Apparently in something like 12 states it is against the law to record anyone “without their knowledge” – in fact it is a felony. Why is this an issue? In recent times the Police in those states are arresting people and charging them with a felony for recording the Police. This seems okay as it is against the law in those states to do so – however there is a rub. It is not against the law for the police to record anyone in those states – so the cops can record you doing whatever but it is against the law for you to do the same thing back. I have a problem with this – as do lots of other people.

A bit about me – I believe in equality – but real equality, not the sort of crap where someone wants equality only when  it serves them best. I want true equality – a draft? Women are on the list. Income – women definitely should be paid the same as men. Race should NEVER be a consideration for anything. You get where you are going on merit alone. It is what you know, not who you know. Everything equal – that way nobody has the right or ground to stand on to bitch about inequality. Granted I know my perspective is a ridiculous pipe dream, but what can I say, I am a mental plumber.

So when I heard about this on NPR this morning I got sort of irritated. The story focussed on this idiot who was trying to get arrested. Consume that for a moment. Yes, trying to get arrested. His intent had nothing to do with the recording law – instead he was trying to get arrested over some other law that he didn’t agree with, tape it, and use said tape as an Ah-HAH! moment. Turns out he was arrested for a misdemeanor, but when said tape showed up the small charges got dropped and now he has felony charges and faces 4-15 years in prison. Consume that for a moment.

For using a recording device he could go to prison for longer than someone who used a gun in a crime. This means that in some parts of our country people think that recording devices are more dangerous that guns. Now why would that be? Let us consider the Rodney King incident whereby a bunch of cops did batting practice on Mr. King’s head with their batons. Had said videographer who had taped the event known about the law, and had he been deterred from taping said event because of it, then police brutality like that would not have come to light and thus would have continued. Don’t get me wrong here, to his own admission, Mr. King was no saint, but using his head as a baseball was well over the top for anyone.

My main run though is the equality thing – if someone is allowed to do something I am not I get irate – and if there is an actual law against me doing it, but its cool for someone else to do it because, for some unknown reason, they are outside the law – I get really pissed. So my conclusion? Don’t talk to cops at all. Don’t answer their questions – technically by law you don’t have to. Catch being here of course that not answering a cops questions will most likely get you detained if not arrested, however it also prevents said cop from getting a situation where he can use his right to record everything you say, and you cannot do the same back. If you didn’t know this then you are in serious trouble – most cop cars now have video cameras in them that run at every stop, and often times during the officer’s entire shift – thus be default you are being recorded – just don’t do it back. That traffic ticket you were going to get could get turned into a felony that lands you in prison and will definitely mess up your life FOREVER.