|
October 20, 2005
Criminalizing common sense
A Nevada prostitution ordinance is being challenged as overbroad: Under the ordinance, police can arrest someone who "repeatedly beckons to, stops, attempts to stop or engage persons passing by in conversation, or repeatedly stops or attempts to stop motor vehicle operators by hailing, waiving of arms or other bodily gestures."Attorneys for a woman charged with "loitering for the purpose of prostitution" (along with State Supreme Court justices) speculated that the law might make criminals of high school cheerleaders trying to flag down motorists for a car wash. Yeah, it probably would. And the language forbidding attempts to "stop motor vehicle operators by hailing, waiving of arms or other bodily gestures" would also seem to criminalize attempts to summon help after an accident or mechanical breakdown. It might even criminalize flagging down a cab! The people who write such laws seem to be possessed by a need to sacrifice common sense at the altar of public morality. In the old days, police didn't enforce ridiculous laws like this, or if they did, they availed themselves of something once called "police discretion." But alas! Discretion is also based on common sense, so it too must be abolished. posted by Eric on 10.20.05 at 11:03 AM
Comments
Wow, those folks in Pennsylvania must have totally abolished violent crime, fraud, child-molesting, tax-evasion, and spitting on the sidewalk, otherwise they wouldn't have so much time for all this hand-waving and gesticulating (sorry, I had to say that) about prostitution. Right? I wanna move to PA! Raging Bee · October 20, 2005 02:21 PM I moved to California, and I still wanna live in California. But EVERY time I try to leave Pennsylvania, they DRAG me back in! Eric Scheie · October 21, 2005 03:43 PM |
|
March 2007
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
March 2007
February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
War For Profit
How trying to prevent genocide becomes genocide I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight Wind Boom Isaiah Washington, victim Hippie Shirts A cunning exercise in liberation linguistics? Sometimes unprincipled demagogues are better than principled activists PETA agrees -- with me! The high pitched squeal of small carbon footprints
Links
Site Credits
|
|
"repeatedly beckons to, stops, attempts to stop or engage persons passing by in conversation,"
And that part would criminalize street corner evangelists. Directly against the First Amendment. And then somebody might go to Hell because he didn't get to hear about the saving Blood of Jesus.