

TSA Reportedly Demands To Inspect Man’s Luggage For Bitcoin - sidcool
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/28/tsa-reportedly-demands-to-inspect-mans-luggage-for-bitcoin/

======
nirnira
If you read the blog post Techcrunch is summarising, you will find out:

1) The man is an anarchism/zero-government advocate. 2) He was wearing a
provocative t-shirt featuring B52s and a slogan "Bitcoin not bombs." 3) He was
nervous, difficult and antagonistic throughout the entire security process. 4)
His backpack was full of metal lapel pins emblazoned with the Bitcoin logo.

This could be titled instead as: "TSA scrutinises erratic, apparently
mentally-unstable anarchism activist to ensure he is not going to blow up a
plane." The bitcoin thing is just a red herring, they suspected him and were
casting around for different leads to see if they could get something out of
him.

Honestly, there's no point in getting so upset and hostile going through
airport security. Fixating on how your freedom is being desecrated or
something like that is just going to get your back up and make everything
worse.

~~~
mindcrime
What a load of shit. Just because he's an anarchist does not mean he's a
threat to anybody - nor do any of the other facts you point out. And nothing
about any of those facts justifies calling him "mentally unstable". You may
not agree with his politics, but that hardly justifies character
assassination, if not outright libel.

"Oh noes, fear the lapel pins!!!!!"

~~~
nirnira
Firstly, I didn't call him mentally unstable. I suggested that, from another
perspective (i.e. not the perspective of a stridently anti-government
activist), he might be perceived as potentially being mentally unstable.

Secondly, all of these characteristics are red flags in a screening operation.
No, they don't necessarily mean that he is a threat. But they do warrant
closer inspection. Inspection that, from his account, seemed to provoke him to
further erratic behaviour. And it's the job of security apparatuses to pay
attention to people who act strangely.

This anti-TSA shit is ridiculous. So much of it revolves around ridiculing
ordinary people without that much education working a fairly poorly-paid job.
Like mocking people for not understanding how Bitcoin works.

America asked for better protection after 9/11, and they got it. Now they're
bitching because they don't like it? Why is this so hard to understand? Do you
want a security apparatus that tries its best to make sure dangerous people
don't board planes, or do you want a security apparatus that waves any old
person onboard?

