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Was going to upvote you, but I think even a private citizen of limited means failing to inform the Feds is an unforgivable offense against our society as well.
by bilbo0s 6y ago
Was going to upvote you, but I think even a private citizen of limited means failing to inform the Feds is an unforgivable offense against our society as well.
Knowing about public corruption, and not reporting it, is tantamount to racketeering. No matter how much power you have.
- rmk 6y agoThere are plenty of extenuating circumstances. For example, if you were a spouse of a corrupt law enforcement officer who's already facing domestic violence, would it be racketeering if you did not report your spouse's conduct? I am willing to bet it wouldn't (you have a credible fear of being assaulted, or worse yet, losing your life if you did so). This is why things like anonymous tip lines and whistleblower laws exist. You are encouraged, in general, to report misconduct. But there are very specific situations where it's illegal to not report misconduct.
- randallsquared 6y agoSpousal privilege would cover this specific example, I think? But the example could be shifted to adult dependent child, maybe, to create the same situation.
- pjkundert 6y agoThere was a time when reporting malfeasance to the federal authorities was the obvious right thing to do. Now it is clear that reporting criminal acts to eg. the FBI is very risky; if the officer is politically aligned to the politically and societaly dominant party, and you are not, you're toast.
- dmurray 6y agoThere isn't a politically and socially (?) dominant party in the US. There were recently bitterly and closely contested federal elections there.