Man jailed over breath mints

Not long ago, a man was driving home from work in Kissimmee, Florida, chewing on some breath mints all the while.

Police pulled him over for a minor traffic violation. Then they jailed him, thinking the mints were crack cocaine. Because - in today's drug war madness - everybody is a druggie except the drug warriors, right?

It gets worse: The man wasn't released from jail for 3 months - because the mints had to be lab-tested to prove they weren't crack.

I'd hate to disappoint the drug warriors, but that's not how our constitutional republic is supposed to work. When someone is accused of a crime, the burden of proof is supposed to fall on the system, not the accused. A person is not supposed to have to wait 3 months to prove mints are legal before being released.

Even the very idea that the mints were cocaine is absurd. Anybody - especially police - should be able to tell the difference within seconds.

As a result of being jailed for 3 months for nothing, the innocent man lost his job and was evicted from his apartment. The Kissimmee Police Department also confiscated his car and auctioned it off - which is unconstitutional unless you've been convicted (which he hadn't).

More accurately, the police department stole his car. This type of high-handed theft has long been a fixture in Florida. Avid 'Cops' fans may remember an episode in which two young women stole a man's pickup truck and were caught using drugs in it. This resulted in the truck being seized from the man who owned it, even though he wasn't the one with drugs. No trial ever takes place before a vehicle is seized.

This policy shows nothing short of sheer, bubbling hatred for the Constitution. Those behind it do not have good intentions.

Now the man in the breath mint case is suing the Kissimmee police. I hope this lawsuit thoroughly bankrupts the city.

(Source: http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/20435114/detail.html)