Ron Paul Supporter Detained By TSA For Carrying Cash?

I could very easily see carrying a few thousand dollars on a trip. What If I wanted to go to Vegas or the Caribbean and did not have a debit card? This is pretty much a stupid reason to be detained, and its only a step further until they can do this to people while we are driving our cars. So every payday, those are paid in cash are now targets? Hmm. That doesn't seem fair.

I would like to make sure this tape is valid as well. People could duplicate something like this with very little effort and with just as much believability. While I do not doubt its authenticity, sometimes it cant hurt to check.

A few thousand dollars isnt that much to quite a few people and I would hardly consider that a reason to be detained. Multiples of ten and such I would have to agree with minimal questioning but unless there is something else suspicious I see no reason why they would have even found the money.

Also. If the police knew he had that much money, may hap he should be a bit more careful with something so valuable? I say hes lucky that someone else did not find him as a easy target. But then, he could also have just been a random check. Although I kind of doubt that.

Very good find.

reply to post by logician magician


Admitting to a cop that you were speeding is the best way to get convicted. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!

ALL TRAFFIC TICKETS ARE INVALID!!

The Plaintiff, "The People", have to establish standing in court. IE in order for there to be a crime, there must be a victim. If there is no victim, there is no crime.

According to US Supreme Court, the plaintiff must "allege personal injury" in order to establish standing. If i do 100 MPH and dont hit anybody, who is the victim? NOBODY!!

But remember, the criminal courts are run by criminals so dont go expecting a fair trial!

Wow..TSA guy getting a little defensive, this is me playing the worlds smallest violin for you --> .

spoon said it best..'you have the right to remain silent'

This person had a legit reason for carrying the money, and a legit reason (to him) to keep his mouth shut. All he did was ask nicely for them to explain his rights.

Funny how when a plain cloths (FBI?) shows up and whispers, they all turn nice and let him go.

Maybe he said something like, "You guys want to be like that Dallas cop?"


edit - messed up formatting or something

[edit on 4/2/2009 by toepick]

Originally posted by deadline527
I could very easily see carrying a few thousand dollars on a trip. What If I wanted to go to Vegas or the Caribbean and did not have a debit card? This is pretty much a stupid reason to be detained, and its only a step further until they can do this to people while we are driving our cars. So every payday, those are paid in cash are now targets? Hmm. That doesn't seem fair.

I would like to make sure this tape is valid as well. People could duplicate something like this with very little effort and with just as much believability. While I do not doubt its authenticity, sometimes it cant hurt to check.

A few thousand dollars isnt that much to quite a few people and I would hardly consider that a reason to be detained. Multiples of ten and such I would have to agree with minimal questioning but unless there is something else suspicious I see no reason why they would have even found the money.

Also. If the police knew he had that much money, may hap he should be a bit more careful with something so valuable? I say hes lucky that someone else did not find him as a easy target. But then, he could also have just been a random check. Although I kind of doubt that.

Very good find.

First off when the police search you...it almost always is going to turn up and inventory everything you have in your possession including your money and how much of it you have on you.

From a human nature standpoint if you have more money in your pocket than the officer does who is searching you, well guess what...he just found a reason not to like you...if you happened to be driving a car out of the officer's price range...well he may already have a reason not to like you...if you have the audacity to say to the officer, well the truth is I don't wear my seat belt because I hate the crease it puts in my 200.00 casual shirts, you can pretty much rest assured he just found another reason not to like you.

I used to live in West Hollywood California when I was in my youth, the West Hollywood Sheriffs Department's favorite moment, a celebrity/star standing in their jail...now you are going to learn you are human just like us...was their mantra for such celebrity guests.

Law enforcement is as much about ego as it is about the law, because more often than not it boils down to being between the ego of the officer and the ego of the suspect.

With 2 distinctively different Type A personalities, each with a trio of subsets, you have a 1 in 6 chance shot of sucking up with the right lines.

That is of course if you want to take a submissive posture ego wise.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


They had already done a background on him...

