T.S.A. Expands Duties Beyond Airport Security

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. "Where are your papers?"

“The problem with T.S.A. stopping and searching people in public places outside the airport is that there are no real legal standards, or probable cause,” said Khaliah Barnes, administrative law counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. “It’s something that is easily abused because the reason that they are conducting the stops is shrouded in secrecy.”

T.S.A. officials respond that the random searches are “special needs” or “administrative searches” that are exempt from probable cause because they further the government’s need to prevent terrorist attacks.

"National Security! National Security!"

T.S.A. officials would not say if the VIPR teams had ever foiled a terrorist plot or thwarted any major threat to public safety, saying the information is classified. But they argue that the random searches and presence of armed officers serve as a deterrent that bolsters the public confidence.

Funny, I don't recall feeling confident as one of their little squads was rifling through my stuff at the frigging Orlando Greyhound bus terminal. I DO recall feeling righteously pissed off, though.