Original story I have to admit that it both befuddles and scares me to think that people would consent to living in a sociey where they can be stopped, questioned and searched by police on the street at any time without even the slightest inkling of probable cause. It also scares me when people start refering to constitutionally granted rights as "academic". At the end of the day the constitution IS just a piece of paper. It's power lies not in the words, but in the willingess of the people to abide by them. The rights it grants are only gaurenteed if people are willing to stand up and fight for them. If I were living in a town such as this I would make it a poitn to walk to streets at night and when stopped and questioned I would tell the police that it is none of their damn business what i'm doing, because it is not. If you think I'm comitting a crime, then collect evidence and take it before a judge, otherwise leave people alone.
So it begins. Of the four 'boxes of liberty', the first two have failed and the third one is doomed to do the same. Off to pick up the fourth in the morning I guess :/ I'm invoking Godwin's law preemptively. Someone else can point out the trends, similarities, etc. It's late and I'm going to bed (very late, holy crap). If I don't wake up, the thought police got me.
The Patriot Act over there and the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 over here makes this scenario legal - until challenged in the supreme court or an EU human rights court.
ITs an effective way of controlling populations with a particular skill at dangerous crimes. However I am opposed to this as this is imposing on innocent peoples lives, but the thing about crime is, you can do it anytime of day, not just during curfew.
