Marshmallow error lands woman in shackles

[PinkTiger]

From CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/18/marshmallows.ap/index.html

SNIP:

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A teacher's aide who forgot to put away her marshmallows and hot chocolate at Yellowstone National Park last year was taken from her cruise ship cabin in handcuffs and hauled before a judge, accused of failing to pay the year-old fine.

Hope Clarke, 32, crying and in leg shackles, told the judge Friday she was rousted at 6:30 a.m. by federal agents after the ship returned to Miami from Mexico. She insisted that she had paid the $50 fine before she left Yellowstone, which has strict rules about food storage to prevent wildlife from eating human food.

Customs agents meet all cruise ships arriving from foreign ports and run random checks of passenger lists, and a warrant claiming Clarke had not paid the fine was found in the federal law enforcement database.
End of snip --

So, is this how we are protecting the nation's borders? Arresting teacher's aides who have a $50 fine outstanding for leaving marshmallows and chocolate outside at Yellowstone? I realize the "crime" is serious, but hardly a security risk.

Gee - I feel much safer.

[oblivious]

1. leg shackles...handcuffs?

Can you imagine the mentality of the customs agents and judge?

What a bizarre world.

[theoceansnerves]

2. oh hooray for random searches!

i hope everyone can appreciate where our country is headed. and i hope no one has any unpaid parking tickets!

[Rowdyboy]

3. Read the last two paragraphs

She was kept in detention for 9 hours for a fine THAT SHE HAD ALREADY PAID!

The officiating judge had a copy of her receipt. Totally pathetic with no acceptable excuse. Were I she, I'd sue.

[saigon68]

10. She CAN'T sue ---- these Fuckers have absolute immunity.

The system should fire the cretins--- but alas they will probably continue to do their usual anal inspections looking for drugs, turds or whatever

[The Shadow]

4. What In The World Is Wrong With These People?

Gee whiz, she could have been a terrorist, leaving her marshmallows out and all. What was she thinking? And a possible loss of 50 bucks of potential revenue for our fine government.

Every agent involved in this fiasco needs to be relieved of their duties. There is no excuse for this, Jesus H.
Rousted from her cruise for a measly 50 dollar violation? Placed in leg irons?

Yet the judge had no problem finding the data showing she had paid the fine, why couldn't they. Hell even if she hadn't, what's the big deal?

I don't want these idiots employed by my government, do you?
Absolute incompetence I say.

Then to argue that their actions are justified, again Jesus H.

[shraby]

5. That's what happens when they "share"

databases. The databases aren't updated often enough and one out of date bunch of information will taint the whole system.

[JayS]

6. Now you know why gun owners don't vote for candidates that...

...even remotely support registration of firearms. :)

[saigon68]

11. I agree with you

This hate of guns someday will be the down fall of the Democratic party. Asscrap's avenging angels would love nothing better than to disarm all of his critics and brand them as terrorists.

[w4rma]

24. Seconded (nt)

[0rganism]

7. Yellowstone, yellowstone... isn't that a snowmobile race track now?

Not like we care diddly shit about the wildlife at Yellowstone anyway, but nothing givs the port authority hotpants quite like a despondant woman in irons.

[Spinzonner]

8. The officials had probably been psychologically traumatized

by seeing Ghostbusters

[drfemoe]

9. federal law enforcement database.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pmarshmallow19jun19,0,2529872.story?coll=sfla-news-palm

When Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Outerbridge protested that there might be "some discrepancy" between Clarke's story and the documents, the judge added, "Seven hours in jail, I think, is a suitable punishment for leaving marshmallows out at a camp site."

"I apologize to you," O'Sullivan added, looking down from the bench at Clarke, who was fighting back tears.

Judges.. that's all we have to hope for at this point?
I'll take it.

[radfringe]

12. phew... glad we are now safe from WMD's

Wilting Marshmellow Decomposition....

not to mention all that Hot Chocolate potentially spilling on your legs -- good catch - prempting a potential law suit...

but I want to know when they will catch the "Butterfinger" Bomber"?

meanwhile - will a$$hcroft put marshmellow makers on the list of suspected terrorist organizations? does this include "peeps" perpertrators? what about evil-doer donuts?

[UpInArms]

13. an out of control congress has produced

some of the most regressive laws in our nation's history.

Those that have willingingly given up their rights so that they can "be safe" are fools.

I just wish that they would understand what Ben Franklin said:

They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.

[olddem43]

14. One would think that these pigs

would know the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor. But maybe Marshmallow littering is classified as a felony under federal law. No wonder they can't keep track of terrorists with the data bases so full of trivia.

[gatlingforme]

15. I feel a great injustice is being done in the name of National

Security. This is a farce. A woman who may or may not have paid the fine is not relevant. how the moron feds approached the situation is a farce and a joke.

[snippy]

16. Good thing she didn't have an almanac. n/t

[Sabriel]

17. What color alert is that?

Would marshmallows and hot cocoa classify as a White alert or a Toasty-Brown alert?

[gatlingforme]

18. Good question, I think there should be a Teacher's Aide/Librarian Alert

As Bush says "BRING IT ON" he really meant it

[Geo55]

19. Come on people !

They ARE protecting your security.....do you have any idea how completely savage bears get on a marshmellow sugar high ???

I also feel the law enforcement officials where negligent in not thouroughly searching her cabin for hidden Twinkies.

[Rose Siding]

20. What now Secretary Ridge?

Will your duct tape save me from this asymmetrical threat? Plastic sheeting may shield me from splashing cocoa but how many more food storage perps have melted back into the general population, their marshmallowy crimes barely chronicled?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

21. The Patriot Act protects us from evil domestic terrorists like this...

...obvious evil-doer. Right.

