Posted on 05/22/2005 7:30:03 AM PDT by Dada Orwell
From NHfree.com Man Without I.D. Vows to Board Flight or be Jailed
Manchester, NH May 21, 2005
Inspired by New Hampshire's "outlaw manicurist," another Granite Stater is stepping forward to peacefully defy license-related laws. Thirty-five-year old Russell Kanning of Keene has announced he will approach a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Manchester airport on June 11 and refuse to cooperate with the requirement to show ID. "I will either board the plane without I.D. or be arrested," he says. "In a free country you do not need government permission to travel."
Kanning has a ticket to Philadelphia and, if allowed to travel there, plans to celebrate by visiting Independence Hall.
Two months after the September 11th attacks, the Aviation Security Act federalized airport security nationwide and granted new police powers to the TSA. Now, an ID is mandatory to travel by commercial aircraft, passengers must travel alone past security checkpoints, and random full-body searches in public are considered normal.
Kanning stresses that he will not resist arrest or do anything that might be perceived as physically threatening. He says this act of nonviolent resistance will follow the model laid down by Gandhi, who used peaceful noncooperation to expel the British from India. "We will tell them everything we're going to do ahead of time. We are not going to disrupt the operation of the airport," he says.
Kanning says the parallels with Gandhi's situation go further than a shared belief in nonviolence. "In South Africa (where Gandhi's protests began), Indians had to have special I.D...so it's very similar that way, and he wanted to burn it...He was appealing to that same basic idea that we have rights to not have to have paperwork to be able to move freely."
Earlier this month another Gandhi admirer, Mike Fisher of Newmarket, used the Mahatma's techniques to protest business licensing. After announcing he would perform an unlicensed manicure in front of the state licensing offices, he carried out his promise, earned a brief trip to jail and received heavy regional media coverage for his viewpoint.
Kanning says Gandhi's and Fisher's examples inspired him to take similar action against the growing "surveillance state." He believes the Real ID amendment passed by the Senate this month will make things even worse. But he says it's important to stay positive. "The goal is we want to get to the point where we can travel without having to have paperwork so, this is the beginning of that. We see light at the end of the tunnel. "
Currently the plan is for Kanning to approach the security checkpoint at 12:30 PM. Journalists and supporters will want to be there by noon.
Summary:
What: Civil disobedience against ID requirements under federalized airport security. Where: Manchester Airport in New Hampshire (exact spot to be determined) When: Saturday, June 11 @ noon Who: Russell Kanning of Keene, NH, supporters from NHfree.com Why: To draw attention to the recent and continuing loss of privacy and freedom due to federalized airport security and National ID. How: By approaching a TSA checkpoint with a ticket but no ID, refusing to show ID, and refusing to cooperate with the law until arrested or allowed to board the plane. Contacts: You can find out more and post questions to the discussion boards at NHfree.com
That's what Mohammed Atta said.
His heart is in the right place, but his head is up his ass.
"I will either board the plane without I.D. or be arrested,"
Your choice, buddy. Yes, it's a free country and you get to choose.
I guess the government will slowly begin providing these "freestaters" a new place to live. Overall IQ of New Hampshire must have dropped 20 points when those morons moved to the State.
Hope he's read MLK, Jr's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail", is prepared to be arrested, because that's what non-violent protest and civil disobedience is all about.
"In a free country you do not need government permission to travel."
In a free country at war, perhaps you do.
If the airport authorities are smart, they will be ready for him and won't give him any time to turn things into a media circus. They should immediately hustle him out the back into a waiting police car. The media won't even have time to focus their cameras and it will be all over.
Then take a hike.
In a free country private companies like airlines can make any agreement with a governmental authority they wish. If Delta or United agrees to allow governmental authorities to prescreen passengers, and you object, fly on an airline that doesn't, if you can find one. Or buy your own plane, or car or walk. Freedom isn't license
It sure did. The FSP helped turn NH from 'red' to 'blue'.
"No one has ever been killed because of lax licensing in manicure"
Killed, perhaps No, but I suggest you look at stats that show the number of injuries and infections cause by both licensed and non-licensed manicurists. Do you see any reason to license physicians, nurses or healthcare professionals? Do you see any reason to license drivers?
Nobody said he needed an ID to travel. just to do it on an airplane. Big difference. Nuance is obviously not this guy's stong suit.
1000's of people were killed because terrorists crashed airplanes into buildings. For that to happen the attackers needed to get thru' flight school, plan the attacks, get financing for the attacks, get US visas, get past the US border, get past airport security, overpower pilots, etc. These attacks didn't happen just "because of lax security at airports", lax security was one of the elements that allowed them to happen - huge difference.
They could just refuse let him pass OR arrest him. What's he gonna do, throw a tantrum?
Or better yet, sign, and cross out and initial the language relating to perjury.
In a free country at war, perhaps you do.
No. Not unless you're on probation for some crime or otherwise restricted by law.
But, nobody is saying this guy cannot travel or does not have a right to travel. He is being told he cannot use certain modes of travel unless he conforms and submits to certain reasonable screening requirements. He's an idiot.
Granted, the airlines may have been coerced into requiring this sort of security. However, they have chosen to do this. And, seriously, in the wake of 9/11, I think the airlines would have voluntarily chosen to cooperate with the government no-fly list, even had they been given an option.
Now, if someday the government required all cars have a GPS system, so that their location could be monitored (which is being suggested in some states, more as means of taxation, rather than security) and Mr. Kanning removed the GPS from his car and drove around, he would have a parallel action to the manicurist.... But this has the wrong target.
