Rand Paul Continues War On TSA, Groping Of 'Toddlers And Grandmothers'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) continued to rage against the Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday, encouraging supporters to join a campaign to get it to stop "groping toddlers and grandmothers."

"The American people shouldn't be subjected to harassment, groping, and other public humiliation simply to board an airplane," Paul writes in a press release. "It's time to END the TSA and get the government's hands back to only stealing our wallets instead of groping toddlers and grandmothers."

The Kentucky Republican goes on to encourage recipients to add their names to an anti-TSA Campaign for Liberty petition.

In a subsequent release, Matt Hawes of the libertarian-leaning Campaign for Liberty says the push is necessary because "the government literally has its hands in our pants."

Paul has a colorful history of locking horns with the TSA. He and his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), have been some of the most fervent opponents of the agency, which they have accused of violating the civil liberties of countless Americans in the pursuit of airport security.

Earlier this year, Paul was reportedly "detained" at Nashville International Airport after setting off an alarm on a TSA checkpoint scanner. TSA officials denied reports of Paul's supposed detention, but it didn't stop the elder Paul from quickly blasting out a statement on the incident to his supporters.

"The police state in this country is growing out of control," he said. "One of the ultimate embodiments of this is the TSA that gropes and grabs our children, our seniors, and our loved ones and neighbors with disabilities. The TSA does all of this while doing nothing to keep us safe."

Paul later wrapped his battle against the TSA into a fundraising plea for his presidential campaign.

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Comments

[Skip Stein]

12:47 PM on 06/27/2012

People need to just refuse to fly. Most business travel could be accomplished 'remotely' via Skype and other Internet interfaces. Most work done by traveline businessmen/women, consultants and others can be done over the Internet as well. I mean, why travel halfway across the country/world just to sit in a cubicle/office at a computer workstation? If more busineses would just STOP flying people all over the place and focus on tele-presense applications and solutions they would save million$ as would the clients!

[Mr College]

11:44 PM on 06/18/2012

the pauls are sadly the only civil rights leaders in government!

[Tony Blass]

09:35 PM on 05/24/2012

Now the Democrats want us to pay more for the groping: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/23/senate-dems-want-you-to-pay-more-for-tsa-groping And for the record, 11 years, ZERO terrorists successfully stopped by the TSA. Z E R O

[Charles D Bingham]

11:07 PM on 05/03/2012

In case your looking for that petition: http://www.chooseliberty.org/tsa_sign.aspx?pid=0501n

[Lisa Simeone]

11:21 AM on 05/03/2012

We have a Right to Travel. From Kent v. Dulles (1950s, when travel by boat was more common than by air; now air travel is obviously not only more common, but essential to many people's jobs):

The right to travel is a part of the "liberty" of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment. So much is conceded by the Solicitor General. In Anglo-Saxon law, that right was emerging at least as early as the Magna Carta. [Footnote 12] Chafee, Three Human Rights in the Constitution of 1787 (1956), 171-181, 187 et seq., shows how deeply engrained in our history this freedom of movement is. Freedom of movement across frontiers in either direction, and inside frontiers as well, was a part of our heritage. Travel abroad, like travel within the country, may be necessary for a livelihood. It may be as close to the heart of the individual as the choice of what he eats, or wears, or reads. Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values. See Crandall v. Nevada, 6 Wall. 35, 73 U. S. 44; Williams v. Fears, 179 U. S. 270, 179 U. S. 274; Edwards v. California, 314 U. S. 160. "Our nation," wrote Chafee, "has thrived on the principle that, outside areas of plainly harmful conduct, every American is left to shape his own life as he thinks best, do what he pleases, go where he pleases." Id. at 197.

[romanmir]

08:25 AM on 05/03/2012

Krugman will not approve, after all, TSA is a federal jobs program for the slobs.

[fisher1949]

05:55 AM on 05/03/2012

The TSA website shows the nude image from the back scatter x-ray scanners and the millimeter wave scanners that don't have privacy software. The passenger then can decide whether they want to be seen by the screener or can opt out for a pat down.

They don't provide a video of how a pat down is supposed to be done so how is anyone able to consent to something that has not been disclosed? In addition, how would a passenger know whether or not it was done in accordance with procedure?

Anyone who travels has seen or experienced some cursory pat downs and some that are extremely invasive groping depending on the screener doing the search. TSA should be forced to publish a demonstration video so that a traveler can be informed before they enter security.

This is another example of TSA double speak when they claim that passengers agree to the search when they enter security but fail to disclose what the search entails. If a private company fails to disclose the full terms of an agreement it is the agreement is void and they are prosecuted for running a scam. The same standard should apply to TSA.

