'Idiot' barb gets passenger detained—CNN.com
This airport security thing has gotten way out of hand. It's one thing to prevent weapons from getting onto a flight, but the TSA is taking it to a whole new level. There is no basis in the Constitution for this type of behavior by the government, but people just accept it and move on, either because they're scared or because they don't think it's important.
The government does not have the right to search people at the airport.
This is a simple fact that many choose to ignore. Of course, the police can search someone who is a suspect in a crime or something of that nature, but the TSA's screening of every passenger is completely unconstitutional. Just because there is a medium of transportation present does not mean that the right not to be searched or detained without a warrant or probable cause no longer exists.
I'm going to close up with some brief excerpts from the article, because they seem significant.
This airport security thing has gotten way out of hand. It's one thing to prevent weapons from getting onto a flight, but the TSA is taking it to a whole new level. There is no basis in the Constitution for this type of behavior by the government, but people just accept it and move on, either because they're scared or because they don't think it's important.
The government does not have the right to search people at the airport.
This is a simple fact that many choose to ignore. Of course, the police can search someone who is a suspect in a crime or something of that nature, but the TSA's screening of every passenger is completely unconstitutional. Just because there is a medium of transportation present does not mean that the right not to be searched or detained without a warrant or probable cause no longer exists.
I'm going to close up with some brief excerpts from the article, because they seem significant.
- "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" [the message written on passenger Ryan Bird's clear plastic toiletries bag]
- "You can't write things like that." [comment by screener to Bird]
- The supervisor told Bird he had the right to express his opinions "out there"—pointing outside the screening area—but did not have the right "in here," Bird said.