A modest proposal for the Identity Theft problem...
Jay Tea at
Wizbang offers a
modest proposal concerning Identity Theft that should appeal to all parties involved (with the minor exception of the thief):
Punishing the victims
Robert Eckert of Yarmouth, Massachusetts is a marked man.
He's got a lengthy history of encounters with the police, numerous arrests and cour appearances. He can't drive down the road without wondering if he's going to get pulled over and taken in again. He's been fingerprinted so many times his fingertips are almost permanently stained.
His offense? 12 years ago, he lived next door to a dirtbag named James Jones. And Mr. Jones, after one of his numerous arrests, gave his name to police as "Robert Eckert."
That led to Eckert's name being listed as an alias for Jones. And every single time Jones gets in trouble with the law, a flag goes up and Eckert is hauled in again until he can exonerate himself.
I have a simple solution to identity theft cases like this, where a person is victimized for years by a scumbag. After a certain point, the victim can just kill the offender, and face only charges of attempted suicide.
In this case, Mr. Eckert could kill Mr. Jones. Since Mr. Jones repeatedly insists that he is Mr. Eckert, it could be considered a form of suicide. And since Mr. Eckert is verifiably alive, the attempt must have been unsuccessful. All that remains would be some other minor charges -- littering, discharging a firearm, and the like.
Yeah, it's a bit draconian. But it oughta do wonders in the fight against identity theft.
Makes sense to me...
Posted by DaveH at January 2, 2006 11:48 PM