Two Jailed for Walking With Traffic Monday

Walking with Traffic charges?? Hmmmm...I've never heard of that one!!

Might it be more effective to jail those deserving of incarceration instead of filling the jail with those whom a fine is more appropriate? I'm sure there is more to this story but my suggestion is for times when it's necessary to utilize common sense by law enforcement.

I can see where walking with traffic warrants a citation or a warning - but jail time? I'm guessing they were walking with traffic with meth or some other such contraband.

I'm gonna need details on these "Walking With Traffic" charges.

Is this not the most ridiculous thing you have heard being arrested for walking with traffic? Well it's true one night my husband was walking to the store to return a. couple of movies that we rente, he was stop by the police and was told he was walking on the wrong side of the street. I have never heard of such a thing! Most amazing.

Well, I'm sure there's more than meets the eye. If not, then this sure seems to be a blatant example of the militarization of the police. I find it hard to swallow that my tax dollars are going in part to feed, care, and incarcerate folks who violated this law (Transportation Code, Section 552.006). I'd be willing to bet that most folks around here don't even know that it's a law. While it's great that police can throw the book at you for anything under the sun, it's not great when it happens to you - and as a result of some obscure rule that nobody knew about. I know, I know, these criminals were doing something wrong and they should have known better; and we should all know our rights and laws; and most folks are better people than this; and serves them right....blah, blah, blah. What information are we missing here? (I'm sure I've violated some other obscure law and am now a target of the authorities. If ya'll don't here from me on other news articles, you'll probably read about me in the "Crimes" section..something like, "One person jailed for 15 years for questioning the powers that be." Would someone be nice enough to bring me a cheesecake or something when that happens?...)

I haven't read that, but it's a theme I'm very interested in - not in a, conspiracy-the-feds-are-out-to-get-us way, but in a, I'm-an-American-citizen-and-my-rights-are-being-eroded kinda way (whew, that's a lot of dashes)! Given the political nature of our nation these days and the general apathy I see from most Americans regarding their power to change, I hope this book addresses ways we can alert the public. My concern is that we may have reached the tipping point and now it's a matter of watching the nation topple under the weight of its own laws and idiocracies! Alas...

Thanks, Chelsea. Cops abuse the willful & ignorant with Failure To Identify laws every day. In Texas: (Caps for emphasis is mine.) (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally refuses to give his name, residence address, or date of birth to a peace officer who has LAWFULLY ARRESTED the person and requested the information. (b) A person commits an offense if he intentionally gives a false or fictitious name, residence address, or date of birth to a peace officer who has: (1) LAWFULLY ARRESTED the person; (2) LAWFULLY DETAINED the person; or (3) requested the information from a person that the peace officer has good cause to believe is a WITNESS TO A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. Police officers in Texas have this idea that they have the right to identify anyone at anytime for any or no reason. The courts have repeatedly slapped them down on this. In this instance, it should have ever gotten to the point of Failure To Identify. (In a thick German accent, "May ve see your papers?") Failure To Identify is not a reason to arrest until it passes the previous smell tests, and this stinks. Am I free to go? Am I being detained? Repeat.

This exchange from Atlas Shrugged sums up most of this quite succinctly. ------- Says the bureaucrat Floyd Ferris: "You honest men are such a problem and such a headache. But we knew you'd slip sooner or later . . . [and break one of our regulations] . . . this is just what we wanted." Rearden: "You seem to be pleased about it." Bureaucrat Ferris: "Don't I have good reason to be?" Rearden: "But, after all, I did break one of your laws." Bureaucrat Ferris: "Well, what do you think they're there for?" Continues bureaucrat Ferris: "Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed? We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against . . . We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." ------- That about sums it up.