CA Unannounced Inspections

[frigginchi]

It is my opinion that if I must follow the law then government agencies must follow the law. Nothing emotional. I'm guessing this video isn't for the average falconer, more for the non falconry masses that don't have a clue.

[rkumetz]

It is my opinion that if I must follow the law then government agencies must follow the law. Nothing emotional. I'm guessing this video isn't for the average falconer, more for the non falconry masses that don't have a clue.

I disagree but only in that I believe that those charged with enforcing the law should be held accountable to a higher standard. You shouldn't break the law but they should err on the side of caution. It is reprehensible for them to violate your constitutional rights in the name of enforcing the statutes. There is a concept that few understand called the spirit of the law and forcing entry to determine whether or not you have a complete collection of 3-186's is certainly not within the spirit of the law. In all honesty, law enforcement personnel who abuse power like that make it even more difficult for the ones who don't to do their jobs. That is why law enforcement agencies have to spend so much of your tax money on body and dash cameras.

I still believe that the tone of that video and others like it are designed to appeal to be an emotional appeal and there is no room for emotion in constitutional law. IMO it would be better to show the footage of the body armor clad CA fish cops doing what they did and discuss the actual regulations and of course the statutes they were allegedly enforcing. They weren't there to look for a teenage girl that Fred kidnapped and held hostage they were checking on a few birds which I am sure were being kept with a high standard of husbandry and the paperwork was probably mostly in order. I do not mean to imply that Fred would do such a thing but searching for a missing child with probably cause would be an example of a justifiable use of their tactics. So it would then be reasonable to assume that they either know they are abusing their power or they are delusional enough to think that their actions are reasonable given what is at stake. I cannot believe that anyone is stupid enough to believe that so what are we to conclude?

[goshawkr]

I cannot believe that anyone is stupid enough to believe that so what are we to conclude?

I would conclude that you do not work with the public enough to be able to truely appreciate how stupid people really are. Even the smart ones...

The lunatic fringe in the law enforcement community thinks they are at war with the criminals. The occaisional high octane firefight that happens about once every decade or so is enough to keep the paranoia actively cooking. And of course, the anti-cop hysteria that breaks out after perceived unjustified shootings of brown people do a lot to fuel that as well, especially when it escalates to violent retribution against inocent cops. It does not help to have public officials encouraging this behavior (A currently sitting Seattle City Council member - on record and on tape - called for the people to rise up and "...kill of the murders with badges...")

There is also a problem that predates this where the enforcement community is hunting bad guys, and looses sight of the fact that most people are basically decent and trying to do a good job. The terrifying thing about all that is that laws are so complex now it is quite literally true that all of us are criminals - the only question is have we been caught, and what is the degree of the crime.

As for the tone of the video, that is not the video that will be shown to the judge to win the day. It is the video that will tug at heart strings so you will open your wallet and donate to the cause.

Speaking of which, where do I send a check???

[wyodjm]

I would conclude that you do not work with the public enough to be able to truely appreciate how stupid people really are. Even the smart ones...

The lunatic fringe in the law enforcement community thinks they are at war with the criminals. The occaisional high octane firefight that happens about once every decade or so is enough to keep the paranoia actively cooking. And of course, the anti-cop hysteria that breaks out after perceived unjustified shootings of brown people do a lot to fuel that as well, especially when it escalates to violent retribution against inocent cops. It does not help to have public officials encouraging this behavior (A currently sitting Seattle City Council member - on record and on tape - called for the people to rise up and "...kill of the murders with badges...")

There is also a problem that predates this where the enforcement community is hunting bad guys, and looses sight of the fact that most people are basically decent and trying to do a good job. The terrifying thing about all that is that laws are so complex now it is quite literally true that all of us are criminals - the only question is have we been caught, and what is the degree of the crime.

As for the tone of the video, that is not the video that will be shown to the judge to win the day. It is the video that will tug at heart strings so you will open your wallet and donate to the cause.

Speaking of which, where do I send a check???

I grew up in the era when the feds and many state officials thought all falconers were crooks. That is one of the things that spawned Operation Falcon. It's been suggested many times that Operation Falcon was also an attempt on the part of the feds to shut down the Peregrine Fund!

[rkumetz]

I grew up in the era when the feds and many state officials thought all falconers were crooks. That is one of the things that spawned Operation Falcon. It's been suggested many times that Operation Falcon was also an attempt on the part of the feds to shut down the Peregrine Fund!

At first I found it somewhat peculiar that my sponsor had built his mews out in the woods in a man made clearing that had obviously taken a bit of effort to create until I learned about operation falcon. Then it made a lot of sense.

Back then the "raids" abusing power were mostly limited to the fringe - groups like falconers to which the mainstream population would never relate. That includes stuff like Ruby Ridge and Waco where
the feds escalated situations which could probably have ended much differently to justify the increased militarization of law enforcement. Back then it was primarily a federal thing but now it has trickled down to state agencies and sometimes even further.

The majority of Americans who are totally engrossed with their phones and social networking are, unfortunately, unconcerned with constitutional rights. If they are told we need to buy the police department tanks to keep them safe they are happy as long as you don't ask them to look up from their phones and/or actually DO something to help their own cause. IMO this is really a case of Rome burning while
the little Nero's play their electronic violins. Dan, you and I were raised to be conscious of and cherish our rights. I was taught that it was my obligation to defend the right to free speech no matter how offensive I found that speech to be. No longer, now you are only entitled to free speech if that speech is sufficiently PC and if you offend anyone you need to apologize immediately and throw yourself on your sword or risk the PC police storming your castle. I am sure that the CA authorities could spin a video themselves that would convince a large number of those unconcerned masses that the raid on
the Casa de Fred was not only legal but justified and necessary. Sometimes I feel like the Constitution and Bill of Rights are actually offensive to many of these people.

This is a much more basic problem than falconry regulations and how we, as falconers, are treated by government.

I get the point that in this case a falconer was the victim but I feel that dragging falconry into the issue is not germane to the solution.

[goshawkr]

This is a much more basic problem than falconry regulations and how we, as falconers, are treated by government.

I get the point that in this case a falconer was the victim but I feel that dragging falconry into the issue is not germane to the solution.

Ron,

You are absolutely correct. This is a much bigger problem. And we could spend an entire NAFA meet worth of evenings discussing the real core problem here.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that any time you are faced with a very big problem, the best solution is take it a bit at a time. You know, the same way you eat an elephant - one bite at a time. Enjoy the bite you are on, and get ready for the next one.