Arrested by Airport Security for not answering question about salary

[dburkhead]

From Michael Yon's facebook page:

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Basically he was arrested for not answering a question about how much money he makes.

Oh, they claimed it was not an arrest but he was handcuffed.

 

[LEaSH]

Mind blowing. Some people that are working in our best interest need to be handcuffed.

 

[mrjarrell]

Incidents like this happen more frequently than you might imagine. At least he wasn't beaten and arrested like recently happened to a Canadian SF author returning home. And he didn't have his electronics stolen, either. He got off lucky this time. The Border Police have been out of control for some time now. They've become an embarrassment.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

They snagged some ammo and a couple of knives from me at the Indy airport (legal knives and boxed ammo in my check luggage, fwiw).

Just shows that TSA is making stuff up as they blunder forward.

Talk about tyranny!

 

[techres]

I can imagine that they went with "detention" but not arrest as they do not have that power (unless it is an air marshal). Then Port authority came on scene and had them take off the cuffs and let him on his way.

I.E. TSA idiots held him until authority could come and make an actual decision, or that is likely their defense. HOWEVER, it should take quite a bit to detain someone. Refuse to let them fly? Sure. Detain? That belongs to actual Law Enforcement.

Reminds me of the Ron Paul worker who got detained by TSA for "questioning" until LEO's came and said to let him go.

 

[dross]

I can imagine that they went with "detention" but not arrest as they do not have that power (unless it is an air marshal). Then Port authority came on scene and had them take off the cuffs and let him on his way.

I.E. TSA idiots held him until authority could come and make an actual decision, or that is likely their defense. HOWEVER, it should take quite a bit to detain someone. Refuse to let them fly? Sure. Detain? That belongs to actual Law Enforcement.

Reminds me of the Ron Paul worker who got detained by TSA for "questioning" until LEO's came and said to let him go.

Yes, isn't it great how we can use language to work for us.

It's not "arrest," it's "detention." It's not "oppression" it's "ensuring everyone's safety." It's not a "beatdown," it's "securing the suspect."

I'm going to try this at home.

It's not, "the rifle I bought after I agreed to no more guns for a while," it's "acquiring a new asset."

 

[Eddie]

I'm going to try this at home.

It's not, "the rifle I bought after I agreed to no more guns for a while," it's "acquiring a new asset."

That trick never works!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Kirk's experience with TSA (remember, if you are flying, check your range bag):

******************************************************

June 30, 2006 I was flying out of Indianapolis to Dallas, Texas. I declared my firearms (4 pistols) and showed that they were unloaded, signed the white tag and made ready to get to the gate as I "only" had 40 minutes to clear security.

As the lady was tagging my bags she looked at my range bag and said "sir, is this [my range bag] your carry on?" I replied no as it had ammo in it and TSA frowned on that.

I went to the bookstore to get a bottle of water and newspaper as I reemerged I heard my name being paged to the ticket counter. It seems TSA wanted in my range bag (I use a gun lock to lock all the zippers together).

I went downstairs and gave TSA the key (a mistake I now realize--based on their light fingers hard telling what they could have planted on me). They were back looking at it like the apes on 2001, must have been 20 minutes.

As I am looking at my watch and doing nervous stretching, the locked door opens and 2 uniformed Indy airport cops, 1 TSA White Shirt, and 3 guys in suits and earpieces meet me. It seems they found ammo in my range bag. You know that empty feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know bad stuff is about to hit the fan? I now had that feeling.

Yes, of course, I told the chick at the counter and its according to regs (in the boxes). Well, it seemed that there were some loose rounds under the fabric on the bag. I've owned this bag for 11 years and over the years loose rounds--.22s, .32s, 9mm, .45s, .223, .30-30, .308, et al--have accumulated under the bottom of the bag.

They brought the bag out and showed me the "incriminating evidence" (at this point 20 questions begin--"who are you?" "Where are you going?" "Why do you need guns?" etc). I asked for a cardboard box, a female uniformed cop told me I could not have one and I need to show ID right now. A baggage handler gave me an empty box and I knelt down and scooped up the loose rounds.

"There, better?", I hoped. Nope, wasn't better. Apparently my other boxed ammo (they did let me keep my Black Hills .45acp carry ammo so at least I had SD ammo) had to be confiscated. They took my .22s, my .44s, my .45acp, and two knives--one a cheap Gerber and one a decent Benchmade.

TSA dinged me pretty good on this trip. Lesson learned: clean your range bags before you fly.

******************************************************

HTH

 

[SSGSAD]

ATF

The BATFE, should be a CONVIENIENCE store, NOT a GOVT. Agency!!!!!

