It's time for Americans, regardless of political affiliation or philosophy, to stand up for themselves and demand that the overly intrusive -- likely unconstitutional -- enhanced "pat down" searches at airport security checkpoints stop.
The stories of outrageous searches of young boys, the humiliation of cancer victims and constant mistreatment of law-abiding American citizens by uncaring TSA employees mindlessly administering policies dictated by Washington DC bureaucrats are piling up. Every day millions of Americans who are exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to travel are forced to choose between submitting to an x-ray machine which displays their sexual organs and exposes them to radiation of unknown health consequences, or having a stranger search them as if they were a common criminal--a search involving having hands put on their "junk", put down their pants or up their skirts or under their blouses. Some choice.
I recognize that many people believe this is necessary to assure safe flying and are willing to put up with it. But I believe it is wrong. I do not want to debate intricacies of whether the Fourth Amendment allows government bureaucrats to impose these kinds of searches daily on millions of Americans who are demonstrably honest, law-abiding people who pose no threat to anyone. I'm pretty sure it does prohibit this, but even if it doesn't I am offended at a government that does this to its people. If conservatives and Tea Party types object to centralized power in Washington they should certainly hate this situation. If liberals treasure in our constitutional guarantees of freedom of movement and protection from unreasonable searches they should certainly hate this situation.
Everybody ought to be concerned with what is being done to us by a government that is seizing more power and stripping away more of our individual freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism. Face it -- the terrorists have already won. Look what they have turned this country into. That bin Laden must be doubled over in laughter in some cave over in Pakistan when he contemplates how he has disrupted the life of the people in this country. There has to be a better way -- a way that is less offensive to our notions of privacy and individual liberty -- to keep bombers off airplanes.
I wish I had the option of refusing to fly and avoid the "Hobson's choice" the government has imposed upon me. But unlike President Obama I don't have a private jet to fly me where I need to go -- and I'm not taking the bus. Even Secretary of State Clinton says she would not put up with an enhanced "pat-down" -- but since she has her own jet also she doesn't have to. If Obama, Clinton and the other elites were forced to stand in long airport security lines, be X-rayed and randomly selected to have someone put their hands down their pants this obnoxious situation never would have developed in the first place. But the ruling elites are not going to give up their privileges and the TSA has made pretty clear that it is not going to change. What are we to do?
Well I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to vote against Obama for reelection in 2012 unless he gets the head of the TSA in his office and tells him to issue an order to stop these types of searches. That's what a leader who really cared about the American people would do. There is no excuse here for him not taking executive action. He doesn't need Congress or some bipartisan consensus. All he needs to do is act. If he doesn't act I will by voting against him in 2012.
Go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact and tell President Obama--"Stop the enhanced TSA searches or I'm voting against you for reelection".
Stanton Peele: Airport Security: Many Must Be Inconvenienced So That I Can Roam Free
One is clearly more rational and effective than the other. We need to profile.
Terrorists will do as much damage as they can; there is really little we can do about them blowing things up. We are spending millions of dollars on body scanning equipment, destroying civil liberty and preventing nothing. This is their plan.
We should be spending millions to secure our borders not to harass the citizenry of this nation.
Body scans at airports are a direct violation of a persons' right to privacy. If I were a terrorist, I certainly wouldn't send my child onto an airplane to blow it up and die in the process.
The government should stop inflicting injury on American citizens and go after the border-hopping thugs that would undermine this nation. We will not be released from the strangle hold of terrorism until we secure our borders. Holiday travelers just want turkey, not wholesale slaughter.
We must not allow ourselves to be a nation held hostage by fear. That is what we have become. Osama Bin-Laden has won.
What's next..? Scanners to prevent the fat man from stuffing steaks down his pants at the grocery store?
I completely agree with your statement. I, too, won't vote for this president. This is another despicable act of behavior by this govt which should also be roundly condemned.
Joe Colectomy and Mary Masectomy will have no choice about scan versus the equivalent of a teenage groping. I'm also sure more than a few embarrassed TSAs will hear variants of requests for repeats.
This isn't an Obama thing, Bush's invasion into our personal space is way deeper than this, more often and broad, it's just not as obvious. And get real, like a Republican is ever going to opt to protect citizens over $$$.
The sad thing, I don't think this is to save civilians. I believe it's to save $$$, the millions and billions lost when we all sat aghast staring at the TV scenes for days, weeks or months afterward.
On the other hand, for environmental reasons, I don't fly much (I've only flown three round-trip flights since 2001). I recall thinking immediately after 9/11 that safety concerns would make trains much more popular, but instead the government bailed out the airlines (which seemed like a huge mistake to me).
They're expecting the terrorists to escalate to hiding explosives in body cavities. And then what?
"A few to rule the majority?"
Maybe we can solve this problem by allowing those like you who don't like anybody touching their nuts to fly on special touch-less flights. The number of flights available to the goosey would reflect the actual demand for them.
Airlines would never go for touch-less - probably lose insurance on their plane for opting out of searches should something happen. $$$.
BTW: I ignore EVERYTHING I hear of FOX News (I very rarely watch the liars anyway) since what they say ot so far from the truth and has no balance whatsoever. Too bad they are a cable company as they would NEVER pass muster of an FCC licensing investigation.
We have gotten very jaded about the intensive searches as well. My husband has taken to wearing his government identification badge as well as his passport and medical cards. With metal spinal supports implanted and similar metal items holding his knee cap together, the wanding and such are embarrassing. Despite the advanced training of our flight officials and their frequently tested skills, a bombed plane has few redeeming options. One can hope that those performing the scans et al are courteous (be sure you are too!) cooperative, able to read and understand the medical cards presented, and thorough enough to prevent catastrophe.
And, by the way, Happy Landings!
TSA isn't preventing domestic terr0rism, they're committing it.