TheAgitator.com
Because Celebrating the Fourth Is All About Freedom!
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008So fireworks are illegal in the city of Houston. But they’re legal in surrounding Harris County. The problem is, Houston has annexed several roads outside the city limits, though there are no signs to let Harris County residents know this.
So Houston police are watching as Harris County residents buy fireworks at a perfectly legal fireworks stand, then stopping and fining them when they pull onto a road the city has annexed. Fines range from $500 to $2,000.
This seems similar to attempts years ago to punish people who had a gun in their car as they drove through areas with draconian restrictions on gun ownership.
People ought to be able to travel from point A to point B without worrying if they are violating the potentially zillions of different laws between A and B. (Unless the law relates directly to travel, e.g. speed limits, etc.)
Also: “Meanwhile, fireworks stands plan to hand out maps to customers to show them what route to take so they can avoid annexed roads.” That’s a fine idea, but I wonder how long before those guys are trapped with a charge of evading the law or encouraging people to evade it or some similar nonsense.
Law enforcement in Houston is a joke. Police Chief Tommy Thomas and Sheriff Harold Hurtt both run roughshod over the population they are supposed to serve.
Actual crime here is ignored while the Traffic Enforcement division is heavily funded and extremely active extracting revenue from the productive sector. Oh, they’ll act like it’s crime. They’ll keep their hand on top their gun and threaten to take you in over your 10 MPH violation. Try to engage their help for an actual crime and you can’t even get their attention.
Houston law enforcement agencies treat the population at large with contempt, as nothing more than revenue sources. And if you don’t show sufficient respect to these superior citizens, watch out.
The URL for the link is priceless.
Travis County (city of Austin) has done pretty much the same thing for years, laying in wait near the fireworks stands over the county line so they can ambush customers who then try to drive back home with their purchases.
The Minnesota Highway Patrol does the same thing with respect to Hudson, Wisconsin (just across the river from Minneapolis/St. Paul.). So we have to take a nice luncheon drive and cross a hour or so later.
MD and PA have this same sort of thing up I-70. There’s a big fireworks stand for Phantom Fireworks just over the line in PA… but none of the PA residents are supposed to buy anything there because it’s illegal to use fireworks. Meanwhile, the MD cops sometimes hang out to find the folks who are carrying them across the state line, even though it’s kinda legal to have fireworks in MD…
Who are the appeasers who are just letting Houston annex these roads?
And the money grabs continue to fester in this nation. Is there anywhere we can go in America where there isn’t some fucking asshole government official with his hand in your wallet extracting your hard-earned cash?
Let them annex? Let them? Oh man. Talk to someone in Kingwood about letting them. Houston is notorious for annexing surrounding areas. If you don’t incorporate before they come through, you are part of Houston. From ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingwood,_Houston,_Texas
“Originally an unincorporated area, the section of Kingwood in Harris County was annexed by the City of Houston in 1996 despite vehement protest by the community. The contested annexation was appealed to the Texas Supreme Court and led to the passage of Texas Senate Bill 89 in 1999, which curbed city annexation rights.”
Guess Houston needs money to feed themselves (aren’t they the fattest city in the nation?). When times are hard, you’ve got to do a little hustling to get by. Everyone who’s grown up in poor urban areas knows this.
Same things happens with regards to (Dog) Breed Specific Legislation. In Denver owning an American Pit Bull Terrier is illegal. Drive through any part of Denver and be seen by a “LEO” and your dog could be seized and euthanized.
Pay up, Human ATM.
While I find this practice disgusting…I am having a REALLY hard time feeling ANY pity for folks these days. You see, it is REALLY your own fault. Yep…YOUR fault. You bitch, moan, gripe and complain, and yet, come election day, there the vast majority of you will be, electing your same old incumbent Republican or same old incumbent Democrat who will of course continue with business as usual. You basically ask to be screwed by your elected officials and then turn around and thank them for it by re-electing the people that allow this bullshit to happen or by electing yet another copy of the official you JUST voted out. Makes it kind of hard to feel sorry for folks. What’s most surprising is that people seem surprised when they ask for a certain party affiliated cadidate and then GET the party affiliated candidate who then proceeds to act like a party affiliated official. What a F’ing shocker huh….
#13
Democracy is based on the assumption that the people know what they want and deserve to get it. GOOD AND HARD.
Sounds like I need to go visit a few fireworks stands, act like I’m buying something, and then trolling the roads.
It’ll be fun asking these idiots why they are pulling me over.
ZappaCrappa,
What about those of us who tend to vote for people with no chance of getting elected?
Look Zappa, 60% of American’s don’t vote, because the only choice is between demon A and imp B most of the time. How are we supposed to vote for people who aren’t bought into the game if it is practically impossible to run people who aren’t anymore? Trust me, I’ve worked to get Libertarians on the ballot, and we end up spending more time and money just getting people on the ticket than many R/D congressional candidates spend on their entire campaign!
Tell me, Zappa, what is your solution, besides blaming the victims?
#13
I agree that citizens are partly responsible, but it can’t be an absolute responsibility. We allow them to lead us with the expectation that more often than not, they will do right by us. If they don’t, tossing out the old and putting in the new hasn’t proven to be any guarantee. Politicians need to understand their responsibility.
I’m still trying to push a new law that would say the President can’t be pardoned for any actions committed while in office. I’m still waiting for the ground swell of support.
Hell, I intend to celebrate the Glorious Fourth tomorrow by burning powder and cordlessly drilling things, but I’ll have to drive to the next county to do so.
This county, which Neal Boortz is so fond of as a place to run his jet ski, has upwards of 150 golf courses and exactly one shooting range, which is not open on the Fourth.
God, I hate golfers.
I’m in “Communist” China right now visiting with my fiance’s family. Fireworks are perfectly legal here - perhaps i’ll buy some to celebrate the fourth.