Passenger says TSA agents harassed him

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

Steve Bierfeldt says the Transportation Security Administration pulled him aside for extra questioning in March. He was carrying a pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution and an iPhone capable of making audio recordings. And he used them.

On a recording a TSA agent can be heard berating Bierfeldt. One sample: "You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f**king game."

Bierfeldt is director of development for the Campaign for Liberty, an outgrowth of the Ron Paul presidential campaign. He was returning from a regional conference March 29 when TSA screeners at Lambert-St. Louis (Illinois) International Airport saw a metal cash box in his carry-on bag. Inside was more than $4,700 dollars in cash -- proceeds from the sale of political merchandise like T-shirts and books.

There are no restrictions on carrying large sums of cash on flights within the United States, but the TSA allegedly took Bierfeldt to a windowless room and, along with other law enforcement agencies, questioned him for almost half an hour about the money.

The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up Bierfeldt's cause and is suing Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, whose department includes the TSA. Their complaint alleges that Bierfeldt was "subjected to harassing interrogation, and unlawfully detained."


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/20/tsa.lawsuit/index.html

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I with him on this one. I'm surprised they didn't confiscate his cash. Plenty of people sell stuff at all kinds of conventions from politcal events to fan convections. Just because you have the audicity to carry a load of cash at an airport (or in your car) you shouldn't be automatically suspected of being a drug dealer.

[Blandocyte]

1. I love playing smartass

Good on him.

[Gormy Cuss]

2. This story has made the rounds here, but

being a smart ass is not a violation of any laws IIRC.

[madmom]

3. Everybody likes a little ass ,BUT, nobody likes a smart ass!!!

[madaboutharry]

4. The TSA seems to employ people who

are natural born bullies. The harass people over mouthwash and mascara. The entire system has lost its purpose and the public does not have any respect for their authority.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. they are the only people who want the job

Living in Southern California I encounter the border patrol constantly and its the same story - what kind of person is fulfilled by putting up roadblocks and harassing their fellow citizens for eight hours a day?

An authoritarian douchebag, anybody else would be so overcome by guilt, boredom and self-loathing they would quit.

[LibDemAlways]

18. I will never forget the TSA harassment of an elderly woman I

witnessed at SEA-TAC a couple of years ago. This woman had to be 90. She was hunched over in her wheelchair. The TSA goons yanked her shoes off and hoisted her up by the arms so they could wand her. She had a terrified look on her face. It was outrageous. Her daughter was in tears saying, "Please leave my mother alone," but they just ignored her.

This whole farce was happening while my bra was being felt up by a TSA idiot in front of my 12-year-old daughter.

TSA must stand for Totally Stupid Assholes.

[imdjh]

5. There was an article several years ago- black man with wad of cash nabbed by Amtrack

I can't recall the year or the location. Middle aged to older black man (from DC IIRC) was taking the train someplace (who knew people still did that?) and was carrying something like $7500. He took his money out to pay for the ticket, bought the ticket, and then was detained shortly thereafter to be questioned about carrying so much cash. As I recall, they seized the cash, but I could be confusing different stories at this point.

I only mention his race, because as I recall he was alleging that that was a factor.

Now, I confess, if I were to see someone with so much cash who wasn't buying a car then I would think something was up, but I wouldn't call the cops. It's none of my business, or the cops either. Until a crime is committed, there is no crime. That's what I say anyway.

Then there was the case not too long about when a Mexican (perhaps Mexican-American but I think he was a Mexican national) got busted with some huge amount of money- and his story (he was supposed to buy a truck but it didn't work out) did not make sense. I have no doubt that something was up in that case, but again, no crime had been committed. So leave him the fuck alone. I can't find the case because when you google "mexican arrest truck cash" , well, "Results 1 - 10 of about 649,000 for mexican arrest truck cash".

[WinstonSmith4740]

8. Those guys have always been assholes.

My husband was stopped many years ago returning from Jamaica because of the way he was dressed! OK, granted, light purple bell-bottoms, a flowered shirt, and long side-burns are going to get some attention, but hey, it was 1970. They pulled him out of line, took him to a room, made him strip down to his shorts, and then went through his golf bag. Took out all the clubs, took off the club heads, etc. They were sure he was running drugs. Well, they didn't find so much as a seed on him, so they told him he could go. He decided to turn the tables and made them put his luggage, golf clubs and bag back together again, and made them keep doing it until it was EXACTLY the way they found it, including the order of the clubs. He sat there smoking a cigarette and kept saying, "No, that's not it." Of course, this was back when we still had rights.

This happened before we were married, but that story is one of the reasons I fell in love with him.:evilgrin:

[imdjh]

10. The mental pic of them strip searching a Mod with golf clubs, just funny strange funny. nt

[MADem]

12. I came back from Jamaica with thirty pounds of sugar in my suitcase.

Back in the seventies.

Hey, sugar had spiked in price--it was costing a fortune. There was some sort of embargo or something going on. I had room in my suitcase so I ran to the grocer and got these one pound sugar bags--oh, did I mention they were clear plastic?

Jamaican sugar is a bit coarser, too, and very tasty.

You should have seen the look on the customs agent's face when he flipped my bag open.

I said "What? What?"

He stares at me, looks at "the stuff."

"It's SUGAR, man. Haven't you checked the price of sugar lately? I even have the grocery receipt!"

I finally persuaded him to taste it IF he promised to tape the package securely so it wouldn't spill on my connecting flight.

