Exporting (Stoned) America

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy spots a proposal in South Carolina to allow overseas rendition for drug offenders and child molesters. (And, as all good students of Reefer Madness know, the transition from the former to the latter is only a matter of time.) The bill provides:

Notwithstanding another provision of law, the department may enter into agreements with foreign countries for the confinement of inmates convicted of drug related offenses or offenses related to the sexual abuse of children.

Aside from being ghastly on its face, I'm not sure how this is supposed to comport with Article 1, Section 10 of the Constitution.

Comments

[JD]

"...For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences..."

[Sandy]

Ah, good ol' SC, rackin' up the stupid legislation points. I think they're currently in the lead.

[David]

Why doesn't Rep. Davenport just come out and ask for what he really wants? To make these crimes a capital offenses. I wonder how many of his constituents feel that deportation to prison camps is a good idea? I would guess it's a fair percentage, because ideas this weird don't happen in a vacuum.

Whatever happened to the concept of person serving their sentence and rejoining society? I'm not saying that molestation isn't a horrible crime, but it seems that we're always trying to make the law more vindictive.

As far as constitutionality goes, when has that ever been a concern for a politician?

Lastly, in what sort of Bizarro world does Mr. Davenport live where dealing pot (possessing too much) is equivalent to raping children?

[AmyLou]

c'mon, Dave, everybody knows that one toke of cheeba is all it takes to turn your average good ole boy into a raging perve

[jb]

Amylou: It takes that much?

[AmyLou]

maybe a little bit more. Have you seen Reefer Madness? an overblown exercise in exaggeration of the effects of marijuana use.

I don't know too many people who wanted to do anything other than sit around and eat junk food after smoking weed.

[dhex]

i dunno, man, the piano player was having a hell of a time.

[thoreau]

It's interesting that they don't deem murderers worthy of deportation, or extraordinary rendition, or whatever piece of jargon they're going to refer to it by.

[Phileleutherus Lipsiensus]

Jualian Sanchez,

State criminal "long-arm statutes" have been found to reach to foreign parties.

[NoSar]

The manic piano player was on meth.

[SR]

"State criminal 'long-arm statutes' have been found to reach to foreign parties."

Yes, but that's irrelevant to Julian's question....

[cliff]

IMHO, in the eyes of the prohibs, drug users are "enemies of the state" and do not deserve rights . Murderers and rapists just hurt a lowly citizen, they are not considered to be a threat to the jack bootocracy.

[Phileleutherus Lipsiensus]

SR,

I'm simply adding a comment about the size and nature of the legal arsenal states have to bring to bear against someone they want to get at. It wasn't meant to be a direct comment on the nature of the proposed compacts themselves, though if Congress has greenlighted such compacts then any constitutional concerns would be put aside.

[Jimmy Joe]

Sounds like a great idea! This way the worst criminals out there can be gotten rid of. Maybe we could export them to make some money for inforcement by selling them as slaves. We also need a law that makes it illegal for a jury to find anyone accused of any of these crimes innocent. That could be a usefull tool in the WOD. Another good idea was a proposed "smoke a joint lose a limb" legislation to impose severe penalties on users.

[Jimmy Joe]

Pending Mississippi Bill Threatens Dismemberment For Convicted Drug Violators.

January 8, 1998, Jackson, MS: Persons found guilty of possessing
marijuana in Mississippi could face the removal of a limb if proposed
legislation becomes law. House Bill 196, introduced by Rep. Bobby Moak
(R-Lincoln County), authorizes "The removal of a body part in lieu of
other sentences imposed by the court for violations of the Controlled
Substances Law."

[Jimmy Joe]

It's interesting that they don't deem murderers worthy of deportation, or extraordinary rendition, or whatever piece of jargon they're going to refer to it by.

Because tose crimes arn't as bad.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

dhex:

I'm told by a relative that "back in the day" there was a shitcan theatre that would have a midnight showing of "The Song Remains the Same" with "Reefer Madness" preceding it.

Anyway, people openly smoked in the house, and in the scene where the piano player sneaks off and fires up, everyone in the theatre cheered wildly.

The piano player rules. He's my hero.

[P Brooks]

"...a proposal in South Carolina to allow overseas rendition for drug offenders and child molesters."

The drug offenders we can now send to Mexico- but where do the sex offenders go? Thailand?

[Eric the .5b]

Could we get these legislators "renditioned"?

[SY]

dhex: Faster! FASTER!

[crimethink]

If Congress were to approve, A1S10 would have no bearing, but I think the Eighth's protection against unusual punishment might get in the way.

As for the question about punishing jurors for deciding the wrong way, that would run afoul of the Sixth's guarantee of an impartial jury.

Of course, this all assumes the govt still cares about the Bill of Rights, which may not remain the case for long.