The First Victory Against The Police State May Come Against The TSA

[Joanne98]

There is a growing public resistance campaign across U.S. airports against the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for routinely performing creepy pat-downs on passengers of all ages and all backgrounds and also submitting them to naked body scanners that are not only intrusive and unnecessary, but, according to scientists from Johns Hopkins University, are harmful to people's health.

Despite making no difference in airport security and the fight against government manufactured terrorism, the TSA's unpopular screening measures have not yet been terminated by the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that the TSA falls under. But that may change in the near future as there exists the possibility that millions of fed-up Americans will join John Tyner, who refused to be subjected to the TSA's perverted security ritual at San Diego International Airport on Saturday, and take collective action against the government's invasion of their humanity.

Amidst the renewed public scrutiny of the TSA thanks to Tyner's courageous act of dissent, a public boycott campaign against the TSA's invasive and humiliating techniques was started by James Babb and George Donnelly called "We Won't Fly" which urges travelers to refuse to go through naked body scanners on November 24. They write:

"We are opposed to the full-body backscatter x-ray airport scanners on grounds of health and privacy. We do not consent to strip searches, virtual or otherwise. We do not wish to be guinea pigs for new, and possibly dangerous, technology. We are not criminals. We are your customers. We will not beg the government anymore. We will simply stop flying until the porno-scanners are history."
Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake.com began a petition to press Congresspersons to investigate the TSA, which is publicly harassing John Tyner for the crime of refusing to be treated like a slave. Sign the petition here. Hamsher also wrote an article called, "Investigate the TSA, Not Tyner," explaining the reasons for the petition, and why Tyner must be aggressively supported for his act of resistance. She says:

http://www.opednews.com/Diary/The-First-Victory-Against-by-Saman-Mohammadi-101117-68.html

[Blue Owl]

1. Get these machines out of our airports

and make that jerkoff Chertoff pay for 'em.

[ixion]

2. It would give me a great deal of hope to see the TSA disbanded...

I imagine this will push them back a bit, at most. What's interesting is their complete lack of concern about the public outrage.

[MineralMan]

3. If enough people who have been flying do refuse to fly, changes will occur.

However, I suspect that isn't going to happen. I suspect that most of the people participating in this campaign against these screening techniques do not fly on any sort of regular basis. Many may not have flown since 9/11. What those people do will have no effect on screening techniques. Only if people who fly regularly stop flying will things change. Most passengers fly on business. We'll see what happens with those passengers.

Signing petitions isn't going to work. Not buying tickets if you're a regular flyer will work. The effects of that will be very obvious. As long as flights are full, no changes will occur.

[SouthernLiberal]

4. I've already given up flying

Between the TSA and the airlines' poor excuse for 'customer service', I've lost my taste for flying all together. I don't have to fly for business, so all my air travel in recent years has been for vacations. I don't see any point in starting and ending a vacation with people who think you are:

A terrorist
Too large to fly anyway
Trying to cheat them by traveling with luggage

[Turbineguy]

5. The TSA has been infiltrated

by freedom loving teabaggers.

[littlewolf]

6. no the outrage is pretty well set on both sides of

the spectrum ..... RW and Left .... and moderate "blue dog" left and Progressives .... so
I don't think anyone has a lock on the outrage ....

[earthside]

7. Step-up, Pres. Obama!

Wouldn't it be nice if just once Pres. Obama would exercise his authority as head of the executive branch and, in this case, order the TSA to stand down on these invasive body searches?

He could do a very pro-Bill of Rights, populist, grassroots, people-power thing by telling TSA to back-off.

But, this is the problem with chess players, they think so many step ahead that they become paralyzed -- I'm sure Obama and his advisers will worry that if something bad did happen, then he would get all the blame and it wouldn't be worth fighting back against that kind of baseless accusation -- best to play it safe.

Nevertheless, Obama as a Constitutional scholar is the perfect person to tell the TSA to respect the Fourth Amendment and lay-off the air traveling public ... and he'd go up twenty points in the approval polls.

[bluedigger]

8. The neo-cons would crucify him.

Has to be a people's revolt.

