Public Domain Photos (CC)

“This timing will enable TSA to incorporate the feedback about the changes to the Prohibited Items List and continue workforce training,” the TSA said in a statement.

The TSA had planned to let the knives, with blades up to 2.36 inches, on flights starting Thursday. It would have been the first time they would have been back on passenger planes since Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists armed with box cutters hijacked four jetliners.

The decision to allow small knives on planes had been under protest by flight attendant unions, and wasn’t well-received by air marshals either. Whether or not the decision is directly related to the recent bombing apparently wasn’t stated officially. However, it was a consideration for at least one person in the industry.

“In the wake of the terrorist bombing in Boston last week … now is not the time to weaken transportation security,” said Sara Nelson, international vice president of the Association of Flight Attendants. “Flight attendants are breathing a sigh of relief that the weapons that led to the deadliest attack on U.S. soil in our nation’s history will not be allowed in the aircraft cabin this week.”

Pistole made the policy change on March 5th. Whether or not it will be reinstated remains to be seen.

We are warned that in the event of sequester, massive TSA layoffs will result in airline passengers waiting up to three hours before they can be groped by a highly–trained government sex harasser. Slashing the budget by two cents on every dollar will also mean TSA guards won’t be changing rubber gloves between touchy–feely sessions.

Female passengers, who undergo nearly nude full–body scans, will be relieved to learn this drastic reduction torpedoes the ink budget. TSA can no longer afford to print particularly comely images for posting in the lunchroom. And since it’s too costly to store the pictures on government hard drives, TSA will ask remaining employees to work overtime and upload the images to their Facebook accounts for safekeeping.

According to the White House, you aren’t even safe on board the aircraft. Air traffic controllers will be awakened from their control tower naps and told to go sleep at home. The few remaining will be grumpy and sleepy, with a consequent slowdown in takeoffs and landings.

Assuming one gets in the air, passengers will be shocked to learn airlines will no longer offer free in–flight meals and instead expect passengers to pay handsomely for sandwiches wrapped and catered by 7/11. Wait, that’s already happened. Sorry, false alarm.

All in all it’s a horrible foretaste of privation and delay, yet not a single Republican Congressman is hanging from a lamppost. In fact there is so much indifference here that Obama has taken his nationwide Hyperventilation Tour on the road.

The reason for our calm in the face of the impending storm is that Metro, our local DC subway system, has essentially been sequestered for the past two years and life has continued. It’s more inconvenient, spontaneous and ad hoc — at least when it comes to arriving on time — but it is life.

I’ve long contended Metro is the only mass trans system run by an improv group, but now the passengers are joining in the fun. Take this week for instance: Tuesday morning on the Silver Line (this is DC, so everything has to do with money) crack Metro crews were testing equipment. As the WaPost reports, one of the brakes began to lock up. Like the spinster on the way to church who assumes a flat tire will heal itself, the crew continued operating the train trying to get off the track before rush hour or looming obsolescence caught up with them.

They didn’t make it. The wheel wore down to a nub, a pantoodler fell off and sliced through 60 cables and the system ground to a halt. The only thing left to do was call AAA and wait for the tow truck.

Metro officialdom predicted repairs would be complete by noon, but it took a total of nine hours. Metro sent alerts to passengers twice and then their thumbs got tired. So between 7 AM and 2 PM Metro passengers were on their own, which is a not uncommon condition. Then a train malfunctioned on the Yellow Line. There was a track problem on the Blue line. And another train shot craps on the Green Line.

And those are just the unplanned shutdowns.

The system regularly closes entire stations on the weekend and as a matter of fact the Reagan Airport station will be shut for three days beginning March 1^st. (I guess they figured what with the sequester and all, no one will be flying anyway.)

Metro limits the number of trains on holidays and shuts escalators for months at a time forcing passengers to trudge upward toward daylight from the bowels of the system. Recently on a single day Metro passengers suffered seven electronic thefts and every last one of them was during daylight hours! Thieves evidently rest during the night so they can read the manuals and learn how to download apps.

The reason Metro ‘service’ is such a gamble is management didn’t bother with routine maintenance for the past 15 or so years. I’m guessing the thinking was: We’re the government, what could go wrong? So current passengers pay for the mistakes of past incompetent management, a situation young people are soon to encounter with regard to Social Security taxes.

Frankly, I’m hoping the full effect of the sequester hits when the majority of members of Congress are out of town. That way if they can’t get back, they can’t resume spending.

Maybe not. With the recent shooting in Colorado, there has been some mention of the terrorist in Norway that rocked that nation about a year ago. Unlike the U.S., Norway did not pass sweeping legislation, and radically increase security. Their solution was increased transparency and democracy.

While I am not in the least bit interested in, or impressed with the “love in”, warm and fuzzy attitude of Norway’s leaders, I am intrigued with the concept of the full-frontal assault on terrorism without raising a weapon. They recognized something that we didn’t, at least not immediately, after 9/11. Maybe Norway wouldn’t have taken the route they did if it wasn’t for our losses, but I digress.

