Comment by lolinder
2 years ago
This article [0] lists several cases of warrantless searches, one of which was in Florida. Apparently that 100 mile radius isn't just from the Canadian border or the Mexican border, it's also 100 miles from any coast, which means that 2/3 of the population lives within that radius.
As far as "reasonable suspicion" goes, I'm increasingly unwilling to support the right of law enforcement to independently, without oversight, determine what is "reasonable".
[0] https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/border-patrol-warrant...
Where is the "warrantless search"?
> [CBP officers] demanded proof of citizenship from the passengers
> CBP officers boarded a bus in Bangor, Maine
None of those are searches, they are temporary detentions with strong legal basis and case law going back to Terry. To wit:
> most people have no idea that they can refuse to be searched at a roadblock or bus boarding
Ignorance of the law != warrantless searches. Arm yourself with knowledge, just as the Founding Fathers intended.
> strong legal basis and case law going back to Terry
I frankly don't care what's legal or not at this point. The surveillance and police state has gotten out of control, and needs to be rolled back. If we constantly just accept past precedent as dictating our future, our rights will be chipped away one by one.
I don't want to live in a society where I can be stopped and asked for identification by law enforcement at any time. Most Americans don't, that's why we still don't have a proper national ID. I consider that to be a warrantless search regardless of what the law currently says.
> Arm yourself with knowledge, just as the Founding Fathers intended.
I find that most people who pretend to speak for "the Founding Fathers" are extremely ignorant of the actual motivations of these people who lived 200 years ago. I won't pretend to speak for them, but I will note that I strongly suspect that the smugglers and tax evaders who signed the Declaration of Independence would probably not be in favor of the ever-growing police state we have today.
Regardless, what they wanted is immaterial—they set up this country for us, and presumably expected us to lead it after their deaths.
> I frankly don't care what's legal or not at this point.
Oh, but you should - your freedom may depend on it.
> police state has gotten out of control, and needs to be rolled back
Maybe, but this is the world we presently find ourselves living in, and we can either choose to become empowered with knowledge about it, or throw a hyperbolic tantrum and wish for the moon.
> I don't want to live in a society where I can be stopped and asked for identification by law enforcement at any time.
You don't, at least not in the US. If you took more time to care about the laws you decry, you would know there is no such requirement, unless you have been suspected of a crime by a lawful sworn agent of the state. Which is a reasonable compromise in a society.
> smugglers and tax evaders who signed the Declaration of Independence ... would probably not be in favor of the ever-growing police state we have today
I agree. Those individuals knew well what an unchecked government can do, and took many reasonable precautions to safeguard against such infringements and tyranny. They were of course imperfect in their implementation, but the principals they set forth (freedom of speech, defense, religion, &c.) formed a radically different society to anywhere else on the planet today. Which is why I'm always puzzled when people disregard their hard work to take some agency's word and propaganda at face value, rather than consulting the original tenets which founded this great country.
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