This has gotten me curious...I wonder if Americans are starting to "disappear" into a secret U. S. "detention" system?

[Rose Siding]

22. You know, this is exactly what needs to be watched

This (on a smallish scale) is what bushville will finally give us. ...One can't get on an airplane, one can't cross a border, one wrongly detained- we hear the stories in dribs and drabs until this becomes the normal state of things.

Liberty denied- without recourse. The 'Idea' destroyed.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. Perhaps you need to read the Patriot Act to understand what it actually...

...says. Here's some reading to help you understand Patriot Act I:

Local Copy of especially significant sections of "H.R. 3162"
<http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/USAPA.html#HR3162>

Excerpt:

"Section 106 -
PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY (seizure of assets without due process)
Section 201 -
AUTHORITY TO INTERCEPT WIRE, ORAL, AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS RELATING TO TERRORISM
Section 202 -
AUTHORITY TO INTERCEPT WIRE, ORAL, AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS RELATING TO COMPUTER FRAUD AND ABUSE OFFENSES
Section 203 -
AUTHORITY TO SHARE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE INFORMATION
Section 206 -
ROVING SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY UNDER THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT OF 1978
Section 207 -
DURATION OF FISA SURVEILLANCE OF NON-UNITED STATES PERSONS WHO ARE AGENTS OF A FOREIGN POWER
Section 213 -
AUTHORITY FOR DELAYING NOTICE OF THE EXECUTION OF A WARRANT
Section 215 -
ACCESS TO RECORDS AND OTHER ITEMS UNDER THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT
Section 216 -
MODIFICATION OF AUTHORITIES RELATING TO USE OF PEN REGISTERS AND TRAP AND TRACE DEVICES
Section 218 -
FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION
Section 224 -
SUNSET
Section 301 -
TITLE III--INTERNATIONAL MONEY LAUNDERING ABATEMENT AND ANTI-TERRORIST FINANCING ACT OF 2001
Section 316 -
ANTI-TERRORIST FORFEITURE PROTECTION
Section 351 -
AMENDMENTS RELATING TO REPORTING OF SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES
Section 358 -
BANK SECRECY PROVISIONS AND ACTIVITIES OF UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES TO FIGHT INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
Section 405 -
REPORT ON THE INTEGRATED AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR PORTS OF ENTRY AND OVERSEAS CONSULAR POSTS
Section 411 -
DEFINITIONS RELATING TO TERRORISM
Section 501 -
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S AUTHORITY TO PAY REWARDS TO COMBAT TERRORISM
Section 802 -
DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM
Section 808 -
DEFINITION OF FEDERAL CRIME OF TERRORISM
Section 901 -
RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE REGARDING FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE COLLECTED UNDER FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT OF 1978
Section 904 -
TEMPORARY AUTHORITY TO DEFER SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS OF REPORTS ON INTELLIGENCE AND INTELLIGENCE-RELATED MATTERS
Section 1008 -
FEASIBILITY STUDY ON USE OF BIOMETRIC IDENTIFIER SCANNING SYSTEM WITH ACCESS TO THE FBI INTEGRATED AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM AT OVERSEAS CONSULAR POSTS AND POINTS OF ENTRY TO THE UNITED STATES"

And here is some info on Patriot Act II which has also become law:

Secret Patriot Act II Destroys
Remaining US Liberty
<http://www.rense.com/general34/takeover.htm>

Excerpt:

"There are two glaring areas that need to be looked at concerning this new legislation:

1. The secretive tactics being used by the White House and Speaker Hastert to keep even the existence of this legislation secret would be more at home in Communist China than in the United States. The fact that Dick Cheney publicly managed the steamroller passage of the first Patriot Act, insuring that no one was allowed to read it and publicly threatening members of Congress that if they didn't vote in favor of it that they would be blamed for the next terrorist attack, is by the White House's own definition terrorism. The move to clandestinely craft and then bully passage of any legislation by the Executive Branch is clearly an impeachable offense.

2. The second Patriot Act is a mirror image of powers that Julius Caesar and Adolf Hitler gave themselves. Whereas the First Patriot Act only gutted the First, Third, Fourth and Fifth Amendments, and seriously damaged the Seventh and the Tenth, the Second Patriot Act reorganizes the entire Federal government as well as many areas of state government under the dictatorial control of the Justice Department, the Office of Homeland Security and the FEMA NORTHCOM military command. The Domestic Security Enhancement Act 2003, also known as the Second Patriot Act is by its very structure the definition of dictatorship."

[missile_bender]

23. Whatever happend to cruel and unusual punishment?

You know, the Bill of Rights? That's the basis of her lawsuit, alongside illegal arrest. The Patriot Act does not shield anyone from violating the Constitution. They haven't made the Patriot Act an amendment yet.

[bleedingheart]

25. This was done to discredit conservation and the national park system

Why?
Because the more freakish and outlandish the behavior of the park service the more people will be programmed to "hate it"...so then when the Bushistas call for the end of park rangers and less restrictions....people will fall for it.

[sam sarrha]

27. I worked in Yosemite, a woman complained about her lap dog being eaten

by the coyotes.. i had heard it that morning ..not pretty. he pulled out his book an began writing, she asked him if he wanted a description of the dog .. replied, "No, i am writing you a ticket for feeding wild animals.." he handed it to her and she shrieked,"$500!!!"

[wjsander]

29. Bush says, "Yogi Bear hates freedom..."

"And this woman was supporting terror. Her arrest signifies America's undying persuit of evil-doers."

Bush/Cheney '04