He was already on a list.
Is it coincidental that he was leaving a campaign for liberty event and he was detained in the same state that issued the report against the campaign for liberty?

No, no doubt. They have a list at the airports.

Also, the appearance of the plain-clothed FBI agent kinda' confirms this also.

They had run a background twice. The FBI agent told them to lay off, he's fine... Why? Because the FBI agent knew no case could be made and that they were making fools of the protocol.

Listen folks, if you play it just like this dude did... and it happens enough, it will stop.

This guy played them like suckers. Listen to Naomi Wolf. Hassling peoples' ability to move freely about is a sure sign of totalitarianism. And it is true.
People need to exert their rights. Yes, the guy has the right to carry cash. He also has the right not to trust these scum. Especially considering the report claiming Paul supporters could be terrorists.
This guy played the cards right. Even recorded the event. Bravo.



[edit on 2-4-2009 by Jay-in-AR]

reply to post by sp00n1


It is also illegal to detain someone who has not committed a felony offense.

You're absolutely right, btw.

I think people are very much overrating TSA's capabilities. I'd be surprised if anyone in that organization had the intelligence to order a big mac at McDonalds let alone have the intelligence to put two and two together to harass a libertarian. I think this is a case of small minds with big power pushing on a paranoid individual who could get some press for his cause.

TSA is #ing joke by the way, they ripped off my laptop and have been nothing but hindrance to my travel. I wonder how many terrorists plots they've stopped?

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I suppose I've been extremely lucky in each and every dealing with the cops if my chances are only 1 in 6.

Fact is, I've never seen the inside of a court room.
Not once.

And I have been in several situations where I thought I was bound for prison. All while I was young and stupid, mind you... but it has come up lots of times.

You'd be surprised how being pleasant with the Police can help you.

That being said, I've never been in this guy's situation, I'd act differently if I were. I would LOVE to be as prepared as this guy was. If I were, I would take his exact same approach.

Originally posted by sp00n1
reply to post by DrumsRfun

 

When did carrying cash become a crime?

And he was cooperating. He wasnt resisting, and he answered all relevant questions. Not to mention, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!

They weren't asking about his political belief, they asked why he was carrying that much money.

If you are punished for a crime, such as selling illegal drugs, that money should be confiscated.

Too many bastard drug dealers sell drugs to kids who suffer at home, and at school because of these drugs, and you are claiming if they are punished is fine, but don't take their money away?.... You are wrong.

In this case, this man didn't cooperate, which raises suspicion.

Yes, you do have the right to remain silent, but that usually means you are trying to hide something, hence you will be arrested for more questioning.

Freedom does not equal Anarchy. With Freedom, also comes responsibility.

Normally the Miranda rights, and your right to be silent is read to you because you have been caught committing a crime.

As long as you are honest, and you didn't commit a crime, the police will let you go.


[edit on 3-4-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

Originally posted by sp00n1
reply to post by logician magician

 

Admitting to a cop that you were speeding is the best way to get convicted. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT!

ALL TRAFFIC TICKETS ARE INVALID!!

Oh boy, I guess we better throw away all traffic laws, and see how fast a city gets in chaos because "everyone thinks they have the right of way, and that they have the right to speed as much as they want"...

You are wrong. You are not living in an anarchist nation, and such an anarchist nation would be pretty small, and people would turn against each other all the time...

When you live in a society you have to accept the fact that there will be certain laws to keep order, and keep accidents, fights etc, to a minimum.

Anarchism does not work in any society.

[edit on 3-4-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

reply to post by ElectricUniverse


Your reasoning implies that the Police are infallible to corruption themselves.

I've seen this sentiment echoed enough on this site to make me want to poke myself in the eyeball with a stick. "The Police are people too."

Yes, it is true. The police are people like you and I.
Lots of police officers are drug dealers themselves.

What about the guy who just watched the cop PLANT a bag of pot in his car. What about THAT guy who chooses to remain silent? Is he hiding something, or wanting to simply get away from the thug that is imposing his authority on him?

