On the one hand, law enforcement folks doing their jobs deserve respectful treatment. On the other hand, law enforcement folks doing something that’s *not* their job, such as demanding to impede travel or inspect private property at “immigration” checkpoints *far* from the border, deserve a firm but non-threatening “NO.”
Americans have the unquestioned right to travel from state to state without the fear of unreasonable search and seizure. This includes answering pretty much *any* questions that do not arise from Probable Cause. This video collects a number of such incidents. Interestingly, a lot of the border agents here demand that the drivers “pull over there” for further intrusion… and when the drivers just keep telling them “Nope, I’m’a gonna go on my way unless you whip out a warrant,” they eventually just relent.
This is obviously not a universal. If the police pull you over for speeding or running a red light or having a tail light out… that’s permitted. The drunk driving checkpoints I guess have passed Constitutional muster (though I wonder what happens to *sober* drivers who pull over but otherwise refuse to play along). But it *seems* from these and a few other videos that the border agents know they don’t have the legal authority they are pretending that they do, and just give up if the driver is sufficiently stubborn.
So, once again, cats show us the way.
Obviously, the great majority of folks who find themselves in this situation will just answer the questions and be on their way in moments. But it’s interesting to ponder what would happen if this sort of passive resistance became the norm. One result *might* be that the agents would become so tired and dispirited that they’d simply stop trying. And that would be awesome.
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And as it turns out, the Bible happens to be effective in this situation. Depending on your location, keeping a King James, a Book of Mormon, a couple issues of Watchtower or a copy of Dianetics in your car might do wonders towards speeding your way through unwanted checkpoints. Finally, a practical use for religion!
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