By Nathan Barton
One of the major problems today is unrealistic expectations of government. Even for those who believe that government is morally justified (it is not), they expect government to do and prevent things which are frankly impossible, regardless of technology and all the other tools available. Consider, for example, the Creepytings [sic] case.
According to USA Today a 23-year-old woman with the “social media” handle of “ Creepytings” has been convicted of putting graffiti on “protected rocks” in seven national parks, two years ago.
She is being punished for this graffiti (self-portraits signed with Creepytings) by (a) a still to be determined fine, (b) 200 hours of useful public service, and (c) being banned for two years from ANY national park property. It is this third item that bugs me: are the guards (excuse me, “guest welcoming technicians”) in uniform at the gates to places like Arches or Mesa Verde or Rocky Mountain or Devil’s Tower or Badlands going to be questioning every woman to ask if she is “Creepytings” (and hopefully getting beaten up by any male companions) or will they post “BANNED” posters with her picture on it, and only cute, younger women will be questioned (and what if they are wearing a burka or hajib?)?
Or (since to question just those who appear to be women would be profiling, right? After all, since we no longer have to keep the “gender” [sex] “assigned to us at birth” she could decide that she is a man now and then) will we all have to show government-issued ID cards (biometric, of course: RealID compliant) to go into these protected areas? Or will they simply take a page from the book of the Oklahoma State Trooper Thugs and use a device to rip/steal our identity from our RFID-cards and cell phones and tablets? Such a “punishment” is meaningless, since there are MANY national parks and monuments (such as Wind Cave and Jewel Cave in SD) where public highways pass through (and by MANY “protected” rocks) with no security or gates (“entrance stations”).
Or do the National Parks (and presumably all other federal properties) have enough surveillance cameras and facial recognition software to instantly identify her so that the local FedGov National Park Service SWAT team can descend upon this nasty example of womanhood? Of course, since most rangers are now armed (more armed federal government “civilian” employees than the entire US Marine Corps, now, we’ve been told), maybe they will just take her over to the side of the road next to the roadkill deer and execute her Chinese style. Of course, her crime against Mother Nature is so much worse than what passes for capital crimes in China (more like disrespecting Allah or Mohammed (peanut butter und honig)) that they will just whip out the knives and behead her, Caliphate or Saudi style.
Government is INCAPABLE of dealing with something like this, but apparently prosecutors and judges (jury? WHAT jury?) believe that government not only can be all-powerful, but ARE. The stupidity of these kinds of actions is increasingly hard to endure.
Mama’s Note: Now, if those rocks were actually private property, the owner would have every right to protect them. But, since they “belong to everyone,” nobody can actually protect them at all. This silly attempt is so typical.
About 40 years ago I was with a large group on a trail ride and my horse decided to munch on some wildflowers along the side during a rest stop. A “ranger” that was accompanying us shouted at me to get the horse away from the tempting herbage, since they were “protected” wildflowers. I asked him how I was supposed to know that and, more to the point, how I was supposed to convey that to the horse. He just growled at me and spurred away. I secretly took a small sample of the flower and looked it up later. They were not even the “protected” species he was yammering about.
I understand that now trail riders must pack in everything their horses eat, and it has to be certified “weed free” hay. Sounds like so much fun. But not to worry… it can’t be too much longer before none of us peasants are allowed to enter those sacred “public lands” at all.
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About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.
The Price of Liberty 
The bizarre case of “Creepytings” and the limits of government
By Nathan Barton
One of the major problems today is unrealistic expectations of government. Even for those who believe that government is morally justified (it is not), they expect government to do and prevent things which are frankly impossible, regardless of technology and all the other tools available. Consider, for example, the Creepytings [sic] case.
According to USA Today a 23-year-old woman with the “social media” handle of “ Creepytings” has been convicted of putting graffiti on “protected rocks” in seven national parks, two years ago.
She is being punished for this graffiti (self-portraits signed with Creepytings) by (a) a still to be determined fine, (b) 200 hours of useful public service, and (c) being banned for two years from ANY national park property. It is this third item that bugs me: are the guards (excuse me, “guest welcoming technicians”) in uniform at the gates to places like Arches or Mesa Verde or Rocky Mountain or Devil’s Tower or Badlands going to be questioning every woman to ask if she is “Creepytings” (and hopefully getting beaten up by any male companions) or will they post “BANNED” posters with her picture on it, and only cute, younger women will be questioned (and what if they are wearing a burka or hajib?)?
Or (since to question just those who appear to be women would be profiling, right? After all, since we no longer have to keep the “gender” [sex] “assigned to us at birth” she could decide that she is a man now and then) will we all have to show government-issued ID cards (biometric, of course: RealID compliant) to go into these protected areas? Or will they simply take a page from the book of the Oklahoma State Trooper Thugs and use a device to rip/steal our identity from our RFID-cards and cell phones and tablets? Such a “punishment” is meaningless, since there are MANY national parks and monuments (such as Wind Cave and Jewel Cave in SD) where public highways pass through (and by MANY “protected” rocks) with no security or gates (“entrance stations”).
Or do the National Parks (and presumably all other federal properties) have enough surveillance cameras and facial recognition software to instantly identify her so that the local FedGov National Park Service SWAT team can descend upon this nasty example of womanhood? Of course, since most rangers are now armed (more armed federal government “civilian” employees than the entire US Marine Corps, now, we’ve been told), maybe they will just take her over to the side of the road next to the roadkill deer and execute her Chinese style. Of course, her crime against Mother Nature is so much worse than what passes for capital crimes in China (more like disrespecting Allah or Mohammed (peanut butter und honig)) that they will just whip out the knives and behead her, Caliphate or Saudi style.
Government is INCAPABLE of dealing with something like this, but apparently prosecutors and judges (jury? WHAT jury?) believe that government not only can be all-powerful, but ARE. The stupidity of these kinds of actions is increasingly hard to endure.
Mama’s Note: Now, if those rocks were actually private property, the owner would have every right to protect them. But, since they “belong to everyone,” nobody can actually protect them at all. This silly attempt is so typical.
About 40 years ago I was with a large group on a trail ride and my horse decided to munch on some wildflowers along the side during a rest stop. A “ranger” that was accompanying us shouted at me to get the horse away from the tempting herbage, since they were “protected” wildflowers. I asked him how I was supposed to know that and, more to the point, how I was supposed to convey that to the horse. He just growled at me and spurred away. I secretly took a small sample of the flower and looked it up later. They were not even the “protected” species he was yammering about.
I understand that now trail riders must pack in everything their horses eat, and it has to be certified “weed free” hay. Sounds like so much fun. But not to worry… it can’t be too much longer before none of us peasants are allowed to enter those sacred “public lands” at all.
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About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.