Beverly & Pack (CC)

Al Qaeda’s real victory over the U.S. wasn’t on the day of the attacks. It was when our Congress passed the Patriot Act, and when we stopped living our lives the way we had before 9/11. We lost part of our identity as a nation because of that, and we may never be able to retrieve that. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn from Norway now.

There have been many complaints and investigations over the past several months about the incompetency and overreaching of the TSA, for example. Is the screening that we subject ourselves to really necessary? I know there are plenty out there that would argue that it is. But there are those on the other side that say the screenings really do not do much to protect us.

While I’m not saying that the U.S. could ever approach terrorism exactly the way Norway has, I do think that we need to examine the psychology behind their choices. We need to re-examine our priorities when it comes to national security, and terrorism. With an administration that hasn’t been very good at plugging intelligence leaks, ironically enough we are presented with a unique opportunity. We can look at least a few of our choices when it comes to “making America safe from terrorism”, and weigh their real value. Are they really worth surrendering certain freedoms? Or would dispensing with those measures be the better choice?

The big question for us is the same one Norway faced. Is just feeling safer worth surrendering even an ounce of freedom as we have for past decade? Are we really any safer, and is our “increased security” hurting us more than it is helping us? This is not about threat assessment. That is another issue. This is about weighing our current (false?) sense of security versus giving terrorists the satisfaction that they have made us change our way of life because of them. Is walking through airport security barefoot worth it anymore? Are the intrusive groping sessions making us safer, or just disgusted and humiliated? Are we daily giving terrorists their jollies by jumping through insane hoops? And, perhaps even more important than all of that, are we surrendering too many personal liberties, and too much privacy to allow the government to investigate “potential terror threats”? Norway has shown it is possible to move on after suffering a terrorist attack without surrendering freedoms. If they can do it, why can’t we?

While voting to repeal Obamacare is a commendable and noble thing to do, this is merely not enough. In our hyped up election season, conservatives have forgotten the additional fights that have been picked with the U.S. Constitution. We are predisposed to conversing about who’s going to be Romney’s Veep choice, or which poll has Obama and Romney in a dead heat, all the while, there are some bills that slid through Congress that should have never been voted out of committee. Some of them were slid through even with the conservative takeover of the house, which should be alarming to a great many Americans. One of the laws stretches all the way back to the months after 9/11, and was signed by a Republican President.

Chronologically, alongside Obamacare, the NDAA act, the Dodd-Frank act, and the USA Patriot act should be on the chopping block also. The NDAA act is so egregious in its powers, it is almost self-explanatory why it should be repealed. If you read conservative or libertarian news sites, you could probably name off four or five unconstitutional provisions from it, but for the sake of those who may be seeing this for the first time, I would like to point them out again. Not in the 236 year history of our country has the armed forces been allowed to apprehend, and arrest American citizens, under the NDAA act this is possible. You can also be held or interned, without charge, indefinitely, which subverts habeas corpus. You also do not have a right to a fair and speedy trial. All these constitutionally protected citizen rights are thrown out the window with this one piece of legislation. Congress, repeal it!

I want to share a quote with you concerning the Dodd-Frank Act. In a recent article written for Townhall.com in honor of the birth of our nation, Hillsdale College President, Dr. Larry Arnn said concerning freedom and how the government is now acting:

Moreover, it [Federal Government] governs increasingly without authority from the branches that are elected by the people. The new Dodd- Frank finance law creates something called a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This agency does not get its budget from Congress. Rather, its money comes from a guaranteed percentage of the budget of the Federal Reserve, which gets its money from its operations as a bank. Congress is even specifically forbidden in the law to hold hearings into the budget of the new CPFB. And it has wide examining power over every form of consumer finance in the nation. In unfettered scope of authority, and in near perfect separation from popular control, it is different from anything before it in America.

In other words, the congress passed, and the president signed another unconstitutional act. Here’s a little quick history on the Federal Reserve, it’s a corporation with no congressional oversight and it rules our entire economy. Not only that, it was conceived “supposedly” to stop financial bubbles that hurt our economy, at least that is one way it was “sold” to the American people. (Has that worked? No.) Now, the congress has passed what amounts to 311 million miniature Federal Reserves (or Fed Reserve II I call it.). Under this act, the Federal Government has the authority to monitor your personal credit card and bank statements, all under the false pretense of protecting you, the consumer from the big bad banks and business’. Here is some irony for you, this act was “written” by Chris Dodd, and Barney Frank, both of whom had a direct role in the housing bubble that caused the current economic malaise we still suffer from. You also might remember that Obama named former Ohio Attorney General, Richard Cordray to lead this new Consumer Protection Bureau. Obama appointed him by fiat while congress was still in session, without a confirmation by the senate, which is unconstitutional. This guts the constitution’s 4th amendment. Congress, repeal it!

