Kate Litvak In my view, there are different kinds of crimes. I...
· Comment — Archer T. Ships replied to Kate Litvak's comment. · View on Facebook · Markdown source
Kate Litvak In my view, there are different kinds of crimes. I distinguish between crimes with victimes (murder, rape, robbery, etc) and victimless "crimes" (sodomy, blasphemy, prostitution, recreational drug sales, building a shed without a permit, overstaying a visa, etc). People will naturally report crimes with actual victims, so that perpetrator can be made to pay restitution and stopped from committing further crimes. I have no problem with this kind of reporting. But I also don't think that law enforcement should have unlimited carte blanche to pursue crimes. For example, how do we know that you aren't kidnapping and raping children every night? Should government officials be allowed to force you to install surveillance cameras in every room of your home, so that they can surveil you at will and confirm that you aren't raping children? IMO, that's far too much power to give the government for too little gain. That goes double for victimless crimes, most of which should not be crimes in the first place. Civilian snitch programs largely serve a way for busybodies and petty tyrants to boost their egos by harassing their neighbors over minor misdeeds.