When travelling to the U.S. you have to fill out an immigration card with questions like "Are you carrying any illegal drugs?", and "Are you a member of the Communist Party?".

Why not extend this simple & obviously effective technique to the criminal courts: defendants would fill out a similarly worded card: "Did you stab that guy? tick [ ] yes or [ ] no" etc.

If you are guilty then off to jail you go!

Does away with all those expensive lawyers, judges etc
-- philmckraken, Jun 28 2004

Following on from that train of thought, is it true that the US has adopted a Soviet style Hotel System where you have to show an ID to get a room. "Commrade Sir may I see your papers, very good everything is in order" (bond movie style russian accent). And exactly how does night shift worker "Mr Ball" of the 8 Ball Motel tell a fake Tunisian Passport from a real Tunisian passport?
-- PainOCommonSense, Jun 28 2004


[PainOcommonSense] It's easy to tell real Tunisian passports: they have a sticker saying "Do not use illegal fake Passports" (they got the idea from Microsoft apparently)
-- philmckraken, Jun 28 2004


I recently applied for a job and part of the process required me to complete a security clearance form. One of the questions asked if I'd ever been involved in espionage, terrorism or sabotage. Not sure what would have happened if I'd answered yes.
-- oneoffdave, Jun 28 2004


Except of course that guilt is rarely a binary issue:
Did you stab that guy? (Tick where appropriate)
[ ] yes
[ ] no
[ ] he was looking at me funny
[ ] I'm a mentalist
[ ] I was a mentalist when I did it
[ ] I'm only six years old
[ ] I was running with the knife and I slipped and it went into his chest three or four times
[ ] I am the Queen and hence am immune from prosecution
[ ] yes, but he's black, so will you let me off with a warning?
-- calum, Jun 28 2004


i have been through customs posts in iran where the only check was are you carrying any drugs, after we all said no they asked if we had silk carpets, so i'm just wondering if the customs guys had a deal with a local drug baron or carpet shop. what answer do they expect to get? who is going to say yes to carrying drugs?
-- engineer1, Jun 28 2004


Cheers, [contracts]. If I'm going to be a legal pedant, your penultimate defence should read "He was fucking my wife, my Lord." You have discover them in flagrante delicto to be suitably enraged to be shorn of criminal responsibility.

See, [phil], even with this system, you'll still need lawyers.
-- calum, Jun 28 2004


[calum] Oh, darn... I knew there had to be a flaw in there somewhere
-- philmckraken, Jun 28 2004


SHould we add :

[ ] I am a diplomat from the Axis of Evil and hence am immune from prosecution in your country (unless you choose to classify me as an "Enemy Non-Combatant" in which case it's a fair cop govenor bring on the electrodes, dogs & duct tape)
-- PainOCommonSense, Jun 29 2004


Mmm, satire. Afraid I can't vote for it though because it would be a really rubish idea in real life.

//Are you a member of the Communist Party?// Is this really grounds for not being let in?
-- RobertKidney, Jun 29 2004


Many countries already *have* a similar system in courts. There is a little ritual, then they ask you question, and most people understand that lying in response to those questions is somehow worse than lying in everyday life.

Same here: If you lied ticking those boxes, they can just throw you out for immigrations violations, regardless of the severity of the crime (or whether there was a crime at all).

Not to say that there's much reason to what they're asking about, but there is an operational advantage to having people do this.
-- jutta, Jun 29 2004


[] It was Professor Plum, in the Library, with the Candlestick.
-- DrCurry, Jun 29 2004


//Are you a member of the Communist Party?// Is this really grounds for not being let in? [RobertKidney] apparently, yes.

Bizarrely, those immigration cards also ask you to "promise to uphold the Constitution"; although (according to all those cop shows) the Constitution supports the right to freedom of speech and freedom of association

Another story: a friend of mine, of chinese extraction but not born in China, enjoyed many trips to the U.S.

One year he went to China to visit his ancestral village.

A few years later he wanted to go back to the U.S., but this time his visa was declined!

(sorry, ranting...)
-- philmckraken, Jun 29 2004


What if I want to ammend the Constitution, or destroy it in a revolt, as the Declaration of Independence gives a reasonable voice to?
-- RayfordSteele, Jun 29 2004



random, halfbakery