 

[LEaSH]

Kirk, if you don't mind:
Are you able to fly freely nowadays? Are you on "the list"?
What were your fines - or was your loss just the cost of your knives and ammo?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yes, I am able to fly. I am on no list. I still fly three or four times a year. Next time is in a couple of weeks when I am off to Tejas.​

If I filed a complaint for TSA taking a five finger discount with my property (stealing my boxed ammo and knives) I would have been on the list and not able to fly at all.​

I consider the feds stealing from me an informal diversion program.

I know they are TSA and they can do what they want to us, but I really miss that cheap Gerber. It was a present from my boss at Galyan's. Lots of good memories.​

 

[rhino]

If I can't get there by private motor vehicle, I'm not going.

 

[Mgderf]

If I can't get there by private motor vehicle, I'm not going.

Or private aircraft, my feelings EXACTLY!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

rhino, doesn't your brother drive you around anywho?

Do you make him wear an uniform with the hat?

 

[rhino]

Nah, I decided to give my mom a break for a while and let her be the chauffeur. That bumped my brother down to downstairs maid. Fortunately 50% Filipino genetics prevent his legs from being too hairy in the uniform.

rhino, doesn't your brother drive you around anywho?

Do you make him wear an uniform with the hat?

 

[BloodEclipse]

Big Government carried the story. I have read most of Yon's writing.

- Big Government - - Big Government -​

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Military Blogger Michael Yon Detained, Handcuffed by TSA in Seattle Airport
Posted By Publius On January 5, 2010 @ 2:30 pm In Defense, Exclusives, Featured Story, Justice/Legal | 269 Comments

Award winning war correspondent Michael Yon [1] was detained and handcuffed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Yesterday by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.​

Yon was returning to the United States from Hong Kong to visit family when TSA officials stopped him during a routine security checkpoint. “Officials asked me what was in my bag—nothing wrong with this question,” Yon said in an interview with BigGovernment.com. “I told them it was normal stuff, clothes and toothbrushes.”

At this point the TSA officials escorted Yon to a designated screening area where they examined the contents of his bag. “Then they asked me how much money I make,” Yon said. Yon suggested to the TSA officials that the question was inappropriate and unrelated to transportation security. The award-winning blogger noted another TSA officer approached Yon: “he asked who do I work for.” ”I did not answer the question which clearly was upsetting to the TSA officers.”
Yon was escorted to a room elsewhere in the airport where he said he remained silent during much of the questioning. According to Yon, “they handcuffed me for failing to cooperate. They said I was impeding their ability to do their job.”

Yon described the TSA officials as noticeably frustrated by his refusal to answer their questions: “I always assume everything is being recorded. I was trying to be professional.”
Yon continued, “They said I wasn’t under arrest, but I’m handcuffed. In any other country, that qualifies as an arrest.”
Ultimately Port Authority police released Yon; according to Yon, the police were “completely professional.”
In January of 2009, Yon’s article “Border Bullies” [2] detailed a Homeland Security officer coercing a friend to give up her e-mail password so that he could read private email correspondences between her and Yon.
Regarding the incident in Seattle, Yon was adamant the TSA agents had overstepped their bounds: “If I am the guy on that passport and I don’t have any contraband in my luggage, it is a matter for the FBI, not the TSA.”
“TSA people are out of control,” he said. “They are not doing their jobs, they are harassing people, creating animosity. They ask you ‘what time is your connective flight?’ and they bully you until you miss the flight.”

 

[Manan]

Welcome to Amerika.

 

[dross]

If I filed a complaint for TSA taking a five finger discount with my property (stealing my boxed ammo and knives) I would have been on the list and not able to fly at all.​

It's a reasonable assumption, but do you know of this having happened? If so, in a way it's worse than the original transgression.

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

An exg/f of mine and myself were on the high risk flyer list it was a major pain in the butt. It apparently happened after we took a trip to Niagara Falls, stayed on the american side and went to canada during the day/evening. Well our second trip back they decided hey, two trips in two days back from canada were gonna strip this guys car. So I sat in Northern NY January winter while I watched my car being searched. There was nothing in it except a box of donuts and a sweater my g/f had bought. Well about 7 months later we took our real vacation to miami. or so we thought........
Sitting in a glass box while everyone watched getting screamed at by tsa wanting to know where we were going, why all that ****.
****er tsa agent stole 60 bucks out of my wallet too.
Since then I've had a metal rod and pin in my leg. I don't have a medical card so one time flying I had my balls fondled during a pat down by some queer tsa agent.

imho the airlines are a company not a part of the government. I think the airlines need to ban together, and get the government out of our airports and let private security companies run the airport.

 

[shibumiseeker]

If I can't get there by private motor vehicle, I'm not going.

My feelings are slightly different. If I CAN get there by driving I'm doing so. The airlines can go to he!! as far as I am concerned. I used to fly several times a year, not anymore. It amazes me how much freedom people are willing to give up for the illusion of security.