my first time being arrested. But because I couldnt afford a good enough Lawyer I had all my gun rights revoked with a penalty of 10 yrears in prison if I have 1, I spent 2 years in prison forced to work as basically a indentured servant because if you don't work in California you won't qualify for good time and can even be given more time for disobeying direct commands from a officer. They charged me about $4000 in restitution for damaging my own property which instead of being able to earn my $2 yes $2 a day for working in the P.I.A. industry they took every dime I made (so I was unable to feed myself) and told me it paid for the damages I incurred on the victim as restitution (which was myself)... LOL I never seen a dollar of that an when I was released I still owed $4000..GOD BLESS AMERICA--- BUT F### THE SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


While I do agree with you. The fact is that if I did not accept their plea deal, I would have been found guilty and been incarcerated for a minimum of 5 years. I could have screamed every day about how unjust their system is, but I would have been doing it from a jail cell. I have children that I wanted to watch grow up.

I don't want to get into why I was growing the plants with kids in the house. Believe me, I am my own worst critic. Every Single Day.

Nov. 13, 2008 -- The percentage of Americans who smoke cigarettes has fallen below 20% for the first time since at least the mid-1960s, according to a new report.

reply to post by buni11687

That's 1 in five Americans!

That's almost as high a number, and the same damn thing "Smokers need not apply" well if you have a criminal record, suck it up, that's what they tell us!
Information provided by:
WEB MD

reply to post by DragonTattooz

I don't want to get into why I was growing the plants with kids in the house. Believe me, I am my own worst critic. Every Single Day.

My parents kept a liquor cabinet fully stocked at all times and no one ever suggested that this was bad parenting, and certainly not the priests who came over regularly and gladly drank from that cabinet.

Originally posted by loam
reply to post by buni11687

 

Fix the drug laws and corrupt or overzealous law enforcement, and I actually have little problem with this.

Accountability isn't only lacking within government, but in people too. What this also means is that roughly 3 out of 4 adults take personal responsibility very seriously.

As a private employer, I don't want the government telling me that I have to hire a convicted criminal.

Incidentally, under federal law, only convictions may be considered indefinitely. There are a few states that limit consideration to seven years. Records of arrest, under federal law, are limited to seven years. But some states prohibit consideration of arrest records altogether.

Assuming the legitimacy of prosecution, if you don't like the consequences, then don't do the crime.

Harsh? Not really, imo.

edit on 24-3-2011 by loam because: (no reason given)

I hope you are never convicted, even wrongfully of a crime. Would your stance change then?

On a side note this statement is what has gotten me where I currently am in life, "As a private employer, I don't want the government telling me that I have to hire a convicted criminal."

It is past time for we the people to take back our power, including employees. Stop begging these employers for work. I know that we all have to make a living, but I advocate lowering our standard of living and maintaining our dignity. It's time to show these companies that without workers...they're stuck with a bright idea but no means to turn it into money.

Many employers and business owners have fed themselves the b.s. that they are some how "owed" by society for "providing work" for people. In actuality, they owe society for providing them labor, for without labor they would have to do all that work themselves.

I advocate EVERYONE working for themselves or at most being an independent contractor. Stop kissing the azz of these employers. It's time to bring them back down to Earth.

Originally posted by bandito
With so many educated , qualified and experienced people looking for work why would i as an employer hire a convicted criminal ? Many businesses deal in the transactions of money , private information and valuable goods and many require third party bonding . I don't care how small the conviction or how small the charge , that person has removed all doubt that they will ignore and violate the law . Caught with one joint , your problem as i have no way of knowing if you'll be smoking dope on my time . Petty theft , your problem as you won't get a chance to steal from me or my company . Violence for a conviction , your problem as my company works on the team aspect so you won't be coming here where in the midst of team resolutions to intimidate or fight my staff . A convicted criminal offers me absolutely nothing and i won't be wasting one minute looking into the particulars of your situation or conviction because the other 75% haven't been convicted of a criminal offense and that's the pool i'll draw from . Another thing , Facebook and Myspace along with other social networking sites . Even without a criminal conviction you can eliminate yourself from a job competition very easily and very quickly depending upon what you have posted there along with your friends . No , your privacy settings don't matter .

Same response to you...Should your business be avoided and boycotted if you are convicted of anything? Even if you are innocent.

What would you do if everyone suddenly decided not to work for you for whatever ridiculous reason? Would you business survive?

reply to post by DragonTattooz


I think what you just did should be done more and spread about. People who have been wronged by the law should make the names of those responsible known. Perhaps a website should be created where those names are compiled and made public knowledge.

reply to post by DZAG Wright

Many employers and business owners have fed themselves the b.s. that they are some how "owed" by society for "providing work" for people. In actuality, they owe society for providing them labor, for without labor they would have to do all that work themselves.

