When Rights Get Squeezed

The Wall Street Journal - Opinion Journal ^ | NOVEMBER 19, 2010 | ERIC FELTEN

[Disambiguator]

If you want to understand the spontaneous outrage that combusted this week at the introduction of new airport security procedures—an electronic undressing for those who go through the fancy X-ray machines and a groping for those who "opt out"—just look at the pictures of our fellow citizens passing through the scanners. They stand, dishearteningly, with their hands above their heads in the universal pose of defeat and surrender.

Yet the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration are, frankly, annoyed at the "traveling public" for making such a fuss.

A senior Homeland Security official (who would not allow his name to be used) told CNN this week that "the mood at DHS and TSA is anger." The official griped to CNN that the real outrage was how TSA agents were being treated. In San Diego, one such agent "was accosted and verbally abused by a member of the traveling public," said the official. "The fact that some in the media would hail the traveler as some kind of folk hero is shameful."

He was talking about John Tyner, the young man from Oceanside, Calif., who surreptitiously recorded his run-in with the TSA and posted it online. Mr. Tyner chose not to subject himself to radiation from the X-ray machine and was taken aside for a "standard pat-down." The TSA agent explained to him how the "groin check" part of the pat-down would be executed. It was then that Mr. Tyner "accosted" the poor TSA agent by saying the immortal words, "If you touch my junk, I'm gonna have you arrested." For shame, all of you who cheered. For shame.

[Disambiguator]

I just drove almost 1500 miles over the last few days to avoid this disaster in the airports. TSA and DHS can shove it, as far as I'm concerned.

Mark Steyn had a field day with this subject while he subbed for Rush today and yesterday.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

My husband and I have pretty much decided that we will never fly commercial again. If worse came to worst, we do fly from a very small airport and, once in the system, we shouldn't have to submit to these TSA grope sessions.

FOTSA

[meyer]

Mark was hilarious yesterday. He’s a real gem, quick-witted and smart. He could have his own show if he wanted.

[lightman]

hey stand, dishearteningly, with their hands above their heads in the universal pose of defeat and surrender.

At the very least those passing through the scanners should extend their middle fingers above their heads in another universal gesture...

[kingu]

As awful as this procedure is at the airports, these machines and procedures are going in right now at your local court house. That's right, entering a court building, you are mandatory required to submit to a virtual strip search.

Should I find myself confronted with this type of a checkpoint, I will demand to see the search warrant, signed off by a judge. This isn't about security, it is police search of your body, and should you have something that some bureaucrat has deemed illegal, you've committed a crime and can be punished for it.

Then again, as the TSA has demonstrated time and time again this week, failing to agree to this procedure means you've committed yet another crime. A crime which I've yet to hear being legislated anywhere, but which appears to be a civil penalty invented by the TSA.

[rawcatslyentist]

They have the right to rape the children. After all they've already debtslaved them.

We as US citizens don't "have standing" to question the legitimacy of a foreign born thief though!

[kingu]

At the very least those passing through the scanners should extend their middle fingers above their heads in another universal gesture...

I'm sure the TSA has already decided that symbolic piece of resistance is also a crime.

[La Lydia]

“Crotchal area” !!! I heard a little bit of Mark Steyn and he was hilarious. It should have been taped and placed on YouTube. Too funny.

[hinckley buzzard]

The right of the people to be secure in their persons,...against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated...

Guess what extremists wrote those words...

[The_Reader_David]

I only heard part of the show, but Steyn was spot-on in the little bit I heard.

I actually e-mailed Rush a while back with the suggestion that while no one could replace him (emphasis on one), should he ever decide to step down from the Golden EIB Microphone, the Rush Limbaugh Show should continue with a rotation of his regular guest-hosts (I’d favor lots of Mark Steyn and Walter Williams).

[Lockbox]

The news about the pilots who have guns in the airplane cockpit but cannot be trusted by the TAS and thus need to be groped came out this week. I have a question, if the TAS was so concerned with not trusting the pilots, what about the airport workers who enter the security area. Does the TAS grop the airport workers each time they move into the security area? If we could not trust the pilots, why trust the airport workers? Think about it, what better plan then the airport workers smuggle in weapons and pass them onto those who have pass the TAS groping. This leads one to question the real reason TAS started groping yet leave a huge hole in their system. WTF!

[Inyo-Mono]

Nope. I will never fly commercial again.

[Georgia Girl 2]

It would be funny if it was not so tragic. How did we ever get to this point? Its just beyond insane to be putting people through naked body scanners and grope downs just to get on an airplane and fly somewhere. We are not flying again until this insanity goes away.

[Disambiguator]

As awful as this procedure is at the airports, these machines and procedures are going in right now at your local court house.

Great. I just received a jury summons. I wonder how the "opt-out" works there? I hope I remember to leave my piece at home. :^O

[exit82]

If can be done.

Flight free since Sept. 2002.

Once the screener poked my belly to make sure it was real, it was all over for me.

I told my wife that I could not contain my rage any longer for these goons, and the next time it happened I didn;t know what was going to happen.

And that was way before the sexual assaults going on right now.

If we Americans do not take a stand now, there will be no stopping these SOBs. This is unnecessary, un-constitutitonal, and you better damn well believe it is deliberate.

