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SMV extorted by Spanish Border Patrol!

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#121
Ok my .02,

I have toured a lot in Europe and one of the most frustrating things is understanding the laws and practices as you go from country to country. One of the first and best pieces of advice I got about touring Europe is; You are not in the states,you are a guest. Having said that one of the most valuable things you can have is a great tour manager,one who is familiar with the laws and enforcement in each country.

At some point in the first video it's said that they can't check the driver who's not driving at the time and it seems that that's the driver they found in violation,as a person who has been stopped for DWB more times than I like to remember police love to go over and beyond reason when there trying to find something particularly when there's a instant cash fine involved. Also the fact that the violation happened weeks ago has to also make them even more suspect;in the weeks they have been in Europe nobody else checked the tach?

To our Spanish bass brothers;what was said on the video is how the people involved felt;that they were being shaken down,maybe they didn't understand why and the way it was being done is different in the region they were in but all they knew was they had to come up with a lot of money right now. Stanley Clark has been touring since the late '60's -early '70's so if he thought something was wrong in his considerable experience.........
 
#122
jsixties said:
It's terrible! More or less like passing a serious illness in your country and goes directly to the graveyard if you don't have any single cent to pay the medical bills. Welcome to the real world.
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????:confused::confused::confused::confused:

What does this have to do with the topic at hand?

Besides with the thread steering political, I'm sure it will be locked soon.:rollno:

God Bless, Ray
 
#124
willgroove2 said:
To our Spanish bass brothers;what was said on the video is how the people involved felt;that they were being shaken down,maybe they didn't understand why and the way it was being done is different in the region they were in but all they knew was they had to come up with a lot of money right now. Stanley Clark has been touring since the late '60's -early '70's so if he thought something was wrong in his considerable experience.........
Click to expand...

Again, the laws the law. Going 1mph over the speed limit is still breaking the law. Now it may not be enforced, but it can be. Just because that driver's infraction wasn't enforced any where else means nothing.

Maybe the cops needed to make their quota. A violation is a violation. It sucks that it happened to these 3 bass gods, but they don't know Spanish (or any country in Europe's) law and can't say that they weren't in violation of anything.

You think American cops don't mess with foreign people here? You're out of your mind.

I bet those guards were guitards...
 
#125
LilRay said:
Your right Doc, If you decked a cop here (Crooked or not) you'd have a nightstick or gun butt impression impaled or your head. If you were to do so overseas, your more likely to be killed.
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Depends where overseas you are.

Police in the UK don't routinely carry firearms, most people don't own firearms either, so I really doubt that you'd be killed over here.

As has been stated earlier, there are no borders as such in the EU.

Was the tour bus American, or European ?
 
#126
willgroove2 said:
Ok my .02,

I have toured a lot in Europe and one of the most frustrating things is understanding the laws and practices as you go from country to country. One of the first and best pieces of advice I got about touring Europe is; You are not in the states,you are a guest. Having said that one of the most valuable things you can have is a great tour manager,one who is familiar with the laws and enforcement in each country.

At some point in the first video it's said that they can't check the driver who's not driving at the time and it seems that that's the driver they found in violation,as a person who has been stopped for DWB more times than I like to remember police love to go over and beyond reason when there trying to find something particularly when there's a instant cash fine involved. Also the fact that the violation happened weeks ago has to also make them even more suspect;in the weeks they have been in Europe nobody else checked the tach?

To our Spanish bass brothers;what was said on the video is how the people involved felt;that they were being shaken down,maybe they didn't understand why and the way it was being done is different in the region they were in but all they knew was they had to come up with a lot of money right now. Stanley Clark has been touring since the late '60's -early '70's so if he thought something was wrong in his considerable experience.........
Click to expand...

In the video Victor assumes that the Ertzainas are corrupt and are extorting them. Victor Wooten has been touring since the 80's and he doesn't know that the police can fine the replacement driver.

As I tried to explain in a comment that he didn't approve, it probably was a misunderstanding, and all the "suspicious" circumstances like the closed office, held bus and payment in the police car are perfectly LEGAL.
 
#127
julo said:
Has anybody seen the movie "DIG" and see that segment of the Dandy Warhols in France, in their tour bus, etc.
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I haven't, and now I'm curious! What happened?

julo said:
Those salvage euro people...
I've heard they eat foreigners. But not US... too much cholesterol. :D
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I wouldn't be so sure about the cholesterol bit, from what I understand French cuisine excels at preparing food that's rich in fat (foie gras, anyone?). I don't doubt they have some delicious Touriste Américain Grillé a la Mode recipes. :hiding:
 
#129
Zureta said:
I haven't, and now I'm curious! What happened?