This man was aware that the very state he was in had recently issued literature claiming Ron Paul supporters could be terrorists. Low and behold, he was detained at the airport...

Any rational thinking person would be worried in his shoes.

Originally posted by Jay-in-AR
Your reasoning implies that the Police are infallible to corruption themselves.

I've seen this sentiment echoed enough on this site to make me want to poke myself in the eyeball with a stick. "The Police are people too."

Yes, it is true. The police are people like you and I.
Lots of police officers are drug dealers themselves.
................

Oh boy, where did I say that, and where is the evidence that these cops did anything out of corruption?...

If you have large amounts of cash on you travelling, or on the streets, the cops will ask you questions about it, if you are honest about it, they will let you go. If you are dismissive of them, and do not cooperate that shows a reason for the cops to be suspicious, hence they will investigate more about it.

[edit on 3-4-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

reply to post by ElectricUniverse


"Yes, you do have the right to remain silent, but that usually means you are trying to hide something, hence you will be arrested for more questioning. "

Your words.

You said the same thing in your last post when you said, once again, that "if you are honest about it, they will let you go."

As I said, you are implying that, in all cases no less, the police are not corrupt themselves.

Cops are trying to do their jobs too. Sure there are corrupt cops, but that is an exception, and not the rule. Just because there are corrupt cops doesn't give you the right not to respect all cops, and to think they are all crooks, because that is not true.

Normally when a person believes all cops are crooks, or all people are crooks, it is because that person happens to be a crook. You think what you are.



[edit on 3-4-2009 by ElectricUniverse]

You guys are crazy who the hell wouldnt carry more than $1000 on them during a plane trip? Ive never flown in my life but I do plan on carrying more than $800 on me because not all debit or credit cards can be used everywhere.

I mean since when is it illegal to carry my countrys own currency in my own pocket? When are people going to be prosecuted for being downright Nazis this is just rediculous.

reply to post by ElectricUniverse


So I am a crook for pointing out the flaw in your reasoning?



Whatever, man. Look, the point here is that the man was worried that he may be DEALING with corrupt cops. Hence the recording.

This is why he chose to remain silent. You are being deliberately obtusive.

reply to post by topsecretombomb


He was carrying that money on him because he just took it from people buying books and bumper stickers.

Yeah, I carry money when I travel also. Most people do.

But he wasn't carrying that much money for travel expenses to begin with. They were monies from legitimate business transactions..


Point of the whole thing? Those TSA reps bit off more than they can chew. Why?
Because the law has been made to MAKE them bite off more than they can chew... legally.

We need more people out there recording these interactions. Only then will it stop.

the 28th amendment
its time we stopped taking so much crap. citizens are required to defend their rights at all costs. fascism will NOT BE TOLERATED

If you have no idea why you are being detained, there is no reason to answer any questions. Anything you say could potentially incriminate yourself.

A side note: St. Louis International Airport still has a smoking lounge in the terminal, that's cool.


[edit on

We have to realize that it is not the norm to carry large amounts of cash where you go. Therefore when somebody is doing it it is only natural to wonder why. Many people here have stated that they carry money on them because they don't trust the banks. This is where the suspicion part comes in. Who does not use banks? One answer is people have money illegally. People who are selling drugs, arms or doing some other type of illegal actions don't use banks because of the paper trail they leave.

I also have something to say about the right to remain silent. People do have the right to remain silent but innocent people have no reason to remain silent. If I am innocent and I am arrested then I am going to tell that everything I was doing so they can have enough information to let me go. If I have nothing to hide then what do I care about what can be used against me? Basically what I am saying is that we have rights but in some cases if you do certain things it makes you look guilty.

Also I would like to say that in my city marijuana was decriminalized, so if you carry under 32 grams you basically get a ticket. Don't you think that some dealers are rolling around with 31 grams in there car? My point is that just because somebody is not breaking the rules does not mean that they are not suspicious.

It doesn't matter what this guy did, he fit the profile.