In Reply to: Almost boarded posted by Jeff Shaw on October 30, 2005 at 08:12:29:

In my opinion, the goverment has no business demanding peopletell them what they are doing while kayaking....I agree with you that humor often defuses those that would demand you show your papers and answer interragotives..but, people have a right to not answer a single damn question of LE if they are so inclined.....

Had that been me on that CG boat, they could have easily asked you a different question, like :"You folks alright?" I would have not rudely and threateningly shone a light into the eyes of kayakers at night and approached them unless I was sure they knew it was a Coastie. Otherwise how would one know it is not someone with ill intent? That type of considerate courtesy is no different then when I am walking at night on a deserted street and I realize I am going to overtake a woman pedestrian walking alone....I will either cross the street to the other side and do so in a way she knows I am crossing or in a cheery humorus tone saying something to the effect; "I am walking faster than you but I am not a weirdo just to let you know".

In my instances I have always been civil with LE types...if they have attempted to violate my civil rights, I inform them of such and let them know they are committing a crime and I won't stand for it. Once no longer a teen I have always managed to get them to back down.

I remember a buddy of my dad's when he was out an about driving home from the grocery store in Chicago and some crooked cop pulls him over for no reason and asks him what he has in the bag.....He replies he just went shopping, then asks; "Why, are you guys crcking down on skim milk this week". Even the jack booted thug got a kick out of that answer and off the driver went.....

Rosa Parks was quite civil when she refused to sit in the back of the bus...I know HoloD probably thinks Rosa Parks was a "right wing whacko" and Susan B Anthony was a right wing whacko for violating the laws that prohibited women from voting....her civil yet rightously defiant and indignant speach to the judge defying him was brilliant...but I am sure HoloD thinks she was a right wing whacko too....

In my LE training, we learned how to enforce the laws without violating people's civil rights. There is no doubt that recognizing people's civil rights like the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures hobbles LE, but that is the price we pay.....sure DFG could issue even more citations by even more flagrantly violating peoples rights, but at what cost? I am glad the guy fishing in the preserve was caught and cited by DFG, had he inadvrtatnly been there, I would have a different opinion, but he was warned over the loudspeaker by the dive boat...the DFG guy had probable cause...that is a good cite-I totally support that.

I don't dislike the DFG, I don't dislike the CG, both are vital and I support their lawful acitivity and thank God they exist, I only take exception to entities that commit crimes in the course of enforcing the law. I think that is quite reasonable.

Perhaps it has never occured to some but those of us who are most vocal about this might very well be because like myself we are not comitting any crimes in the first place.