celticredneck

This brings to mind what is something of an urban legend here in my area. According to the story, two guys are fishing along a riverbank and drinking a brew or 3 when the local game warden comes creeping through the woods to surprise them. One of the guys drops his fishing pole and takes off running through the woods. After a sprint of several hundred yards, he stops and the out of breath game warden tells him,I'm going to have to write you a ticket for fishing without a license. He is totally surprised when the guy hands him his fishing license. "If you had your license, why did you run?". Answer, "The other guy doesn't have one."

JoJoGunn

We have those types of "check points" in WV all the time. Usually the media posts the exact location and duration of time the check point with be there. They put them in places where it is so easy to avoid the check point, it's almost comical. Pure waste of time and LEO resources but, what can you do?

__________________
"A Smith & Wesson always beats 4 aces!"

OPFOR

That's all well and good, GWRed, but operating a vehicle on public roads is inherently dangerous to others; thus the need for a license at all. And if we are required to BE licensed, it could certainly be found Constitutionally sound that we could be asked to provide proof that we ARE licensed.

Yes, I get a little ball in my stomach at the "papers, please" connotations, but they really are NOT the same thing.

__________________
"It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner. That is the way it was and will be. That way and not some other way."

Kerbouchard

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"

__________________
There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.

http://miscmusings.townhall.com/

Who is John Galt?

Cycler

You may already be trying to point this out but it's not clear in your post. The Constitution does not grant us rights. We're born with rights. The Constitution spells out what the government may do.

As I understand it, the bill of rights was added to make sure that some of the most important rights are not trampled and if you read it, you'll notice that they are written such that the government "shall not infringe" upon a right that's already there. The controversy is that some folks think that this is the complete list of rights when it is not.

Papers please....My parents came from there and hearing that still sometimes sends chills up my spine.

Majorlk

I've been driving since I was 16 - that makes it 50 years. I've driven well over a million and a half miles in that time, in 38 of the continental states, Mexico and Canada.

I have run across one of these DL checks in maybe 5 of the states. I think I've been stopped for them maybe a dozen times in the 50 years - and three of them were as a teenager. I've had a grand total of TWO moving violations in that same time.

Much ado about nothing all the way around, as far as I am concerned.

__________________
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. - Robert A. Heinlein

Oldskoolfan

Actually the Supreme Court has ruled that traveling freely is a right.

Driving A Right, Not A Privilege

DRIVERS LICENSE VS RIGHT TO TRAVEL

There are many people who agree. If the government could stop people from traveling it would surely violate their right to happiness.

SIXTO

Everybody knows I'm an LEO, so here's my take;

I've worked DUI checkpoints before. I'll be the first to admit that if set up proper, they do catch a lot of drunks or other violations. They are a handy tool for LE.

However, I do agree that they are wrong. If for no other reason, it sends a bad message to the law abiding public. But, the courts have held up the legality of these check points over and over again.

Oh yeah, much like CCW, driving is not a right. It is a privilege. Rights cannot be revoked, taxed or licensed.

__________________
_________________
|^^^^^^^^^^^^^| |___
| SIXTO EXPRESS---| ||'|";,__.
|_..._...___________| ||_|_|...,]
"(@)'(@)""""*|(@)(@)******(@)

mcp1810

But there are many means of transportation that do not require a drivers license. You are free to walk anywhere you wish so long as you are not trespassing. You can ride your bicycle, take a train, ride a horse, take a bus, or fly. Any one of these can get you where you want to go and do not require you to have a drivers license. So requiring an operators license to drive a motor vehicle on government owned and maintained roadway does not deny you your freedom to travel.
Also, you do not have any right to happiness in this country. You certainly have a right to pursue your happiness (within the law)but nowhere is it guaranteed you will achieve it.

ETA: If you look at the clarification part on the page from that first link you will see that the poster even states there is a clear legal distinction between "drive" and "travel".

__________________
Waiting on the research and verification.......

Majorlk

You need to re-read the Declaration of Independence. It says "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"

There in no mention anywhere of a right to be happy. :)

__________________
An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. - Robert A. Heinlein