Ben:
Water is basically the right idea, with one caveat. (See my post of Feb 22, above).
Wow the Constitution! What an amazing document! I remember the good old days when it actually meant something in this Country ... before it was repealed.
I spent this afternoon in court on a case where a couple was found growing cannabis. The cops also found about $30,000 in the home and seized it for forfeiture (a quaint little rule we have here in the States where the gov't gets to take away your property if a cop testifies that in his personal opinion he thinks it's from illicit sources or is meant to be spent on such. Then the burden is on the owner to prove where it came from and what it's for, (and pay all the lawyer's fees to do this) otherwise the gov't keeps your property). Well in this case the gov't is prosecuting both the criminal matter and the forfeiture as a civil matter. The prosecutor wants to do regular civil discovery - take my client's deposition, have my client answer written interrogatories and produce documents requested by the gov't. I told the prosecutor he is going to have to wait for the criminal case to resolve as, until then, my client has a Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. The prosecutor's response? It depends on the question. So much for Constitutional rights. They were great while they lasted. Now go put on a helmet, wear your seatbelt, no talking on the cell while driving, take off your clothes before getting on an airplane or entering a federal building, no hugging children, no telling jokes at the office, don't let anyone see your nipples, and pay $4.00 a gallon for the right to enjoy the above privileges. It's great to be the leader of the free world, ain't it?
Bill, tgo
