Why I think government is dangerously stupid.

When I post things, a common theme is the dangerous stupidity of government and the pureblind, willful, aggressive ignorance of those who support more government as a solution any and all problems.

Here's why, in a nutshell.

About 10 officers attended the Pine Ridge Tobacco smoke shack on the east side of Highway 6, south of Caledonia. Owner Steve "Boots" Powless issued a text alert upon their arrival. Within 15 minutes, the officers were surrounded by nearly 20 of Powless's supporters.

"They decided it was not in the public interest to pursue the matter at this time," Const. Paula Wright of the Haldimand OPP said yesterday. "Anyone found to have been acting unlawfully will be held accountable."

Ok so far? 10 cops detailed off to remove an illegal smoke shack parked illegally on a guy's front lawn got confronted by 20 pukes looking for a fight, and they wussed out, or more likely were ordered to wuss out. Said pukes just happened to be Indians. Just for comparison, any time that Gary McHale guy so much as breaks wind 200 cops show up in riot gear. On we go.

Pine Ridge Tobacco is unique because it is the first to arise on private property on the east side of Highway 6 without the consent of the landowner, retired farmer Ernie Palmer.

About a month ago, Powless told Palmer he was setting up shop.

Yeah, about a month ago Bootsy Powless dropped this half-assed trailer thing at the end of ol' Ernie's driveway. Like, on the front lawn ok?
Here's a picture of it:

Nice, eh?

Ernie told him to move along and Bootsy pretty much said "make me, white man."
Ernie's an old guy, short of shooting friend Bootsy in the ass with a load of rock salt there's not too much he can do, right? He's told Bootsy to piss off, he's called the cops, and that's the extent of what his power is. Which by itself is already friggin' pitiful, but it gets better.

On Friday [July 3rd], Haldimand County's bylaw department served Palmer with a summons to appear in provincial offences court July 31. He has been charged with allowing an illegal commercial business in an agricultural zone.

Isn't that great? ERNIE gets charged. Not Steven "Bootsy Baby" Powless, not the f-ing OPP sergeant or captain or whatever imbecile it was that told his men to back down to a few stupid thugs, not even one of the thugs. Ernie Palmer, the victim here, gets charged. And he will no doubt duly show up at the appointed time and be scolded by whatever crack-smoking moron thought it was a good idea to charge him.

Now that is as perfect an example of stupidity in governance as I have ever seen in all my life. We've got a bunch of thugs taking advantage of damn fool federal laws, being encouraged by bald cowardice from provincial politicians, and finally local county officials taking their temper out on the innocent land owner.

Were it mine to decide, I'd clap the lot of them in jail for abuse of power and/or dereliction of duty and give Ernie some money for his trouble. Maybe the combined salary of all the stupid sonsabitches involved in this farce for however long it takes them to get Bootsy boy off Ernie's front lawn. That'd be fair, eh?

The Phantom