Our Laws Make those of Medieval England Seem Reasonable

by Will Grigg

40-year-old Orlando, Florida resident Anthony Brasfield was with his girlfriend in the parking lot of a motel when he released a handful of helium-filled, heart-shaped balloons into the air. A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper saw this and arrested Brasfield for violating the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Act –a third-degree felony punishable by a prison term of up to five years.

On February 23, Lendsey and Delilha Harbin, a married couple from Portage, Indiana, paid for a ticket to see the new action film “Snitch” and then, after it ended, decided to switch theaters and catch the zombie movie “Warm Bodies.” Two off-duty cops working as security guards spotted the sneak and arrested the couple.

It would have cost the couple $13.50 to pay for tickets. Throwing them out of the theater, and perhaps banning them from it, would have been an appropriate response to their attempted petty larceny. Instead, they were charged with felony theft.

It’s worth remembering that in Anglo-Saxon law, the term “felony” originally described a crime of such severity that a death sentence was considered appropriate punishment. Today, practically anything can be treated as a felony – a fact that suggests that we lack the sense of proportionality possessed by our medieval ancestors.

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Anonymous

Posted: Mar 01 2013, 9:06 AM

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...and incidentally, a "felon" has reduced rights in the world. For one thing, if they ever try to travel into Canada they will be turned back. They will lose their right to vote (funny how that works eh?) and god knows what other inalieable rights. The USA has lost all sense of proportion. Common sense is gone, as is any mercy on any transgression. As you say, in the old days...ok you caught someone trying to sneak into a movie, who the hell didn't at one time or other in life? You get caught you get thrown out, maybe even forced to fork over the ticket price. Sheesh...

dougo

Posted: Mar 01 2013, 10:10 AM

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687

the cop was just angry ,and probably tried to pick-up on the guys girlfriend.thats how the san diego county sheriffs try to get their dates in I.B.CA..

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