Thanks Sheriff Mark! In the long tradition of active terrorist cells operating in Memphis, which “lesser known type crimes” most often point to terrorism? Were the 9/11 hijackers based out of Tennessee jaywalkers? Were the WTC bombers (Headquartered in Memphis of course) of the 90′s involved in shoplifting? Mopary?

Now shut up and do what your told.

This is far more frightening to me than any tale of terrorists buying smidges of enriched uranium.

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A41348

The U.S. Coast Guard in Memphis was a part of Saturday’s round-up, checking a boat on the river.

“We look at everything, the safety of the tow boat in general. We also check out the crew members, just to make sure there is nobody hiding out on the tow boat, felons, criminals etc.,” says Lt. Timothy Martin of the U.S. Coast Guard in Memphis.

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From the second linked story:

The FBI along with hundreds of officers said they are looking for anything out of the ordinary. Agents take computers and paperwork from businesses.

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Pathetic fishing expeditions, plain and simple. And all three reports just took the thing at face value.

anyone else get that first impressoin before opening the comments? It smacks of the consuences of the Homegrown Terrorist Act. With people like Sean Hannity frivously and baselessly calling anyone and everyone a terrorist or terror-sympathizer or anti-american, it inclines one to think about the problems with such behavior, by both private and government entities.

This operation makes me wonder a few things though.
-how does issuing traffic tickets and ‘looking’ for terrorists have any common ground? Either they were not looking for terrorists, they were looking for terrorists in a way that indicates they really have no f’ing clue as to who or what lays outside of thier realm of domestic surveillance (ie, they’re really in the dark: a bad thing), or this was a combined enforcement effort to train for some martial-law-esque scenario (which would give more credit to the name of the operation: Sudden Impact).

thoughts?

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

I could go on but I think you get the point.

So what was the legal basis for the stops? (And, as others have noted, why didn’t the reporters ask those questions instead of sycophanting?)

See, I thought I was in America… but, that can’t be right with stories such as this.

So, if you could kindly point me in the direction of the America I grew up living in… I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

I’d like to know how Sheriff Luttrell has enough experience with terrorists to be making statements like this.

Seems to me that common sense would say that if the police were “looking for terrorists,” and they didn’t find any, then the court should throw out all the other arrests.

Now, I know that’s probably not how the law views it, but that would be the approach that’s most respectful to the People.

Pulling over cars on the off chance a terrorist may be driving sounds like a pretty inefficient way to find terrorists. But it’s probably a very efficient way to get big checks from the federal government.