[Moosepoop]

9. So would some on the left.

The memes would be that he's CAVED to the AIRLINES and their CEOs because he's such a SELLOUT or WIMP, or he's IN BED with them and doesn't want them to lose customers and $$$ because he's such a CORPORATIST... etc.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. Bull clap

Everyone even close to 'the left' opposes these machines and friskings, the only Americanswho don't are the neo-cons who are invested in the machines. If the President took a stand against this, 'the left' would be surprised and delighted. As would moderates, and everyone else but the frige autohority lovers and those who enjoy that sort of 'pat down'.
Especially delighted would be those of us who want to see actual protective security in place, as opposed to a puppet show for travelers to behold.

[truth2power]

12. Pres. Obama could lead by example...show the American people how the policy is necessary

for our safety.

Have a press event at an airport, bring Sasha and Malia and look on pleasantly while a TSA thug feels them up, puts fingers in their private parts, squeezes their breasts and looks down their pants.

Surely no one here thinks that Obama's two children are intrinsically any better or more entitled than ordinary Americans. You know, it's kinda like him going to a diner in some little town in the midwest to have pie and coffee with the citizens so we can see he's just an ordinary guy.

And yes, I'm serious. Step up, Mr. President and show us how necessary this all is. Otherwise, tell Chertoff to go fuck himself!

[Lifelong Protester]

10. Unhappily, I already have tickets for two flights this upcoming week

and would have cancelled plans for the trip had I seen this implementation coming at this time. It is outrageous! And as a card-carrying ACLU member, I hope the outrage is turned up and the heat is put on.

Wake up, people, our civil liberties are being taken away one by one. If this is not an illegal search, without ANY cause, I don't know what is.

"the land of the free"??? Not hardly, as long as this stands.

[MedicalAdmin]

14. Refuse the scan.

And then during the pat down while the hands are groping your crotch loudly say, "No I won't meet you in the bathroom after this. And NO I don't want a blowjob. Supervisor!!!!!!" Make sure lots of people hear you.

[Lifelong Protester]

16. !

Hilarious idea.

[sce56]

18. Great Idea! But think aout it what if they have you recorded? You might get in deep shit for that!

The guy that refused to be groped is still under threat of $10,000 civil fine for not finishing the process!

[MedicalAdmin]

21. Check out the TSA cams.

They have absolutely no audio. Audio is a huge bandwidth hog and they don't use it. Just make sure that the TSA crotch grabber doesn't have his mike keyed in or on. It's actually pretty easy to tell.

That's it folks. Grab my junk and get accused of sexual assault. And the video the TSA has will back up your story as far as it goes. I imagine that they will settle out of court after your hungry shark lawyer is done with them on the local news and youtube.

[notesdev]

11. Let's keep the momentum going

Let's get rid of local/state checkpoints and prohibition while we're at it.

There's quite a list of police state BS that goes on and if we could roll it all back that would substantially improve the quality of life in this country.

[Citizen Worker]

13. There is no doubt that these machines represent an invasion of privacy and the recorded images will

be retained and shown around there has been only brief mention of the safety issues and those concerns are limited to the subject being searched. No mention has been made, to the best of my knowledge, about the potential safety of the x-ray operators or members of the public standing nearby.

I think I can say with a degree of certainty that we've all had x-rays taken either at the dentist's office or at hospital. Ever notice that the person taking the x-ray is standing in a shielded cubicle well away from the x-ray? How much lead shielding is there in the porno machines? Have readings been taken while these machines are being operated? What about the people in close proximity to the machine? How much radiation are they receiving?

I know from personal experience that nuclear warhead storage lockers have multiple layers of shielding to prevent the escape of dangerous radiation. How much shielding is in the porno machines?

Edit: for grammar

[MedicalAdmin]

15. They are shielded but unlike medical equip or power plant equip

They are NOT required to be monitored, calibrated, certified or inspected on a regular basis.

I don't even want to be anywhere near them. Next time I fly I plan on having one of these with me pinned outside my shirt. It's a radiation badge. I won't cause a stir but if I notice a color change I will definitely mention it to the people in line with me.

[Lifelong Protester]

17. Wow, where can I get one of those in a hurry?

[MedicalAdmin]

22. Google radiation badge and then pick one out

That is either for medical use or dept. of energy use. They are about $70 bucks plus or minus.

[GTurck]

20. So...

they will turn those scanners and pat-downs over to private companies!

Great! We will feel so much better being man-handled and ogled by low wage temps than with government types. NOT!

The point is that those techniques should be used for "probable cause" only and not against the majority of travelers. Nothing else is acceptable.:grr: :kick: