TSA thugs even worse than casino security thugs

Because, of course, they operate with greater ability to deprive you of your liberty and property, whether you have done anything to deserve it or not.

A reader kindly sent me a note about this post on Terrence Chan's blog. A libertarian (his politics are probably not irrelevant here) was detained by the TSA thugs simply because he was carrying about $4700 in cash, with no other grounds for suspicion of illegal activity. Their treatment of him, which he cleverly recorded, was not exactly the courtesy and professionalism we would want from our law enforcement. Watch the YouTube segment, and be outraged.

Is this relevant to poker? Absolutely. Besides the general interest that all U.S. citizens should have about the erosion of freedom, poker players are at substantially greater risk than the general public for this kind of abuse. Both tournament players and the cash game specialists who go to where tournaments are to play in the juicy side games tend to carry (perfectly legally) larger sums of cash than the jack-booted thugs of the TSA will consider to be "normal." They also often book flights at the last minute (because of a late decision to play a tournament, or busting out earlier than anticipated, or lasting longer than anticipated and thus having to book a later flight, etc.). These factors wave red flags in front of the TSA and DEA bulls. There are already many, many stories on record of poker players getting harassed in just the manner that this young man was. For the most recent one that has made the news, see David "Viffer" Peat's account here. Read Daniel Negreanu's story from 2006 here.

By the way, if you are ever being questioned by law enforcement and it's not clear to you whether you are free to go, you can certainly ask exactly that question (as this guy did), but don't expect a direct or honest answer. The way to find out is to announce that it is your intention to leave, stand up, and walk for the door, being careful not to make any sudden moves (like reaching into a pocket) that could be interpreted as threatening. If they don't stop you, you are free to go. If they physically prevent you from leaving, you have your answer, and at that point they will not be free to claim in later legal proceedings that you had never been "seized" under the Fourth Amendment. As soon as it is clear that you are not free to go, you have, in fact, been "seized," whether or not you are under arrest (which is a related but narrower category of action).