Mass. Starts Random Searches on Trains

[BaysideLiberal]

OSTON -- The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Thursday became the first subway system in the nation to begin random searches of bags and packages on subway and commuter trains.

The searches, announced last month, have been billed as an anti-terrorism effort, and began just days before the start of the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter.

MBTA Police Chief Joseph Carter says the policy, which includes explosive-sniffing dogs, was in part a response to the March 11 train bombings that killed 191 people in Spain.

Civil liberties groups are mounting a legal challenge. They say the policy violates Fourth Amendment rights protecting people against unreasonable searches.

T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said officials will not reveal where the searches were being conducted.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-mbta-searches,0,7270413.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[sniffa]

1. awesome!!!

i wasn't searched this morning. there's aLways my ride home though.

[bushwakker]

2. I will absolutely refuse this when it happens

and it will. Most of the sheeple just accept it though.

[One_Life_To_Give]

3. Papers

We see the Gestapo is still in buisness.

Papers, we need to see your papers!

[StopTheMorans]

4. if you live in MA and you want to help fight this

go to the MA ACLU site; they have forms there for gathering information when you're searched (not illegal; it's just to help them gather info. in the event that they want to mount a legal challenge to this) at

www.aclu-mass.org

The train systems (especially the commuter rail, which I ride every day) are too massive in terms of sheer mileage covered by tracks to prevent anyone from attacking the MBTA should they want to (hence, this is a needless violation of civil liberties IMHO).

edited to add MA ACLU URL

[malachibk]

5. I have to admit I'm torn about this one

As a NYCer who depends on the subway to survive but who also finds the subway the scariest place to be in this post 911 world, bag searches during the RNC might make me less likely to barricade myself indoors when I'm not protesting.

Four days with fewer civil liberties might be a small price to pay if increased police presence and powers deters an underground attack. Or, those four days might lead to four years with utterly diminished civil liberties and Hitler-lite policing.

Like I said, I'm torn.

[StopTheMorans]

6. the only reason i'm torn is that

this is so ineffectual (due to the extremely random nature of the searches). chances are, you won't get searched. if they are going to implement police-state tactics, then they should do it full-force (i.e. search everyone if this really is a policy that they think is a good idea to prevent attacks). it's sheer idiocy to try and catch a terrorist by chance (and it only leads to profiling by making the searches random). i don't agree with the premise at all (i.e. if we protect the hard targets, they'll just go for soft targets elsewhere), but if they're going to be fascists, they might as well do it right:)

[malachibk]

7. Point taken.

Searching everyone with a bag/purse/backpack is an impossibility, I think if people want to get to work on time. If people don't want to get searched/profiled then leave your suitcase at home for 4 days -- hell, it's over a weekend anyway.