It seems like to me, we’re now a country full of anal retentive people hell bent on the success of lists. You know, lists of stuff to do, lists of people to call, lists of places to visit, lists of Bills to pass, lists of things wrong with the world, lists of child abusers and rapists. Lists, lists, lists. And since I cannot tell a lie, I have to admit that I’m one of those weirdoes. But some lists? Some lists are just full of crap. Take for example the agreement that New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently reached earlier this week to enlarge the list of crimes that a person can be arrested for that will give the state access to your DNA and place it on a list of other felons. The “All Crimes DNA Bill.”
Previously, the state could only swipe the DNA of people convicted of violent felonies. The law was later changed to include all felonies. And now big brother’s gone a step further — anyone convicted of a “penal code misdemeanor” must now hand their DNA over to the government.
The idea behind this, that I have to admit just a little bit is a good one, is that this act will enable authorities to potentially link people to previously unsolved crimes. But civil rights groups say it goes too far, and that it opens the door for potential error and fraud at state crime labs. I tend to agree with the civil rights groups for once, if only on the grounds that if I happen to accidentally (or mistakenly and drunkenly) commit a misdemeanor crime, I don’t want to be on any list next to felons who’ve committed major and violent crimes. But that might just be the law abiding citizen in me.
This can be even more of an irritating thing to deal with when you take a look at New York’s penal code for misdemeanors that will soon give the state the right to your DNA. Here’s a list of some of the more ridiculous misdemeanors (when taken out of original intent for protection that is).
- Harassing a seeing-eye dog
- Jostling
- Fortune Telling
- Adultery
- Having a Police Scanner
- Disruption of Religious Services
- Criminal Sale of a Police Uniform
- Burn Injury and Wounds to Be Reported
- Creating a Hazard
Here is a list of the full New York Penal Code for your viewing pleasure.
So the moral here is folk, if you cheat on your wife, are loud in church, or tell someone their future, the state now has the right to your DNA. But if you steer clear of these things anyway, you might just be safe yet! Until another bill inevitably gets proposed to have all of America’s DNA on file for “the benefit of law enforcement.” IMG Credit: Bernews
