Mission Creep In Thugville: TSA Tweets Photo Of Passenger's Cash-Filled Bag, Tips Off Another Govt Agency To Come Steal It
Christopher Ingraham writes in the WaPo about the TSA -- supposedly there to protect us from terrorism -- regarding one of their executhugs' tweets from the other day:

Earlier today, Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lisa Farbstein sent the following tweet from her verified account:

Oh, and she's alll laughy-laughy in her picture. "Ha, ha, ha, there go your civil liberties, Americans!"

The photo, from the Richmond airport, shows a passenger's luggage containing $75,000 in cash. Farbstein asks, "Is this how you'd transport it?" Most people would not, but there is nothing illegal about simply checking a bag containing $75,000, or carrying it with you on the plane. Passengers aren't under any obligation to report large sums of cash unless they're traveling internationally, though the TSA recommends that passengers consider asking for a private screening.

Asked about the incident via e-mail, Farbstein said that "the carry-on bag of the passenger alarmed because of the large unknown bulk in his carry-on bag. When TSA officers opened the bag to determine what had caused the alarm, the money was sitting inside. Quite unusual. TSA alerted the airport police, who were investigating." Farbstein didn't respond to a question about whether posting photos of the man's luggage and property violated his privacy, nor did she offer any more details on the situation.

It is none of the government's fucking business whether you are carrying cash and how much. There are reporting requirements (for sums over $10K) if you are leaving or entering the country. But if you are simply leaving one state for another, and if there's no evidence the money will, say, explode on the plane, grubby government thugs should not be all up in your dollar bills.

And here's a joke -- the notion that the TSA workers could assess anything besides their vast luck in getting a nice salary for playing dress-up (in cop Halloween costumes) and then missing 95 percent of the devices undercover inspectors smuggled past them. In Ingraham's blog post, he writes:

A 2009 TSA blog post explained what the TSA does when agents encounter large sums of cash.

Sometimes a TSA officer may ask a passenger who is carrying a large sum of cash to account for the money. You have asked why such a question is posed and whether a passenger is required to answer.

In reacting to potential security problems or signs of criminal activity, TSA officers are trained to ask questions and assess passenger reactions, including whether a passenger appears to be cooperative and forthcoming in responding.

TSA officers routinely come across evidence of criminal activity at the airport checkpoint. Examples include evidence of illegal drug trafficking, money laundering, and violations of currency reporting requirements prior to international trips.

Sorry, in my experience with the caliber of people who take jobs at airports groping their fellow Americans' genitals and violating their civil liberties for money, well, I would estimate that my average daily temperature exceeds the IQ of every TSA thug who felt me up at the airport.

By the way:

In this case, the cash was seized by a federal agency, most likely the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to Richmond airport spokesman Troy Bell. "I don't believe the person was issued a summons or a citation," he said. "The traveler was allowed to continue on his way."

In other words, there was not enough evidence of a crime in order to arrest the person, but the legalized government theft that is "civil asset forfeiture" has a different standard: You must prove your money innocent of being earned criminally -- which can cost you tens of thousands of dollars or more. Many victims of this government thuggery realize that they lose less in just letting the government keep what it stole from them.

Terrible, tragic. Not what America is supposed to be. But it's what it is.

via @RadleyBalko