I will say, it didn't LOOK like sugar, but it was, all of it!

[coyote]

21. I find it amazing in the States

that they view carrying cash as some type of crime. I live in Germany and this is very much a cash society. I have sold my cars twice here to private persons. Both times, each person paid in cash. One time for 25,000 and the other time for 40 plus thousand. It's a common business practice here.

[snake in the grass]

24. Here's the report on that case.

It's disgusting beyond words:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJHdTQxV0Gc

There's a class action suit against the town where this has been going on and I hope the victims get justice.

[konnichi wa]

6. Customs & border patrol jackboots are doing the same kind of shit

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/PilotProtestsCustomsCheck_200519-1.html

[Metta]

7. Good for him. People get away with too much damn stuff just because they can.

Happy karma to them. The idea is to be even more upbeat when things are pressured.

[Sal316]

11. $4700 in cash, too....what can that buy, you ask?

http://www.anzioironworks.com/338-Lapua-Take-down-rifle.htm



It's priced exactly right, and is just the sort of tool you'd want for "high stakes politics".

Some of the Paultards are still out there.

This was intended to be a hand to hand transaction... paid cash, no trace.

[RamboLiberal]

13. And how do you know he was going to buy this

There was a conference in St. Louis that weekend. Carrying cash in a cash box he probably did sell merchandise at that convention.

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/event/2009stlouis.php

[progdonkey]

15. maybe he was thinking of buying this car...

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/1230087739.html

It's $4700, too. Priced exactly right, and has all that cargo space for transporting material necessary for engaging in "high stakes politics."

[Xipe Totec]

14. Apparently, it's illegal to be an ass if you're smart

But dumbasses are okay, according to the TSA.

[MrsBrady]

16. if you are at a convention

and sell stuff...
have a bunch of cash with you....
and you are coming home.

how are you NOT supposed to have cash with you?

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. We all need one of those voice activited recorders

[MajorChode]

19. I'm going to play devil's advocate here

It sounds to me as if this guy went into this situation expecting to be "harrassed" and he got exactly what he was asking for. A person carrying a large amount of cash in a cashbox through the airport is going to get asked about it. That's just the way it is in this day and age. While you may not like it or agree with it, the time and place for voicing your protest is not with people who are just trying to do their jobs. His antics make about as much sense as a whiny little twit arguing with the checkout boy at McDonalds because they discontinued the McRib sandwich. The officer who acted unprofessionally should be held accountable, but that doesn't change the fact that what this Ron Paul supporter deserved was to be arrested, and in a less civilized society deserved a serious ass kicking. You are required by law to cooperate with security screeners. If you don't like it, talk to your elected representatives about it or go greyhound. Had he simply answered the question (which he eventually did) he would have been on his way. And now he wants to sue the federal government out of my tax dollars for a situation in which he created? Fuck him and the horse he rode in on. I'll save my sympathy for those who are harrassed WITHOUT reason.

[WVRICK13]

22. I Am Glad He Took The Stance He Took

The fact is, it is not illegal to carry cash in the US so he did not have to answer the question about the cash. If we all just follow orders we can line up to volunteer for our brown shirts and arm bands.

[Leftist Agitator]

25. Well, you certainly live up to your name, MajorChode.

You do seem to be quite the Chode.

[timtom]

28. Said like a true champion of justice in America.

[Jack_DeLeon]

29. Fuck that noise, drama aint illegal...

I dont think carrying money should be "suspicious," but so what if it is and that was the intention, it certainly isnt illegal and thats whats really important.

You are only required to cooperate with law enforcement up to what is specified by law, IIRC all I'm required to tell a police officer in the state of Texas is my name and birthday. I'm not sure what the legal requirements with TSA are but this guy seemed to be asking them that and he got no answer, this guy eventually got tired of being detained and cooperated to a degree that probably was not required by law and as such the TSA got him to crack. Standing up for your rights is important, and the right to remain silent is one such right.

The last time I got pulled over the officer asked me what I've been doing that night and where I was going, I told him "I'm sorry sir, I dont share the details of my life with random strangers." Fortunately that officer acted in a professional manner and dropped that line of questioning right there and we got down to the business of why he pulled me over.

[struggle4progress]

20. Not LBN: happened in March & reported several days ago

Suit accuses TSA of unreasonable airport detention
* AP foreign, Thursday June 18 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8565628

[Stinky The Clown]

23. I hate the TSA. I hate the monkey that created the atmosphere in which they were created.

I hate being crotch sniffed when I fly.

I hate having to show my papers to cross a boundary in MY OWN FUCKING COUNTRY.

I hate that TSA started out looking for bombs and is now a way to pat down everyone for anything.

I hate being viewed as a suspect just because I choose to fly.

There is not ONE GOOD THING the TSA has or can do for us.

[notesdev]

26. These TSA goons are more dangerous

than any evil they purportedly exist to prevent.

If our enemies, determined to strip our freedom from us, to make us battered, docile, and compliant, had one wish as to what sort of evil they might inflict upon us in the pursuit of such a goal, the TSA as implemented might meet their requirements. Get used to your wives and mothers and daughters being molested while you stand there and watch and do nothing. Good practice for what they have planned, whatever next step in eliminating any dignity we may have as free people.

[NJCher]

27. why I've pretty much quit flying

Can't deal with them.

I visit my elderly parents once a year. That's it.

They've made travel more trouble than it's worth.


Cher