Thursday 28 February 2013

Meanwhile, back in the United Police States

Some Americans are still not sheeple.  And I love principled civil disobedience. 

But I wish it were not necessary.  From Reason.Com:

Enjoy This Montage of People Refusing to Cooperate with DHS Checkpoints:
Here’s a crew of folks refusing to submit to questioning at Department of Homeland Security immigration checkpoints that aren’t actually at the border (and one case of a driver refusing to cooperate with one of California’s produce checkpoints as an employee hilariously thinks he can make him leave the state).

[Hat tip Daily Pundit]

5 comments:

WWallace said...

Is there a website that outlines concisely (for non-lawyers) what authorities can currently do in NZ, eg to someone travelling normally in a car?

And what can a person do in response?

Dinther said...

Wow, I would be shaking too when subjected to that shit. And not from astma but pure anger.

And yes, I wonder too if I can refuse an alcohol checkpoint. they have on in my street regularly but I have not had the guts to flatly refuse to cooperate.

Anonymous said...

WWallace - there's quite a few sites. They pretty much agree that you can refuse a sniffer but if asked you can be charged if you refuse an evidential test. And refusing a blood test can be defended *IF* you can show actual harm - or something like that.

http://www.lawyerhelp.co.nz/drink-drive-faqs/

http://www.thelawyers.co.nz/uploaded_images/Guides/Traffice-Offences-and-Breath-Testing-Procedures--0711.pdf

http://www.cab.org.nz/vat/tt/ad/Pages/AlcoholTesting.aspx#3

WWallace said...

Those are all alcohol or drug related grounds. I'm ok with that -- I don't want to share the road with people who lack the mental acuity to be in charge of a one tonne projectile at sufficient speed to kill me.

Are there any other lawful grounds for stopping my car (other than traffic offenses, or erratic driving, and the previously mentioned breath testing)? Ignore also any stoppages due to road or weather conditions.

Eg do the authorities have a right to search my car, if I happen to be travelling through a agriculturally-controlled area (such as kiwifruit zone infected with PSA)?

Kai said...

I would like to know that, too. Is there any know-your-rights web page for NZ covering road controls and dragnet investigations?