Some things just aren’t funny
nincompoopery – they are appalling. This
is one.
.
The Supreme Court found this
week that strip searches of anyone arrested for any crime are
legal. The case, in particular, concerns
Mr. Albert Florence. His wife was
driving their car – he, along with their 3 children were passengers – so this
was no gang bang cruising, they were on their way to grandma’s for dinner. Then, during a routine traffic stop, he was
arrested for out-standing tickets.
Before you get all “he deserved to have his anus probed because he didn’t
pay his tickets”, let me say that this was an error in paperwork. He HAD paid the tickets.
.
Not only that, but he knew that being black
is essentially grounds for suspicion in New Jersey – and he was CARRYING the
papers that explained it was a clerical error.
The police ignored or did not believe his paperwork, and booked him into
jail. At which point they strip searched
him.
.
He was left there over a day
when, through a “mistake” or because he was uppity in proclaiming his
innocence, he was transferred to a county lock-up. Whereupon he was AGAIN strip searched. Only over 24 hours later was the paperwork
discovered and he was released. (you can read the recap in the ChristianScience Monitor)
.
His case was taken to the Supreme
Court which ruled that strip searching of anyone, arrested for anything is
legal. Justice Kennedy (the paragon of
moderation) said that it is appropriate – and used the example of Timothy McViegh
– the Oklahoma City bomber. He was, it
was pointed out by Justice Kennedy, stopped for a missing license plate.
.
Okay, FIRST, even if they
stripped searched him they would not have a found the van full of fertilizer
and dynamite under his genitals. SECOND,
he wasn’t arrested, he was stopped for a missing license plate – is Justice
Kennedy suggesting that the police , if pull you over on the side of the road, are allowed to perform a body cavity search?
“Hello, I need your license, registration and please bend over while I
put on a rubber glove.”
.
Welcome to the 3rd
world.