JOE DON'T DANCE (BIDEN'S ASSAULT ON CIVIL LIBERTIES)

Lost in the hysteria over John Ashcroft's real and imagined assaults on civil liberties, our very own Sen. Joe Biden has been laboring to pass a "civil liberties disaster" that takes the burden of controlling drug use off the DEA, and places it on you and me. Dave Kopel notes in National Review:

Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) has been pushing a civil liberties disaster called the "RAVE Act," as I detailed a several weeks ago. Very strong grassroots opposition has stalled the Biden bill in Congress. It has not passed a single committee. So now, Biden is attempting to put the RAVE Act onto the conference committee version of the Amber Alert bill (S. 151), regarding abuducted children. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, Biden is incorrectly claiming that the ACLU no longer opposes his bill. The popular Amber Alert bill is in very serious danger of being taken over as a vehicle for oppressive laws which can't make it through the legislative process on their own merits when exposed to public scrutiny.

The background piece can be found here. To summarize, Biden is attempting to expand the federal "crackhouse law," which makes it illegal to maintain a property for the purposes of drug consumption, to include raves, concerts and other temporary events. The effect would be to make dance promoters and property owners liable for incidental drug use that occurs on their premises, even if they had no direct role in the sale or procurement of the drugs. Biden's law would apply even when there is no charge involved for the use of the property, and the language is broad enough to be stretched in all sorts of ways by over-zealous prosecutors. Authorities have already attempted to use the crackhouse statute to argue that the presence on premise of "drug paraphanelia" such as glowsticks and bottled water, is evidence of collusion in the sale of Ecstasy. In other words, imagine throwing a party and being threatened with jail time because some dude sipped an Evian and swallowed a pill that he brought into your house--with or without your knowledge. Realize, I'm not a drug legalization zealout, or a fan of the somewhat annoying "rave scene." (Although singling out a particular style of dance for persecution seems a little extreme.) I bring this up mostly because, with all the animosity directed at Mr. Ashcroft, it's easy to forget about an entrenched do-gooder like Biden quietly chipping away at our freedoms. Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for keeping tabs on this issue. posted by Ken Weeks on 4/8/2003 12:52:32 AM

Biden managed to sneak this little gem through both houses of congress the other day attached to unrelated legislation--without so much as a peep from the Delaware media. I suggest we celebrate by going to the next Biden campaign event and break out the crystal meth, then laugh as the cops charge Joe with a crime.

2 posted on 04/12/2003 11:39:12 AM PDT by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)

I am all for anything that makes it easier for the government to use the asset forfieture laws.

All property rightly belongs to the government anyway.

4 posted on 04/12/2003 12:58:58 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)

To: Wolfie; vin-one; WindMinstrel; philman_36; Beach_Babe; jenny65; AUgrad; Xenalyte; Bill D. Berger; ..

5 posted on 04/12/2003 1:14:56 PM PDT by jmc813 (The average citizen in Baghdad,right now, has more firearm rights than anyone in our country.)

It's a marketing problem. If a clever product manager had identified Dystopic Motion of Caucasians and Asians (DMCA, for short - Biden would like that) syndrome as a curable disorder, we would have ads on TV where formerly grumpy whites and shy Chinese would be raving and smiiiiiling all luvvved up on Glaxo Danstacy.

If anyone should use /sarcasm, it's you! You've got to give some people some clues along the way.
Far too many could take you all too seriously, and that's "not a good thing".

If anyone should use /sarcasm, it's you! You've got to give some people some clues along the way. Far too many could take you all too seriously, and that's "not a good thing".

You forgot your </sarcasm>, you silly goose. People will think you're mentally retarded if you aren't careful.

8 posted on 04/13/2003 6:53:26 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)

People will think you're mentally retarded if you aren't careful.
I'm considered mentally retarded even when I am trying to be careful.

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