This morning, many Americans approach an interesting choice, a choice many may or may not have given sufficient inventory to in the determining of their final voicing of this choice.
As I continue to read about the TSA’s blatant violation of our (Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…) Constitutional Rights being carried out at airports across the nation, I’m beyond appalled - both as a frequent flier and as an American.
The Constitution does NOT allow blanket strip searches or full-body pat downs of American citizens unless there’s some REASONABLE SUSPICION that criminal activity is afoot. To suggest that Americans somehow must surrender our Fourth Amendment rights when buying a plane ticket is absurd in the highest degree, if not simply criminal itself.
A couple myth busters:
MYTH 1: We’re somehow made safer by the installation of these new x-ray body scanning devices.
WRONG: There are blowers and trained dogs that can detect and sniff out bombs.
MYTH 2: TSA has the right to detain and fine US Citizens.
WRONG: They have the power but not the right. Constitutionally, as a US citizen, I/you/we have the right to move freely within my/your/our country as long as I/you/we can demonstrate proof of citizenship and have demonstrated no reasonable cause to be detained.
MYTH 3: The new body scanning machines are safe and the pictures are secure.
WRONG: Not only has it been publically demonstrated that these machines, nor the pictures they take are not secure, the bigger and much, much more important story is the high energy X-rays and microwaves being shot at Americans who wish to fly. The naked picture stories represent a real intrusion, but somewhat disguise the real danger, or at least the second most dangerous aspect, with the first being the rapid decline and disregard of our individual freedoms and Constitutional rights. These electromagnetic radiations are NOT safe and have not been sufficiently proven by a panel of independent experts to be safe. It is wrong to tell Americans this is safe. Furthermore, I strongly object to the US government redefining what is a microwave…. and calling them “milliwaves.” The micro waves the aimed at Americans and those who choose to subject themselves to the examination of these high-frequency machines is unconscionable - and worse, propagandizing that the x-rays and millimeter waves are safe is a outright LIE.
Please examine the concerns these doctors from the University of California expressed in their letter to the White House back in April of 2009. http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf
MYTH 4: If anyone fears radiation exposure or has privacy concerns, they can easily “opt out” and undergo and safe and reasonable alternative.
WRONG: The alternative is not only an aggressive “enhanced pat-down,” which some compare to legalized molestation, but one that doesn’t currently require clean gloves, let alone any reported discretion. For this I refer to an ABC piece featuring Martha Donahue in a commentary at Resistnet, who said she’d spent 30 years in the medical industry.
“For those of you who fly and opt for the ‘pat down,’ you need to demand the TSA thugs change their gloves. I’ve been watching on the news how they operate. People are being searched [with] dirty gloves … gloves that have been in crotches, armpits, touching people who may be ill, people who pick their noses. Do you want those gloves touching you?
“These thugs are protecting themselves from you. You need to be protected from them,” she wrote. “In a hospital, nursing home, in-home care, or even labs, that would never even be considered an option.” ABC reported one of its news employees documented how a TSA worker reached inside her underwear.
“The woman who checked me reached her hands inside my underwear and felt her way around,” the ABC employee said in the network’s report. “It was basically worse than going to the gynecologist. It was embarrassing. It was demeaning. It was inappropriate.” She wrote that she was wondering “about the possibility of screeners passing everything from bedbugs to skin infections from one passenger to another.”
She continued, “Latex glove issues might seem minor, but there ought to be procedures to require TSA screeners to don fresh gloves each time they encounter a new passenger.”
On a TSA blog promoting the agency’s actions and policies, one screener explained, “Changing gloves is optional and fairly simple … . When I gate screen I carry about 10-12 pairs in my pockets.”
Respondents to the comment were outraged, “That’s just plain disgusting and most certainly not acceptable … procedures as set forth by the CDC for usage of gloves for protection,” said one. “Reasoning being is that the bacteria count in your pockets is about the same is your mouth or armpit.”
MYTH 5: These new measures are a ncessary inconvenience and make flying and traveling safer.
WRONG: A necessary inconvenience? Not at all. Consider this … Since 9-11 there have been approximately 29,200,000+ flights in the domestic US. During that time neither body scanners nor “enhanced pat-downs” were being utilized. Beyond a few false flag incidents, the most popular one known as the “underwear bomber,” we have not had one incident where any human being was harmed or killed. Interesting from that one “underwear bomber” event the TSA (Totalitarian State of America) justifies the new body scanners and enhanced pat-downs, of not just terrorist types who fit the EXACT or SIMILAR profile of ANYONE who has EVER attempted a terrorist act on or with a plane, but everyoneincluding grandmothers and young children, who now must also endure this “guilty until proven innocent” security theatre charade.
