Comments on: Dealing with U.S. Customs http://www.joeydevilla.com/2007/09/26/dealing-with-us-customs/ Joey deVilla's Personal Blog Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:18:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Chris Taylor http://www.joeydevilla.com/2007/09/26/dealing-with-us-customs/#comment-489 Chris Taylor Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:50:47 +0000 http://www.joeydevilla.com/2007/09/26/dealing-with-us-customs/#comment-489 Fitting in (or at least not being obnoxious) is a good skill to have at airports, RIDE traffic stops, and any place where you deal with people who have statute authority to mash your face with a MagLite, if they feel you require it. This is a point often lost on wiseacres, who think that simply quoting one's constitutional rights allows them to be an ass to police and also keep the Thin Blue Line at bay. One's rights will provide the remedy <i>afterward</i>, in a court of law. But nothing protects you from John Law's discretionary powers at time of execution—except for not being a wiseass to them in the first place. Fitting in (or at least not being obnoxious) is a good skill to have at airports, RIDE traffic stops, and any place where you deal with people who have statute authority to mash your face with a MagLite, if they feel you require it.

This is a point often lost on wiseacres, who think that simply quoting one’s constitutional rights allows them to be an ass to police and also keep the Thin Blue Line at bay.

One’s rights will provide the remedy afterward, in a court of law. But nothing protects you from John Law’s discretionary powers at time of execution—except for not being a wiseass to them in the first place.

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