Florida Law Enforcement ie; FWC

[Kevin84]

Jammer and Capt Bill, I think you both have excellent points. Guys I've been in two police states (Iraq and Afghanistan). In my opinion (and only my opinion) a police state does not inspire anger in its population. It inspires fear and despair. A true police state will not anger it's population, it will cause its people to cower in fear. However, this country was born because its government (the British Crown) governed by edict with no recourse for the civilian population. Our own founding fathers, if alive today, would most likely rebel against our government. For those that doubt it, read George Washington's Farewell Address to the nation. In it he warns against everything that is going on in the country today. From political parties to involvement in foreign wars to abuses of authority. It's really quite enlightening to read exactly why they fought for independence and then to realise that everything they fought against is exactly what our government today is doing.

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[weavis]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

it will cause its people to cower in fear. However, this country was born because its government (the British Crown) governed by edict with no recourse for the civilian population.

oh that right! Blame the Brits....... with the amount of iced tea that is drunk in USA now I bet you wish that you hadnt had the Boston Tea party and wasted all that loose leaf!!!

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by weavis

oh that right! Blame the Brits....... with the amount of iced tea that is drunk in USA now I bet you wish that you hadnt had the Boston Tea party and wasted all that loose leaf!!!

Lol! Nah, 200+ year old tea isn't exactly my cup of tea. Besides, I thought we'd gotten past this? Our beef was with George III, and if I recall, you Brits weren't exactly thrilled with him either.

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[weavis]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Lol! Nah, 200+ year old tea isn't exactly my cup of tea. Besides, I thought we'd gotten past this? Our beef was with George III, and if I recall, you Brits weren't exactly thrilled with him either.

YOU Brits?!!!

Im Irish!!!

lol......... easy to start wars aint it? I dont believe we are thrilled with any country that doesnt have Guinness as its national drink

We love Jamaica Except they drink it warm.... weird.

[Captain Koch]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

I am surprised daily at otherwise smart folks who refuse to think this is happening, and label those that do in derogatory terms. Heads up and outta the sand mates! Turn off your electronic I V drips and pay closer attention to our rapidly changing world.

The local cops of every stripe are just following orders. Few question the orders and none on payday. In law, the end result has been termed the Nuremberg Defense but I suspect it dates from the dawn of what we call civilization itself. Short attention span folks can watch My Bodyguard from Netflix.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

Much as I'd like to fly this flag it would be a poke in the eye to law enforcement. Still, I see it more and more out here on the edge and am considering it.

I don't mind poking their eyes.

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by weavis

YOU Brits?!!!

Im Irish!!!

lol......... easy to start wars aint it? I dont believe we are thrilled with any country that doesnt have Guinness as its national drink

We love Jamaica Except they drink it warm.... weird.

Lol. Yes it is. And at any rate, I thought the last thing the Irish would be doing is defending the British Crown. (I jest, but it's fun to pick.)

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[weavis]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Lol. Yes it is. And at any rate, I thought the last thing the Irish would be doing is defending the British Crown. (I jest, but it's fun to pick.)

LOL... as an Irishman, I started a flame between England and USA all over again.... it wasnt defending them
But that aside.... and to get down to business...... Guinness rocks!

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by weavis

LOL... as an Irishman, I started a flame between England and USA all over again.... it wasnt defending them
But that aside.... and to get down to business...... Guinness rocks!

Not a fan. Now if we were talking Jameson...

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[weavis]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Not a fan. Now if we were talking Jameson...

We are not!! Get thee behind me Kevin84!

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by weavis

We are not!! Get thee behind me Kevin84!

Fine Weavis! More for me! And why are we arguing instead of drinking anyway?

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[weavis]

Originally Posted by Kevin84

Fine Weavis! More for me! And why are we arguing instead of drinking anyway?

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See...... despite our religious differences, I was raised monohull and converted to multihull, and you remaining strictly monohull... we can agree on Police State mentality and drink together.

There is hope for the world.......

