IF you're looking for a completely crime free place to live then I guess Charleston, SC must be it. Apparently the streets are so devoid of any wrong-doing that the police force has only one thing left to do. Commit enormous time and resources to bringing down that well-known apocalyptic scourge on civilization: Home Poker Games.
Instead of keeping people safe, ridding the roads of drunk drivers, and sweeping the meth out of the gutters, the law enforcement community of this southern tourist community has identified Public Enemy Number One as....wait for it... "people playing cards"?
On April 4, 2008 police officers from the Charleston area laced up their jack boots, donned their riot helmets, took a nice long hot piss on individual freedom and proceeded to raid three separate homes where people were playing cards, yuckin' it up, having a good time and drinking a few beers. Among those thrown in the hoosegow were a Deputy District Attorney, a police officer (something tells me he may have known this was coming), a Navy Officer, a teacher, and several prominent businessmen.
In total, 65 arrests were made and well over $40 grand was stolen from these otherwise law abiding citizens. In related news, it was reported that the $40,000 will be used for internal drug buys, unauthorized trips to Key West, and prostitutes for the higher ranking members of the Charleston police force. One arresting officer was excited about the prospect of a bonus so he could go to Vegas and "put it all on black".
But have no fear South Carolina tax payers, your dollars are hard at work and will be put to good use. After all, those arrested, if convicted, face misdemeanor charges and fines of "a few hundred dollars".
Authors Commentary: As you can see, this is nothing more than a shake down. The raids will do nothing to curb the frequency of home poker games NOR will it net any appreciable revenue by way of fines charged. BUT the Charleston law enforcement community gets to STEAL $40 grand from its hard working citizens and use it for the aforementioned vacations, hookers, and blow. The tertiary benefit, as always, is that 65 people will be forced to hire attorneys at rates on the average of $200 an hour. The cops benefit, the judges benefit, and the cops' and judges' buddies known as attorneys also benefit. So you see once again, everyone involved in the Justice System, except for individual citizens, benefits from this. La Costra Nostra would be proud of this level of organized crime.
Thankfully, this is not entirely just another story of the gestapo unnecessarily taking a shit on a good time and maybe something good will come out of it. Although the penalty is just a misdemeanor and paltry few hundred bucks, many charged are not taking that easy way out: They are choosing to fight.
Let's wish them luck.
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