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I had a thought. People should be obligated to reveal to law enforcement suspicious activity they see, either live, on social media or otherwise.
One would think that as an attorney and as a member of the C-D "community" one has to wonder how you would even begin to conceive of such an... well... idea.
As an attorney you have studied the law, you have passed the bar and as a result understand the canon of ethics that govern your profession. As a consequence, when you have the background, knowledge and perhaps hopefully the experience to recognize genuine breaches of the law and the canon of ethics, can you honestly believe that the general public, unacquainted with the law, untrained in what constitutes "suspicious" activity and guide at the worst by their personal paranoia, racism, and xenophobia being compelled by the force of law to report their interpretation of "suspicious activities?"
Do you honestly want to live in a country where by law, neighbors, children and family members are required by law to report "suspicious" activities to the authorities? I've had occasion to work in the former Soviet bloc, and Cuba, I have seen with my own eyes the fear and suspicion fostered by such organizations as Cuba's Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, I do not wish to live in such a country, or a country that emboldens the George Zimmermans amongst us.
This doesn't mean that we as citizens should not step forward when we see unlawful activity, come forth to bare witness to crimes being committed, but to establish a legal basis to compel citizens to report anything under the rubric of "suspicious activity" is a bit much, to say nothing of the undue burden that it would place on limited law enforcement resources flooded with unsustainable and frivolous accusations.
Perhaps you can make an argument for criminal liability for those who witness overt threats but do nothing to report them. Perhaps you can make an argument for some standard that could be reasonably establish as to what constitute suspicious activity, but until then I find your proposal unconscionable.
The neighbor saw men coming and going from the apartment of Farook. He saw them bring in boxes during visits. He thought it looked "suspicious". When asked why he didn't say anything he said he didn't want to appear to be a racist. Had he spoken up 14 people wouldn't have died and 20 wouldn't have been injured but the double standard PC correctness stopped him.
PC didn't stop him, his stupidity did. Why didn't he make an anonymous call? People report crime thousands od times every day. And where is the racist element when the shooter was caucasian?
As an attorney, I am under an obligation, enforced by the New York State Rules of Professional Responsibility (the "Rules") to report conduct of attorneys for violate the Rules, and to report non-attorneys engaged in the unautorized practice of law. Turning to terror, airports, train and subway stations are replete with signs that say "if you see something, say something" or words to that effect.
Given the problem of self-radicalization as well as active cooperation with ISIS and other organizations, I had a thought. People should be obligated to reveal to law enforcement suspicious activity they see, either live, on social media or otherwise. While I am not crazy about gun control, sellers of guns and ammunition should be obligated to report large or unusual orders. After Oklahoma City there were calls that purchases by non-farmers of huge quantities of fertilizer should be reported.
It is inconceivable that there wasn't unusual and obvious activity around the apartment of the San Bernardino couple that conducted the slaughter. And a law requiring "ratting" or "snitching" would likely ensnare family members of terrorists and other criminals. If there were such laws people would be rightly worried about their phone or cell numbers appearing on the phones of the criminals. I think it would at least seriously complicate or prevent many incidents.
A lot more effective that trying to employ metal detectors everywhere.
Most murders in places likeDetroit go unsolved because the community willnot rat outthe local gang members.
Knowing this the democrats claim sanctioning illegal aliens will encourage them to talk to the police about crimes without fear of deportation.
So if someone in Detroit fails to rat a gang member, they get arrested?
If an illegal alien doesn't rat out a gang member will they be deported?
Isn't thisfollowing the samelogicof torture, where the subject will tell you anything to get out of trouble? youknow like cellmates ratting out a guy or lying to get special favors?
I'll start, something suspicious is going on in the officeof the president. Obama called ISIS the JV team, He drew a red line in the sand that meant nothing as he sat on hishands while people were crucified. He told us AQ was decimated, and ISIs was contained.
He warned drivers of ISIS oil trucks that bombers were coming. Does he not realize any driver 'working' for ISIS that balks at making a delivery because of the leaflet obama dropped, that driver and his family will be threatened or simply killed. So in essenceObama isdropping leaflets to warn ISIs the bombersare coming. Would that qualify as treason?
The police cleared the boy of both the bomb charge and the hoax charge. The school suspended him nevertheless.
What was their reasoning? Was it justified? Do we have statements from school administrators letting us know exactly what happened in the school from the schools perpective?
It isn't necessarily unlawful conduct the government would like reported. It is suspicious conduct. If someone sees conduct they deem suspicious or sees a suspicious package, the government is asking this be reported.
There should be no liability for someone reporting. It would be the government's job to determine if a threat exists. The report is simply a report.
The problem with the "clock boy" incident is that the school authorities didn't stand down even after the boy had been cleared by the police.
The police only cleared him of a crime, not of being a jerk.
There was no socially redeeming value to his "invention", though Obama concocted one.
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