I wouldn't be so sure about the cholesterol bit, from what I understand French cuisine excels at preparing food that's rich in fat (foie gras, anyone?). I don't doubt they have some delicious Touriste Américain Grillé a la Mode recipes. :hiding:
Click to expand...

The Warhols get stopped by what in the US would be the customs. There are the most powerful police. They can search you on the spot etc. Anyway, they found pot (a few grams), fine them for like 40 euros (The singer says: it's like the equivalent of 2 t-shirts they sell at show) and they let them go with the pot (and without finding the cocaine in the box on the table where the cop wrote the fine) somehting like that.
WHILE, in the US, the BMJ was busted, thrown in jail for basically the same thing.

Foie gras is unsaturated fat. It's all good. People in that region of France (Perigord) live super old. I'm telling you, it's all good (except for the ducks and gease).
 
#130
IBWT said:
In the video Victor assumes that the Ertzainas are corrupt and are extorting them. Victor Wooten has been touring since the 80's and he doesn't know that the police can fine the replacement driver.

As I tried to explain in a comment that he didn't approve, it probably was a misunderstanding, and all the "suspicious" circumstances like the closed office, held bus and payment in the police car are perfectly LEGAL.
Click to expand...

Sometimes it's not what someone dose but how they do it that raises suspicion. And the cultural differences alone (it might be normal to close offices while dealing with official business there but it's a little suspect to somebody not from there)
 
#131
LilRay said:
????:confused::confused::confused::confused:

What does this have to do with the topic at hand?
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Nothing at all, just to let you know every country has his own stuff. I respect you but we deserve the same. The aim with this video is unfriendly and a provocation so pretends a vision of my country and the whole Europe as a "republica bananera" in the old El Paso style. The worst part is many american people could think that this is real.
 
#134
draftsmann said:
It is perhaps worth pointing out that "Europe" is not one country, and that despite the so-called "EU" there is, in my opinion and experience, no such thing as "European identity".

From what I've seen, there are bad - and good - public servants everywhere.

Just saying, like :)

Adrian
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That is the point.

There is no "European Police" that can charge a spanish fine anywhere in the EU so spanish police can't trust drivers so they pay when they get back to their countries. That is why they charge it in place.

This and the closed office may look suspicious to a foreigner, that is why you should be well informed before saying that a law agent is corrupt.
 
#135
julo said:
The Warhols get stopped by what in the US would be the customs. There are the most powerful police. They can search you on the spot etc. Anyway, they found pot (a few grams), fine them for like 40 euros (The singer says: it's like the equivalent of 2 t-shirts they sell at show) and they let them go with the pot (and without finding the cocaine in the box on the table where the cop wrote the fine) somehting like that.
WHILE, in the US, the BMJ was busted, thrown in jail for basically the same thing.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I guess a lot can depend on the mood of the particular authority, or just plain luck!

That reminds me of an important point that folks that don't do much international travel may not be aware of: border patrol police are usually the rudest, worst tempered, most humorless police officers, nay, human beings in the whole country. In every country! That's from personal experience. :smug:

To those of you trying to judge Spanish values or culture from the behaviour of those guys, you might as well just give up on Earth and go live somewhere else. No place in this planet is safe. :D


julo said:
Foie gras is unsaturated fat. It's all good. People in that region of France (Perigord) live super old. I'm telling you, it's all good (except for the ducks and gease).
Click to expand...
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, poor geese. Those don't benefit at all from the healthy French lifestyle, as in good food, good wine, tour de france-biking and other such fine stereotypes. Don't get me started on the smoking. :D
 
#137
IBWT said:
That is the point.

There is no "European Police" that can charge a spanish fine anywhere in the EU so spanish police can't trust drivers so they pay when they get back to their countries. That is why they charge it in place.
Click to expand...

Funny, pretty much the same thing has been news recently here in southern Brazil. For many years tourists from (mainly) Argentina were speeding and driving recklessly on Brazilian highways, because they knew they could simply not pay the traffic violation tickets when they got back home. Nothing would happen to them!

It took local authorities something like ten years to realize they had to change the law to make people pay the fines before leaving the country. Only after that people started behaving. :rolleyes:
 
#139
Phil Smith said:
So what happend was Gross Misconduct on behalf of the drivers of the tour bus?
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Gross Misconduct:

Exceeding maximum driving time in 20% or more, that is, driving for:

- 5 hours and 24 minutes or more without rest
- 10 hours and 48 minutes in one day with or without rest
- 67 hours and 12 minutes in one week with or without rest
- 108 hours in two weeks with or without rest
 
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