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by bassdan

After being harassed by FWCC officials last weekend I searched for other incidents and found your blog. I have also lived in Florida most of my life, and up to recently have had little problem with the FWCC. Last weekend on Lake Santa Fe, I was in a 22' Catalina sailboat with a couple friends when a FWCC boat sped around us and drew up alongside. They asked for my ID and said I was in violation because I was on the bow with the engine running. I will add it was glass smooth, there is a bow pulpit, and we were barely idling. The boat has a 5 hp outboard. They asked for my ID, and I asked them why they want it. They told my I was in violation and must produce it. They then took my driver's license and ran a check over the radio! I imagine if I had left my ID in the truck I probably would have been arrested for such an egregious offense. The Captain was given a $90 violation, which I will pay for him. This is ridiculous, and I will report this to the Governor and legislature, for what it is worth. It's sad to see the country revert to such a police state. I am a private pilot, and have been reading about over 50 incidents in the last year about private pilots being pulled over on runways and harassed by police for things such as "making too many stops".

That one is a 10th amendment violation.

I was approached on my Tornado while flying a hull, on trapeze, with the main sheet in one hand, jib & spinnaker sheet in the other, tiller extension under my armpit, wearing a life jacket by a sheriff patrol for a safety inspection, papers, etc. etc. I told him I would not stop windward of the shore in that weather & risk my vessel & safety. I was wearing the only gear required by law & he could easily see my registration. He insisted I "pull over". I asked if he was accepting liability for damages and if killed, my heirs would sue. I then ignored him & drove into the biggest sea I could find at about 18 knots. He eventually left me.

Water cops, (not the CG) are the worst. The are often just jocks with an attitude, limited schooling, a gun, badge & driving the state's bad-ass boat. They are told to go collect money. They often do not know what a documented vessel is and that we are not permitted to show state numbers. They have no idea how to operate a sailboat, that one needs to go forward to operate sails, anchors, hatches. They famously tried to stop all boats in the Cleveland Race Week 5 minutes after a spinnaker start for mandatory inspections. They often receive NO training on the basics regarding rules of the road, signaling, etiquette. Two local deputies here were caught, thank God, drag racing their cruisers with mini-trailers & PWC through a 25 mph subdivision.

Hear's an exercise for everyone. Remember the list of grievances against the King listed in the Declaration of Independence? Critically read each of those and decide for yourself how many our government is guilty of. I came up with 3 of 4 last time I did this. Now remember that we paid in blood & treasure to cast off that unjust control. How in the heck did we cede all those rights away? Will we be able to stop it before they are all gone?

[Kevin84]

Nicholaon58, we did it gradually. A little bit every year for the last 238 years. If you slowly chip away at someone's rights gradually in small pieces in the name of "security" you can erode them till they are gone without anyone noticing until it is too late. Do it all at once however and you'll incite an insurrection.

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[weavis]

The reality of a full blown Police State does not happen overnight. It creeps. You think you live in a free capitalist country? Try saying something publically in a negative way about sexual preferences, the president or Islam. You own your house? Try missing a tax payment on it. See how the Police State works in reality.

But back to the term Police State: Wiki states:

“Because there are different political perspectives as to what an appropriate balance is between individual freedom and national security, there are no definitive objective standards to determine whether the term "police state" applies to a particular nation at any given point in time. Thus, it is difficult to evaluate objectively the truth of allegations that a nation is, or is not becoming, a police state. One way to view the concept of the police state and the free state is through the medium of a balance or scale, where any law focused on removing liberty is seen as moving towards a police state, and any law which limits government oversight is seen as moving towards a free state.”

This sound familiar?

“An Electronic Police state is one in which the government aggressively uses electronic technologies to record, organize, search, and distribute forensic evidence against its citizens.”

This sound familiar?

It will come as a surprise no doubt that the Constitution is all but been overridden by new laws, and that EVERYTHING you take for granted and a contribution to American Society no longer has the protection of the Constitution in a meaningful way. The Governments of the world work on the principle of “We will do what we want and you can sue us, if you can afford it” but they do what they want regardless.
Its too late for most things. Governments are organized and the citizens are not. Whether your sensibilities allow for it or not, Europe and America comprise of Police States. They are just being nice about it for now.

[SimonV]

Gee I love Australia. We may have our own problems but the courts are for the people.

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