(no subject)
Jul. 22nd, 2005 08:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
camwynSo.
New York City's gonna do random searches of people's bags if they wanna get on the subway and 'people who don't want to be searched are perfectly free to turn around and leave the station'.
Show of hands- do I start carrying a bag full of mousetraps, or should I start carrying a bag full of some formulation of Play-Doh that feels like dog crap if a cop puts his hand on it? Not that I dislike the members of the NYPD; I'm very fond of cops in general. But since the city doesn't seem to think that the Constitution matters any more (small surprise, since Washington doesn't either)- or that this constitutes a reasonable search and seizure- I'd like to make it plain that if you're going to search me, ever, you are going to have to pay for that privilege.
I'm thinkin' the play-doh. Or a can of non-dairy creamer with a lid that comes off easily- no, then they'd go "ACK ANTHRAX" and I'd be late for work. But you get the idea.
Suggestions?
New York City's gonna do random searches of people's bags if they wanna get on the subway and 'people who don't want to be searched are perfectly free to turn around and leave the station'.
Show of hands- do I start carrying a bag full of mousetraps, or should I start carrying a bag full of some formulation of Play-Doh that feels like dog crap if a cop puts his hand on it? Not that I dislike the members of the NYPD; I'm very fond of cops in general. But since the city doesn't seem to think that the Constitution matters any more (small surprise, since Washington doesn't either)- or that this constitutes a reasonable search and seizure- I'd like to make it plain that if you're going to search me, ever, you are going to have to pay for that privilege.
I'm thinkin' the play-doh. Or a can of non-dairy creamer with a lid that comes off easily- no, then they'd go "ACK ANTHRAX" and I'd be late for work. But you get the idea.
Suggestions?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:00 pm (UTC)Since I paid for it -- probably twice?
no subject
Date: 2005-07-25 03:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 11:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 11:39 am (UTC)The fact that the MTA is subsidised by the state government does not entitle you to use the subway, any more than it entitles you to enter any other property whose owner receives a subsidy. Entry is always on the terms set by the owner. Otherwise they couldn't charge you that $2, could they?
The bottom line is that you have no legal entitlement to use the subway. The MTA has the right to set any reasonable conditions it likes for the use of its services. One of those conditions is the payment of a fare. And now another is consent to a search of your bags, if asked. If you don't consent, feel free not to use the subway.