Shameless Self Promotion

[tvashtarkatena]

So far, people on the NFL have been denied boarding passes. I don't have the details of how or when that occurred in each case. Some were informed by the gate agent. One guy actually got a refund for a non-refundable ticket...just before he was detained for interrogation, even though he wasn't even going to fly, cuz they wouldn't let him.

 

"Can I leave now?"

 

"No."

 

"Am I under arrest?"

 

"No."

 

Due process clusterfuck, fo shiz.

Edited November 8, 2011 by tvashtarkatena

[tvashtarkatena]

It's not a big surprise why the TSA declined to participate in the discussion.

[tvashtarkatena]

The main point I was trying to make was ya gotta watch these security agencies and beat 'em back to the tire chain when they get outta hand.

[Fairweather]

.

[billcoe]

The main point I was trying to make was ya gotta watch these security agencies and beat 'em back to the tire chain when they get outta hand.

 

How do you propose to get that genie back in the bottle? What I see throughout many levels of gov is that they are well funded. Stop the funding, stop the bullshit. But perhaps endless, lengthy and costly court dates, coupled with some serious on air whining, might get the job done in 20-30 years. NOT.

 

 

In either case, you are doing more than 99 percent of the rest of us, and congrats on the radio gig.

[tvashtarkatena]

Per your genie in a bottle analogy...we ARE the bottle.

 

Since 2001, the ACLU and other organizations like EPIC have won a number of reforms from the TSA, including:

 

Ending their practice of racial profiling.

 

Re-securing the right to free speech while traveling (no, this does not include joking about bombs).

 

Limiting airport screeners to issues that concern safety, not general law enforcement (they're not customs agents or cops).

 

Limiting the TSA's ability to unlawfully detain/arrest people for perfectly legal behavior.

 

The TSA is now deploying new full body scanner software that only shows an outline of the human body - it only provides hi rez images for 'anomalies'. Unfortunately, those anomalies are largely represented by things like colostomy bags, adult diapers, prosthetics...just the kind of thing you want to show off in a crowd.

 

We're challenging the No Fly List for due process violations...no way to challenge your inclusion on the list, no way to appeal to get off it.

 

EPIC is challenging the full body scanners through for being a violation of privacy and safety (x rays). They don't even really work: they don't pick up powdered explosives or objects hidden in body cavities (the suicide bomber who attempted to kill the Saudi ambassador last year went through 2 full body scanners with just such a bomb)

 

The 'Too late, nothing to be done' excuse is a great way to continue to sit on your ass and complain about things to your innernutz buddies. Most of the time, though, if you get a group of smart, principled people together and pit them against a government that likes to overstep its bounds...you win, sometimes bit by bit (TSA reforms), sometimes all at once after a long battle (Don't Ask, Don't Tell and an admission that DOMA is unconstitutional).

 

Anyway, somebody's gotta do it. The government very rarely reforms itself. See a politician lately? These are people who are not exactly prone to self critique.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2011 by tvashtarkatena

[sobo]

Re-securing the right to free speech while traveling (no, this does not include joking about bombs).

I was not aware of this. Can you provide an example of what the TSA considered prohibited speech?

 

...they don't pick up powdered explosives or objects hidden in body cavities (the suicide bomber who attempted to kill the Saudi ambassador last year went through 2 full body scanners with just such a bomb)

Just so I'm clear on this... this guy had explosives stuffed up his ass? Just to be clear...

 

What a way to collect your 72 virgins...

[tvashtarkatena]

Re-securing the right to free speech while traveling (no, this does not include joking about bombs).

I was not aware of this. Can you provide an example of what the TSA considered prohibited speech?

 

...they don't pick up powdered explosives or objects hidden in body cavities (the suicide bomber who attempted to kill the Saudi ambassador last year went through 2 full body scanners with just such a bomb)

Just so I'm clear on this... this guy had explosives stuffed up his ass? Just to be clear...

 

What a way to collect your 72 virgins...

 

Well, the bomb went off, so...it's kinda hard to tell whether that train left from a northern or southern station.

 

The ACLU sued the TSA (and won) on behalf of Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi born political activist and blogger who was detained and interrogated for wearing a T shirt that read "We will not be silent" in English and Arabic. We also sued (pending) in favor of Nick George, whose free speech rights were violated when he was handcuffed and abusively interrogated for 5 hours for having some Arabic flash cards in his pocket.

 

Limitations on political speech require 'strict scrutiny', the highest level of constitutional protection.

Edited November 8, 2011 by tvashtarkatena

[tvashtarkatena]

BTW, the 'court cases' and 'whining' are precisely HOW you defund stupid programs, like the 'Puffer'. This was a machine designed to 'blow and sniff' bomb material from your body. The TSA bought a bunch without testing them. As part of an expose, a CBS network employee got dusted with bomb material...and walked through 3 of them without being detected.

 

Yeah...program shut down pretty quickly after that little bout of 'whining'.

 

The ACLU (and most other advocacy organizations) also testify directly before Congress. We have a lot of tools in our bag: Public education, amicus briefs, direct representation, congressional testimony, articles, email action lists, lobbying, ballot initiatives, community organizing, protest observation, ads and commercials, partnerships with other organizations on campaigns, direct relationships with police, schools, etc...we use whatever strategically will move the ball forward.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2011 by tvashtarkatena

[sobo]

Re-securing the right to free speech while traveling (no, this does not include joking about bombs).

I was not aware of this. Can you provide an example of what the TSA considered prohibited speech?