Now the grandaddy of all unconstitutional acts The USA Patriot Act. This act you will remember, was an absolute “necessity” shortly after September 11th. We had to find a way to stop terrorists from gaining a foothold inside our borders again. You may agree, you may not, but 9/11 could have been stopped years before it happened. All we had to do was act on information we were told publicly by Osama Bin Laden in 1999. We were attacked at the World Trade center in 1993 under Clinton. We knew already that radical Islamists wanted to strike us. If our intelligence agencies and other “alphabet soup departments” (ie. NSA, CIA, FBI, ATF) had shared info with one another, we could have stopped the terrorists. Therefore, we could have continued without a Dept. of Homeland Security, A Dept. of Transportation Safety Administration, (who will soon be at all transportation depots, ie. bus stations, and train stations). These Government Departments need dismantled. Congress, repeal it!

There is only one way out of our current situations concerning the manifold attacks on our constitution, we must go to the polls November 6th and vote for more conservative, libertarian, and limited government men and women to represent us. Men and women like Rand Paul, Allen West, Marco Rubio, Mike Lee, Jason Chaffetz, Jim Demint, Nikki Haley, Jan Brewer, Michelle Bachman and many more.

Conservatives, Libertarians, Patriots All – Remember, Remember the 6th of November.

Fortunately, my son and I were allowed to choose whether to pass through the older, but more familiar metal detector. The agent scowled and snapped on gloves watching my son walk through. “He won’t take off his hat,” he growled to the adjacent agent and then confiscating the hat for further inspection.

My twenty-year-old college daughter passed through the back scatter machine but was then subject to a pat down anyway.  This review of our person and our belongings took at least six agents.

Contrast this to our reentry to the US at the border crossing in Canada. The agent took our identification and matched them to each of us. He asked several pointed questions in rapid-fire succession. (Nothing hard: Where do you live? Where have you been? How long have you been there? Did you buy anything?, etc.) He looked at all of us while talking. It did not take long before we were allowed to pass. One agent.

No doubt the number of travelers crossing the border is miniscule to those flying by plane. And my family puts the safety of our flight at top priority. But perhaps a little less acting like a government employee working the cattle line and a little more profiling would accomplish the same thing.

Wikipedia Image

Just two days ago, a senior State Department official announced that the War on Terror is over. It was only a matter of time for this announcement to be made, since the Daily Beast called for its end almost a year ago to the day of the announcement. On May 1, 2011, Peter Beinart wrote an article proclaiming:

Bin Laden’s death gives the U.S. a golden opportunity to bury the war on terror—a distraction…that distorted America’s foreign policy for too long.

With this announcement from the Obama Administration making it official,  a new question arises:

When will the TSA be officially disbanded?

The purpose of the TSA is to keep us safe, correct? So if there is no more war on terror…. it makes perfect sense that the TSA will be shut down very soon, right?

Today, Kip Hawley, the former TSA chief says that airport security is broken and should be fixed. Mr. Hawley was the TSA chief from 2005 to 2009, and said that  after it was created, TSA “became too rigid” and airline passengers now have too many “unnecessary screenings”. He continued, saying that, “the agency should focus more on high-risk threats that could cause a catastrophe.”

On the other side of TSA security, today the Feds admitted that a TSA drug smuggling case in the Los Angeles International Airport is ‘significant’ security breach. So, the agency in charged of keeping airline passengers “safe” has a “significant security breach”. Surprise, surprise!

All the while, TSA defends pat-down of 4-year-old at a Kansas airport.

This is just the TSA news for one day! There are hundreds of other horror stories concerning the TSA. We’ve all heard them. In the “effort” to keep us “safe”, even Congressmen are assaulted by the TSA agents. Then there’s the little girl that was had her stuffed animal removed by TSA. There’s many videos that have gone viral of TSA assaults……… err, pat-downs. But no worries, it’s all for our safety, remember?

However, now that the War on Terror is “officially” over, it’s time for the official end of the TSA. There’s no need for the pat-downs to continue. If there is no longer any threat of terror, there’s nothing we need to be protected from- right?

Zappatrust

It wouldn’t be so objectionable if TSA was showing even a modicum of respect for some of least likely terror suspects. I mean really, did that inspector really think there was a weapon of mass destruction hidden under that handicapped child? Sure, they’re starting to lift some of the nonsense from seniors 75 and older by not making them take off their shoes, but don’t forget, this is the agency that was considering easing restrictions for Muslims not so long ago.

And of course, we mustn’t forget, this is a governmental agency and program that we’re talking about here. We can’t be silly and expect efficiency or logic. First, it’s only available at a limited number of airports. As for how it works, here’s a short explanation offered by the TSA:

If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass. TSA reads the barcode at designated checkpoints and the passenger may be referred to a lane where they will undergo expedited screening, which could include no longer removing the following items:

Shoes
3-1-1 compliant bag from carry-on
Laptop from bag
Light outerwear/jacket
Belt
TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport and no individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.

That last sentence is the catch, of course. Now, I am not suggesting that the TSA should exempt anyone from random searches simply because that individual payed a simple $100 fee. However, the value of that investment goes down dramatically when one considers it doesn’t guarantee a thing. Of course it is up to the travelers out there to decide. Personally? I say take the train!