And that's why I don't fly - I won't jump through their hoops.
"The FSP helped turn NH from 'red' to 'blue'."
I think it was more of the "Massholes" migrating north that has turned NH purple.
Well, I hope he's ready to review the "Constutional Gaurantee for right to Air Travel" with the judge and jury when the time comes.
In addition, if it's an airline policy and not governmental policy he's already lost. Even if it's not airline policy, the government certainly has a right to expect reasonable oversight after 9/11. An ID simply isn't asking that much.
Bodily searches, OTOH, and I'll throw my share of stones...
Who said you needed govt permission to go anywhere?
You are still allowed to go anywhere you like- but if you want to go ON AN AIRLINE (or anyone elses transportation not owned by you) then they are perfectly within their rights in wanting to know exactly who you are.
I personally know of a number of people who voted DEMORAT as a response to the 'invasion' of Free Staters. Benson was attacked on talk radio a number of times because of his 'support' of the FSP (although the scandals swirling around him didn't help, either). There were a number articles in local newspapers discussing this phenomenon, as well. Of course, I don't consider newspapapers a terribly credible source. Natch, many of the DEMORATS came from Mass, as well.
It was the massholes with the help of MoveON who targeted NH because of the liberal same day voter registration laws without specific language vis a vis, identification which allowed Mass residents who owned seasonal property in NH to vote. Their vote in Mass was redundant so MoveOn could use these criminals to vote in a state not of their legal domicile. NH must change the registration and ID laws before 2006. I think it very unlikely however.
If ANY of the cops that had stopped Atta driving around the U.S. on an expired visa had checked on that, 3000 more people would be alive today.
We don't need to turn into a surveillance state to maintain security.
In fact, we fought a Cold War against a foe with hydrogen bombs, enough chem/bioweapons to kill everything on Earth, and an active program of infiltrating spies and saboteurs into the U.S. WITHOUT requiring ID to fly.
Wear your chains lightly.
I don't think he will succeed this time. Or, as Bud Grant once told Fran Tarkenton after the LA Rams had stuffed the Vikings running game in the first three possessions, "I don't think we can beat these people on the ground."
OK, so tell me when the Constitution was amended to enable the government to infringe on what was previously an absolute right.
I used to think the same way, but check the results. The southern tier (along I-93 & Route 3) was more Bush than Kerry. I would expect that those fleeing from MA would be more likely to settle in Hillsborough and Rockingham counties.
I hope the TSA does its homework, makes sure he's OK to fly before he shows up, and lets him on through. Then the TSA agents in Philly can turn him away. Ha ha! Enjoy your walk home, loser.
"Thousands of people were killed on 9/11 because of lax security at airports.
"
Wrong. Terrorists could still do the same thing today. This strip searching of grandma has done NOTHING to prevent another attack.
while you are being fondled by the TSA, there are illegals on the tarmac with no American loyalty servicing your aircraft. Anyone one of those people could aid a terrorist. Besides, a terrorist could go on the plane butt naked and still pull off a 9/11 if that cockpit door can be made to open.
Wow. Guess I need to change my bookmark to "www.SecureRepublic.com". Yeah, terrorists will sneak into the country, learn to fly aircraft, coordinate multiple simultaneous hijackings, but (unlike the Sept. 11th hijackers) will never figure out how to get a driver's license. < /s >
I would stress it this way: thousands were killed because we did not comprehend the nature of a suicide mission. Prior to 9/11, if a plane were hijacked, pilots and cabin crew were trained not to resist. The underlying assumption was that the hijacker wanted to live. Better to land the plane safely- no matter where than potentially causing a problem in flight.
9/11 changed that paradigm.
Yeah. What an idiot for actually believing the propaganda that this is a free country.
Freedom is now defined by statists as "free to obey the law or suffer the consequences".
By the same measure, Soviet peasants were "free" also.
Russell Kanning; Hope you enjoy jail food.
Now this Russell fellow is complaining about IDs yet I'd bet he'd be screaming his head off bor better airport security if there were another attack using that means. Dufusses like this are all alike.
Thousands were murdered because 1) hundreds of Americans on planes had been indoctrinated to "not fight back" against violence; and 2) gov't policies which encourage unchecked immigration.
It had nothing to do with "lax security". That is a lie propagated by statists who fantasize about turning America into a totalitarian police state.
Please cite the Congressional declaration of war?
The border with Mexico is wide open, but American citizens need ID to travel. Something is terribly wrong with that picture.
Its already been done.
About a year or so ago after a 2 hour drive to the airport I realized I'd left my wallet at home. All I had was my luggage, my paper ticket and a few dollars in my pocket. Someone was meeting me at my destination that could cover my necessities so I decided to go ahead and see if I could get on the plane. I didn't have any trouble boarding but they did check my bag and I was selected to be searched prior to boarding.
This is not a free country. This is a slave state. We are owned by government. Governments at different levels (state, federal, local) have taken our freedom in various ways. For example, do you own your property? What if you decide to not pay your property tax?
He's stupid for believing we live in a "free" country.
They should immediately hustle him out the back into a waiting police car.
Under what charge? Or have we reached the point where citizens can merely be hauled off for any reason now?
The airlines are quasi-goverment run today.
If one of the airline companies announced a policy to allowed Americans to fly armed tomorrow, you'll find out just how "free" the companies are.
Nope, but you DO need an ID.
Don't like it, DON'T fly.
Really? You mean I can drive across the country without ID?
I think they just increased the fine for doing that to $5000.
Freedom!
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