When I was still an employee - a position I refuse to ever hold again, (California statutes have the audacity to define employee) - I was talking to my boss one day about how the rich tend to get a bad rap, and he declared smugly that the rich "provide jobs".

"Yeah..." I said slowly; "I got to tell you that historians don't seem to be all that interested in who provided jobs, and to my knowledge no one made it into the history books just because they provided jobs." He got really pissed off at me, making it clear that I was not showing enough gratitude towards him for the job he provided me.

I looked this jerk straight in the eyes and said; "Look! I made a contract with you, and the terms of that contract is that I would supply you with my services in exchange for a commission. I don't get paid on what I don't sell, I get paid on what I do sell, and I don't know if it is because you're just not paying attention, or some other form of ignorance is at play here, but at this time, I am your top producer. So, I'll tell you what, if you don't have any appreciation for the job I do here, I am certain that there are numerous companies that would love to take advantage of my sales skills. Make up your mind here and now, sport. Do you want me to kiss your ass, or do you want me to keep selling your product?"

He glared at me silently for a moment, and then took a deep breath and told me he would like me to keep selling his product. Later he came by my desk and told me how much he appreciated me.

I do not miss being an employee at all, and why I finally decided to start my own business is that it was becoming increasingly clear that I would never accrue wealth working for someone else. While I struggle greatly with my business today, I have not lowered my standards at all, and I am patiently doing what is necessary to flourish and prosper.

I will do business with some corporations - mostly out of expedience - but I go out of my way to do business with local businesses, farmers markets, and the unlicensed street vendors that are constantly dodging LEO's because of LAMC 42.00 (b), which prohibits street vending. Is that a law? Hell no! It is merely legislation, and it is a sad and tragic irony that immigrants, by and large, understand this better than 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. generations of "Americans".

Originally posted by woodwardjnr
Just out of interest, are you still allowed to vote if you have a criminal record?

It depends if it was a felony or mistimeanor. A mistimeanor doesn't take your priveledge to vote away but a felony will. Certain types of felonies will forever bar your priveledge to vote and you may have to earn and fight for it back. It is called folony disinfrachisement and it is running rampant in the U.S. It basically means if you have broken the law and serve your time then you can still live in the U.S but are not afforded the priveledge of voting and sometimes have to live where they tell you to live plus have record over your head for the rest of your life and lose your priveledge of gun ownership forever. Kinda reminds me of an old Merle Haggard song "branded man" . I hope you take notice to my usage of the word"priveledge" instead of "right" because that is what our gov't would like to portray to the free people. Free people are only free when they assert their god given rights and won't let them "take" them away. Rights can never be taken away if they are true rights!

Originally posted by mblahnikluver

I knew someone who got pulled over recently for a broken tail light and the cop asked to search her car.....

ya, you can refuse, then they say if you don't mind if they call the k-9 unit, then you're stuck there for 45 mins waiting for the dog to arrive.

and if you get aggravated and raise your voice, they'll ask you to step out of the car. if you refuse, you'll either get forcefully removed or tasered. you'll then be charged with resisting arrest.

if you comply, when the dog arrives they'll walk him around the car and say the dog was alerted to something suspicious. since the dog can't speak english, you'll have to take the cops word for it. they even train the dog to signal without actually having found anything.

if they get lucky and find drugs, then they say the dog did his job and everything's was by the book.

if they find nothing, and the cops a real assh-le, they'll take your car to the pound and strip it to the bone.

or if the cop is satisfied that you know who is really in charge, he'll give you a ticket and send you off.

The politically correct masses love to “there ought to be a law” on any situation that requires an ounce of self regulation, social vigilance and common sense. They don’t want to be bothered with all that freedom nonsense. Just giver everyone a rule book that covers exactly any and every possible situation involving human nature. In about a few thousand years our legal system will be perfect. With details on what to eat and where to fart.

My Brother was arrested for murder of his infant daughter on the word of an incompetent medical examiner and overly aggressive prosecutor. It was when “shaken baby syndrome” was all the fad. After a little over a year and the wrecking pretty much of his entirely life, it was found that she instead died of pneumonia. This was through three other experts and the replacement examiner. Now the legal team we hired was particularly attractive, since the partner was supposedly a doctor specializing in infant mortality. They could have disputed the medical findings immediately. It was assumed, having no other explanation, that the initial findings could have been injury due to my Brother's attempt at CPR, after she stopped breathing.

