Still think it's a free country?

With unemployment above nine percent, multiple foreign wars raging, and a fiscal situation that has the Federal, State and local governments wondering how in the world to stop the bleedout of red ink, it's interesting to see where government chooses to exercise it's power... make that force...

Their front yard was torn up after replacing a sewer line, so instead of replacing the dirt with grass, one Oak Park woman put in a vegetable garden and now the city is seeing green.


City code says that all unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with grass or ground cover or shrubbery or other suitable live plant material. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are what Basses see as suitable.


However, Oak Park’s Planning and Technology Director Kevin Rulkowski says the city disagrees. He says, “If you look at the dictionary, suitable means common. You can look all throughout the city and you’ll never find another vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard.”

Be sure to look at the photo of their house... it's not exactly a messy blight.  But for daring to use her property as she sees fit--not merely as the apparatchiks choose to allow--the owner now faces up to 93 days in jail.  Lovely.

The power to control what you do on your own property apparently doesn't stop at your front door, either:

The latest raid targeted a poker game inside a private residence in the Bexhill subdivision in West Knox County, according to a KCSO spokeswoman Ashley Haynes.


Deputies discovered eight people around one poker table at 1304 Buxton Drive, and seized approximately $1,000 cash, Haynes said.

No arrests were made, but all information was turned over the Knox County District Attorney General's Office for possible charges, she said.

The raid follows at least seven other such operations carried out by KCSO within the past five weeks, targeting underground poker games and businesses operating video poker machines.

So... eight people and they seized $1000?  Not exactly high-stakes card playing, given what a dollar's worth these days.  Why is it anyone's business if eight people get together and decide gambling about $125 each while playing cards is a good way to spend an evening?  Oh, I forgot: government at every level is hungry for more money.  What do you bet the prosecutor doesn't take the case to court, but that $1000 never makes its way back to its righful owners?  I guess the card players can at least be grateful it wasn't a no-knock raid by a SWAT team...


It may be on our currency, but "in God we trust" ceased to be our operational motto a long time ago.  A more appropriate slogan would seem to be "you WILL comply..."