Caught in a Web of Technology

ST. AUGUSTINE — A man showing off his OnStar system
in his Cadillac Escalade found out the system worked too well.

Ralph A. Gomez, 38, was being held in the St. Johns County Jail Wednesday
on $15,000 bond on charges of possession of an illegal narcotic within
1,000 feet of a church and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gomez was showing off his OnStar system to his girlfriend, but the volume
was set so low that he couldn’t hear the OnStar operator. OnStar comes
on many new General Motors vehicles and allows a customer to contact an
OnStar representative in an emergency or to get directions.

If there is no response, OnStar contacts police.

That’s what happened with Gomez on Friday night, Tom Clements, a spokesman
for the St. Augustine Police Department, said Wednesday.

When police located Gomez’ car, they determined there was no problem. But
Clements said cocaine was clearly visible on the car’s center console.

In addition to seizing $1,900 in the case, the Cadillac equipped with the
OnStar system was also seized, Clements said.

from The
Chicago Tribune

What’s this about possession within a thousand feet
of a church?
Of course, we are familiar with the stiffer penalties for dealing drugs
near schools, which makes sense, but since when did the same rules get
extended to churches? This raises a host of questions.

Do Temples and Mosques qualify? Storefront evangelists? Hospital chappels?
What criteria are used to define a church? What is the rationale behind
these laws? In the case of schools, it is easy to understand – keep drugs
away from kids. But here, is it just because possessing drugs in the
neighborhood of a church is an affront to God? Whose God?

Didn’t the Supreme Court just give permission to
a small branch of a South
American religious sect to use hallucinogenic
tea
as part
of
a ritual intended to connect with God? Are we sensing mixed messages here?

It would make more sense to have laws stiffening the penaties for possessing
drugs within 1000 feet of a professional athelete, for example.

This Church thing, if it is widespread, should be
of concern to drug addicts around the country. After all, America has
lots more churches
than schools. In many small towns or neighborhoods, the 1000 foot
prohibition would easily cover everywhere. Does this raise separation
of church and state issues?

We like the way they mention at the very end that
in addition to the drug possession charges, he lost his brand new $57,000 Caddy.