I think most people are criminals, choosing which laws to obey and which to violate.
Recently, I was forced into the conclusion that I am a criminal. Not just any criminal, but a felon. Oh, I've driven five miles an hour over the limit from time to time, and may not always compile to the letter on every zoning code. But those are just petty crimes. No--I have done far worse than simply roll through the occasional stop sign. In fact, I'm usually a careful driver.
But, I am not so careful in other areas. Once, I inadvertently smuggled a weapon across the border. I forgot about a pocket knife buried in the bottom of my suitcase until, too late, I had already rolled up to the gate at the border crossing. When asked if I had any weapons with me, I lied and said I did not. Fortunately, I escaped justice at that time and the guard did not search my vehicle.
Had he done so, he might have discovered the prescription medications that I had stored away in measured out doses. It does not matter that these blood pressure and cholesterol drugs were all prescribed by a doctor. The fact that they were not in the prescription bottle was a violation of the law, and therefore rendered me a dangerous drug felon.
But I have done worse than that. On occasion, I have given my wife one of my alprazolam tablets, prescribed to me for occasional use to control anxiety. I rarely use these except for such things as getting on an airplane. Giving a rare pill to my wife is considered the supplying of a controlled substance and is a felony of the most egregious order.
Not that my wife is innocent, by any means. On numerous occasions, she has violated the statutes by keeping drugs past the allotted date of the prescription. If caught, she could be subject to harsh penalties, including prison time.
And then there is the matter of pornography. As with most computer users, I get tons of spam, despite having a firewall and anti-virus program. Much of the spam consists of links to pornographic websites, with some of these websites containing child pornography. In most cases, I never click on spam. But, sometimes it's difficult to recognize what is spam and what is legitimate email. Can I be certain that there is no illegal child porn residing on my computer, even though I've taken every precaution to prevent this? The courts have ruled that my lack of knowledge in such cases does not necessarily protect me from legal action.
I have a home wi-fi network. This is unsecured, since the system was difficult to set up and I fear that messing around with it may mess it up. Congress recently passed legislation that makes me responsible if some stranger accesses my system and uses it to download kiddy porn without my knowledge.
I don't think that I am much different from most Americans. As with most, I try to do the right thing, and don't violate any person's rights intentionally. I believe most people are as criminal as I am.
Have you ever carried anything prohibited aboard a plane or over the border? Do you have any prescription medications in a container other than the one that came from the pharmacist? Do you ever share medications with a spouse or other family member? I already know you speed, fudge on your income tax, and bend the occasional zoning laws.
If you answer yes to any of these, then congratulations--you belong to the ranks of millions of people who are criminals. As with me, you simply haven't been caught yet.