Why Civil Liberties are Important : comments.
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![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
I have a problem with the potential abuse of ID cards and the "function creep" that people talk about. I suppose the younger you are the less likely you are to have had a run in with the government; be it driving or parking tickets, the police, local government, tax authorities - whatever. Once you've had a few of those you start to get really nervous about how these agencies can affect your life. Individuals don't mean much on that scale and we need a lot of protections to ensure that individuals do indeed mean something.
One piece of advice my father gave me has stuck with me. He was a police officer and drilled myself and my siblings that you should never ever volenteer information to the police at the scene of a criminal act in which there is a chance of implicating yourself. Always say that you're in shock and agree to make a statement another time. The police will always sound reasonable to you at the time, but they are not there for your benefit. This works for everything from a car accident to a robbery or worse.
Abuse of ID cards is like that for me.
(no subject)
I live in the same house as
Driving and parking tickets are another matter, if you've had those, then you've been breaking the law, and the attention of the authorities is not unwarranted. I would advocate stronger sentences for driving offences personally, up to and including complete driving bans for those not responsible enough to be behind the wheel.
I have personally had a 'run-in' with the police regarding something of which I was accused a few years back. This was again resolved quickly and courteously. No problems there... (This in an area where the poliecemen came from the very background as those who perpetrated racism towards me in my youth).
(no subject)
Michael Moorcock springs to mind as an example known to the SF community.
The whole point is, these things are fine if they are resolved "quickly and curteously" - the problem is, they're not always which is where the potential for abuse comes in.