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Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Way To Deal With Roving TSA Teams?
An anonymous reader writes "I live in Boston, and I have noticed the TSA performs random security checks at the Copley T (subway station) and other locations. I routinely travel with a laptop, iPhone, and other gadgetry. What are my rights when asked by one of the TSA agents to 'come over here'? Can I say no and proceed with my private business? What if a police officer says that I 'must go over there and cooperate'? Can I decline or ask for a warrant? Like the majority of the population, I turn into an absolute shrinking violet when pressured by intimidating authority, but I struggle with what I see to be blatant social devolution. Has anybody out there actually responded rationally, without complying? What were your experiences?"
"Ich bin just doing mein job!"
Yes, definitely forgive these people who hide behind the law as an excuse to violate people's Constitutional rights. These poor souls are not responsible at all.
Seriously, the world laughs at you, Americans! You always brag about defending freedom around the world but clearly you suck at that. The fact that the news don't speak of riots against people like the TSA clearly show you don't care about your rights. You just want to be victims and complain and get sympathy.
they can also assassinate you. thank you mr. obama, for showing not just old white guys can wipe their ass with the constitution.
If iran is preparing to nuke you.. you might want to reconsider that. Being the richest guy in the world makes you a target, whether you deserve it or not (see sept 11).
Paul is an isolationist, that's the problem. The world is interconnected. The US has done the isolation bit before, and found out the hard way you're part of the world, and if shit goes badly, you're getting bombed or torpedoed or whatever, whether you are involved or not, and whether you were at fault or not. You have things people want, they will try and take it from you. You have allies, if you say 'fuck it, we'll let Iran do whatever they want' you're putting Israel, India and most of Europe in a position of having to deal with this on their own, without a substantial deterrent at their back. They won't be your allies if you aren't engaged with them. Maybe that means giving them money, maybe that means parking an aircraft carrier off their coast every now and again, but in exchange they do anything important in US dollars. That benefits you a lot, and they sell you stuff you want, that benefits you, a lot, and they buy stuff from you, that benefits you a lot, it's like the world is all interconnected. And when you try and do stupid things they, as your friends, try and stop you. You know... like trying to recolonize iraq.
Yes, the US withdrawing from the UN would be effectively an unmitigated disaster for pretty much everyone. Everywhere. The whole institution would basically collapse, which hurts everyone big and small. Most US military spending is domestic, it's a giant jobs programme. Nothing more. There are more efficient ways to accomplish that, but the net effect is money for US things. The war on drugs.. what's your alternative? Legalize it? How well did that work out for china for a century? The concept of a government agency responsible for the security of airlines is fine. The implementation is a disaster of course, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater much? How many lawyers can you employ in airports to oversee screenings to make sure that the security company minimizes its liability? That's the route you're headed without the TSA. The government should be doing airport security, just differently (ok, a lot differently).
The Europeans were pissed you invaded iraq without valid evidence. Even a child on the outside could realize that you were wrong about the WMD. France and germany and turkey were prepared to go along with it if you had found WMD. You didn't. But you still invaded - preventing Iraq from having WMD: good, Invading them for having WMD when they didn't: bad. It's so simple ron paul should be able to understand it, but I doubt it. The isolationist doesn't pull his head out of the sand until there's a gas cloud over tel aviv. Or in this day and age we're looking at Ukraine, Georgia, Taiwan, etc. Even the Arab spring. Do you seriously think the Libyans could have been rid of Gaddafhi without help? (Yours included). That man was a disaster to everything he touched. The Libyans will remember who helped them be rid of the bastard, and who didn't. Guess which side you ended up on? Oh right, the right side of the issue. Egypt, tunisa, not so much.
So wait... you're saying you'd be better off without the bailouts that saved a few million jobs and prevented your economy from going into a tailspin, because oh no, they added to the budget deficit (which, by the way, you mostly owe yourselves). Sure, there are more efficient ways to solve that problem, but they staunched the bleeding, which was about as far as they could go, - which was unfortunately no where near far enough, but you take what you can get.
Did you live through the US government shuts downs of the 90's? I'm not even an american and I remember them, they were a disaster here too, because all that stuff we sell you, because we're your ally, ya, we couldn't sell it to you (or organize the selling to you, whatever it was), and that had half the bloody world in a panic. You may not like everything the government does, I certainly don't like everything my government does, but someone like Ron Paul who has such a delusional understanding of what government does, is capable of, or should do should not be anywhere near a high office.