Airport rules changed after Ron Paul aide detained – Washington Times — The TSA has defended this action, now seeing it will lose in court relents. The audio is below. It’s unfortunate that people like this have no regard for the real laws of the USA. This situation was essentially false imprisonment and the TSA officials should be indicted.
An angry aide to Rep. Ron Paul, an iPhone and $4,700 in cash have forced the Transportation Security Administration to quietly issue two new rules telling its airport screeners they can only conduct searches related to airplane safety.
In response, the American Civil Liberties Union is dropping its lawsuit on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt, the man who was detained in March and who recorded the confrontation on his iPhone as TSA and local police officers spent half an hour demanding answers as to why he was carrying the money through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.The new rules, issuedin September and October, tell officers “screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimes unrelated to transportation security” and that large amounts of cash don’t qualify as suspicious for purposes of safety.
“We had been hearing of so many reports of TSA screeners engaging in wide-ranging fishing expeditions for illegal activities,” said Ben Wizner, a staff lawyer for the ACLU, pointing to reports of officers scanning pill-bottle labels to see whether the passenger was the person who obtained the prescription as one example.
He said screeners get a narrow exception to the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches, strictly to keep weapons and explosives off planes, not to help police enforce other laws.
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CLICK TO PLAY AUDIO: |
No more searches for medical marijuana by the TSA? This is important for logistics between the growing areas and the distribution systems.
Bloody Hell! At 4 minutes in to this audio, listen to the TSA agent radio-ing through the spelling of the guys name.
Boston, Idah, Edward, Robert, Frank, Edward, Lincoln, David, Tom.
Sam, Tom, Edward, Victor, Edward, Nora.
ROFL. Are these the standard phonetics? whatever happened to…
Bravo, India, Echo, Romeo….
Why do these people always freak out at the question, “am I required by law to blah blah blah.”
Just answer the question, copper. It’s a yes or no question.
“$4,700 in cash ”
They stopped him for this. Hell, just tell them your renting an SUV and need to fill the tank.
“which prohibits unreasonable searches, strictly to keep weapons and explosives off planes, not to help police enforce other laws.”
I think this is wrong too, too much of and blanket statement. What if he’s transporting body parts.
The government runs the TSA and like everything else it runs it runs like crap. But some people thing these same people will run Health Care perfectly.
If I walk through the checkpoint with $4700 on my ATM card, will they stop me? What’s the diff.
Only travel when it’s absolutely necessary. When the travel industry finally starts screaming, these bozo’s will be back on an assembly line where they belong.
This was disgusting.
Wot no taser?
Anybody know by chance what the dollar value is that sets off the alarms?
Thank goodness for the American Civil Liberties Union.
After all, who wants things to degenerate into a jackbooted thug society? Oh wait, we have that now except it’s excused & protected as gang activity.
RBG
#9, Dallas,
Yup. The wing nuts, tea baggers, Liebertarians, “tort reformers” and especially the Washington Times don’t though.
#12 — the story was from the Washington Times. How does that comment of yours make any sense?
#13, John,
The Washington Times thinks the ACLU is a communist plot. I knowingly added it to the list.
Ah yes, the silence of the lambs when the ACLU stands up for a wingnut. If they tried to comprehend the eeeeevul ACLU helping one of their wingnut heroes, their little heads would likely explode.
It’s funny, you’d think libertarians and other nuts so fearful of government power would applaud the work of the ACLU. But that’s giving them more credit for independent thought than they deserve. Rush/Beck/Faux calls the ACLU evil, that’s good enough for them.
Those TSA and other law enforcement dunderheads are power hungry and think they are right no matter what. They are not empowed to answer questions as to the legality or requirement of their actions. That first TSA guy was a complete rectal orifice.
#8:
“Anybody know by chance what the dollar value is that sets off the alarms?”
and, do they adjust this when the dollar drops in value?
PRIVACY,
its gone.
WHO told these SMUCKS they could STOP ANYONE??
#! Most police do not use the military phonic alphabet. They use names Lincoln, Charles, Robert, etc.
Gotta love the scare tactics employed by the simpleton authorities. Most of these guys probably don’t have a GED. I hate flying.
Way to go Steven! Stand up for YOUR RIGHTS!!! I too say “show me the law” or get the bloody hell out of my face. Show me the law I am breaking (or going to break) or go pound rocks!
There are still these pesky things many cops, TSA workers and even communists don’t seem to like called “rights.” They are given to us by the Constitution and apply to every many woman and child in America.
I can also see that even a few people HERE don’t seem to get that one. After all, it’s not them being questioned or having THEIR rights trampled on.
#21 Well said, Goiter. So I assume you’re an enthusiastic supporter of the ACLU, which helped him in his fight against the government.
Balls of steel award to Mr Bierfeldt. Someone has to stand up to these thugs. Too bad they didn’t ask for a bribe…We are way too close to a police state for comfort. (speaking as someone who spent a few years on the no-fly list). Power corrupts. Human nature doesn’t change. Semper vigilans.
#23 Great, another supporter of the ACLU — standing up for our rights since 1920.
Well, this kind of crap keeps me from bothering to ever want to fly in the USA. Hell, just this past weekend, when crossing into Maine, the border guard asked for proof that we were staying in the US by way of demanding to see our confirmation # for the hotel. What if I did not have it?!?!?!
Just totally out of control down there. Come move to Canada. We still have our heads screwed on straight. We are even ditching our stupid long gun registry. I mean, all we need now is a 2 tier healthcare system and our dollar to go back over par and we will be a freer and more prosperous version of the USA!!!
And our beer is stronger too 😛
Firstly, it’s funny this isn’t a problem till a someone in politics gets harassed.
Secondly, doesn’t this new TSA policy effectively destroy the proposed ACTA treaty to search laptops/iPods for copyright infringement at all borders?
#26 Static:
Nope. Whole different kettle of fish when entering the country. No rights there.
Good Result!!
Privacy is not an optional thing. If the TSA is going beyond their purpose they should be sued.
Its high time that the rules be reviewed across the board. The US and UK are the only countries still requiring people to remove shoes.
I love guys that do this!
#24 Fido
Perhaps as a lap dog it doesn’t occur to you, but it is possible to support some actions by an organization without supporting them all. It takes a little more advanced intelligence to carry what the psychologists refer to as cognitive dissonance, but it can be learned. Blind loyalty is a fairly primitive attribute. I believe this was considered a negative in the case of our past president, for example.
#30 Yes, I thought so, Cmon. You’ll grudgingly admit the ACLU did something useful if they support someone with the same beliefs as you. And when they support someone you don’t like, they’re commie libruls or whatever Rush/Glen/Faux calls them. You wingnuts just don’t understand that “freedom” doesn’t mean freedom only for people who agree with me, it means freedom for people who don’t agree with me too.
No one expects to support all the people the ACLU supports. I don’t. I don’t like American Nazis. But I support their right to express their opinions in public. I don’t like Rush Limbaugh. But I support his right to keep his medical records private from the police.
As the old saying goes, I may despise what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
If you like freedom, you should be supporting the ACLU, especially when they stand up for obnoxious assholes.