 

...they don't pick up powdered explosives or objects hidden in body cavities (the suicide bomber who attempted to kill the Saudi ambassador last year went through 2 full body scanners with just such a bomb)

Just so I'm clear on this... this guy had explosives stuffed up his ass? Just to be clear...

 

What a way to collect your 72 virgins...

 

Well, the bomb went off, so...it's kinda hard to tell whether that train left from a northern or southern station.

 

The ACLU sued the TSA (and won) on behalf of Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi born political activist and blogger who was detained and interrogated for wearing a T shirt that read "We will not be silent" in English and Arabic. We also sued (pending) in favor of Nick George, whose free speech rights were violated when he was handcuffed and abusively interrogated for 5 hours for having some Arabic flash cards in his pocket.

 

Limitations on political speech require 'strict scrutiny', the highest level of constitutional protection.

Thanks, Pat. I had not heard of those cases until listening to your program last night. Didn't know you could be denied your flight and interrogated for wearing a T-shirt or learning another language.

 

Now this guy with the gut bomb (or ass bomb, depending upon from which station that train left), that's a new twist...

Shoes, underwear... I guess they were just working their way up...

[tvashtarkatena]

People have been 'ass bombing it' for drug smuggling for decades.

 

An "I've got a bomb" T shirt probably wouldn't 'fly', but your free speech rights while flying are otherwise secure...until the next time TSA violates them, that is.

[sobo]

Well, sticking drugs up your ass for later recovery for use/sale is one thing.

But assassinating someone by blowing a bomb out your butt is quite another, IMO.

 

I mean, that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "when the shit hits the fan."

[tvashtarkatena]

Didn't kill the Saudi, but it did pepper him with crapnel.

[sobo]

[tvashtarkatena]

Doodie Bomb.

Edited November 8, 2011 by tvashtarkatena

[tvashtarkatena]

My fave has got to be the Underwear Bomber, who BBQd his ballz in the name of Allah.

 

They frog marched him off the plane, pants burned off, ballz still smoldering.

 

That HAD to hurt.

[tvashtarkatena]

He then shit talked all through his trial...before surprising his lawyer by suddenly pleading guilty on all counts.

 

Whatev, dood. See on the outside in 180 years.

[billcoe]

Ending their practice of racial profiling.

 

Great, everyone gets screwed and the program expands. Now they no longer ignore old grandmothers. They strip search little children and grope war widows, even making one 95 year old woman take off her adult diaper, all while ignoring a young man from the middle east....I feel safer. You've made progress. Way to go get em.

 

Meantime, they've been able to continue to expand their programs and intrusiveness to the tune of $8,100,000,000.00 this year -up from nothing a few years back, and if you want to take on each program as they come up, they will rejoice as they have you where they want you. Which is this: they will add new programs and devices to "make you safe" as you knock off each of the older programs in turn. Your attacks will help them empire build and expand even further. Hey, it's only money, taxpayers have unlimited amounts of it the government class say.

 

Congrats!

 

Now if we can just get those 95 year old women to carry a spare diaper or 2 everything will be fine.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/tsa-defends-search-elderly-cancer-stricken-woman-florida-133354742.html

 

Potential Terrorist:

[tvashtarkatena]

This guy was such a tool his own Old Man turned him in to the CIA at the embassy in Nigeria.

 

The feds did not revoke his US visa, despite recommendations by UK intelligence to do so, as well as Mr. Abdulmutallab's inclusion on our own Terrorist Identification Datamart Environment (first rung on the ladder that leads to the No Fly List) however, not wanting to screw up a 'larger Al Qaeda' investigation.

 

I'd say that was perhaps a bad call on their part.

[tvashtarkatena]

We're done, Bill. Like KKK, you're too stupid to be interesting.

 

 

[ivan]

Ending their practice of racial profiling.

 

Great, everyone gets screwed and the program expands. Now they no longer ignore old grandmothers. They strip search little children and grope war widows, even making one 95 year old woman take off her adult diaper, all while ignoring a young man from the middle east....I feel safer. You've made progress. Way to go get em.

 

[/img]

dude, it was only last week a buncha georgia cracker grandpas got the hook for plotting a terrorist attack, remember?

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/11/georgia_militia_novel.html

 

 

[tvashtarkatena]

LOL.

 

The head of TSA issued a public statement saying that kids as young as 10 have been used as suicide bombers, although not in the U.S., so our 10 year olds have gotta take one for the team.

 

Inconveniently for some, the constitution has this little thing called the Equal Protection Clause - color blind under the law and all that. Doesn't seem to work in practice, but that could change.

 

[tvashtarkatena]

For those who support racial profiling, its helpful to recall that the plaintiff in the Racial Profiling case was Dr. Bob Rajcoomar, a US citizen of Indian descent and a Lt. Col in the Army Reserve.

[sobo]

Didn't kill the Saudi, but it did pepper him with crapnel.

I'm familiar with the story of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (aka Underwear Bomber). But I can't find anything relating to the Ass Bomber's failed attempt. I know there was a recent attempt on the life of the Saudi ambassador to the US by Iran, but that was last month. What I can't find is material on the failed attempt on the ambassador's life from last year. Or is he a different Saudi ambassador (to another country, not the US)? Pelase provide a link for my further edification. I'm tired of Googling... TIA.

[tvashtarkatena]

That's because I meant Saudi 'prince' instead of 'ambassador'. The ambassador plot never got to square one, apparently.

 

You're supposed to read what I meant, not what I wrote.

 

Google Abdullah Tali Assiri.