In the United Police States of America, there is no more room for free-thinking individuals that wish to take common sense action as they see fit, at least not when they try to do so without the government's permission. In a shocking display of utter tyranny against a free individual trying to contribute to the greater good, an official in Phoenix, Arizona, recently ordered resident Dana Crow-Smith to stop handing out free bottles of water to thirsty passersby trying to survive the extreme heat wave, claiming that she needs a permit to conduct this act of good will.
But Dwayne Grierson, the "Neighborhood Preservation Inspector" who approached Crow-Smith, told the woman that she was in violation of Phoenix City Code because she did not possess a vendor's permit. Handing out free water, she was told, is prohibited in the city of Phoenix without having first jumped through the local government's regulatory hoops, which in essence implies that local citizens are required to get permission from Big Brother before engaging in acts of kindness.
Phoenix City Code; however, does not actually prohibit individuals like Crow-Smith from handing out free water, or anything else for that matter. It merely states that individuals are not free to sell goods or services on public sidewalks and property without first obtaining a vending permit. Grierson, and perhaps the entire City of Phoenix -- it is unclear at this point whether or not the city stands by Grierson's actions -- is simply reinterpreting the law to target charity efforts as if they were commerce.
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