It can quite accurately be said, through these new measures, (which I hope, pray and actively encourage you to vehemently protest against), the US government has now officially made it unsafe for Americans to fly in the US.
MYTH 6: If it wasn’t safe our Government wouldn’t be installing these new measures.
WRONG: See the following by Fredreka Schouten, of USA Today: “The companies with multimillion-dollar contracts to supply American airports with body-scanning machines more than doubled their spending on lobbying in the past five years and hired several high-profile former government officials to advance their causes in Washington, government records show. AND one of the CEO’s was Obama’s guest while he was in India recently.”
These “security measures” have NOTHING to do with the public safety and EVERYTHING to do with corporate greed and political power.
L-3 Communications, which has sold $39.7 million worth of the machines to the federal government, spent $4.3 million trying to influence Congress and federal agencies during the first nine months of this year, up from $2.1 million in 2005, lobbying data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics show. Its lobbyists include Linda Daschle, a former Federal Aviation Administration official.
“Rapiscan Systems, meanwhile, has spent $271,500 on lobbying so far this year, compared with $80,000 five years earlier. It has faced criticism for hiring Michael Chertoff, the former Homeland Security secretary, last year. Chertoff has been a prominent proponent of using scanners to foil terrorism. The government has since spent $41.2 million with Rapiscan.” This year, L-3 Communications reported lobbying on nearly two dozen bills, ranging from homeland security appropriations to military construction.
ON A RECENT BLOG, a commercial airline pilot had this to say, “Hopefully they will reign in TSA with some sort of legislation, because they have gone too far. I’m a pilot, and the way they search us is absurd. We are behind a locked door and have a crash axe and possibly a gun if a crewmember is FFDO. In reality we don’t even need any of that stuff, since we have control of an entire airplane as well. Why they treat us like terrorist is unknown. We do have to pass a 10 year FBI criminal background check! The interesting thing is that there are all sorts of ground personnel at airports that do NOT go through screening. They could meet a terrorist at the gate after going through security and give them the explosives. Most of the terror acts done today circumvent security, so TSA isn’t helping.
So What Now?
If we allow TSA to continue to reverse the burden of proof so that “we, the people” have to prove our innocence, then we might as well give up on the Constitution altogether. As a tax-paying citizen, I am disgusted that innocent Americans are being targeted as suspects of a surveillance state in the name of security theatre - even moreso that it’s being supported with our hard-earned tax dollars. And that is the biggest crime. Remember, it STILL reads “WE, THE PEOPLE.” Whether you or someone is traveling or not this season I implore you to do your civic duty and take just 3 minutes over coffee, and at the very least email your congressman and senators and urge them to fight against this vicious attack on our liberties and freedoms. Use this link if you need:https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
and if you’re short on time simply copy and paste this (and fill in your name) and send it to your US Rep!!
“My name is _______ and I am writing to ask that you please co-sponsor Rep. Ron Paul’s piece of legislation H.R. 6416: The American Traveler Dignity Act. I, as well as many other Americans, are appalled by the freedoms that are constantly being violated by the post-9/11 Federal Government in the name of “national security”. It is imperative to me that you support this bill. Thank you and I greatly appreciate your time.”
I continue to hear a lot of citizens say, “This has just gone way too far!” which is perhaps the biggest understatement of the year. Yesterday I emailed my congressman, 2 senators, my airline, my governor and the ACLU, not because I wasn’t busy, but because I can’t possibly fathom looking at my daughter’s eyes while some blue-shirt Government worker gropes and fondles her in the name of “security.” This has got to STOP – NOW! A free country should not and cannot give it’s citizens the choice between being microwaved and irradiated or being groped with dirty gloves. Please contact your congress and senate reps and make your voice heard.
Lastly, I leave you with the words of Benjamin Franklin, who wrote, “ Those who give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.”
Thank you,
Lance Courtney
P.S. If you have 5 minutes, this clip is WELL worth your time.
http://www.ronpaul.com/2010-11-17/ron-paul-to-tsa-stop-radiating-our-bodies-and-fondling-our-children/
