More Government Bullying from TSA
Posted by: Blue Collar Muse in 1st Amendment, 4th Amendment, 5th Amendment, Blogroll, Breaking News, Constitution Issues, Law Enforcement, Smaller GovernmentI spent a lot of time in airports last year. I always get wanded and have to pass through the security patdown due to a piece of jewelry that no longer comes off. It’s annoying but unless I want to cut the bracelet off, I’ll live with it.
Still, I’m not the only person who thinks the TSA and other law enforcement agencies routinely overstep their bounds simply because they can and they are taught to be intimidating. More recently this disturbing trend in law enforcement took a fascist turn in Missouri where Law Enforcement was told that militia members and domestic terrorists could be profiled by bumper stickers on their vehicles.
People who ignore or are ignorant of their Constitutional rights to things like the 1st Amendment’s Freedom of Speech and the 4th Amendment’s right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures” without a warrant being issued after law enforcement demonstrates probable cause and the 5th Amendment’s protection against self incrimination AND against having their effects seized without due process routinely give up their rights to the Government when they are confronted with seemingly innocuous questions like, “If you don’t have anything to hide, why won’t you ____?”
How dangerous that our Government no longer understands that “If you are going to abide by the Constitution, why would you ask such a thing?”
Think this is just an academic or rhetorical question? Think again. My friend Preston Taylor Holmes over at Six Meat Buffet has a video up of a FOX program hosted by Judge Napolitano where a young man carrying cash and Campaign for Liberty material was detained by at the St. Louis airport for 25 minutes and questioned by Law Enforcement who repeatedly asked him to surrender his Constitutional rights merely to satisfy their curiosity. The entire thing was caught on audio tape.
Welcome to America under the authority of Big Government. Kiss your rights good-bye when you leave your house in the morning. You may never see them again … I want to know what happened to the guys in the windowless room.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I wish the young man had the presence of mind to answer the “What is this money for?” question with the answer, “All debts public and private.”
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:42 pm
[…] More Government Bullying from TSA Blue Collar Muse. […]
April 4th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Never rains but pours.
April 4th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Good post.
Where can I get one of those ‘record with a scratch’ phones? )
April 6th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Ref: response #1 (Rick)
“All debts public and private.” I like that! I’ll have to remember that if I ever win the lottery! Then I can carry a bunch of money by TSA and wave it in their noses!