Artwork by Zappatrust.

Unfortunately while his chromosomes were enjoying this brief radiation bath, the scanner set off a “random” alarm that sent the crack TSA Grope Group into action. In Paul’s words, “TSA also wanted my dignity” and he refused their demand that he submit to a full–body latex massage.

Channeling years of innocent flyers before him, Paul showed them his leg (evidently something about this limb aroused, no pun intended, the suspicions of the Guardians of the Airways), said he was a frequent flyer and asked to be rescanned.

TSA replied no grope, no hope.

When Paul again refused, he was detained in a holding area. Laboring under the mistaken belief he still had a few rights, the senator called the office to say he would not make his scheduled speech.

This angered the TSA drone that informed Paul he should not have used his phone to call for help. There the situation remained until the TSA director appeared and allowed him to re–enter the scanner and take a later flight.

The difference here is that for the rest of us the director would not have appeared to save the day and most likely we would have been arrested for refusing the scan and trying to leave, as Mr. Don’t Touch My Junk learned.

Now Paul knows what the rest of the flying public has learned: TSA is a law unto itself and is designed to intimidate the public and insulate its employees from outside accountability.

When I buy BVDs and open the package I learn that “Inspector #38” has approved my drawers. But when I get home after a trip and discover some TSA minion has been rummaging through the unmentionables, all I have is a standardized notification with no indication of who actually did the inspection.

Consequently I’ve discovered surprises while unpacking. A TSA guard, who was too stupid to squeeze the plastic catch, cut through a luggage strap and deposited the unusable remains inside my bag. I’ve had thirsty TSA personnel open a sealed liquor bottle and sample the contents. In each instance I called the number on the form (1–800–Don’tHoldYourBreath), left a message and had the complaint ignored.

Compare this with a traffic stop. A motorist has the name and badge number of the officer and local number to call if there’s a complaint. If worse comes to worst, often you have the video from the dashboard camera to review.

TSA has none of this.

TSA employees have assumed the trappings of law enforcement without any of the training or responsibility. Consider the evolution of TSA uniforms. From the original white shirt with no badge we now have a blue uniform with a shiny gold badge, indistinguishable from that of a real police officer. Yet TSA guards lack the training of even a rural policeman.

For his part, Paul did not demand special treatment; although he got it shortly after the TSA figured out it was a member of the US Senate they were detaining. I’m sure Paul’s photo will be posted in the Nashville TSA break room with a ‘Do Not Grope’ order attached and he will have no future problems there.

The simple, obvious and wrong solution would be to exempt federal elected officials from TSA screening. If I had my way they would have to be screened twice just to show them what the rest of us put up with on a daily basis.

One of the many problems with the porcine, pervasive government we enjoy today is that elected officials who pass the laws and the bureaucrats that implement the laws don’t have to suffer the effects of the laws.

If more elected officials were forced to undergo the same red tape and petty harassments the people who pay their salaries do, there would be one of two outcomes. Less government interference with individual liberty or — what I’m afraid would happen — more exemptions for our betters, since everyone knows they aren’t a terrorist, bank robber, embezzler or fill–in–the–blank. Either way, voters would know and be able to adjust voting behavior accordingly.

You may know you’re not a terrorist either, but try telling that to the TSA when you want to take 5 ounces of shampoo on your next flight.

Tweet from Rand Paul's Press Secretary

Senator Rand Paul has been detained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the Nashville, TN airport.  Senator Paul was on his way to Washington DC to speak at a March For Life event.

Paul’s father – presidential candidate Ron Paul informed many Americans of the situation via his Facebook page by posting: “My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport. I’ll share more details as the situation unfolds”

UPDATES BELOW THE VIDEO

Keep in mind that Senator Paul has been a vocal opponent of TSA pat-down procedures:

We will keep you updated as further details are known.

 UPDATE 1:

Fox News’ Chad Pergram tweets that reports are “untrue” that Senator Paul is being detained, tweeting: “Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) indicates that TSA “detained” his son Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in Nashville. Law enforcement says it is not true.”

UPDATE 2:

Rand Paul’s father, Ron Paul tells Facebook that this is due to Senator Paul refusing a full body pat-down after an “anomaly” with the full body scanner:

“More info – there was an “anomaly” in Rand’s initial body scan, so my son requested to be scanned a second time. TSA demanded a full body pat down and Rand refused.”

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)

Furthermore, Fox News’ Chad Pergram again tells us that the “anomaly” was in Senator Paul’s leg, but nothing was found, Tweeting: “My colleague Trish Turner reports that TSA found an “anomoly” around Sen. Paul’s leg after going through body scan machine. Nothing found.”

UPDATE 3:

Due to TSA detention, Senator Rand Paul has missed his flight in Nashville, according to CNN’s Brooke Baldwin, “Sen. Rand Paul missed his flight this morning.. after being stopped by TSA. What he refused to do in the security line…”

 UPDATE 4:

TSA makes statement about Senator Paul, saying:  “Passengers who refuse to complete the screening process cannot be granted access to the secure area..”

