Remember when the TSA extensively questioned (and harrassed) a guy back in April for having substantial sums of money on him, while he recorded the whole interaction? Yeah, we'll he's now suing the TSA. I hope he gets 'em big time (I doubt he will, but I can dream, right?)!
Continue reading: Sue ’em!
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on the face of it sounds like he is right he is asking if he is required to answer...but consider the TSAs POV - i would say he was being a smartass...if someone is confident why would they question authority? giving the clear answer did get him off right? not giving a clear answer just created additional suspicion. imagine tomorrow someone walks in with a big case of suspicious content and then when asked where it came from says am i required to answer that?!?!? now imagine if this someone is a stereotypical profiled young male from the middle east or somethiing. seriously think that this was not such a big deal. half an hour only. the TSA was doing their job and frivolous suits like these just distract.
The point here is that he shouldn't have been detained in the first place. Did they think he posed a hazard to flight safety or not? I very much doubt they felt he posed a risk and were more than likely just curious about what was in the box maybe perhaps even planned on stealing it. Law enforcement was given too many freedoms under Bush and much of what was done needs to be redacted.
Where is the line to draw in this so called protection? I will not and many others trade in our freedoms for protection they can't provide 100%.
Gun laws does the waiting period as well as restrictions really help? Tell me if someone is going to murder someone or others do they need the gun or even so what's to stop them from getting one in the first place if they really wanted to? Airlines and all the restrictions on carry on items. How is this going to stop someone that has planned this that really wants to from getting a knife or a gun on the plane? We are giving up rights and choices for a sliver of protection that only goes so far and in most cases against poorly planned attacks.
I'm sorry but racial profiling with decent training will usually cover our asses enough instead of shedding all our rights to the "man".
The further we go down this road the more likely we will repeat our civil war or increased rioting or civil unrest. Breaking points become that much more realistic.
If the guy would have answered "where did the money come from" in the first place, none of the rest of it would have happened. Did he inform them that he was recording them? Probably not. I would assume that it is not admissable anyway. So that, plus his cute little copy of the Constitution, leads me to believe this guy is a d-bag with a chip on his shoulder. Get over it, ACLU, he was asking for it.
I'm with you Sherri. The TSA people were just doing their jobs. If this guy had just cooperated in the fist place he would have been out of there in a few minutes. But instead, he chose to be a smart ass. So yah, he's going to get what he gives out. Next time don't be such a dumb ass and maybe you won't miss your flight. The reason that this guy was held is because drug traffickers are having people carry large sums of money on planes and know that they won't get caught because it is legal to have large sums of money on you when you fly in the USA (not outside the USA). If he would have stated his reason for carrying the money (campaign contributions) they would have said something like "oh, ok you are free to go." And that would have been the end of it. I hope he loses his court battle and has to pay fines and attorney fees! What a prick!
I think the point is the that the TSA is not a law enforcement agency, they are there to protect flight safety. I cannot think of any way in which a cash box with about $5000 dollars in it puts a plane or passengers at risk, so it is none of the TSA's business.
Yes, the point is that the TSA is not responsible for anything but flight safety. Carrying cash shouldn't be an invitation to stop and question someone and is not reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime. We still live in the united states and still have the remnants of a constitution. Kudos to the guy for standing up for himself. All those who say "if he had just answered the question nothing would have happened and he would have been out of there quickly', well, that is just what the government WANTS you to think. That way, they can justify their unconstitutional overreaching into your private affairs.
The next step is government officials walking down the street and asking for your papers. After all, if you haven't done anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?.......
I hope this man wins the case against the TSA. They are rude, vulgar and demeaning to people. Sorry but freedom shouldn't come at the price of treating citizens like animals.I fly very often and on more than one occasion I have been selected and harrassed by the TSA. It was happening almost every time i flew for a few months and they always said it was random. Finally one time I made a scene at the Dallas airport and threw a fit and really laid into the TSA guy about why I was constantly being questioned. He immediately apolgized and let me go without searching my stuff.