Becoming an Outlaw . . .
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23 November 2010
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It all stems from my mistaken belief that we have rights in this country. That doing nothing is not a crime. That
my thoughts, beliefs and political opinions are not a crime. Today in the United States of America not obeying every
command of the state is criminal and not wanting punishment is grounds to increase it's severity. Last June I was
walking home drunk (no law against that in Nebraska) and I was unfortunate enough to match the description of a
burglar. My left hand had been injured earlier in the day by my dog and his right hand had been injured in the
robbery, and I was also a white male wearing a white T-shirt. This would have been reasonable to fight in court except
for what happened next. The police stopped me walking. They asked me to put my hands behind my back and I didn't do
it. In the state of Nebraska this is "Failure to Comply", a misdemeanor carrying a 6 month prison sentence. Then I
didn't walk into the police car when asked to, so they grabbed me and threw me into it. This is "Resisting Arrest",
which also carries a 6 month prison sentence. The police also lied on the arrest report and said my right hand had
been injured to better match the description.
I was looking at 2 years in jail (2 misdemeanors for the attempted robbery as well) and I was offered a plea bargain. If I plead no contest to 2 of the charges then they'd drop the other 2. My lawyer said this was the best option since I was certainly guilty of "Failure to Comply" and "Resisting Arrest". So I plead no contest to 2 charges and got 6 months probation. Probation is kinda like the Spanish Inquisition, except for that in America the preferred mode of torture is sexual. Rape is common in prison and police love to brandish it as a weapon. Comply with every command of probation or you WILL be raped. This means humiliating pee tests. This means revealing all of your medical and family history. Anyone in your family have a criminal or substance abuse history? This means the terms of your probation will be harder. I was drunk when I opted for nonviolent, noncompliance with the police, so I was required to join a religious organization called AA. People try to deny AA is a religious organization. Have a look at the "Twelve Steps". I see the word "God" 4 times. It's a religious organization. So I attended the AA meetings, submitted to drug testing, abstained from drugs or alcohol and paid thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing all this. Of course, there is one more thing: "Outpatient Treatment". If the Orwellian nomenclature doesn't give you a clue, then let me expound. There are companies out there which the state licenses to declare people insane, specifically that they have a substance abuse problem. These companies add a patina of medical-sounding legitimacy to the state's Drug War. If you have ever tried an illegal drug, then you have a drug abuse problem. If you ever drank alcohol before you reached the legal age, then you are an alcoholic. Moreover, these "diseases" they claim to be incurable and requiring lifelong treatment. Seeing the gravy train in this business model yet? So I submitted to a company, First Step Recovery, and did everything they asked. Everything, that is, but attack my fellow victims. "Outpatient Treatment", you see, consists of a group where individuals confess their sins and then the group passes judgement on them. Those who are foolish enough to confess probation violations quickly find that there is no confidentiality from this "medical provider". No worries though, First Step has more intensive (& expensive) treatment programs for these sinners. So I filled out my workbooks, attended weekly sessions and generally tried to stay out of conflict. I bore the attacks, but didn't offer any of my own. For that, and their misunderstanding about how many AA meetings I was required to attend, I was thrown out halfway through the "Treatment". They require a big upfront payment, so they've already got most of my money. The probation officer says this is a violation of my probation and that if want to have any hope of completing the "Outpatient Treatment" requirement then I have to WANT the treatment. I am a thought criminal because I don't WANT to be punished! I want to live in a free country where I can walk down the street without being afraid. A probation violation means that there's a good chance I'll go to jail now despite all my bowing and scraping. My criminal record now means my advanced degrees which I haven't paid for yet are worthless. There are now millions of outlaws in the form of illegal immigrants living in this country. They may not live well, but at least they are free. At this point I see no better option than to join them. |