UPDATE 5:

Senator Rand Paul has rebooked a flight and has passed through the TSA checkpoint without incident, according to Chad Pergram of Fox News: “TSA says on Sen. Rand Paul: The passenger has since rebooked on another flight and was rescreened without incident.”

UPDATE 6:

Rand Paul will be on Fox Business tonight at 8pm to discuss the day’s events, according to Chad Pergram, once again: “My colleagues at Fox Business report that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) finally made it on board a plane. He’ll be a guest on FBN tonight at 8 pm et”

There is even less security on the Canadian border and Muslim terrorists have easy access to Canada. So the TSA keeps you safe on an airplane while they allow these same people, terrorists that now can’t get on an airplane, access to your homes, your churches, your shopping malls, your children’s schools. Think about this for a minute before you continue. Terrorists don’t need airplanes any longer. Our government is so focused on air travel that a terrorist can’t get on a plane with a box cutter, but they can walk across the Mexican border like they are out for a Sunday stroll in the park. And what do terrorists bring with them on these strolls? I bet it isn’t bundles of marijuana. Both parties speak of “fearing” a nuclear attack with a suitcase bomb but neither party is willing to close the main source of access for that attack they “fear”. How safe does this information leave you feeling?

Do you know what Homeland Security has “prevented” in the last few years? I know of two much bally-hoed “attacks” prevented by the federal government in recent years. Both were thwarted by alert FBI agents, who just happened to have recruited the bomber, supplied all of the information and access necessary to carry out the attack, AND supplied a dummy bomb to the would-be terrorist. This link is to a story about the Dallas incident. This has happened under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, no partisanship here. The government arrests these poor morons and trot the “terrorist” out like they have “saved” us. And the “Times Square Bomber”, a legitimate attempt, was thwarted by alert citizens not government officials.

Let’s go back a bit farther now and talk about jobs with all of the unemployed rank and file union workers who paid dues to the union, dues that got funneled back to the Democrat Party. Your jobs were shipped overseas primarily under Democrat presidents and Democrat controlled Congresses. Bill Clinton and a Democrat Congress raised corporate taxes, and gave us NAFTA and GATT; free trade agreements that made it cheaper to build items in Mexico, China, India, and who knows where else. The labor is cheaper, taxes are lower, and they can ship products back here without paying import taxes.

Republicans were all too happy to jump on board with this also. Your elected government and union officials are at fault for this, not the employer. Union hierarchy are living just fine while you sit on unemployment and scratch day to day in the hope you can hold onto the house you bought while times were good. Check into the financial status of James Hoffa and the other top union leaders. How are they doing? Are they living on unemployment? I would be curious to know if they actually pay taxes on their income or if they are exempt, as are Timothy Geithner and Charles Rangel. Who benefitted from the housing bubble and its ultimate bust? Don’t take my word for it; go look at how all of this has affected you and then look at who did what. These people, in either party, are not doing you any favors.

Bill Clinton made a bid for your 401/IRA retirement accounts and barely lost that one because there were enough Republicans opposing it. He wanted to “nationalize”, that means seize, your retirement account and lump it in with Social Security to help those who have less than you do. You work and save for 40 years so the government can give those savings to people too lazy to work, people unwilling to work, and illegal aliens. That little surprise has boiled up again. It’s not on the radar yet but is there just the same. Obama is hatching Phase 2 of this little plot against your future, kind of like Obamacare is Phase 2 of Hillarycare.

Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins came up with the brilliant idea of giving the president complete control of the internet through “kill switch” legislation. Iran and China already have this in place. How is that working out for their citizens? Here we have a “moderate” Democrat, disguised as an Independent, and a “moderate” (RINO) Republican openly plotting to give the president, any president, the right to take away internet access whenever he wants to do so. Drop that in with the mix with “net neutrality”, which is their fall back position from complete control, and you have the makings of tyranny. Democrats are openly supporting the “occupy Wall Street” bunch and some are calling for the suspension of elections, and even the suspension of the Constitution, to solve this mess we are in.

Do you really understand what that means? Do you really understand what these people are calling for? Do you see how the Republican leadership in Congress is dealing with this? Go look at the last 10 years in Venezuela. Look at how Hugo Chavez gained a dictatorship. Look and compare. Don’t take my word for it, go look it up and see for yourself.

Lobbyists, many of whom are former members of Congress or various administrations, are paid big bucks to get legislation passed that is beneficial to their clients. They buy influence with politicians of both parties. For you parents out there, do you punish your child for doing wrong or do you punish the one who put them up to it? One problem with our nation is that we have grown to make excuses for our child and blame others who were also involved. “The ‘instigator’ is at fault not my baby”, or “it isn’t MY senator, MY Congressman, it is the ‘evil corporations’. “ No, it isn’t the “instigator’s” fault; your kid didn’t have to throw the rock he was handed through the window. No, it isn’t the “evil corporation” and your member of Congress could always refuse the bribe money. Now we find out that Congress is immune to insider trading laws. Martha Stewart sat in prison, Nancy Pelosi sits as minority leader of the House of Representatives. How nice!!!!!