[spodefly]

Us and them.

Every day it becomes more and more about Us and them.

TSA and DHS are angry??? F&*K THEM!!!

You agents of the state have no idea how angry WE THE PEOPLE are about losing our rights to your pathetic, intrusive, ineffectual “procedures” ... and having to PAY FOR IT.

Get a clue you officious assholes.

[Inyo-Mono]

Been flight free since 2005 myself. This is intentional. Trying to get us used to it. Muslum attacked us, there is no reason for Americans to go through this. All because they refuse to profile.

[B4Ranch]

INFO & ARTICLES ON TSA PERVERTS

FLYERTALK.COM -

Travel/Safety/Security Section
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security-222/

Thread dedicated to TSA Criminal Activity -
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security/1149208-tsa-criminal-activity-thread.html

NEWS ARTICLES -

1- Former Orlando TSA officer gets probation in sex-slave case -
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-06-15/news/os-orlando-tsa-officer-arrested-sex-t20100615_1_charles-henry-bennett-sex-slave-sex-offender-probation

2- TSA airport screener arrested for child porn also worked at Catholic school; Questions remain -
http://www.examiner.com/la-county-libertarian-in-los-angeles/tsa-airport-screener-arrested-for-child-porn-also-worked-at-catholic-school-questions-remain

3- TSA Agent Arrested at LAX (TSA using drugs at a party)
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/TSA-Security-Agent-Arrested-at-LAX-80858482.html

4- TSA Agent Accused of Harboring Fugitive
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/TSA_Agent_Accused_of_Harboring_Fugitive_091809

5- TSA officer at DIA arrested in connection with luring child online
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20080711/NEWS/999462965

6- TSA screener arrested for drug theft at Little Rock airport
http://www.fox16.com/mostpopular/story/TSA-screener-arrested-for-drug-theft-at-Little/oMbCSazQZkOUkvmyCKn03Q.cspx

7- TSA officer charged in boy's kidnap attempt - Police in Idaho say man also possessed documents for 5 separate identities
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12302041/

8- TSA Worker Arrested On Drug, Gun Charges
http://www.wftv.com/news/19130582/detail.html

- Memos Detail TSA Officer's Cocaine Pranks Worker joked about finding drugs in luggage
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/stupid/memos-detail-tsa-officers-cocaine-pranks

- TSA screener arrested for beating co-worker
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/05/latest_tsa_screener_drama_noth.html

- TSA Agent: "I am god, I'm in charge"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f187t-OF_j0

- TSA officer among duo arrested for stealing from fliers' luggage at JFK
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/legacy/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68494489.blog

- Child rape charge rocks TSA
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1238602

Tsa- Screener Charged With Raping 14 Year Old Girl
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/tsa-screnner-charged-with-raping-14-year-old-girl-25-apx-20100310

- TSA Agent arrested for sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
http://privateofficernews.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/tsa-agent-arrested-for-sex-crimes-wwwprivateofficercom/

- TSA Employee Steals Over $200,000 in Electronics
http://notalemming.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/tsa_steals_200000_gadgets.jpg?w=609&h=608

- TSA Forces Woman To Remove Nipple Rings
http://notalemming.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/tsa_nipple_rings.jpg?w=640&h=556

Compliments of BossLady Friday, November 19, 2010
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2629918/posts?page=23#23 & 65

[maine-iac7]

If we Americans do not take a stand now, there will be no stopping these SOBs. This is unnecessary, un-constitutitonal, and you better damn well believe it is deliberate.

And THAT is the most frightening part of this whole exercise: People are outraged, but they don't seem to realize that this is a test run by this Fascist regime to see how compliant we'll be.

This is 'acclimation" - get in the machine and raise your hands in surrender/obey position as they 'strip' you naked. And/or stand still and keep your mouth shut while they sexually molest you - or stand by and watch them do it to your wife or child.

And if we put up with this - when they make their move - we'll go quietly into the cattle cars.

We make a stand NOW - before a 'crisis' creates an excuse to declare Martial Law - shutting down Congress for 6 months...ie, the NEW Congress.

AT the end of 6 months - you don't even want to think about it - but think on this: The Fort Hood shooter sat on the National Security Board - and 5 Muslims still do. Why do you think Muslims are getting a free pass - mustn't "profile."

And who gets to pat down the gramma's and the nuns? (How the jihardists must be laughing in their far off caves.

[Sarajevo]

A senior Homeland Security official (who would not allow his name to be used) told CNN this week that "the mood at DHS and TSA is anger." The official griped to CNN that the real outrage was how TSA agents were being treated. In San Diego, one such agent "was accosted and verbally abused by a member of the traveling public," said the official. "The fact that some in the media would hail the traveler as some kind of folk hero is shameful."

Yep, a sure sign that too many have sucked on the nipple of big government and drank the kool-aid.

As far as I'm concerned, these bottom-feeders can cry as much as they want. The have taken it upon themselves to deny the traveling public of the protections of the 4th Amendment under the color of some nefarious law. TSA seems to believe that all Americans are sheep, and will suffer the indignities heaped upon them by ever intrusive government agencies.

If they can't handle the public's reaction to their actions, my suggestion would be for them to quit. Going back to work at a fast food joint would be a definite step up for most of them.