The YANKEE And COWBOY War

Back in the 70’s there was a book about political conspiracies released call The Yankee and Cowboy War.

Authored by a leftist, anti-war guy, he postulated that (then) modern politics in the U.S. was derived from the ‘battles’ between Eastern (U.S.) influences and Western influences.  Kennedy versus Reagan, if you will.

Of course, his thesis was destroyed by Bushes from Kennebunkport being the same as those from Texas!

But much of the country still thinks in these generic terms.  Yankee (Wall Street) bad versus Texas (big oil) bad.

And Southerners/Westerners being more freedom-loving than New Yorkers remains a meme.

In my sense of bigotry.

But, now comes THIS…

You may have heard of civil asset forfeiture.

That’s where police can seize your property and cash without first proving you committed a crime; without a warrant and without arresting you, as long as they suspect that your property is somehow tied to a crime.
Now, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has a device that also allows them to seize money in your bank account or on prepaid cards.
It’s called an ERAD, or Electronic Recovery and Access to Data machine, and state police began using 16 of them last month.
Here’s how it works. If a trooper suspects you may have money tied to some type of crime, the highway patrol can scan any cards you have and seize the money.
“We’re gonna look for different factors in the way that you’re acting,” Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. John Vincent said. “We’re gonna look for if there’s a difference in your story. If there’s someway that we can prove that you’re falsifying information to us about your business.”
Troopers insist this isn’t just about seizing cash.
MORE
-Jeffery in Alabama

OKLAHOMA!  The West!  Where people are alleged to be more free(?)

Soon (I’m certain) to be coming to a State near you!  “…without a warrant and without arresting you, as long as they suspect that your property is somehow tied to a crime.”

SOMEHOW.  Yeah, there’s your probable cause and due process.

RI-IGHT!

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”  –  Martin Luther King, Jr.

h/t Wirecutter

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