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State Legislatures Attempt To Limit TSA Searches
OverTheGeicoE writes "Here's a familiar story: a breast cancer survivor's mastectomy scars showed up on a TSA scan, which forced a horrifying pat-down ('feel-up' in her words) of the affected area. The woman decided that she would not subject herself to that again, and was barred from a later flight from Seattle to Juneau for that reason. But now the story takes an interesting turn: the woman is Alaska State Rep. Sharon Cissna, and once she finally made it back to Alaska she started sponsoring legislation to restrict TSA searches. Her many bills, if passed, would criminalize both pat-downs and 'naked scanning,' as well as require better health warnings for X-ray scanners and even studies of airport screenings' physical and psychological effects. Other states, including Utah and Texas, are considering similar legislation. For example, Texas State Rep. David Simpson is preparing to reintroduce his Traveler Dignity Act again in 2013 if he is re-elected. The last time that bill was being considered the Federal government threatened to turn all of Texas into a 'no-fly zone'."
It's about time the pendulum starts swinging away from the abusive, oppressive practices that the terrorists have set in place over our society.
America is supposed to be the land of the free, home of the brave. Not the land of the willing to consent to invasive and abusive practices because of drummed up fear.
Oh for effen crying out loud! When it is THEM then well we have a PROBLEM! But if they are not affected and we complain to the wahzoo we are complainers! No I want the TSA to keep going because I want THEM to start understanding how WE are dealt with by a government!
"You can't make a race horse of a pig"
"No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
Why does it take a representative to be affected before they represent the people?
Aren't they supposed to be listening to us complaining and take action? Instead it seems like they only act on what is affecting them.
But is the TSA stuff law, or policy?
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
Call me a cynic, but why did this woman not actively support regaining our rights and dignity BEFORE she became a victim of the TSA? It seems a little self serving for her to suddenly pick up that flag only after her own personal traumatic experience. As a fellow human, I can sympathize with what she's gone through, but as a politician it looks less than righteous.
At the very least we could get the Supreme Court to weigh in on the question.
Have you seen the shit coming from the Supreme Court lately? As if that is going to help at all...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
... I'm beginning to think people like the IRS more than the TSA.
I think the IRS and the TSA are equally despised, but people see that the IRS at least has a purpose. On second thought, I agree with you, the TSA is regarded as worse than the IRS.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
The TSA was created to comfort passengers after 9/11 by providing a highly visible change to the airport security measures through inconveniencing all passengers as much as possible.
In reality, even without the TSA, the nature of in flight security changed forever on 9/11. Now everyone understands that the risk of hijacked planes is far greater than just the lives of those held hostage on the plane. By showing the larger threat hijacked planes pose as weapons, the hijackers on 9/11 effectively ended hijacking as a means to terrorize the greater population since most will accept that hijacked planes must be shot down before the plane can be used to pose a larger threat. Passengers and crews now know that their only hope for survival in a hijack attempt is to take down the hijackers themselves and regain control of the plane.
Security is still required to keep weapons and bombs off of flights, but even the security before 9/11 was sufficient to deter the hijackers from bringing guns or other large weapons. As prisoners have shown, sharp weapons can be made from virtually anything solid, but these weapons would be less effective in a hijack today since the passengers and crew would be willing to be cut to overpower hijackers.
The only minimal additional security provided since 9/11 is in limiting compounds that could be used to make explosives with the intent of destroying a plane rather than hijacking. This is battle of diminishing returns, where ever growing intrusions into personal privacy and intrusions provide ever smaller degrees of increased security and protection.
I have no problem with scanned luggage and carryons, but requiring everyone to remove shoes and clothes is purely an attempt to make each passenger feel and intimately experience the security.
These are psychological steps that accomplish virtually nothing to improve our security, but only raise the perception of safety.
The IRS will at least occasionally give back when it has taken more than it should. The TSA has yet to do that.
The same situation occurred back in the day with Montana's [lack of posted] speed limit.
Its all about the federal income tax pulling from the pockets of [state] citiziens, then giving the funds back to the states if they play by the Federal "rules".
This is how the highway system has worked for years.
However, if taxes were decreased at a federal level and increased at the state level, the states would then be able to pay for their own roadwork without Federal involvement. But, how would that help Federal control?