It wasn’t convenient to dispute the county’s finding right away though, until of course a years worth of worthless legal fees. In my entire lifetime any lawyer I have ever had to deal with, was quite simply the scum of the earth. Where it would be easy just to blame the medical examiner for incompetence, we paid the legal team to know what they were doing. In the end it was theft through deception that they accomplished and not an iota of justice was served. Four other doctors saw immediately what our “expert” missed and an alternative was never offered, until the real cause of death became blatantly obvious. What I am thinking about the “legal” profession as a hole (pun?), right this very instant isn’t remotely polite. But I assure you it’s well earned.

Now look everyone loves their family, but my Brother is by far the most decent person I have ever met in my lifetime. If he had the possible danger of being incarcerated with the possibility of lethal injection, there is very few among you, immune to our rabid legal system. You don’t have to be guilty of anything, just unlucky enough to be blamable.

Originally posted by JakesterL
It was when “shaken baby syndrome” was all the fad.

It's disgusting and terrifying to know that theatrical news reporting and mass hysteria create these justice fads where anything remotely resembling the TV crime can land anyone in the vicinity in prison or worse.

This fella from a thread I started suffered the ends of the great pedo fear where some Walmart clerk saw nudity on a photo printed from a flash card and the end result was three SWAT teams tackling his child and sticking a gun into the back of his head and assaulting his not-yet-dressed wife who believed she was about to be attacked by a home intruder.

Fad crime. Poisoning the minds of neighbors all over the nation.

It's getting so that I dont believe any accusation I hear in the news and I periodically fear that any moment I might be in the wrong place at the wrong time or look a little like the wrong guy and have my life very literally turned upside down just for having the audacity to live in this world among lunatics and paranoids. Paranoids are crying "wolf!" so often all over it's all I hear.

No lawsuit is compensation enough for what these accused have to go through.

So, basically, that question by Radioshack would weed out small-time criminals but allow those who served long sentences for major crimes to squeak by.

But, seriously, no wonder our jails are overcrowded.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Incredible. Good thread thisguyrighthere. You would think the permit to carry would be recognized as complete compliance to begin with. As if they would shoot anyone, for no other reason than they have a gun.

I’m not a SWAT member so just curious. But if a armed conflict was so imminent wouldn’t it have been safer to do surveillance of the home and nab him getting in/out of the car? Not having familiar surroundings for cover and a sitting position at an 90 degree angle, as an automatic disadvantage? Assuming he is right handed shooting past the left shoulder while sitting, would have to be more difficult than from the interior cover that he alone knows the exact layout of.

It’s just mild curiosity I’m certain there was a legitimate reason to jeopardize the lives of the entire household. The bull in a china shop mentality of enforcement, is going to come to a head one day, when the popular uncertainty turns into anger.

Thisguyrighthere, you are probably more aware than I, but if they do come to collect your firearm it will be during or immediately after when the phone communications and internet mysteriously go down. After congress has their walking papers, it would be the next order of business necessary to assume absolute control.

Oh and ding ding it’s my 20th post. I can hardly wait. Injustice, corruption, greed and UFOs. I love this site nothing boring, that’s for certain. Good articles such as this thread right here. I can’t wait to stir up some righteous trouble of my own.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Those brass knuckles....instead of being on a belt....were in his pocket. Rightttt, what you don't realize is they see this bs everyday. If your friend didn't have a joint in her car, she wouldn't have been searched. Instead of an excuse for everything, take responsibility for your actions. If you don't know the federal laws or state laws, read them. Don't put yourself in a position like that to begin with.

Originally posted by LoverBoy
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Those brass knuckles....instead of being on a belt....were in his pocket. Rightttt, what you don't realize is they see this bs everyday. If your friend didn't have a joint in her car, she wouldn't have been searched. Instead of an excuse for everything, take responsibility for your actions. If you don't know the federal laws or state laws, read them. Don't put yourself in a position like that to begin with.

I am just curious, if Congress wrote a statute demanding you fork over your first born child, would you? I am just wondering where the hell you draw the line when it comes to accepting legislation as valid law?

Of course not, my child isn't an illegal substance either.

Originally posted by LoverBoy
Of course not, my child isn't an illegal substance either.

If there is legislation declaring your first born child illegal, what then? The only thing that makes an illegal substance illegal is legislation. Especially a substance such as marijuana which is a weed. If you need simple truths like this explained to you, I pity the fool that takes your advise.

There is a simple reason why they have so many people behind bars

It is so compinies like JC Penny, K Mart, Toys R Us, IBM, Microsoft, etc can pay people 17 cents an hour here in the good old USA. My thread here goes deeper into it


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