TSA Confiscates Camera, Deletes Footage of CheckpointTSA workers steal memory card, cop claims “It must have fallen on the ground”Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet Oct. 01, 2012 |
Putin Accuses 'Ethnic Jews' of Tearing Russian Orthodox Church Apart
IDF Opens Fire on Syrians Protesting Israel's Expanding Occupation of South Syria
Saudi National Rams Car Into Germans at Christmas Market in Suspected Terrorist Attack [UPDATED 2X]
Ohio Senate Passes Bill Aimed at Outlawing Criticism of Israel, Criminalizing Gospel
U.S. 'Shoots Down Own Jet' Over Red Sea in 'Friendly Fire Incident'
Despite the TSA admitting on its own website that there is no law which prevents people from filming TSA checkpoints, a man traveling through San Juan airport in Puerto Rico had his camera confiscated and footage deleted. Since the TSA deleted most of the video footage, this clip shows only the end of the incident. Tom McCormack explains how he was repeatedly harassed by TSA officers and then police simply for filming at a body scanner checkpoint, before TSA agents violently grabbed his camera from him and disappeared, a concerning development given the fact that TSA workers are routinely caught stealing expensive personal items belonging to travelers. The following account of the incident comes courtesy of the Pixiq website. I was in the San Juan airport at noon (Sept 24) heading for St. Kitts.This story again reminds us that Americans are being harassed and in some cases arrested for filming either federal employees, in the case of the TSA, or police officers. There is no law that forbids anyone from filming TSA workers or police officers. Every time a case goes to court over someone filming a police officer, the defendant wins. The First Court of Appeals ruled last year that filming police officers is not illegal in the United States. In addition, the TSA admits on its own website that it “does not prohibit the public, passengers or press from photographing, videotaping or filming at security checkpoints.” There is no expectation of privacy in a public place – that’s why the government can film us all with surveillance cameras and get away with it. However, this hasn’t stopped people who do film TSA checkpoints or TSA workers being harassed, threatened with court action or even accused of being terrorists. Filming TSA procedures at checkpoints is a vital expression of the FIrst Amendment and serves to limit the degree of humiliation, degradation and harassment metered out by TSA screeners – aggravation that has become endemic across the country. That’s why Infowars is launching the national Opt Out and Film Week during Thanksgiving, November 19-26. Click here for more details or click here for the campaign’s Facebook page. _ Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News. |