Our Senate is killing me

[fabsroman]

The Senate has yet to pass the Economic Stimulus plan, but the Senate Judiciary Committee has now asked Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, to come in and testify as to why the "Spygate" Patriot tapes and related documents were destroyed. Honestly, I think this is utterly ridiculous. We are involved in a War on Terrorism, with tons of troops overseas; the economy is tanking; Congress passed a one year AMT patch right after Christmas that has stalled the IRS on accepting and processing tax returns; and now they have Roger Goodell scheduled to testify next week.

I think they have a lot more important things to do than to police the NFL. Plus, this entire spygate thing is such a minor infraction and the Patriots and their coach were fined a good amount by the NFL and the team lost its first round pick for next year. What more is there to review or wonder about? Next thing you know, Congress will be reviewing how I punish my children.

Like I said, we should flush the current Congress down the drain and elect all new Senators and Representatives. Then, maybe something will get done.

[skeet]

Will you run? I'll come back and vote for ya:D

[fabsroman]

I don't think I have the stomach for politics. I could hardly deal with the politics (a/k/a back stabbing) between partners in a medium size law firm, so I seriously doubt I could deal with all the BS that happens on Capitol Hill.

[gd357]

Fabs,

Good point. Oversees interests, a stumbling economy, and we've got time to police a GAME??? Give me a break. I'd say we drop everything except the Constitution, and bill of rights, and start over. Maybe export a few less than patriotic represenatives and senators.... JMHO

gd

[M.T. Pockets]

It about killed me when the US Senate was called upon to help police steroid use in baseball. I don't know how it got to that point, but it had absolutely no business being an issue for Congress to deal with. Nuts...

Who is next, All-Star Wrestling for fixing matches ??

[fabsroman]

The guy leading the charge against the NFL is a Senator from PA. I forget his name. I guess he has nothing better to do than look into this "spying" issue. He wants to have a meeting with Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, and then the Senator wants to make phone calls and schedule additional meetings to see if the Patriots were really cheating and to what degree. Should we really care this much about the Patriots stealing defensive signals from other football teams? Yes, cheating is against the rules, but I seriously doubt it is against the law. The NFL should be able to deal with this incident however it feels is appropriate and Congress should get back to dealing with what is important for the nation.

Now, I do have mixed feelings about the steroid issue because that poses a serious health risk to the nation's young. How many kids will be taking steroids and other drugs so that they can try to become a pro athlete? That is the issue with that one. Steroids, EPO, and other performance enhancing drugs are rampant in the sport of cycling, which makes me completely sick because I thought about trying to go pro when I was 18. In hindsight, my parents were right about me going to college because there is no way I would have taken all the drugs, and that would have meant I wouldn't have been able to compete in the pro ranks.

[DON WALKUP]

congress should be impeached along with every state legislature.

there are so few of any of them that are true "legislators" :(

[M.T. Pockets]

I'm not defending the use of steroids Fabs, but in the whole due process of things isn't there an agency somewhere besides the US Congress that could spend some time & energy on it ? I thought they were elected to do bigger things.

[Jack]

Interesting point, M T Pockets.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maybe? Or the Surgeon General?
I don't really know.

[fabsroman]

MT,

You are correct about that. The enforcement of steroid laws could be done by anybody. However, law enforcement would have to catch the dealers. It is rather tough to arrest somebody for having steroids in them. Kind of like being high on cocaine. It isn't illegal to be high on cocaine or crack, it is just merely illegal to possess it.

You are right though, Congress could have delegated this to some other agency. However, I think those agencies would be under the supervision of the President. Congress makes the laws, the President enforces the laws.

[Valigator]

Actually it was Arlen Spector, (spelling) guess he has nothing better to do, his constituents should hand his head to him

[Lilred]

As my...and probaly many of your....g-g-g-ggrandparents hollered...."This my countrymen, is taxation without representation" :rolleyes:

[PJgunner]

"It isn't illegal to be high on cocaine or crack, it is just merely illegal to possess it."

Not quite accurate. There are a couple of states that have an "Internal Possession Law." If you're high on pot. coke, heroin, whatever, you can be charged and convicted of internal possession. :eek: I forget which states that are, but maybe someone on this site might be from one of the states and can "fess up".
Paul B.

[Rapier]

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress.
-Mark Twain

[fabsroman]

PJ,

I didn't know that other states charge people with being high on drugs. How exactly do they prove it? In Maryland, they passed a law that states that if a person drives on the road, they have consented to have their blood taken for a blood alcohol test if they are involved in an accident. However, to take the blood of a person on the street that is minding their own business, just because the LEO thinks they might be high seems like an unjust search/seizure. Man, does that ever sound like a civil rights violation. I wish somebody would post about how this "internal possession" law works because I am dying to know. I just don't have the time right now to do the research.

[PJgunner]

Fabs. Check your E-mail. :D
Paul B.

[fabsroman]

Paul,

I read your e-mail and must say that I am utterly surprised that more and more people don't object to providing the sample. As far as I am concerned, that would have to be an unreasonable search. Then again, maybe this is a good way to keep people from doing drugs. However, where do the searches stop?

To everybody that reads this, do not ever volunteer to give a urine sample, or to allow an officer to search anything you own. Once you give permission or volunteer the sample, you are SOL for any type of appeal or contest as to the validity of the search and the evidence obtained.

Then again, I followed my own advice at BWI airport when I was going to pick up my now wife, my then girlfriend, and I was randomly stopped by the Transportation Authority. They wanted to search my vehicle and I said no. They didn't like that and said that if I didn't allow them to search I couldn't enter airport grounds with my vehicle. I told the officer that I wanted to record the conversation and he told me NO. I then told the officer that I was going to dictate his name and badge number into my recorder and that he could either be quiet while I did so, or he could consent to the recording of the conversation while I was recording his name and badge number. Of course, he then went and got his supervisor who asked for my driver's license. They ran it and I allowed them to search my car because I didn't want to leave my girlfriend sitting at the airport waiting for me. The supervisor came back and gave me my license back and told me to have a good night. I was so pissed I sent an e-mail to the TSA, and then did my own research on the Patriot Act which allowed them to search my vehicle. It took several hours for me, an attorney, to figure out that the law was on their side. Can you imagine how long it would take somebody not trained in the law to figure that out? By the way, is it obvious that I am still pissed off about that incident almost 5 years later.