Tennessee: Sounds like the Soviet Union to me - Drug Tax Law

[Egalia]

Saturday, June 04, 2005
Got Constitutional Rights? No Arrest, No Guilt Required for State to Punish/Seize All Your Property

Tennessee: Sounds like the Soviet Union to me . . .

Today's Tennessean has a story on the horrific violation of constitutional rights that Tennessee lawmakers endorsed with their passage of the drug tax stamp law last year. Not only is no guilt needed for the state to seize everything you own, no arrest is needed!

When a number of Tennessee lawmakers were recently arrested for taking bribes, lawmakers and the Governor, himself, repeatedly insisted that said lawmakers were 'innocent until proven guilty.'

How laughable that sounded to me. In this state, the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty is a right that state lawmakers reserve for themselves. To hell with the rest of us.

I've read this outrageous law (the Soviet Union would have been proud) and will have more on my family's ongoing nightmare soon.

Other than figuring out how to deal with a state that shows absolutely no respect for the constitutional right of due process, we are wondering if we really want to continue to live in such a terrifying state. Once we get through this nightmare, it may be time to look for, I dunno, a place that values freedom. A place that respects the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

From today's Tennessean:

"There has to be in America some responsibility for the government to prove the citizen did something wrong before it punishes the citizen."

No arrest needed for state to tax illegal drugs Defense lawyers say Tennessee's new law is ripe for abuse . . .

. . .

http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2005/06/got-constitutional-rights-no-arrest-no.html

[IADEMO2004]

1. An Iowa favorite for years

[Egalia]

2. update

I've updated the post, with numerous links, including links to the law and the actual drug tax Registration and Purchase requisition form, which you must fill out in order to purchase the stamps. It lists the tax rates for the various drugs.

http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2005/06/tn-drug-tax-law-no-arrest-no-guilt.html