Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Sil Greene <Sil_greene AT unc.edu>]

This is a really interesting case.  I had a similar experience; I once 
boarded a light-rail in Denver without a ticket.  The security guards 
caught me, escorted me off the train at the next stop, and proceeded to 
ask for my driver's license.  I told them I didn't have one on me, and as 
far as I knew wasn't required to carry one unless I was operating a motor 
vehicle.  Under threat of arrest for trespassing, I finally acquiesced and 
gave them my personal info .. SSN, name, and home address .. and was given 
a $30 ticket.

After dealing with the light-rail security, I walked the remaining 
distance to work.  A couple of blocks later I passed a cop sitting in his 
patrol car, and asked him if I was required to carry a driver's license by 
state law.  He laughed and told me not to his knowledge.

This was in 1997.

--Sil


Reported 04.02.19 22:08 from Phillip Rhodes:

.:Some of you may already be aware of this case, some of you may not. 
.:Everyone who is an American citizen should be.  The U.S. Supreme
.:Court is set to hear a case, on March 22nd, of Mr. Dudley Hiibel.
.:
.:What did Mr. Hiibel do to get arrested, and why has it made it
.:all the way to the Supreme Court?  Here's a quote from one of
.:the websites covering the case:
.:
.:<i>One balmy May evening back in 2000, Dudley was standing around 
.:minding his own business when all of a sudden, a policeman pulled-up and 
.:demanded that Dudley produce his ID.  Dudley, having done nothing wrong, 
.:declined.  He was arrested and charged with "failure to cooperate" for 
.:refusing to show ID on demand.  And it's all on video.
.:
.:On the 22nd of March 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether 
.:Dudley and the rest of us live in a free society, or in a country where 
.:we must show "the papers" whenever a cop demands them. </i>
.:
.:There are more details, but that's the gist of it.  For more details
.:and some conversation and discussion see:
.:
.:http://papersplease.org/hiibel/facts.html
.:
.:and
.:
.:http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/02/19/2336249&mode=thread
.:
.:I for one am absolutely outraged at this abuse of authority by
.:the police, and think every man, woman and child who proudly
.:call themselves American and believe this is truly the "land of
.:the free and home of the brave" should be as well.
.:
.:If this kind of behavior is allowed to happen, we as the citizens
.:of this great nation need to start asking some very difficult questions
.:about our future.  If this is allowed to happen, it must immediately 
.:become clear to every American citizen that our government is no longer
.:the government the Founding Fathers intended to create, and is no longer
.:the government dictated by the Constitution of the United States of America.
.:
.:If this stands, it is absolutely time for drastic, sweeping changes
.:in the power structure of our government.  No, I'm not advocating an
.:armed Revolution (not yet anyway), despite my .sig line.  But I am 
.:saying that this will send a clear signal that all of the incumbent 
.:elected officials in place at the Federal level must be removed from 
.:office, and replaced with officials who respect the Constitution this 
.:country was founded upon.  If that can be accomplished by simply voting 
.:the existing officials out of office, then so be it.  If it can't... 
.:then we have to ask ourselves if we're willing to stand by and watch
.:this country slowly, gradually, and inexorably decay into a nightmare
.:of which George Orwellian proportions.  We must ask if we are willing
.:to live in the modern day equivelant of Nazi Germany with a modern
.:day Gestapo enforcing the rules and demanding our "papers."
.:
.:And for those of you who know me, and know that I am a Libertarian
.:Party member, please be aware that these are my thoughts, and my
.:thoughts alone, and are not associated in any way with any
.:official position of the Libertarian Party.  And this message is
.:not a argument to vote Libertarian...  it's an argument to vote for
.:somebody, anybody, other than the corrupt, power-mad idiots who
.:are currently running this country.  Vote Libertarian, vote Reform
.:Party, Constitution Party, American Communist Party, Green party, 
.:whoever. But please, realize that the status-quo must be broken, for the 
.:future of our country.
.:
.:Now, maybe, just maybe the Supreme Court will get this right,
.:and Liberty will prevail.  I certainly hope so, but based on
.:recent evidence, my confidence that this will happen is not high.
.:If that happens, feel free to flame me to death for being unnecessarily
.:"alarmist."  But whatever happens, everyone, please keep a close eye on 
.:this case, encourage your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family to 
.:do likewise... and think about the ramifications of this decision when 
.:it comes down.
.:
.:
.:TTTYL,
.:
.:Phillip Rhodes
.:
.:
.:

-- 
"If you put your supper dish to your ears you can hear the sounds
 of a restaurant."  --Snoopy    (Charles Schultz 02-12-2000 RIP)
Sil_Greene AT unc.edu