Sig Return: 204 No Content
Right, and then the State can withdraw the requirement for its citizens to pay income taxes to the IRS. The next step from there is secession. States just haven't bothered with this for a long time because it wasn't worth it, but that may be changing soon.
Agreed, but that purpose was already served by the armored cockpit doors. Nothing else is required to prevent cabin access, and passengers are very unlikely to tolerate threats to other passengers or flight personnel as they did in the past.
What most people don't realize, however, is that the 10th Amendment was effectively rendered null and void in 1865. Most people think the Civil War was about slavery, but it wasn't. While slavery was the issue du jour over which the Fed and the states were in dispute, the REAL issue was whether the Federal Government had the authority to overrule the individual states. The Tenth Amendment, as you correctly stated, said "No -- states rights trump Federal law." Unfortunately, the Fed decided to ignore that pesky little detail in a bid to outlaw slavery. Their intentions were good -- slavery is, without a doubt, an abhorrent, barbaric practice -- but the downside of the Civil War was that the Federal government became far more powerful than the Founding Fathers ever intended, usurping the authority of state governments in direct violation of the 10th Amendment. So technically, you are correct...but that tends not to be the way things actually play out in real life.
MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
Then it just becomes a circular pissing contest.
Yes, well, we wouldn't want a state to get in a pissing contest with the federal government because they won't respect fundamental civil liberties that the state's citizens expect to be upheld. We all know what happens when people stand up for their rights. Far better to just quietly pray for things to change, surrender at every opportunity, and accept misery and injustice because fighting against it is just too. damn. hard.
Sir, please leave my country. Make room for an immigrant who is willing to participate in the democratic process, instead of just giving in to any authority that presents itself.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
If several States were to move together, or if a major state (like Texas) had the balls to pass the legislation and force the federal government to actually screw with people's travel they may not get their way. At that point it would probably largely depend on which way public opinion fell and which politicians were sure to lose their jobs if they didn't back down.
"unlikely to tolerate threats"
Funny thing is, the TSA is quite busy disarming honest people, so that any dishonest person who gets aboard with a weapon is more likely to succeed in his mission.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Unfortunate as your loss was, this is a prime example of why we shouldn't let people who have been emotionally compromised to make decisions.
The really sad thing is that after 9/11, pretty much the entire country was emotionally compromised. Look where that got us.
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal
Comparing based on Rs and Ds alone at this stage is like deciding if deck chairs on the port or starbord side of the Titanic are better.
I'm not even under the TSA's jurisdiction, and I have more liking for my own country's tax collectors than I do for the TSA. At least the tax collectors are performing a public service that actually serves the greater good. The TSA, on the other hand, is nothing more than security theater that has severely impacted my own life, in that I no longer feel comfortable travelling to the US or over US airspace. And I'm certain that I'm not the only one... so not only is the TSA a multi-billion dollar boondoggle that doesn't actually accomplish anything, it's actually taking money out of the US economy in the form of deterring international travellers from visiting. Pity. You used to have a really nice country, for a while, but there's plenty of other places in the world that will happily take my money, and won't humiliate me for the privilege.
Besides, the way the tax system is set up here, they always take money off at the source, and at the end of the year I get a refund for any overage they took off: unless you're self-employed, it's very rare that you end up owing the government money.
The TSA are wasting boatloads of money sexually assaulting and generally harassing everyone they can get their hand on. The reason whoever hijacked a number of planes at the same time is that they knew it was a one time thing, do it once and it will never work again.
If anyone of average intelligence with moderate funding wants to blow up some big landmark he won't use a hijacked airplane next time.
Pour encourager les autres.
"My opinions are my own, and I've got *lots* of them!"
"Pretty much the entire country" except for the "moon bat" left. It was obvious us from 9/12 that the overreaction to the attacks would be far worse for the country than the attacks themselves were. Of course when we spoke up we were smeared as unpatriotic. You probably don't remember that the lead up to Iraq war included some of the largest demonstrations in history. Of course we were mostly ignored by the "main stream" (aka hard line statist) media. Over a decade later, I have no problem saying "I told you so".
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
In case anyone thinks parent is exagerating, this is what happened to the mayor of a Baltimore town:
http://reason.com/blog/2008/08/08/berwyn-heights-drug-raid-the-p