Your Subway Bags, Now With More Constitutional Power

Last December, Judge Richard Berman ruled that subway bag checks were constitutional. Naturally, the NYCLU appealed that decision, but today, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of bag checks. From the AP:

In its written ruling, the appeals court noted that New York's subway system is an "icon of the city's culture and history, an engine of its colossal economy, a subterranean repository of its art and music, and, most often, the place where millions of diverse New Yorkers and visitors stand elbow to elbow as they traverse the metropolis."

The court noted that New York's subway system, the nation's largest, includes 26 interconnected train lines and 468 far-flung passenger stations, carrying 4.7 million passengers on an average weekday and 1.4 billion riders a year.

The opinion said it was "unsurprising and undisputed that terrorists view it as a prime target."

Hey, hear that, Department of Homeland Security? Liquids, however, are allowed on the subway, though you cannot drink them unless it's in a closed container.

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By Jen Chung in News on August 11, 2006 4:32 PM

Comments [rss]

ahem

before you conservatives get all high and mighty about this:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1155AP_Terror_Explosives_Detection.html

Michael

I don't mind real security efforts... but whenever people run out dumb-@ss stuff like this I just chuckle.

If you have a backpack full of explosives.. and you see the police off to the side with a table looking through someone else's bag... you're just going to turn around...

and if the police approach you.. well, you're just going to detonate earlier than planned...

they really think this is effective?? we need to be forward thinking with regard to terrorism.. not constantly reactive...

hello we have one

just like the dave chappelle skit on why terrorists don't kidnap black people.

hello, we have one of your citizens and he's black.

Click. dialtone.

no check for me please

I'll take the no security check flight.

the terrorist knows I have nothing to lose and will therefore assume my death would be squat. (which is true, my life is squat but that's besides the point)

they only go after the sheeple.

rory

you libs make me sick. ACLU does everything in its power to protect Al-Qaida. You may not believe it, but there is a real terror threat.

Let's have two separate modes of transportation (at least for air travel). First, ultra-secure mode with all those republican bag searches, profilings etc and then we have ACLU/NY Jazeera/Lib approved way (no security checks at all). Good luck!

greg

exactly, toby.

Toby

The raison d'être for the Department of Homeland Security (which sounds bloody Orwellian) is for political ass covering, pork distribution, and government waste. That and to put the fear of god into everyone so they vote Facist Republican.

tien

the container thing is actually the language that the MTA used. no open containers allowed. something like no liquid in an open container and people aren't allowed to drink from an open container.

interlard

I don't mind the bag checks but could they make it clear that the police can only arrest you if they find weapons?

Naturally, we're all concerned about how we're supposed to carry our drugs.

Osama Bin Laden

The goal of terrorism is to turn a tolerant, democractic country into a miserable police state. Everything is going according to plan.

nick

re: #1 - the same way you appear in "various states of address"

WHO. FUCKING. KNOWS.

mark

"More Constitutional Powers"? Don't you mean: "NYC Subway Riders, Now with Less Constitutional Rights"

closed

>Liquids, however, are allowed on the subway,

>though you cannot drink them unless it's in a

>closed container.

Its tricky for me to drink from closed containers, just exactly how do you do it?