Those who are on some form of government assistance are also in danger. What the government gives it can take away. Look at what they have done since the 9/11 attacks. We are finding ever increasing control by one government agency or the other. Senate bill S. 679 (Thomas Congressional Library), introduced in March 2011, will give the president, any president, the right to appoint anyone he wishes to any post he wishes. It takes away any Congressional approval and gives carte blanche rights to the president. The “czars” will be even more omnipotent than they are now. No Congressional oversight, no voice of the people allowed. This is a violation of their oath to the Constitution, and to We the People. Go to the link, read the article, and share it with your family, friends, and Congress Critters. A “bi-partisan” Senate has passed S. 679 and sent it to the House of Representatives.

I just saw an article a couple of days ago that says we owe more than we can produce to pay off the national debt. Both parties have done this. We are on a fast boat to dictatorship and many are either blind to it or in denial. You don’t have to take my word for it. It is easy to see if you will take the time to look behind the campaign rhetoric, the partisan political fighting, and the posturing. Go find the true intent of what is being done; behind the scenes, out of the public eye and by both political parties.

There are more of us in this sinking ship of state than you might think. I am not being politically partisan here, I am being an American. When government takes over the ultra-rich will still be ultra-rich. Why do you think they give so much money to politicians? They are buying the future favor you and I can’t afford. Go check out the financial status of those who have been in Congress a while. See if they have “shared the sacrifice” or if they have become wealthy. Don’t take my word for it, go take a close look at how you are being manipulated into slavery.

There are movements out there who are fighting this, help them. The TEA Party is a grassroots group of citizens working to take their country back for the People. Tim Cox of GOOH is recruiting citizens to become citizen legislators to represent We the People, become a candidate if you can, if not help financially or work on a local campaign. John Dummett is running for the Republican  nomination for president. He is a common man that stands for the Constitution and the People, and he needs our help. He won’t get any help from the party machine or the media.

Take a look at your “class” in life. Take an honest look at your life, your income, the taxes you pay and your overall prognosis for the future. Now look at history. Who suffered in the French Revolution? Lots of rich people lost their heads but where did their wealth go? Did the peasants come out wealthy or did they suffer even more poverty? Go back and take a look at the Russian Revolution in 1917 and see how the poor came out on that one. Study the aftermath of World War I and the poverty that ensued in Germany. Look at how Adolph Hitler got control of Germany and how he went about his evil task. It didn’t start in 1939 with the invasion of Poland and Hitler didn’t do it by himself. He had a willing parliament, complicit media, and a desperate populace. Take a stroll through history, look the information up and find the truth. Then look at what your government has done here, just in the last 10 years. Go look at the last 10 years in the history of Venezuela. See how Hugo Chavez has taken complete control of that nation.

I am a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, a veteran, and a patriot. I have seen my freedom and the opportunities for my grandchildren seep away one at a time until a nation that was once crowded with opportunity and freedom has become a very lonely place. If you look at history you can see where we are now and where we are headed.

If you are not willing to learn from history you will repeat it. Many who are trying to stop this slide to tyranny will suffer the same fate as those who can’t or won’t see it for what it is. Once our freedom is totally gone it will take generations to get it back, if that can even be done. Don’t wait until it is too late to get involved; help win the battle for freedom we now face.

Look at how both parties and individual members of Congress have affected your life and the lives of your children and grandchildren. Don’t just listen to their words. Look at how they voted and bills they co-sponsored. Gain a true understanding of world history, understand what is happening and learn what you can do about it. We don’t have to travel this road any longer. We the People have the power to once again have a voice in our nation but we have to speak up. We have to know what we are talking about factually, not with partisan political eyes (rose colored, maybe?) for or against either party. When government has control of everything we are no longer free.

The following link goes to an article I wrote that has a lot in common with this one. In it I go more into the foibles of blindly voting for a political party.

I submit this in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, in faith, with the responsibility given to me by Almighty God to honor His work and not let it die from neglect.

Bob Russell
Claremore, Oklahoma
November 24, 2011

Thanks to the TSA, the last ten years have brought travelers long security lines, sexual harassment, public embarrassment, invasion of privacy, increased security fees, and a (published) price tag approaching $100 billion.

A recent article posted by @laborunionrpt points to the machine feeding the machine, as TSA unionization becomes a very real possibility and a boon for labor unions and their progressive voting initiatives.

Thanks, TSA, for the ten years of wonderful memories, and for managing to capture exactly ZERO terrorists! This is one party that needs to end. We are sick up picking up the tab.

Federal Judge Mary Scriven imposed the temporary ban basically because, in her ruling, she said that the court needs time to determine if the law violates the Constitutional ban on unreasonable search and seizure. Is this some kind of perverted joke? I ask this because I just read an article where the TSA is in fact illegally stopping motorists and searching their cars in a new program DHS likes to call VIPR. 2012 GOP Presidential candidate and current Texas Congressman Ron Paul went on the record stating his objections to the latest set of DHS laws rules in an op-ed from tennesseenewspress.com titled, TSA Releases VIPR Venom on Tennessee Highways .

