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Federal Appeals Court Orders TSA To Explain Delay In Body Scan Public Hearing
New submitter rhsanborn writes "One year ago the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ordered the TSA to hold public comment on the use body scanners in EPIC vs. DHS. The order has been ignored prompting a WhiteHouse.gov petition asking for the Obama Administration's response. One year later, Wired reports, the court has ordered the TSA to explain why it hasn't responded to its original order (PDF). The TSA has until August 30th to respond."
Oh, this ought to work wonderfully.
Watch this be ignored as well.
Obama is above the law, and the Appeals court is powerless to do anything to force the TSA's hand. How many divisions of bailiffs can the Appeals Court muster?
The only solution to this is to get rid of the Security Theater senators and congressmen and start cutting budgets and repealing ill conceived panic legislation put in place a decade ago.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
I would love to see some bench warrants going out on this stuff!
What do you expect? This corruption didn't start under Obama but sure as hell isn't slowing down what so ever.
In case the judge is reading this, let me do your job for you. The order needs to be:
DHS will respond by _________ or I will hold ________ in contempt and order them jailed until you respond.
Without consequences, your order is something to laugh at, frankly. And that's what they're doing. They've been laughing at you for the last year.
Do you have ESP?
All the judges on the District of Columbia Court Of Appeals have been added to the "No Fly" list.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
So, on August 31st, when the TSA hasn't responded, how about everyone go to their local airport and just walk through security. Straight on through. If the TSA can't follow lawful orders from the courts why do we need to follow their orders? Mind you, this would be true civil disobedience -- you walk through security peacefully then sit down and wait to be arrested.
What in the world kind of justice is this? "We're going to tell you to do something, and then, if you don't, we're going to tell you tell us why!"
I'm sure the TSA are just quaking in their boots.
Why don't the courts and judges grow some balls, and start issuing warrants for arrests, for contempt of court, if nothing else? At this point, the system is so laughably broken I don't know why anybody even bothers using it in the first place. Vigilante justice is more justice than this farce.
Who enforces the law? Homeland security? The courts? Who do they arrest?
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
I am ordinarily not a fan of e-petitions because they're generally useless; but at least the petition system at whitehouse.gov will require *some* action from the administration. Even if it ultimately serves to highlight how there is no accountability, there is value in that too.
I know from the 'slashdot effect' that we have far more than the required 25k readers necessary to get this petition through, yet instead people would rather complain about how nobody is doing anything.
Folks, it doesn't get any easier to "do something" than this.
Or do you think that the BATF is going to come barging down your front doors because you gave your email address and zip code to register to sign the petition?
The TSA responded today that they would not respond to the order, citing issues of national security. Obama said he supports the TSA's decision, and that protecting us from terrorism is more important.
"by the people, for the people" gets so corrupted in DC because of all of the lobbying and grandstanding that goes on. This whole hype of the TSA was unnecessary and now we've created a bigger bureaucracy in Washington. The whole body scan thing was a lobbied effort. Since we know nobody in DC actually does their own work and relies on lobbyists and staff to come up with things to do, twist enough arms, throw enough cash around and you can usually get what you want. Also don't forget all of those ex-government directors and leaders who've gone into lobbying for those companies as well. All under the guises of
“Lobbyists are not the problem. Terrorists are the ones who can do harm to innocent victims."
Really? what an astute observation from somebody who gets paid to lobby in favor of this horseshit.
Blah
Lobbyists and the way Washington DC operates are at the core of our greater ills and as long as we have revolving door policies allowing ex government officials to join lobbying groups and legal practices that attempt to influence our government, it will always be driven by money because we all know fear pays. Especially for Chertoff.
Eventually people in this country will come to their senses and realize that this is all theater and doesn't make them safer, it does cost them more and makes their lives inconvenient and more exposed. So much for the land of the free.
Until then I shall continue to work on my mind scanning device that will sense brainwave patterns and automatically recover memories and thoughts so we can weed out terrorists everywhere. Once I've figured out the electronics and made it sufficiently unsafe in terms of radiation exposure, I will then get a lobbying firm and sell it on the hill. It will eliminate the need for body scans entirely however there will be some side effects I fear: Loss of Memory, False prosecutions, Secret Lists and longer lines at the airport, bus terminal, subway and any other public transit location where people congregate.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
The Federal Appeals Court should repeat ultimatum in an even firmer tone of voice. Add the words, "or else".
John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!
It's not a new problem: Any time the executive wants to flip off the judiciary, it can.
I am officially gone from
I'm just happy they were given until 08/30 this way come 8/30 they can be given another n*-$DAYS_TILL_ELECTION to resolve this mess
Because fuck you.
Why is the court considering a writ of mandamus? Hasn't the DHS /already/ been ordered to hold these hearings? Why not an order to show cause why the DHS shouldn't be held in contempt?
Court should order their budget frozen until a response is made.
My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
Every time I fly and am faced with a body scanner, I make a big stink about how I want a pat down. I make the stink loud enough that it shocks 1 or 2 people into doing the same. I say things like, "I read the MIT/Standford/Yale reports that these have not been deemed safe." Putting that little bit of fear in others who are less technically inclined but know who MIT/Standford/Yale is will sometimes follow you through a pat down.
And to add insult to injury, I wear my megusta face during the pat down.
The TSA was formed by the Bush Administration in 2002.
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com
Because, at the end of the day, they will have spent 100x the amount of money it would cost to screen previously, and the only thing they have to show for it are a few "tucked to the body" small pot busts.
Shit like this is why you should always travel in heavily-armed groups.
TSA goons may have no qualms about taking out one 'wacko' with a gun, but 20 of them (or, even better, an entire airport full) all traveling together will force them to reconsider their position.
Our forefathers made sure we had a right to keep and carry weapons, to ensure we would always have a means of throwing off the shackles of tyranny - let's not disappoint them.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Shocked, I tell you, to even think that the Obummer administration would ignore the law!
The TSA has until August 30th to respond.
Flying several times shortly before that date after several years where I've managed to avoid flying entirely. I expect a wonderful experience from such a responsive, responsible, and generally helpful organization...
Everybody holds congress in contempt. Not many people in their right minds act contemptuously toward Article III judges. Among other things, if the TSA gets the judiciary mad at them, the TSA will begin to find the Fourth Amendment much less friendly.
-- IANAL, this isn't legal advice, and definitely isn't legal advice for you. Also, Squee!