Missouri Farm Bureau
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Kevin Craig - "Liberty Under God"
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"Law and Order" is a perplexing phrase. Throughout history, the more laws a government issues, the less order is found. America's Founding Fathers were very clear on this issue: it is religion and morality that creates social order, not government laws. If you see disorder in a society, you must look to the root causes of that lack of order. Disorder is a symptom. Applying a government law to an outbreak of disorder is like slicing open a cancerous tumor and removing only a part: it causes the cancer to spread like wildfire throughout the body.
For example, if an immigrant is causing disorder, the root cause must be dealt with. Building a fence to keep all immigrants out -- even the well-governed immigrants -- only increases disorder in society, because it penalizes self-government found in immigrants and rewards laziness found in those who believe they are "entitled" to high-pay, low-work jobs and want to be protected from competition from immigrants who can raise the standard of living in society by doing more work for less pay. |
| Automobile Liability Insurance |
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| In order to enforce the mandatory automobile liability insurance law, we believe proof of insurance should be required before licenses are renewed. We also encourage spot checks by law enforcement officials. |
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| Driving Under the Influence |
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| We support the increased efforts by local and state law enforcement agencies in controlling the problem of apprehending persons driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. |
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| We support a "zero tolerance level" for minors caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. |
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| We strongly encourage law enforcement agencies to enforce the "abuse and lose" law. |
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| We favor annual drug testing for any person driving an emergency response vehicle (fire, police, ambulance), including volunteers, and for individuals who operate commercial passenger vehicles. |
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| For a person who commits the crime of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, we support the automatic suspension of his or her driver's license and mandatory participation in a traffic offender program. Furthermore, repeat offenders should receive a mandatory jail sentence. |
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| We support making the open container law more strict. |
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| We support making the repeat offender laws more strict. |
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| Firearms |
Kevin Craig supports the original intent behind the Second Amendment. But as a Christian, Kevin Craig repudiates the Second Amendment as a manifesto of violent revolution against the government. |
| We oppose any new legislation or regulatory action by state or federal agencies that would register or license firearms beyond present registration standards. |
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| We are opposed to a cased firearm law. |
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| We support a concealed-carry handgun law. |
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| Judiciary |
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| We urge that law and order be restored by strict enforcement of present laws and by swift action in the courts. We also believe the death penalty is an appropriate sentence for those committing murder in the first degree. |
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| We do not believe the judicial system should have the power to order expenditures of public monies without legislative authorization. |
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| To improve our jury selection process, we recommend that our Criminal Code be changed so that in identified capital punishment crimes, no juror may be approved if he is identified in the selection process as being opposed to capital punishment. |
Kevin Craig supports Fully Informed Juries. |
| Enemy combatants captured outside the U.S. should be tried by military tribunals, not federal criminal courts. |
The Bush-Obama regime claims the power to declare American citizens "enemy combatants." Once this declaration is made (without due process) the rights of the American are lost. Rights are given by God, not the government. The government has no authority to suspend God-given rights, even to those who worship a false god. The Military Commissions Act should be repealed.
Tyranny and the Military Commissions Act by Jacob G. Hornberger |
| We recommend that the jury be informed that a one year sentence in the Department of Corrections is not a full year. They need to know this when making sentencing recommendations. |
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| We recommend that jurors be permitted to take notes during trial proceedings. |
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| We strongly recommend that Farm Bureau members become more active in serving as jurors. |
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| We recommend that more information be made available on prior convictions before a convicted felon is sentenced. |
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| We recommend that local juvenile officers be better trained, highly qualified, and provided with adequate job descriptions. Juvenile officers should routinely follow up on frequent truancy cases in school districts. |
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| We favor prosecuting juveniles committing felony crimes under the same laws as adults. |
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| We believe there should be more discretion used in plea bargaining. |
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| We favor limiting the term of service for Federal Judges. |
Impeachment is the Constitutional remedy for out-of-control judges. |
| We favor mandatory retirement of all federal and state judges at age seventy. |
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| We believe federal judges should be reconfirmed to office every six years as is currently the practice for judges in the state of Missouri. |
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| We favor changing the plea of "innocent by reason of insanity" to "guilty but insane". |
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| We favor mandatory payment of restitution into the Crime Victims Compensation Fund as a condition for probation in all crimes. We favor mandatory full payment of restitution to insurers and others incurring financial loss by parties found guilty of livestock, machinery or crop theft, fraud, vandalism or arson. |
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| We support county prosecutors being limited to two times of dropping and refiling the same charges of any action. |
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| We favor more strict enforcement and stronger penalties in dealing with illegal drugs and alcohol. |
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| We support additional legislation to strengthen the present state sexual misconduct and nudity laws to prohibit indecent exposure by both men and women in recreational areas including floatable streams. We oppose indecent exposure by both men and women to the general public and landowners on floatable streams. |
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| Prisons |
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| We favor work programs for prisoners. |
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| We encourage the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or counties to establish regional jails that would serve multi-counties and to consider contract jails. |
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| All judges should be mandated to add prison costs, including room and board and medical costs, to the sentence of prisoners. |
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| We support efforts to restrict the ability of prisoners to file frivolous lawsuits. |
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| Protecting Private Property |
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| We believe present laws and court rulings are overly protective of criminals relative to the rights available to individuals who attempt to protect their property. |
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| We favor allowing private property owners to protect themselves, families, and homes by reasonable means from criminal harm without fear of prosecution. |
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| We favor stronger trespass laws which would protect the property owner. We believe the burden of proof should fall on the accused in trespassing cases. |
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| Because of a concern for our constitutional rights, we do not believe a landowner's property should be confiscated when a landowner is unaware that drug violations have occurred on his farm and the landowner is not convicted of any crime. |
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| We further believe property of individuals convicted of drug violations committed on someone else's property should be subject to forfeiture proceedings the same as if the violations had occurred on the convicted individual's own property. |
So much for the Constitutional rights of drug users. The problem with forfeiture proceedings is not the abuse of power, but the power to abuse. |
| Rural Crime Prevention |
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| We encourage county law officials to set up neighborhood watch groups in cooperation with rural residents. |
The federal government says it is "unconstitutional" for rural public schools to teach students that God says not to steal and not to kill. Neighborhood Watch programs, while commendable, are symptomatic approaches. |
| Missouri Farm Bureau should continue to work with the Missouri Sheriff's Association and the Missouri Highway Patrol to develop and promote a statewide personal property identification system that would help law enforcement officials return stolen property to the rightful owner. |
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