TSA'S TRUE ROLE IS TO CIRCUMVENT CONSTITUTION IN WAR ON DRUGS

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong (seriously) (Score:5, Interesting)

by Anonymous Cowardon Friday November 19, @05:40PM (#34286548)

John Pistole (head of TSA) tipped his hand when bragging about the effectiveness of the screening.

His brag is that he has thwarted terrorists, by siezing terror tools such as marijuana and a heroin needle.

Now, marijuana and a heroin needle will not bring down a plane, so what's really happening here?

A DEA agent, or police officer, cant run around shoving his hand down everyones pants looking for drugs. Without cause, that would be an illegal search, and the evidence obtained would be useful.

However, when the illegal search is made privately (I shove my hand down a strangers pants, then call the cops when i find a baggie of weed), the evidence is admissable. I may be charged with assault or something, but the point is the DEA has now made an end run around the 4rth amendment.

That is what this is. The TSA are *not* police, the search is obstensibly for security purposes, but when they find that baggie of weed, it's turned over to the cops and DEA who do their whole civil forfeiture routine.

You might remember a scheme to have postal employees 'on the lookout for terror' right after 9/11. Same thing there. The dumb old constitution limits police power, and they fucking hate it.

The country is bankrupt. They need to sieze more houses, cars, and boats. This is just a loophole through the constitution, and a brand new (illegal) battlefield for the War on Drugs, which is much more profitable than the War on Terror. More people die in a day crossing the road than have ever died of terrorism in the USA. They know there's no real threat.

So, once this is accepted, the TSA will move the road show to train and subway stations, and then start random roadside searches of cars. Look to see more bullshit agencies created by executive order, to illegally search - i mean safety screen - you in other venues as well. After all, a Phish concert certainly is a decent terrorist target, right? We want all those people to be safe, after all.

IANAL, and perhaps a real one could clarify what I'm saying, or tell me why I'm wrong.

Source: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1876316&cid=34286548

TSA WASTING THE EQUIVALENT OF 1000 LIVES PER YEAR

Searches are a net loss (Score:5, Interesting)

by redelm (54142)on Friday November 19, @05:44PM (#34286600) Homepage

The TSA searches are causing greater loss of useable lifetime than terrorists ever could. Each year, about 800 million people have to arrive one hour earlier at the airport to wait in lines and now suffer increased humiliation. Human beings only live for 700,000 hours. The TSA is wasting over 1000 lifetimes each year.

Source: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1876316&cid=34286600

TODAY IN NYC: MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR FOUR LOKO

Today, Wednesday, November 17 at 7pm, a moment of silence and candlelight vigil will be observed on the steps of Union Square in Manhattan to protest New York City's ban of the Four Loko beverage.  Local NYC band Anamanaguchi will be performing an acoustic set.

Links:
Facebook event page (Facebook login required)
Screen capture of Facebook event page

READ MORE »