You may recall that the feds changed the law last year to allow firearms on Amtrak trains—provided you give the railway 24 hours notice and schlep your gats inside a locked container, checked-in at least 30 minutes before train departure. No carry-on firearms are allowed, regardless of CCW permits. Perhaps this post-train ride search was motivated by the TSA’s desire to find concealed carry weapons (CCW) concealed and carried by otherwise law-abiding citizens. Either that or they are incredibly stupid, intrusive, invasive and out-of-order. Literally. Here’s the videographer’s description of events . . .
The only bad thing on our trip was TSA was at the Savannah train station. There were about 14 agents pulling people inside the building and corralling everyone in a roped area AFTER you got OFF THE TRAIN! This made no sense!!! Poor family in front of us! 9 year old getting patted down and wanded. They groped our people too and were very unprofessional. I am all about security, but when have you ever been harassed and felt up getting OFF a plane? Shouldn’t they be doing that getting ON??? And they wonder why so many people are mad at them.
All the needs now are swastika armbands. The rest they have covered. I would have told them to arrest me or f*ck off.
Next it will be when you leave your home or vehicle and walking down the street. We already have street cameras.
Shame nobody objected to the search. They might have a good suit.
In Georgia, carrying on public transit/trains is LEGAL. With a GA or reciprocal state license, you can carry open or concealed.
I swear the TSA is meant less for security and more to bring Americans into compliance with our better’s view of the Constitution.
Another solution without a problem, utterly baffling that persons could be searched upon exiting the train. Give the Executive Branch an inch, and it’ll take a mile, every time (and no I’m not picking on an executive of any particular party, they’re all equally guilty of overreach).
As for what Mike from Philly (me too BTW) has to say–yep, the more we become accustomed to warrantless searches, the more we’ll accept them. Reminds me of the Ben Franklin remark: They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety
I’m shocked that these NAZI wannabes weren’t demanding “SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS”.
Anyone care to speculate what would’ve happened if someone had grown a pair, refused consent to search and just stood there?
From the looks of that video, the people being searched appeared to snap-to pretty damn quick for their bureaucrat overlords.
It makes my blood boil when I see people show deference to those goons.
A. this has to be an old story since hand-wands are no longer used but TSA
and
B. there had to be something else going on for the train to be reversed screened
say what you want about me but the story seems a little fishy to me
“the story seems a little fishy to me”
I hope you’re right.
Not that this is any real justification, but perhaps there was some sort of political rally/demonstration, or perhaps a large convocation of “important folk” such as a summit of national or world leaders taking place near that particular station?
It is not an old post. It was shot and posted on February 24, 2011. One of the people involved in that illegal search actually commented on Blogger Bob’s sad attempt at an apology …..
“Anonymous said…
I was one of the passengers on this Amtrak Savannah trip and directly involved in the video that has been posted on You Tube. Just to clarify we were advised by Amtrak personnel to go into the impact area to collect our luggage. There were no signs posted on the doors to the impact area advising us that we would be searched. Please don’t act as if this was just simple misunderstanding…. it was completely pointless!”
I think it’s more like these goose stepping stromtroopers wanted to prove a point.
Well, according to “Blogger Bob” at TSA it was an error… Sort of.
http://blog.tsa.gov/2011/02/screening-of-passengers-at-savannah.html