An article in the Arizona Republic caught my eye today. Just another front page article about crime in the valley. But wait -- did it say something about
handbags and terrorists ?
Cheap designer knockoffs come at a high price
Counterfeit-hunters seek out fake goods that cost the economy $250 billion and 750,000 jobs, and may finance terror groups
The Fountain Hills investigator is on a mission to fight counterfeit, a worldwide crisis marked as "the crime of the 21st century" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
"It's a multibillion-dollar business," said Howe, 62. "Terrorists make more money selling counterfeit than selling dope."
Counterfeit merchandise, from handbags to extension cords to prescription drugs, drains the nation's economy of up to $250 billion and 750,000 jobs a year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the number of seizures in 2006 climbed more than 72 percent from the same period last year.
In my head, bells began to clang (okay, the current political climate is literally making me crazy).
What about this little gem from the torture bill:
A new bill lets Bush define who is an enemy combatant and denies detainees habeas corpus
the Executive Branch kept control over what exactly could happen to an "enemy combatant." It was allowed to decide who an enemy combatant might be. The package of measures widened the definition to include any person determined to be one under criteria defined by the President or the Secretary of Defense.
So, I wonder. If a bunch of liberal women have a "purse party", and the feds determine that the merchandise was linked to a terrorist group, could the women be busted and sent to Gitmo?
It isn't like they aren't already tightening up these laws:
The federal government has tightened its belt on counterfeiting since 9/11, and this year, President Bush signed HR 32, the "Stop the Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act," the most aggressive anti-counterfeiting legislation in more than 20 years.
The highlights: mandatory forfeiture, restitution and up to 20 years in prison and $15 million in fines for repeat offenders.
It also closes a loophole that allowed counterfeiters to import counterfeit goods and their labels separately as the crime continues to thrive.
Fair warning to all liberals: Buy only certified goods. Don't get your drugs from Mexico, your handbags off the street, or get sucked into the next big trend of counterfeit belt buckles.
Because even though there is
no law against personal possession of counterfeit goods
we can only imagine the possibilities of how the Busheviks will interpret their new torture law.