If you thought the “Transportation Security Administration” would limit itself to conducting unconstitutional searches at airports, think again. The agency intends to assert jurisdiction over our nation’s highways, waterways, and railroads as well. TSA launched a new campaign of random checkpoints on Tennessee highways last week, complete with a sinister military-style acronym–VIP(E)R—as a name for the program.

Here[once again] we see a Federal Judge intervening with Florida State law to protect welfare recipients from the [supposedly] illegal search and seizure of a drug test that was enacted simply to ensure the working taxpayers are not funding welfare recipient’s drug habits. Meanwhile, the TSA can fondle citizens private parts at the airport and stop citizens and search their vehicles on any highway in the U.S. with no valid reason.  Ron Paul summed up the new TSA VIPR program pretty well at the end of his op-ed:

Disarming the highways and filling them full of jack-booted thugs demanding to see our papers is no way to make them safer. Instead, it is a great way to expand government surveillance powers and tighten the noose around our liberties. (emphasis mine)

 

For those of you naive enough to think Florida welfare recipients are not using illegal drugs, I point to the following facts of the past few months when the law was being enforced: Since the law went into effect in mid-July, over 7,000 applicants have taken and passed the drug test, 32 took the test and failed and approximately 1,600 have refused to the test.  Applicants do not have to say why they refused, but their refusal will block them from receiving the government benefits.  If you are caught operating a motor vehicle in most states while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and refuse to take the sobriety test or submit to a blood test, your drivers license is automatically suspended. Of course, the government makes a huge profit in fines and DUI school in order for you to get your license back,( from the actual working class citizens) while the welfare class doesn’t have any earned money to take from them. ( nor are they paying their fair share in taxes)  If a person was in need of real help in the form of a welfare cash payment in Florida, they simply would have no problem proving that the cash would go towards food or shelter and not dope. Unless of course they are already on dope, and can’t hold down a steady job because of it, therefore they demand that other people support them and their habit. This is the very definitive crux of this problem.

The champion of the welfare class, the ACLU started this whole disgusting federal intervention into Florida’s right to drug test welfare recipients by filing the lawsuit in the first place. Isn’t it weird beyond comprehension on how the ACLU can sit by and allow the TSA to unconstitutionally stick their hands down American citizen’s pants at the airport and also approve of the TSA jack-booted thugs use of the VIPR  illegal automobile searches of American citizens simply traveling from one town to another? Actually, it all doesn’t seem too strange when we consider the idea that the ACLU and the DHS and the TSA are obviously doing the Obama administration’s bidding today.

 Here is serious a tip for our readers :  When traveling across state lines or any other time when in your vehicle, be sure to follow all local, state and federal laws about carrying your second amendment allowed guns with you in your car. What better way for the anti-gun Liberal jack-booted thugs from the TSA to start taking away your right to bear arms through the illegal searches being conducted under the new TSA VIPR program.

2012 just can’t get here fast enough!

Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security has partnered with the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA), the agency now infamous for excessive body searches of small children and little old ladies in wheelchairs.

Operation VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response) is not a response to a particular known threat department Commissioner Bill Gibbons said on Tuesday in a press release. The effort is instead meant to deter and detect activity through a visible state-wide presence.

VIPR includes several other state and federal agencies teamed together to catch or prevent terrorists at the state’s truck weight/inspection stations and bus stations in two of the largest cities, Knoxville and Nashville. The release didn’t say why neither Memphis nor Chattanooga, both metropolitan areas with several interstate routes, were not included.

VIPR is also intended to make the public aware of the First Observer Highway Security Program, a national initiative that uses truck driver volunteers to report suspicious behaviors while driving.

The joint operation is a first to use this kind of presence across a state. It’s unknown at this time if TSA intends to step up searches of private autos at some future point.

Honolulu International Airport

Maui-wowie, man! That’s awesome! The Transportation Security Administration just fired twenty-eight bag screeners at Honolulu International Airport after an extensive criminal probe. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever approved of reading “TSA” and “probe” in the same sentence…oh, wait. It seems they were only screening for cash and jewels. You mean me and my two young grandkids removed our shoes for nothing? We could have put the C4 in the bags? They fired twenty-eight bag screeners? Holy North Shore Batman! They should all be lei-ed off! Every last thieving one of them! Don’t forget the gropers, either. “Do you have any bombs, explosives, plutonium, or currently glowing nuclear devices or materials to declare? Next!” Twenty-eight TSA workers fired? That’s a good start. But if we fire twenty-eight an hour we can get rid of most of them quite quickly! I’m sure they could quickly hook up (no pun intended) with the porn or massage industries. It’s not like they don’t have experience or sumtin’. And there are seven-hundred and fifty TSA employees wandering around at just one airport? Does anyone else see that as a problem? I also like the idea of getting rid of TSA completely and just giving everyone a weapon. The first guy to pull out a weapon is the terrorist; the second guy… is everyone else. Good luck, first guy. You know why Obama flies Air Force 1? Because the TSA doesn’t let terrorists fly commercial.