[minimemo]

05:07 AM on 05/03/2012

TSA is nothing but lazy sloppy bullying. Intelligence know who the threat is but TSA cannot be bothered or capable of doing the homework on keeping their eyes and ears open for the 'villians' so they target everyone. It is a license to assault and I for one won't ever be going through a TSA pair of grubby groping mitts ever again :)

[DelDelpapa]

10:47 PM on 05/02/2012

Grope Your GOP Budget and quit acting like you are trying to help the elderly -TeaParty is your fate.

[Lisa Simeone]

08:35 AM on 05/03/2012

DelDelpapa, sorry, but who are you talking to? Many of us posting here aren't in the GOP. Far from it.

This is about civil liberties, which belong to all of us. It's about human dignity, which, last time I checked, also belongs to all of us. Those of us who are fighting TSA abuse are on the side of civil liberties and human dignity. It has nothing to do with political affiliation.

[sk112988]

11:09 AM on 05/03/2012

Don't mind her Lisa, she's too caught up in partisan politics to realize that both parties might as well go by the same name.

[yappnmutt]

10:28 PM on 05/02/2012

ironically tsa is the weakest link in airplane security. anyone can get a job with tsa including the bad guys. all they would have to do is be in the position to let their bad guy buddies through the screening.

tsa is actually dangerous because of the false sense of security it provides. this should be obvious to the dimmest bulb. it is so easy even bad guys living in caves could do it.

[fisher1949]

07:09 PM on 05/02/2012

Rand Paul is right on this issue, being harassed and humiliated by TSA has become universal. Claire McCaskill opposes TSA as do many other legislators in both parties. This may be one of the few issues that has bipartisan support.

In the past ten days TSA molested three children, a ten year old with a diabetes pump, a four year old who hugged her grandma and a seven year old with cerebral palsy, twice! They also sexually assaulted a Congressman, molested an elderly couple and robbed them of $300 and caused two security breaches which shut down terminals while four TSA screeners were arrested for smuggling drugs through LAX.

The TSA apologists continue to say that this crime and abuse is somehow improving airline security. They seem to think these creeps are the good guys.

The whole TSA approach is stupid and sick and needs to be overhauled. TSA has done more damage to our liberty, way of life and morality than Al Qaeda could have ever hoped to do.

[Consuelo Lightner]

05:02 PM on 05/02/2012

Thank you for all the comments. For your information I am 66 years old and traveling when 9/11 happened. I know exactly why the TSA was put in place and how we are all bothered by being stopped and sometimes searched at the Airport but once again is better to be safe and sorry. As for handling security at the Airport to contractors to work for the airlines, would you feel safer if we did? contractors do not go thru the security scrutinity that the TSA does and who is going to hold them responsible if a mishap happens. Did you see the Airlines pilot that went nuts! and yes unfortunately what 9/11 did to us Americans is to put fear in our hearts and no I have never been asked to spread them and lean over and some of you have very foul mouths. This post asked if we agreed with Paul the answer from me is still a NO!

[Roelvdwegen]

10:58 PM on 05/02/2012

The TSA is a smokecreen, ground personnel isn't checked.

[Jerry Bourbon]

10:53 AM on 05/03/2012

How, exactly, would the TSA have anything to do, and how would they protect us from, any future airline pilot who "goes nuts"?

Sheeple like you are why we are in danger of losing our freedoms.

[beauwulff]

04:45 PM on 05/02/2012

For those who don't travel overseas much:

http://boingboing.net/2012/04/29/uk-border-authority-orders-hea.html

[pdxbuckeye]

04:18 PM on 05/02/2012

One where I agree with Bill Maher AND Rand Paul, we should start fly at your own risk airlines...

[pwman]

04:05 PM on 05/02/2012

Its ok to let blacks sit in the back of a bus or not be welcome in restaurants or hotels because the free market will take care of the situation. How will the free market protect us from terrorists flying airplanes into skyscrapers ?? I would like to see some common sense used in some situations for sure.

[Mr College]

04:15 PM on 05/02/2012

no jim crow laws were outlawed! you think that only planes are a target for terroists? there are millions of targets not just planes! what stops people from doing bad things anywhere at anytime? rosa parks would cry if she were alive today!

[pdxbuckeye]

04:21 PM on 05/02/2012

It is a false choice.

All of this airline security is nothing more than a hassle.

Our constitution does not gaurentee our safety. Common defense sure, but not at the cost of freedom...

I am not necessarily advocating going back to the "did anyone else pack your bag" days of security screening, but these unqarrented search of body and property by the state is concerning.