Link: German Mercedes Benz Exec arrested in Alabama under new Immigration Law

[Bad Pony]

Rut ro...boy, this could turn out to be a big ol' black eye for the state. It seems he left his ID, passport, driver's license, etc. in his hotel room and was stopped because his rental car had no tag. He was released when his ID's were brought to the station. There will be some butt kissing over this....


Rut ro

 

[gmart74]

at least it shows they werent profiling.

 

[lazlohollyfeld]

Guess what the local polizie in Munich would do if you passed one of their officers in a rental with no tags and they found you had left your ID, passport and license in your hotel room?

The same thing....

 

[Bad Pony]

Guess what the local polizie in Munich would do if you passed one of their officers in a rental with no tags and they found you had left your ID, passport and license in your hotel room?

The same thing....

I agree, I just found it humorous that the governor found out so quickly and called the state homeland security director and Bentley's press secretary wouldn't answer the question of how the governor found out.

 

[Bama Reb]

What is at issue here is the simple fact that he was in a rental car that had no tags and he didn't have his driver license with him. I believe that in itself is against the law in most any state. Had he not left his license, visa and passport in his hotel room he would have been allowed to proceed without delay. As it is, he was released as soon as they were brought to him and produced to the authorities.
As has been previously mentioned, the same would have happened to any US citizen if they were in Germany under similar circumstances. I see nothing wrong with anything surrounding this incident.

 

[cbi1972]

LOL @ Mercedes execs driving a rental car.

 

[BamaGoose]

LOL @ Mercedes execs driving a rental car.

Thought the same thing. It would seem Mercedes would get a car and permanent tags for their Execs...

 

[Bama Reb]

Well this is great. You can make all the excuses you want, but he was charged under the immigration law. I doubt you would be arrested if you did this. Ticket, yes. Arrested, no.

Sure he was charged under the immigration law. But in Alabama, if you're driving without proof of a valid driver license, you're not going to be just given a ticket and allowed to drive off again.

 

[Chukker Veteran]

A lot of the disgust directed at Alabama's immigration law is because it forces people to carry their ID papers with them at all times or face arrest.

That was one thing Nazi Germany was wellknown for.

Yes, I understand about Godwin's law, but here we have a German auto executive being arrested in modern-day Alabama because he didn't have the correct papers with him.

 

[BamaGoose]

A lot of the disgust directed at Alabama's immigration law is because it forces people to carry their ID papers with them at all times or face arrest.

That was one thing Nazi Germany was wellknown for.

Yes, I understand about Godwin's law, but here we have a German auto executive being arrested in modern-day Alabama because he didn't have the correct papers with him.

So in your opinion, are we Nazi's?

 

[doctorgonzo]

Sure he was charged under the immigration law. But in Alabama, if you're driving without proof of a valid driver license, you're not going to be just given a ticket and allowed to drive off again.

I was charged for the exact same thing in 2003. I was ticketed & released on my own recognizance. I brought my license to court & the charge was dropped.

 

[lazlohollyfeld]

Well this is great. You can make all the excuses you want, but he was charged under the immigration law. I doubt you would be arrested if you did this. Ticket, yes. Arrested, no.

And he was released when the proper documents were produced.

"Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman Felyicia Jerald said the man is from Germany and was visiting Alabama on business. The company's first U.S. assembly plant is located just east of Tuscaloosa.
"This was an unfortunate situation, but the incident was resolved when our colleague was able to provide his driver's license and other documents to Tuscaloosa police," Jerald said."

Yes, a legal citizen would have been ticketed for not producing proper documentation. However, my experience with not having my license on me (admittedly a long time ago when I was driving in a swim trunks) and being given a ticket, the ticket was dismissed when I produced my drivers license to the court clerk. The law adds detaining someone who might not belong here until proof can be offered that they do.

As I said above, German police would do the same to you if the situation were reversed. Even more so as a drivers license is not considered legal ID in Germany and they will want to see your passport for identification and your drivers license if it is traffic related. All Germans carry a Personalausweis (ID Card) and, if they drive, a separate drivers license. The fact he left his hotel room with neither in his pocket is odd. And you cannot even get a hotel room for the night in Germany without producing a way to pay and your passport.

And my feeling on this is his boss back in Germany are probably more upset with him for not having his documentation than they are at the state of Alabama. It's very "unGermanlike".

 

[doctorgonzo]

So in your opinion, are we Nazi's?

Anyone who has been paying attention can see we are not that far from it. Check out Tennessee's VIPR program or TSA employees staring at your genitals or Indiana Supreme Court decision which makes it illegal for you to resist illegal/warrantless entry into your home.

The last decade has not been kind to the Fourth Amendment.

 

[Chukker Veteran]

So in your opinion, are we Nazi's?

We do seem to support torture these days, or at least some of us.

 

[doctorgonzo]

We do seem to support torture these days

And dictatorship. The POTUS is given the privilege of using the military however he sees fit. He apparently can kill US citizens whenever he feels like it as well. Amazingly, Hitler had to keep it a secret while Obama does not.

 

[Chukker Veteran]

And dictatorship. The POTUS is given the privilege of using the military however he sees fit. He apparently can kill US citizens whenever he feels like it as well. Amazingly, Hitler had to keep it a secret while Obama does not.

Yes, I've been hoping Rush would take his rhetoric too far and then we could be done with him.

 

[lazlohollyfeld]

A lot of the disgust directed at Alabama's immigration law is because it forces people to carry their ID papers with them at all times or face arrest.

That was one thing Nazi Germany was wellknown for.

Yes, I understand about Godwin's law, but here we have a German auto executive being arrested in modern-day Alabama because he didn't have the correct papers with him.

In his own country he has to carry the "correct papers" with him. Drivers licenses are not sufficient for identification and all German citizens over the age of 16 carry a national ID card called a Personalausweis. If you are stopped for a driving offense in Germany they ask for your legal ID and your drivers license. For US citizens that means they will want to see your passport and your drivers license. If stopped for something other than a traffic offense they ask for the Personalausweis or your passport.

This auto exec was not asked to produce anything out of the ordinary, he was asked to provide what the police in his home town would ask to see. Most of the rest of the world requires correct documentation when you are stopped by authorities, the United States (in general) has long been the exception.

 

[BamaDude06]

Thought the same thing. It would seem Mercedes would get a car and permanent tags for their Execs...

The sad thing is I see M-Class vehicles with MB Manufacturer tags (much like the dealer tags you see) driving around the Vance area all the time.

 

[gmart74]

Yes, I've been hoping Rush would take his rhetoric too far and then we could be done with him.

please tell me you are aware of, and concerned by, the activities of homeland security and obama regarding the utter destruction of our rights. after that, hopefully you will realize what alabama is doing to immigrants is small potatoes compared to what our nat gov is doing to US citizens.

btw im thinking mercedes executive out late in a rental can only mean one thing- picking up trannies for a little fun

 

[doctorgonzo]

Yes, I've been hoping Rush would take his rhetoric too far and then we could be done with him.

A year in Guantanamo w/ daily waterboarding seems about right.