[Peace-discuss] [Fwd: Welcome to the police state]

Tue Nov 16 17:35:24 CST 2010

Here's an issue that anarchists, libertarians, progressives, liberals, 
Tea Partiers,
etc., ought to all agree on....

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Welcome to the police state
Date: 	Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:16:40 -0500
From: 	Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake <act at firedoglake.com>
Reply-To: 	act at firedoglake.com
To: 	E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag>

Porno Scanners, Groping and Prosecution

Tell Congress to Investigate
TSA's Abuse of Power 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c8d/3692841384/VEsH/>

<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c82/3692841384/VEsE/>

Click here to sign the petition 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c8d/3692841384/VEsF/>

Dear E. Wayne,

John Tyner had two options when he got to the airport:

   1. Go through TSA's expensive new "porno scanners" unprotected, which
      the Airline Pilots Association tells pilots to refuse.^1
   2. Get an aggressive groping by a TSA agent that one woman described
      as being "sexually assaulted by a government official."^2

Tyner chose the latter option. But when he objected to the TSA's plan to 
fondle his genitals, the agents refused to let him board his flight. 
Tyner recorded the incident in a now-famous video in which he told the 
TSA to "don't touch my junk."^3

*Now the TSA says they are "investigating" Tyner, threatening him with 
prosecution and $11,000 in civil penalties.*^4 It should be obvious why 
the TSA is investigating Tyner: to intimidate the rest of us.

Investigate the TSA, not Tyner. Sign our petition demanding Congress 
investigate the TSA's porno scanners, aggressive groping, and abuses of 
power. Click here to add your name: 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c83/3692841384/VEsC/>

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/tsa 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c83/3692841384/VEsD/>

These new aggressive "pat downs" started on November 1, to punish people 
like Tyner who refuse to go through the scanners. Neither the scanners 
nor the aggressive pat-downs make us any safer.

Experts call it "security theater," to insure the market for this new, 
expensive boondoggle doesn't dry up when the public refuses to participate.

The House of Representatives voted against funding the scanners because 
they are incredibly invasive and don't keep us safe.^5 So the Department 
of Homeland Security flipped them the middle finger and used $25 million 
in stimulus funds to buy machines anyway - creating just one job in the 
process.^6

Now the TSA is further abusing its power, threatening a citizen's most 
basic rights to intimidate the rest of us.

Say no to TSA's intimidation, and demand Congress investigate TSA's new 
porno scanners and aggressive groping. Click here to sign the petition. 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c83/3692841384/VEsA/>

There should be no question: the only thing the TSA's new "groping" 
policy is meant to impact is people's willingness to go through these 
machines, which render images of people's naked bodies so graphic one 
mother called it "child pornography."^7

And the TSA's decision to prosecute Tyner is nothing but an attempt to 
intimidate the public from following his lead and resisting this 
outrageous invasion of their personal freedoms. They want us to give up 
our rights for their latest abuses of power.

This has nothing to do with keeping us "safe." It's the product of 
outrageous government corruption and an invasion of our most basic ideas 
of privacy.

Time to shut down TSA's abuse of power. Sign our petition to Congress 
demanding an investigation of TSA's porno scanners and groping policies. 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c83/3692841384/VEsB/>

Thanks for taking action on this important issue.

Jane Hamsher
Firedoglake.com

References

1. "President's Message." US Airline Pilot Association (USAPA), 11/8/10 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c80/3692841384/VEsO/>
2. "TSA - Sexual Assault." Our Little Chatterboxes, 11/12/10 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c81/3692841384/VEsP/>
3. "TSA Encounter at SAN." Johnny Edge, 11/13/10 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c86/3692841384/VEsHBQ/>
4. "TSA May Prosecute 'Don't Touch My Junk' Guy." Firedoglake, 11/16/10 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c87/3692841384/VEsHBA/>
5. "TSA to the White House on Whole-Body Scanners: Shove It." Consumer 
Traveler, 10/2/09 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c84/3692841384/VEsHBw/>
6. "Project Summary: Rapiscan Systems, INC." Recovery.gov 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65c85/3692841384/VEsHBg/>.
7. "TSA Child Porn or Protection?" WMAR ABC2 News, 7/22/10 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d5a8/45909ce2/63c2004e/3dc65cfa/3692841384/VEsHAQ/>

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