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IPFS News Link • Trump Administration

Doug Casey on Asset Seizures

• https://www.lewrockwell.com

Sessions is the U.S. Attorney General. Since taking office in February, he's done all sorts of idiotic things. He's threatened to crack down on the legal marijuana market. He's attacked gay rights.

And now, he wants to amp up asset seizures.

This is when the government takes money and property from people. You don't even need to be convicted of a crime.

It's a disturbing development, to say the least. That's why I called Doug Casey as soon as I heard about it…

Justin: Doug, what do you think of Sessions' latest "bright" idea?

Doug: Well, let me preface this by saying Sessions was a disastrous choice for Attorney General. He's done nothing in his life but be a lawyer, a prosecutor, and a politician. He has no experience—and therefore probably no inclination or even ability—to produce things of tangible value.

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But we almost always get undesirables as the AG. They're hatchet men, meant to prosecute "the enemy," taking their pick of the hundreds of thousands of laws and regulations on the books to do so. Look at some of the recent AGs—Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Alberto Gonzales, John Ashcroft, Janet Reno. All of them would have been willing and obedient lapdogs to Stalin or Beria. A certain personality type is suited for the job.

Sessions is a rabid drug warrior, even against something as useful and benign as hemp, or marijuana. He's a busybody who feels no guilt or remorse at enforcing laws that have destroyed the lives of tens of millions. I don't know if he's stupid, bent, thoughtless, paranoid or what his problem might be. Maybe he's afraid that if pot wasn't illegal he'd become a dope fiend himself. But the proper direction, the objective, is to legalize all drugs. Not amp the drug war up another notch, as he wants to do.

And not only does he want to amp up the drug war, but he wants to increase the State's ability to confiscate citizens' property—especially cash—on even suspicion of breaking a law.

In the meantime he's not doing anything to investigate the people in Hillary's camp for all kinds of apparent illegality. In fact, now that Trump's in office, what ever happened to his promise of a real investigation of what really happened to things like Building 7 on 9/11? Or the strange deaths that seem to have surrounded the Clinton clan for decades?

So far the man seems all negatives no positives. He's just another Deep State actor who's climbed the political ladder a little higher. These guys all protect each other.

But increasingly many of Trump's choices are disastrous, like his National Security Advisor McMaster and White House Chief of Staff Kelly. And wormtongues Ivanka and Jared Kushner. This is perhaps an inevitable problem when a President is just a pragmatist with no philosophical core. Although, I hasten to add, having no core may be better than having a rotten core, like Obama and others in the recent past.

Justin: Not to mention, asset seizures don't work. Over the past decade, the federal government has seized more than $28 billion. But that's done absolutely nothing to deter crime.

So, why would Sessions double down on this failed policy? Is he clueless? Or is the government just that desperate?

Doug: Good question. Well, I've already speculated on some possible aspects of Session's character that might partially explain this. But all the repressive aspects of government—civil forfeitures are just one—have been growing and compounding for years. It's not a conspiracy, it's the natural progression of all living organisms. They all want to grow, exert more control on their environments, and become more powerful. The problem is that government has unusual powers, and no longer seems to have many limits. So you can expect this trend to accelerate.

3 Comments in Response to

Comment by PureTrust
Entered on:

Did you ever hear of copyrighting your name? Copyright all forms of your name that you use. The 4th Amendment: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Notice the word “persons.” It is plural. This is because you have more than one person. You may have many. In fact, every time you sign a contract or agreement you have a new person unless you state otherwise. From now on, make a distinction between all your persons by following their names with a comma, space, and an acronym for which you have recorded the meaning. CONTINUED BELOW.

Comment by PureTrust
Entered on:

CONTINUED FROM ABOVE. Time to make a distinction between your persons. The name on your drivers license is not you. It is one of your persons. The name on each of your bank accounts is not you. It is one of your persons. And every bank account name is a different person. But if you don’t know it, “they” will treat all your persons as though they were you. However, when they mess with one of your persons, they are messing with your private property. Take them to court, man-to-man (not man-to-Government-office), for messing with your property without permission - trespassing. Sue their bond along with suing them as a man/woman.

Comment by Molon Labe
Entered on:

Asset forfeiture isn't about thwarting crime. It's about stealing private property under color of law.