2008-10-23 Homeland Security Assuming Broad Powers

2008-10-23 Barry Steinhardt, Director, ACLU Technology & Liberty Program; Vince Peppard, entrepreneur, retired county employee Prison Planet; ACLU \American totalitarianism\ACLU/work\US Customs and Border Protection\US border\California\US Department of Homeland Security http://www.prisonplanet.com/homeland-security-assuming-broad-powers-turning-vast-swaths-of-us-into-constitution-free-zone.html Homeland Security Assuming Broad Powers, Turning Vast Swaths of U.S. into â€œConstitution-Free Zoneâ€ Homeland Security Assuming Broad Powers  The government is turning vast swaths of our country into a â€œConstitution-Free Zoneâ€ in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is allowed to exercise extraordinary authority that would not normally be permitted under the Constitution. The government says that â€œthe borderâ€ â€” where there is a longstanding view that the Constitution does not fully apply â€” actually stretches 100 miles inland from the nationâ€™s â€œexternal boundary.â€ And increasingly, we are seeing DHS vigorously utilize that authority.

Includes a video in which Vince Peppard, retired San Diego county employee, is detained for questioning by the Border Patrol about 20 minutes (and 20 miles) after passing through the border checkpoint station with no incident.

&ldquo;The government says that "the border" â€” where there is a longstanding view that the Constitution does not fully apply â€” actually stretches 100 miles inland from the nationâ€™s "external boundary."&rdquo;   