tytower:
Well its a long read but its another example of taking the law too far and will be appealed . So it will be deeply scrutinised .
The builders knowledge of what it will be used for is the central theme .
The thing is, his only possible "knowledge" was the fact that he saw and watched a set of his customers moving a large amount of cash from one vehicle to another. Somehow, we have gotten this idea in our heads that if somebody has a large amount of cash with them, that must mean they are doing something or have done something criminal. Because, you know, good and honest people only deal with the banking system and have accounts and such; you know, like Enron, and all those banks out there that screwed people out of their mortgages and helped to cause this whole financial meltdown crisis we are in - such upstanding fellows, ya know!
That was really all he witnessed. Why should he have to make the leap of logic that says "Hey, these guys have a lot of money, they must be criminals because they have a ton of cash with them - only criminals carry cash"?
So I guess - be careful if you carry a lot of cash with you then? Well - yes; more than a few people have had their cash stolen by the cops because they were planning to pay $50K or something for a couple of vehicles across state lines, and they got pulled over, and the cop went "DERP! That cash must be drug money - giveittomenow!" - and bam! No recourse. I tend to wonder where that line is - at what point is it that you can have "too much cash" (you know, legal tender, that can be used to pay all debts, etc)?
$100.00? $1000.00? $10,000.00?
Actually, that last amount is about it - because if you try to deposit that amount (or transfer such amounts) at least here in America - there's a whole process you have to wait through, so they can make sure it isn't a drug money transaction or something else nefarious. Now - if it were $9,999.00 - it would probably go right on through, but who really knows in our lovely post 9/11 OMGTERRORISTS!!!1111!!!eleventy! world... So I imagine they would confiscate your 10Gs of money if they found it on you - and especially if it were "hidden" in a lock-box or elsewhere in your car.
Now - let's suppose this scenario, which may hit a bit closer to home:
You are approached by a person who offers you $10,000.00 to build him a UAV using Ardupilot as the base. Should you take on the project, if:
- He is a clean-shaven white man in a business suit...?
- He is a bearded white man carrying a bible ranting about the end-times...?
- She is a woman wearing a greenpeace t-shirt and wearing a ton of beads, smelling of pachoulli and has dreads...?
- He is a man wearing a turban...?
Personally, I don't know about you, but I bet guy #1 is up to no good...but we all know who they'd arrest you for, especially if it were a sting operation or something - simply because you:
- Didn't see he was a good businessman who wanted to cheaply map his real-estate holdings.
- Didn't realize he was a god-fearing gentleman who only wanted to make a documentary about being an angel.
- Didn't realize that she was actually going to save the dolphins, even if it meant shutting down SeaWorld to do it.
- Didn't realize this guy was going to blow up a local Vineyard congregation or something.
In other words - you couldn't read any of their minds - and so if you take that money (unless it's from the first or second guy I guess) - you are just as guilty for not following the other sheeple of this great nation of ours heeding that inner voice inside of you that says god is great being a good christian citizen instead of a filthy atheist seeing that these people are going to do wrong with your object, and that you need to go to jail...just because.
...damn this world seems so messed up at times...