The TSA saga continues. How ironic! TSA gets probed. Over 10 years, $1B+ spent, and what to show for it? Thousands of women groped, but not a single terrorist identified! Has the captain ever asked you to fasten your suicide belts? Fly Jihad Airways! But never fear, at least they hand out free 9/11 coloring books. Yay, union labor! To be fair, if they screened all of the bags they wouldn’t have had time to watch the strip searches. Why would they screen for explosives when the x-ray porno movies are being shown in the break room? Nobody likes working the X-Ray machine. They all want to be working at the porno scanner or groping your children’s junk. Wasn’t it Shakespeare who first said “To screen or not to screen? That is the question.” Okay, I’m thinking bomb. To screen is the answer. Now, what was the question again? As an aside, if we were talking about Michelle Obama that quote would be “To eat or not to eat. Fat is the question.”

TSA has taken the necessary steps to ensure every bag has been screened properly at HNL since the agency identified the issue. TSA routinely tests security operations to ensure that proper protocols are being followed, and investigates any indication of misconduct. TSA also utilizes a number of checks to ensure bags are being screened properly including the use of CCTV, random inspections, covert tests, as well as peer and management oversight.

TSA management-level staff and National Deployment Force officers have been temporarily assigned to HNL to augment the current staff and continue to ensure that a high level of security operations continues. An effort will commence to hire local permanent replacements in the coming weeks.
—Aero News Network

I tried to get on with the TSA a few years ago but I got rejected. I had too high of an IQ for them. If measured by their overall common sense, competence, professionalism and intelligence, TSA people are right up there with Wal-mart greeters. In fact, I think the greeters actually have the edge. Seriously, the TSA is made up of formerly unemployed Muppets. We need the Mossad to run the organization. That way you would have a legitimate reason to visit Israel and see the pyramids! If they fire all of the TSA employees then all they will have to pay them is welfare and food stamps—of which they already all get anyway; but they would save a lot of money not having to pay them to sit around all day in an airport while smoking crack in the restrooms. Speaking of rest rooms, isn’t it true that TSA employees have particularly wide stances and tap their feet while… you know.

Now, there is no way to blame Bush for this fiasco. It’s all on Barack Hussein Obama. So let’s take a small interlude from the TSA and tell a few Captain Kickass jokes in honor of Barry and The First Lardass:

• You know, if you took Obama and gave him a higher IQ and some experience, you would have Jimmy Carter.
• What do Obama and a beer bottle have in common? They’re both empty from the neck up.
• What do you tell an Obama with two black eyes? Nothing. He’s already been told twice.
• What do you get when you offer Obama a penny for his thoughts? Change.
• What do you call a man with no arms and no legs sitting on your front porch? Obama.
• What did the left nut say to the right nut? Obama.
• I see colleges are offering a new course. Yeah, it’s called Food Stamps 101…living in an Obama economy.
• I heard Obama got a brain transplant and the brain rejected him.
• Obama’s so clumsy he got tangled up in a cordless phone.
• Barry doing stand-up comedy: “The Second Amendment? Of course I support Michelle’s right to bare arms.” Pa-dum-dum
• Obama does more stand-up: “Come on, I won’t cut off your granny’s health care, just her life support.” Pa-dum-dum
• “Can’t I just get a straight answer?” – Barney Frank (Now how did THAT get in this column about the TSA? Oh, I know. It’s because Frank is in touch with HIS feelings. Kinda’ like the TSA, which is in touch with OUR feelings.)

Alright, let’s leave the TSA for a moment and further dissect Barney Frank. Last night I was on Twitter and asked my Tweeple to engage in a guessing game. The question was “What is Barney Frank’s favorite insect?” Here are some of the hilariously creative answers I received:

• Note to self: Not the Cock Goblin. — FunkynFortunate
• I thought it was the Trouser Worm. —rightwingertoo
• Ladybug? —madreview
• Tick? —tacsneakyfast
• Dungbeetle? — LauraWalkerKC
• Walking Stick — FAMDOC7
• White Legged Didlopod —tacsneakyfast
• A Drag(on) Fly — lafayette41
• Locust? — TheJosiahQ

The correct answer, you might already have guessed, is the cockroach. But that is enough of our pleasant little diversion concerning the esteemed gentleman from Massachusetts. Speaking of cockroaches, don’t you just get the heebie-jeebies every time you look at a picture of Janet Napolitano? See, I knew I could do it! I managed to get us right back to the TSA! Now, about that little ol’ TSA probe and all? (notice the lack of a verb there? Don’t worry, folks. I’m a professional—just don’t try it at home.) Relax. No Democrat employees were injured during that exercise. Which is surprising considering that Bush spent a lot of money killing terrorists and Obama has spent a lot of money killing jobs.

In conclusion let me just say that my new slogan is “Anthony Weiner in ’12. Cuz One Dick wasn’t enough!”

TSA: Same Stimulus—Different Weiner.