Do Not Carry Cash or Else...

I heard this little telephone tape on the internet, and thought it might be interesting.

A man was detained at an airport because he was carrying a lot of money. He had no weapons, no bomb making materials, no harmful substances, just a lot of money. He was questioned about where the money came from and what he was going to do with it. Luckily, he had one of those smart phones that with one press of a button starts recording, without anyone else knowing you have switched it on. You can see/hear the video here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0SXuclz47Y

What really interested me is that the man is a supporter of the Republican Congressman Ron Paul, who has become persona non grata with the Republican Party for several reasons, such as requesting an audit of the Federal Reserve and a return of US policy to a policy of Isolation instead of policing the rest of the world. The man was carrying Ron Paul bumper stickers and leaflets for the Campaign for Liberty, but the police who questioned him did not actually know that. That was lucky for the detainee, as I believe the harassment would have been even worse if they had known.

Apparently some Police Departments have actually issued instructions to their staff that if a car sports a Ron Paul sticker it is likely that the owner of the car has 'terrorist leanings' -see more about that here. How scary that a man who was legitimately elected, and who is questioning some of the policies of his own government, can be so side-lined that his supporters may be harassed legitimately just for being his supporters.

It does not matter whether one agrees with Ron Paul and the Campaign for Liberty, any more than it matters if you agree with Barack Obama or not, surely the issue here is one of free speech, freedom of association and the right to carry any amount of money you like without the fear of being harassed. At the moment you have the right to carry a weapon, but not money?