Flyover Country

Six Ohio legislators want to give criminals with multiple convictions the option to have their court records sealed.  As it is now, only first time offenders are eligible to petition the court for this action.  Where it gets really evil is that the record expunging isn’t limited to the courts.  These senators have decided they want all records of the convictions erased.

Columbus Dispatch The legislation, introduced by Sen. Shirley Smith, D-Cleveland, however, would not stop at ordering courts and police agencies to seal the official record.

It also would require individuals and private businesses to erase the historical record by destroying “records” they hold about the convictions of those whose cases are sealed.

Under threat of a $250,000 fine, the bill would require individuals, newspapers and other news media to delete stories from the Internet and their archives about the arrests and convictions of those who win expungement orders.

If a party knowingly released information about a sealed conviction, they would face a $500,000 fine. The damages would double to $1 million if the banned information was available on the Internet.

This is a blatant attempt to create a de-facto Ministry of Truth – where historical records are destroyed on penalty of massive fines.  Small-town newspapers would be immediately destroyed by even a single one of these fines.

To start with poor convicts who just can’t get a job because of their criminal record is the foot in the door to forcing the erasure of other history.  We have a right to a public trial primarily for the accused.  We have a free and open press so that we have someone keeping an accurate record of history.  As an employer, I have a right to know if someone I’m interviewing has a rap sheet for fraud or bank robbery.

However well intentioned, this is a supremely bad idea.  Every piece of history the government or a politician doesn’t want you to find out about will be erased.  One conviction for a minor offense is a youthful indiscretion.  Multiple DUIs is a pattern – and we the people have a right to know who we’re electing.

There is an unrelated story about how the Columbus City council is trying to grant themselves privileges to move meetings behind closed doors, out of view of the public.  This is the opposite of a government of the people.  This is a government of rulers, who alone will decide what history is kept, what must be changed to reflect their arbitrary declarations, and what must be erased.