Pubdate: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 2014 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspaper Contact: http://www.chron.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198 Author: Bob Gayle ERODING TRUST Regarding "Stockman bill would have banned some asset seizures" (Page B2, Tuesday), if only Steve's Stockman's bill to stop federal seizure of assets could fix bad laws instead of being a political statement. The government's ability to label goods suspicious and take them without any proof of illegalities is Orwellian in its reasoning. The Justice Department claims it's an effective tool, ignoring innocent victims of asset seizure in the fever to stop drug trafficking and organized crime. However, the original aims of civil forfeiture, which started with the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in 1970, have changed from taking criminals' loot to swallowing crooks and bystanders alike into a bureaucratic cash machine. Abrogating civil rights and bypassing due process can only hurt the justice system when it needs the trust of its citizens more than ever. Bob Gayle, Houston - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom