Who needs a warrant?
Since warrants are just so darn inconvenient to obtain, despite the rubber stamp most judges have for them, the powers that be have to come up with alternative ways of snooping. One way of doing that is to have you submit to a warrantless search when you apply for government assistance. If you refuse to comply, no government cheese for you:
The San Diego district attorney adopted a policy in 1997 under which applicants for welfare benefits must agree to a “walk through” of their residence while they are present. The inspectors check on whether the applicant has an eligible dependent child and has the amount of assets claimed. They also check on whether a supposedly “absent” parent lives at the residence. If residents refuse to permit a home visit, they can lose their benefits.
When that fails, have the local firefighters and emergency personnel search houses since, you know, they’re already there:
Firefighters in major cities are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, raising concerns of eroding their standing as American icons and infringing on people’s privacy.
Unlike police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel don’t need warrants to access hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, putting them in a position to spot behavior that could indicate terrorist activity or planning.
[…]
When going to private residences, for example, they are told to be alert for a person who is hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States; unusual chemicals or other materials that seem out of place; ammunition, firearms or weapons boxes; surveillance equipment; still and video cameras; night-vision goggles; maps, photos, blueprints; police manuals, training manuals, flight manuals; and little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress.
It’s getting harder and harder to trust the good guys.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Notice what they’re looking for? “[A]mmunition, firearms or weapons boxes…still and video cameras…” Watch out, Oleg Volk!
“[L]ittle or no furniture other than a bed or mattress.” Watch out, grad students!
November 28th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Hey, if you’re gonna take the king’s shilling, you gotta dance to the king’s song.
November 28th, 2007 at 11:14 am
hah! good guys? A group which steals your money and whos power is defined by abridgment of the people’s rights is called the largest racket in the history of the world – far from ‘the good guys.’
November 28th, 2007 at 11:42 am
*hostile
*uncooperative
*expressing hate or discontent with the United States
*unusual chemicals
*other materials that seem out of place
*ammunition
*firearms
*weapons boxes
*surveillance equipment
*still and video cameras
night-vision goggles
*maps
*photos
blueprints
police manuals
*training manuals
*flight manuals
and little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress
WooHoo! 14 out of 18 for me!
(Damn, that’s only a 78% not even a “B” )
November 28th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Hey, I gotta agree with Tam on this one: if the government is paying for your food/housing/health care, then the government has the implicit authority to limit your rights (take parent and child as an apt analogy).
I’m not just throwing out hypotheticals here. I’m stationed overseas with our lovely US Army and living in government quarters — ain’t no such thing as a “right to privacy”. Uncle Sam’s roof, Uncle Sam’s rules…
In Great Britain, the government is proposing limiting health care coverage for the obese. The logic is pretty straightforward: You’re fat as a pig, and the National Health Service has to pay for the consequences of your behavior. Therefore, you either eat as we tell you (to lose weight), or you get no coverage. Sounds fair, methinks.
Just think of the possibilities under HillaryCare….
November 28th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
HardCorps beat me to it. Police are not the good guys and haven’t been for a while.
November 28th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I’m with anon. I think they described every apartment I ever had until I got married. The only thing lacking was the night-vision equipment.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
What Tam said. I can’t get too exercised about that first part. If you’re asking for public assistance based on sparse assets, dependent children, and spousal abandonment it’s reasonable – responsible, even – for the government to do its due diligence to confirm those claims.
November 28th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
i can assure you that paramedics and firefighters are getting this training mainly for their own safety… if they see 10,000 rounds of ammo in a house thats on fire, the get the hell out…
if they respond to a shooting and see a gun, they notify the officer… if they show up at an OD and see a meth lab, you bet your ass they need to know how to recognize it…
im not a whole lot of worried about them searching my house…
as for welfare recipients… if you live off the government, im not at all sure that i have a problem with the government making sure that you actually need their help, and that you arent using their help for illegal purposes…
you wouldn’t loan your college aged daughter $5,000 without verifying what it was for would you?… why should the government give you money (they dont even know you) without verifying that it is being spent for its intended purpose?
November 28th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
hostile
I aint gonna offer anyone who wants to check out my pad a cup of coffee but I would’nt be openly hostile either.
*uncooperative
VERY if you aint here for a social call.
expressing hate or discontent with the United States
I love my country but seriously distrust those who’re running/ruining it.
unusual chemicals
WTF are those as opposed to “usual” chemicals?
other materials that seem out of place
Like what, dirty clothes in the front room? A can of gasoline on the kitchen table?
*ammunition
LOTS!
*firearms
Those are what the ammo’s for…
*weapons boxes
Just the ones my Bushmaster and Springfield XD came in.
*surveillance equipment
If 8×21 pocket sized binoculors qualify as surveillance equipment then yes.
still and video cameras
none.
night-vision goggles
none.
*maps
Lots.
*photos
A few
blueprints
none.
police manuals
None. The same as most cops apparently.
*training manuals
U.S. Army Infantry, DoD Firefighter’s, and Hardee’s Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics. (1855)
flight manuals
None.
and little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress
I have a few more than that but not much.
November 29th, 2007 at 4:37 am
[[[i can assure you that paramedics and firefighters are getting this training mainly for their own safety… if they see 10,000 rounds of ammo in a house thats on fire, the get the hell out…
if they respond to a shooting and see a gun, they notify the officer… if they show up at an OD and see a meth lab, you bet your ass they need to know how to recognize it…
im not a whole lot of worried about them searching my house…]]]
There is always some in the crowd that is a power freak and will abuse his authority. Proof’s in the pudding,,,it’s happened before.