DHS Detains Mayor of Stockton, CA, Forces Him To Hand Over His Passwords

schwit1 writes: Anthony Silva, the mayor of Stockton, California, recently went to China for a mayor's conference. On his return to San Francisco airport he was detained by Homeland Security, and then had his two laptops and his mobile phone confiscated. They refused to show him any sort of warrant (of course) and then refused to let him leave until he agreed to hand over his password.

Comments

America

[Anonymous Coward]

still has not won the *real* war on terror. The terror on 9/11 still inspires fear on the mind of Americans. So the real war is yet to be won.

Re:America

[rubycodez]

the real war of terror is waged by the United States Government, against the citizens. It is a success, fear being the motivator for giving up rights, privacy, freedom.

Re:America

[rubycodez]

the war is psychological and the weapons are not physical, nor would the solution be

Re:America

[The Real Dr John]

You got that right. The solution is to stop voting for psychopaths and sociopaths because this is what they do when they are in charge. Bernie is sounding better all the time.

Re: America

[Lokni]

Well yeah. Because he is actually consistent on his positions. What he is saying today is the same thing he has been saying for 40 years. What politician does that? Could it be an honest one? Considering that Bernie Sanders does not fit into any of the patterns that typical politicians do (flip-flopping positions with the wind, lots of corporate donation dollars, questionable positions) i do actually see him as being different than all the other people who spent their lives being professional politicians.

Re: America

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure that this person who has spent most of his life being a professional politician, will save us! He's totally different from all the other people who spent most of their lives being professional politicians. He said so on Twacegram+!

Actually, one of these days, it will. A mayor isn't important enough, but a nominee for a Justice of the Supreme Court Justice. The Video Privacy Protection Act specifically protects video tape rental/sale records at a higher level of confidentiality than other rental records. The sole reason it exists is that when Robert Bork's totally boring video rental history was leaked during his 1987 nomination hearings, Congress realized that by extension, its porn habits, VHS being pretty much the only way porn could be accessed at the time, could also be just as easily bought and sold.

The surest way to gain privacy protections is to wait for the privacy of a high-ranking politician to be invaded. When it becomes a problem that makes our rulers' careers more difficult to manage, it becomes worthy of protection.

Re:America

[Stormwatch]

The war is over. The terrorists won.

Re: America

[ShanghaiBill]

Well yeah. Because he is actually consistent on his positions. What he is saying today is the same thing he has been saying for 40 years.

Indeed. Bernie voted against the Patriot Act, against the DMCA, against the Iraq War, etc. He has taken principled stands against the legislation that has led to the erosion of civil liberties. Hillary was on the opposite side on all these issues, and only flip-flopped after it became clear that her earlier stance was unpopular.

I don't plan to vote for Bernie, because I think he would lead the economy off a cliff, but nonetheless, I admire his integrity.

Re: America

[kilodelta]

Vis a vis leading the economy off a cliff - there are Presidents who know how to inspire the economy. I suspect Bernie Sanders would be one of them. I mean do you actually think Hillary Clinton or any of the clown car posse of Republicans would do a better job?

Re:America

[Anonymous Coward]

Posting as an AC here, because I know some will view this as troll bait, but it is relevant:

With $100,000 in costs, a few men willing to lose their lives, and some planning, bin Laden managed to bring down the most successful and respected nation on the planet. Self-hatred, fear, paranoid, witch hunts, and general lunacy have taken the US from its pinnacle to a country that is a laughingstock among nations.

With this in mind, as a general, bin Laden can be argued to be the best general in two centuries. Russia couldn't drive wedges between the US and Europe, even when the Bear had troops on every continent. Germany couldn't do this during WWII, even though for a few years, they actually brought peace to the Middle East. bin Laden broke the spirit of the US people, and now they are cowed and bickering with politicians taking advantage of their fears.

The sad thing? Now, because the paths are in place to disseminate propaganda of fear, this mechanism is still in place. Bad guys are after you, the US people suck and don't deserve jobs, day after day. In reality, we have a impotent President, a Congress that needs the pope to not just give a blessing, but an exorcism, and absolutely no solutions for any issues other than "blame the left/right, blame the gun-grabbers/ammosexuals, vote dem/rep next time." Blame doesn't solve jack shit, and pissing contests like this only leave both sides smelling horrifically.

I pray that the US gets a Churchill next election and not another Chamberlain.

Re:America

[houstonbofh]

What is the point of very good karma, if you do not risk it occasionally saying what needs to be said? I do that often. I have a few -1s, and if you read them, thay are just against the popular view. But sometimes, it actually makes it through like your post did. Well said.

The Gestapo would be proud

[fisted]

Way to go, murica.

Well now, not surprising

[redmid17]

I'm not a huge fan of the border search exception. Technically DHS and CBP can demand access to laptops or cell phones as part of entry into the country. They don't have the right to detain for passwords. They can hold the equipment and return it later.

A US citizen has an absolute right to re-enter the country.

Re:Well now, not surprising

[v1]

A US citizen has an absolute right to re-enter the country.

A sovereign country has an absolute right to defend its borders. I'm pretty sure the contradiction that arises from these two conflicting statements ends up in a loss for the citizen.

Them: "You're not leaving here until you give us your passwords."

Me: "go to hell. and while you're there, tell my lawyer to get over here pronto."

Within 100 miles of a border...

[QuietLagoon]

Isn't their some law that gives border agents essentially unlimited rights to search and confiscate (no warrant required) so long as they are within 100 miles of any US border? I remember seeing something like that a few years ago and thought, gee, I wonder how many people live in houses that are within 100 miles of the border....

Re:Good!

[onepoint]

Stuff like this makes me nervous about my rights and about my family's right. someone once said something like this, " Then they came after me and because I did not defend the others they we gone and no one was their to help me when I needed help "

Good, kinda.

[Frobnicator]

It is a good thing when high profile and medium profile people get caught in these stupid things.

When celebrities, including political celebrities, get caught by government aggression it draws a spotlight on the programs that are harassing millions. With the spotlight on them, they tend to withdraw or become legally curtailed.

Sadly many of the abuses committed by government are against the dregs of society, the people already in trouble with the law, the despicable criminals, drug dealers, child abusers, rapists, murderers, and more. Most of society doesn't care when government abuses these people, which is why so many lawsuits are filed against agencies and officers that people dismiss as just another attempt to get out of being caught. If those same abuses were publicly made against people of celebrity status the programs would be quickly curtailed, or pushed further into the darkness of secrecy.

Good job DHS, keep targeting popular people. Best thing you can do for the country.