This article was written by Michael Krieger and originally published at his Liberty Blitzkrieg website.
Editor’s Note: The attitude of federal authorities has continually been one of arrogance and dominance over the American people. The fact that it is now happening to a high profile mayor is all the more unsettling – particularly as they refused the man the ability to have his lawyer present, and declared flippantly that he ‘didn’t have the rights that he thought he did.’
Wow! This kind of behavior will get only worse and worse unless it is stopped or challenged. Our sad future is to witness a sharp erosion of our rights, and find ourselves virtually without a country and under the control of a technology-driven fascist bureaucracy that is build for the privilege and enrichment of a very few.
California Mayor Forced to Hand Over Electronics and Passwords at Airport – Compares U.S. to Nazi Germany
by Michael Krieger
“I think the American people should be extremely concerned about their personal rights and privacy. As I was being searched at the airport, there was a Latino couple to my left, and an Asian couple to my right also being aggressively searched. I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.
– Anthony Silva, Mayor of Stockton, California
Just in case you’re still under the infantile illusion that you reside in a free country.
From ArsTechnica:
Stockton, California Mayor Anthony R. Silva attended a recent mayor’s conference in China, but his return trip took a bit longer than usual. At the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this week, agents with the Department of Homeland Security detained Silva and confiscated his personal cell phone among other electronics. According to comments from the mayor, that may not even be the most alarming part.
“Unfortunately, they were not willing or able to produce a search warrant or any court documents suggesting they had a legal right to take my property,” Silva told SFGate. “In addition, they were persistent about requiring my passwords for all devices.”
The mayor’s attorney, Mark Reichel, told SFGate that Silva was not allowed to leave the airport without forfeiting his passwords. Reichel was not present for Silva’s interaction with the DHS agents, either. The mayor was told he had “no right for a lawyer to be present” and that being a US citizen did not “entitle me to rights that I probably thought,” according to the paper.
Evidently, Silva was well aware of the situation and only had his concerns heightened by first-hand experience. Talking to SFGate, he briefly compared the government battle on privacy to notorious dictatorships worldwide.
“I think the American people should be extremely concerned about their personal rights and privacy,” Silva told the paper. “As I was being searched at the airport, there was a Latino couple to my left, and an Asian couple to my right also being aggressively searched. I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.”
This is not what freedom looks like.
Of course, I’ve written a lot on the dangers of the Department of Homeland Security over the years. Fears which are coming home to roost in spades. See:
The “War on Terror” Turns Inward – DHS Report Warns of Right Wing Terror Threat
Former DHS Chief Privacy Officer Was Regularly Called a “Terrorist” by the Intelligence Community
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
This article was written by Michael Krieger and originally published at his Liberty Blitzkrieg website.
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