A family flying out of Hawaii has decided to dress up in their bikinis in order to get through security without being sexually hara....er....security-ized.
A snippet:
Notes taped to their skin read, "People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security, deserve neither, and will lose both - Ben Franklin"; "My mommy says Don't talk to strangers, and certainly, don't let anyone fondle me"; and "Didn't the Catholic church get into trouble for this?".
Well, at least this is only the first time this has happened...right?
Let’s remember that the TSA has been incompetent from the beginning. No one can name a single plot it thwarted, but over the years we have seen many stories of TSA inspectors failing tests announced in advance. We can be sure that countless forbidden items carried by innocents have passed through security. One person unknowingly carried a full 9mm pistol magazine through security in a carryon bag. While some TSA agents are missing contraband they are supposed to be looking for, others have pilfered things from people’s checked luggage. Flying is anything but secure; the main problem, however, is not terrorism.
On November 18th, CSUSM Young Americans for Liberty tabled in front of Kellogg Library. We handed out a whole box of SFL Bastiat books, and a couple hundred pocket Constitutions. Additionally, we got some sign-ups for our chapter.
A bullhorn can get somebody's attention, but it will turn them away faster than you can say "backscatter." We've found that the best way to connect with and engage fellow Auburn students with the message of liberty is big, original, lemme-take-a-second-look-at-that type displays. Our most recent event about the hyped-up TSA procedures exemplifies this simple principle.
Some inspired members put their heads together and brought this genius idea to life. To cover up our unclad friend we used a cleverly placed gift-wrapped box (reminiscent of Justin Timberlake's and Andy Samburg's popular SNL short) and filled it with a bounty of YAL pocket Constitutions.
YAL at the University of Virginia has gotten off to a great start. This last weekend we opened up with some anti-TSA activism that ended up getting on the front page of Reddit, racking up over 200,000 views so far. We also managed to get the picture of one of the many posters we put up on the Huffington Post, which definitely came as a surprise.
Until now, things have gone a little slowly for our chapter. For the most part, we were limited to tabling with Nolan’s World’s Smallest Political Quiz, pitching heavily to people with liberty-minded perspectives to come and check out our group and trying to influence the views of those with contrary opinions.
The controversy over the TSA's new tactics in screening airline passengers has put the same progressives who were against the violation of civil liberties during the Bush administration into somewhat of a dilemma: Criticize the administration for its invasive pat down and scanning procedures or support it as necessary and look like hypocrites. The latter seems to be the tact most taken.
This has led more 'progressive' figures like MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Ed Shultz to support the clear violation of the Fourth Amendment in the name of security. Matthews suggested that the Obama administration had no choice but to implement these measures, because if there were to be another terrorist attack, they would be blamed for not keeping Americans sufficiently safe. Shultz expressed on air the confusing position that resorting to profiling was "trading liberty for security," but the invasive pat downs are justified because only around two percent of Americans are having to endure it. He even stated it was OK because counter-terrorism experts say it is necessary.
"An appeal to the American public: Wednesday, November 24th marks the day that Americans all across the country will stand up together to protest a government that no longer represents their best interests. Over the past year the government has instituted policies at our nation's airports that sacrifice our rights, our liberty and our dignity in the name of "national security," and the American people, in the tradition of our nation's founders, are ready to say enough is enough. On Wednesday Americans will say "no" to a government that has claimed the right to sexually assault its citizens. They will say "no" to a government that is willing to sacrifice its citizen's natural liberty for an unattainable degree of safety. And they will say "no" to a government who in claiming to fight a war abroad to secure our rights violates those very rights at home. On Wednesday Americans will choose to "opt out" of our government's intrusive body scanners to instead opt for its no less intrusive rub down. Do not be mistaken, to opt out is not to represent an approval of the latter, but instead to demonstrate a disapproval of the system as a whole. The lines may be longer, the wait more frustrating, our patience stretched thinner, but these inconveniences are a small price to pay in the defense of our liberty. Join us Wednesday as Americans all across the country protest this infringement of our fourth amendment rights and stand up in an act of civil disobedience to defend our natural rights."
This has led more 'progressive' figures like MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Ed Shultz to support the clear violation of the Fourth Amendment in the name of security. Matthews suggested that the Obama administration had no choice but to implement these measures, because if there were to be another terrorist attack, they would be blamed for not keeping Americans sufficiently safe. Shultz expressed on air the confusing position that resorting to profiling was "trading liberty for security," but the invasive pat downs are justified because only around two percent of Americans are having to endure it. He even stated it was OK because counter-terrorism experts say it is necessary.
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