File spoon-archives/anarchy-list.archive/anarchy-list_2000/anarchy-list.0002, message 317


Date: 17 Feb 2000 00:05:00 +0200
From: ASWAD-AT-anarch.free.de (catkawin)
Subject: Re: Spin magazine on the Eugene anarchists



Scott wrote:

> >Anti-gang law? How did that get past the 1st Amendment?
> Oh that's easy, regardless of what the declaration of independence says to
> the contrary, there are no inalienable rights, the only rights you have are
> those generously given to you by your government*, at its discretion - and
> when your "rights" get in the way of its goals, they are revoked.  Since
> most gang members are already marginalized and demonized by mainstream
> society, taking away their "rights" is politically popular and doesn't
> cause any civil liberties ripples, and once these laws are on the book,
> it's a small step to widening the definition of a gang.  Are
> straight-edgers a gang?  They might say no, they're a sub-culture, but they
> have their own symbols and tattoos, and so are easily pigeon-holed as
> gangsters (and let's not forget, a couple of them blew up a McDonald's, so
> they're all potential terrorists as well).
[snip]
> Gangs and terrorists are the new red herrings in a
> post-Soviet world.

Quite so.
But one should always look at the brighter side of things:
A few years ago, our then-Sec of Interior, Manfred "Law-and-Order"  
Kanther, under the pretence of this immense danger we faced from gangs  
from Easter European countries operating here, pushed a legislation reform  
to be able to "fight back organized crime". Including "facilitated  
procedures of tapping phones, bugging houses and other 'vayz ant meanz' to  
get by constitutional rights bestowed upon the individual, and all these,  
of course, cannot only be used against organized crime, but also against,  
err, well, you can imagine for yourselves...

Needless to point out, one of the things revised by this legislation was  
the definition of a criminal organisation: any crime discussed and later  
on (probably) realized between you, me, and the lamppost under the new  
laws can be tried and sentenced according to the "criminal organisation  
law".

The brighter side of things????

Easy one. As has been revealed a few weeks ago (and still is in the  
process of being revealed), Herr Kanther in alliance with probably four or  
five more persons of the Christian Democratic Party followed highly  
illegal procedures of handling the party's financial affairs and  
increasing their wealth by mainting illegal bank accounts and stuff in  
Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The good news is: Kanther may face trial under these very same laws,  
because his little group of well-meaning Christian Democrats also nicely  
fits the revised definition of organized crime....

To close this with a political joke referring to a past regime:

Comrade Breshnev and a few colleagues visit a kindergarden. The staff  
shows them around, and they are quite pleased with the achievements of the  
dictatorship of the proletariat. Finally, Breshnev asks how much money is  
spent on meals for each child per day. Upon hearing it was 3 Rubels, he  
categorically says: "That's far too much! It should be reduced to 1  
Rubel."

The delegation then moves on and visits a prison. They are likewise shown  
around, and again Breshnev asks about how much money is spent per day to  
feed the prisoners. The answer received is: "One Rubel a day." Breshnev  
equally categorically demands that this amount is raised to 3 Rubels per  
day.

After having left the prison, a delegation member asks Breshnev: "Comrade  
Leonid, I don't understand. This is not fair - reducing the money spent on  
the kids, why, they are the future of our glorious Soviet Union. And then  
raising the amount spent on prisoners who are the enemy of the  
revolution!"

Breshnev replies: "Well, comrade, if the worst comes to the worst - what  
do you think where they will send us to?!?!?!"

catkawin



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