As it turns out, a car full of people with video cameras wasn’t welcome in their secondary screening area. After one agent orders me to pull into their secondary screening for refusing to answer questions, his commanding officer intervenes before I can even cross over a single lane of traffic, and even apologizes for not wasting more of our time with their invasive screening! In hindsight, I should have told him to apologize to all the cars without camera-toting occupants for wasting everyone’s time with their oppressive police state checkpoint. Here’s the ridiculous video:
No one in the car was planning to answer the agents’ questions, given one has a right to remain silent (that the US Supreme Court has now required be invoked in police encounters). Obedience to tyrants only encourages them. Besides, as someone who believes in liberty, I don’t believe in government borders. Peaceful people should be allowed to enter a free country. Of course, we all know by now the United States is not a free country, and in fact has been dropping on the various international freedom rankings.
Also this weekend, NH Libertarian Party candidate for US Congress NH-2, Justin O’Donnell also traversed the checkpoint while live streaming to facebook. His friend in the passenger seat obediently answered the agent’s inquiry while O’Donnell debated with the agents, ultimately admitting to having been born in Boston, MA. Prior to this, the agent threatened to detain O’Donnell until he answered the question.
The New Hampshire ACLU is requesting anyone else with video of the checkpoint to send it to them. Here’s part of their statement:Based on videos of the checkpoint recorded by motorists, the way CBP is conducting these checkpoints is deeply disturbing, coercive, and unconstitutional. The CBP told motorists that they were “required” to answer their questions. This is inaccurate. All individuals going through these checkpoints have the right to say absolutely nothing. CBP officials also told individuals that, if they did not answer questions, they would be indefinitely detained until they agreed to answer. This too is not only a legally inaccurate statement, but it flies in the face of the Fourth Amendment and the cases interpreting it. The refusal to answer questions does not create reasonable suspicion or probable cause to prolong a stop at these checkpoints. If a person refuses to comply and CBP cannot promptly determine the person’s immigration status, CBP must immediately release that person. CBP should cease its practice immediately of lying about the law and what is required in order to coerce compliance.
The New Hampshire ACLU does excellent work for freedom and I’m glad to have attended their recent Bill of Rights awards dinner for the sixth year in a row this year. Stay tuned to the Free Keene blog for the latest on this continuing violation of everyone’s right to travel unmolested.
This authoritarian state is pathetic.
You guys are the biggest idiots I’ve ever encountered. You are not going to make boarder patrols go away. So, you waste everyone’s time acting like idiots without accomplishing anything. You make fools out of yourselves.
And border patrols are not going to make us go away either so maybe the other big idiots based on your logic
Jacks honey, you’re not really suggesting that holding our dear government employees to the letter of the law is a waste of time, now are you? I mean really pookums, haven’t you always presented yourself as one of those sorts who believes the law is to be obeyed no matter what?
Jacks: I’m sure you would have voluntarily surrendered to the SS during WW2 in NAZI Germany when they started rounding up the mentally ill. If you are so disappointed to have lost out on obeying the authority of the time there are fortunately (?) still options at your disposal to get the same end result. Though you may have to do some traveling.
fff – Again your childish rants mean nothing. How you compare boarder security to nazis and WWII Germany is bind blowing. I know you will always obey the authorities which makes you a hypocrite. You will give officers ID, you will pay your taxes, You will more than likely pay your traffic fines and so on. So don’t give me your rants and raves that mean nothing. These boarder check points are there for a reason. You can fight them and act like a jerk towards the officers but the bottom line is, you will obey the officers requests. Hypocrite.
So Jacks, I see that you’re still enthusiastically hollering out orders to people you’ve never met before. You don’t still believe in the fairy tale that that vote of yours gives you any genuine power, now do you pookums?
JumpingJacks, you are an idiot. Do you really think these guys are trying to stop “Border Patrols” … what a squirrel.