On December 22, 2010, Claire Hirschkind, a 56-year-old rape victim was arrested at Austin-Bergstrom Airport in Texas after refusing a TSA pat-down. Claire Hirschkind could not pass through the full-body scanner due to safety concerns about a pacemaker-type device imbedded in her chest.
Hirschkind told a female TSA agent not to touch her breasts during the pat-down. The TSA agent insisted she would touch the rape victim's breasts. When Hirschkind refused to have her breasts touched by the federal employee, she was forced to the ground and arrested.
The story probably has a few more details that will certainly add to the reasons behind this woman being pushed to the ground. Logic says there must have been some sort of additional resistance, but this is the TSA, so logic is not necessarily applicable. Thee fact remains, however, that an innocent, law-abiding rape survivor with a pacemaker-type device was humiliated, inconvenienced, and tormented because she did not want a federal employee to touch her breasts.
How many more places can you imagine this going on? Imagine trying to walk into Grand Central Station and an NYPD cop stops you and says, "I am going to have to feel your breasts and crotch before I let you in the building."
Don't worry. This sort of thing will not be happening for at least another few weeks. If it makes us feel a little safer, it's perfectly okay, right?
December 25, 2010
December 24, 2010
Sacramento Whistleblower Pilot Being Intimidated
A Sacramento pilot who used YouTube to expose serious security problems regarding the TSA is being intimidated by federal and local law enforcement. Click here to read the story from NEWS10 ABC.
December 23, 2010
United States Government Will Use Mexico Violence to Expand Gun Control
As the drug cartels continue to war with the Mexican government, a group of innocent people have found themselves in the crosshairs. The governments of the United States and Mexico are claiming that many of the weapons used by the cartels (maybe 80%) are being smuggled into Mexico from America.
The governments are alleging United States citizens who are using their clean records to purchase guns and transfer them to traffickers who smuggle guns into Mexico. Of course, many of these guns end up being used in crimes.
As you may have guessed, the governments of the United States and Mexico have decided to fix this problem by infringing on the Second Amendment. These governments want to put more intensive controls and supervision on gun purchases by innocent Americans. The U.S. government could go after the smugglers, but they are choosing to cast a wide net and go after general gun purchasers. Those who legally purchase two or more guns in a five-day period and live near Mexico are being placed under special scrutiny.
Instead our rights being violated, why can't Mexico do more to control their borders? We in America, have to deal with all of those drugs and aliens pouring across our borders. Why can't Mexico handle their own business and keep the guns out?
By the way, Mexico keeps complaining about how their cops are outgunned by the cartels, but we keep seeing these videos of Mexican government employees, destroying AK-47s, AR-15s, etc. that were seized from the cartels. If the Mexican cops are so outgunned, why don't they just use the weapons they seize from the raids on cartels? Better yet, why don't the Mexican cops just capture those weapons at the border and use the guns while they are all shiny and new?
The solutions are pretty obvious. It is insane that law-abiding U.S. citizens should be asked to sacrifice their Constitutional rights to make things easier on cops in a foreign country.
The governments are alleging United States citizens who are using their clean records to purchase guns and transfer them to traffickers who smuggle guns into Mexico. Of course, many of these guns end up being used in crimes.
As you may have guessed, the governments of the United States and Mexico have decided to fix this problem by infringing on the Second Amendment. These governments want to put more intensive controls and supervision on gun purchases by innocent Americans. The U.S. government could go after the smugglers, but they are choosing to cast a wide net and go after general gun purchasers. Those who legally purchase two or more guns in a five-day period and live near Mexico are being placed under special scrutiny.
Instead our rights being violated, why can't Mexico do more to control their borders? We in America, have to deal with all of those drugs and aliens pouring across our borders. Why can't Mexico handle their own business and keep the guns out?
By the way, Mexico keeps complaining about how their cops are outgunned by the cartels, but we keep seeing these videos of Mexican government employees, destroying AK-47s, AR-15s, etc. that were seized from the cartels. If the Mexican cops are so outgunned, why don't they just use the weapons they seize from the raids on cartels? Better yet, why don't the Mexican cops just capture those weapons at the border and use the guns while they are all shiny and new?
The solutions are pretty obvious. It is insane that law-abiding U.S. citizens should be asked to sacrifice their Constitutional rights to make things easier on cops in a foreign country.
December 22, 2010
DC Metro Bag Searches Are Unconstitutional
On December 21, 2010, random bag searches began for those wishing to board the DC Metro system. Passengers are selected at random to undergo searches of their private property. Those who choose not to be searched are not allowed to board a train. This is unconstitutional, and here is why.
The DC Metro, like all public transportation, is funded by the taxpayers; therefore, the DC Metro is public property, which belongs to the taxpayers. Barring innocent taxpayers from public property without just cause is a violation of civil rights and a misuse of public property.
