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
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!
Can you show me a copy of those "reasonable screening requirements"?
I won't hold my breath. The statists wouldn't even produce them for a retired congresswoman.
Why is an ID necessary if you've already been searched?
Good point. Somehow we survived the Cold War without the Patriot Act, national ID cards, Homeland Security, and so on.
(Then again, given our transition to a police state, maybe we really didn't prevail with regards to the Cold War)
Yeah, only a real loser would actually stand up for his Rights.
If he was a real Amerikan, he'd sit at home with a six-pack, cheering on the soundbytes uttered by our "leaders".
It's a lot broader than that. For the last several decades, Americans have been indoctrinated to submit to any authority rather than resist.
I mean look at the responses on this thread to an American who is resisting (peacefully) authority.
I can guarantee you that if I flew again, I'd rather be seated among 100 passengers with the mindset of this "free stater", than 100 passengers with the statist mindset of many posters here. The former would likely resist a hijacking. The latter would likely not resist.
9/11 changed that paradigm.
For some Americans, it did. The statists in DC still don't get since they are blocking the armed pilots initiative passed by Congress.
If anyone doubts this, try driving a vehicle without your "papers", or try peaceably walking down the street with a rifle slung over your shoulder.
One thing I will give the state credit for is their brillant propaganda machine. It puts anything cooked up by the Soviets or Germans to shame. They've actually convinced people that this a "free" country.
If they came out tomorrow and mandated implantable microchips, cameras on every corner, and GPS tracking of all vehicles, most Americans would still belive that this a free country.
What if you decide to not pay your property tax?
Then you are "free" to either surrender your property or be killed by the state.
I'm glad someone will do it - I was glad when people got arrested peacefully sitting in at abortion mills. Alas, the toothpaste is out of the tube as far as freedom to travel. I hold some hope on the other matter.
Yeah, I was a bit nervous at first but I slipped right through. I guess in the eyes of TSA I am an arch criminal who jeopardized dozens of lives with my blatant disregard for the law and public safety.
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