Those who have already surrendered their rights to the TSA in order to get on a plane will cynically reply, "This is no different from the airport. We have surrendered our rights there, so we should surrender them on the DC Metro."
This is a flawed argument. Commercial airplanes are private property. Taxpayers do not own the airplanes, but they do own the trains. Yes, it is wrong that innocent people get violated when attempting to board planes, but the plans are private property, so the owners of the planes do not have to allow people to board. The DC Metro trains are different. The taxpayers own the trains, and they are intended for public use, so the taxpayers have a right to ride the trains. Making people subject to searches before being allowed to board a DC Metro train is barely different than making people subject to searches before allowing them to walk down a public sidewalk.
The DC Metro, like all public transportation, is funded by the taxpayers; therefore, the DC Metro is public property, which belongs to the taxpayers. Barring innocent taxpayers from public property without just cause is a violation of civil rights and a misuse of public property.
Those who have already surrendered their rights to the TSA in order to get on a plane will cynically reply, "This is no different from the airport. We have surrendered our rights there, so we should surrender them on the DC Metro."
This is a flawed argument. Commercial airplanes are private property. Taxpayers do not own the airplanes, but they do own the trains. Yes, it is wrong that innocent people get violated when attempting to board planes, but the plans are private property, so the owners of the planes do not have to allow people to board. The DC Metro trains are different. The taxpayers own the trains, and they are intended for public use, so the taxpayers have a right to ride the trains. Making people subject to searches before being allowed to board a DC Metro train is barely different than making people subject to searches before allowing them to walk down a public sidewalk.
December 21, 2010
Monitoring America
The Washington Post is running an excellent, in-depth article about extensive surveillance of ordinary Americans. The article, "Monitoring America," by Dana Priest and William M. Arkin details a vast network of databases, computers systems, and information-sharing programs used by law enforcement to watch and track virtually everyone in a broad variety of ways such as facial scans, license plate scans, cellphone tracking, civilian reports, undercover infiltrations of activists groups, FBI files, etc.
December 20, 2010
Waste Watch Gets Your Garbage Man to Spy on You
Depending on where you live, your garbage man probably comes by your home once or twice each week or so. While you are inside sleeping, showering, or eating breakfast, your garbage man is out by the curb handling your trash. What you may not know is that your garbage man may be spying on you.
A program know as Waste Watch trains garbage men how to observe suspicious behavior on their routes and report this behavior. Authorities can then investigate the reports and see if a crime is about to be committed.
Sure, Waste Watch sounds like a practical enhancement to law enforcement, but having civilians actively spy on other civilians is a scary proposition. Do you really want the man who visits your home early in the morning and has access to virtually every discarded document, container, item etc. that leaves your residence to be reporting things about you and your property to the government? Think, for a moment, about all of the things you throw out. When you throw them out, do you intend for them to just go away, or do you anticipate they could possibly scrutinized by someone?
When the garbage man is observing your residence from the curb, what sort of things might he be noticing? If you have some bags of fertilizer stacked on the side of your house, will he report that you could be making bombs? If your friend parked a car in front of your house and the garbage man notices some political bumper stickers on the vehicle, will he report a potential radical? What if he notices you are discarding some boxes for high-end electronics, will you be reported as a thief?
Keep in mind that, if your garbage man is spying on you, he will be at your residence once or twice per week looking at your property and everything you discard. Do not do anything suspicious within view of the garbage man. You just might find yourself under investigation.
Civilian spying was one of the most effective tools of the Nazis. It is really becoming fashionable in America these days.
A program know as Waste Watch trains garbage men how to observe suspicious behavior on their routes and report this behavior. Authorities can then investigate the reports and see if a crime is about to be committed.
Sure, Waste Watch sounds like a practical enhancement to law enforcement, but having civilians actively spy on other civilians is a scary proposition. Do you really want the man who visits your home early in the morning and has access to virtually every discarded document, container, item etc. that leaves your residence to be reporting things about you and your property to the government? Think, for a moment, about all of the things you throw out. When you throw them out, do you intend for them to just go away, or do you anticipate they could possibly scrutinized by someone?
When the garbage man is observing your residence from the curb, what sort of things might he be noticing? If you have some bags of fertilizer stacked on the side of your house, will he report that you could be making bombs? If your friend parked a car in front of your house and the garbage man notices some political bumper stickers on the vehicle, will he report a potential radical? What if he notices you are discarding some boxes for high-end electronics, will you be reported as a thief?
Keep in mind that, if your garbage man is spying on you, he will be at your residence once or twice per week looking at your property and everything you discard. Do not do anything suspicious within view of the garbage man. You just might find yourself under investigation.
Civilian spying was one of the most effective tools of the Nazis. It is really becoming fashionable in America these days.
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