TSA protects us from peanut butter

Recently, Mrs. Vulture flew down to the Carolinas to visit her sister and family there. On her return flight she was seated next to an older gentleman (yes, older than ME!) with whom she had a conversation during the course of the flight.

Somehow the subject of TSA came up. He told Mrs. V that he is a diabetic and, as such, always carries with him a small amount of peanut butter to help regulate his blood sugar. On his previous flight the TSA Schutzstaffel confiscated his peanut butter because, even though there was just a small amount left in the container, the container itself would hold more than 3 oz if full. The gentleman explained to the Nazi what the peanut butter was for. But, being a good little government automaton, he refused to return it. The peanut butter wasn't a danger to anyone, and could actually save this gentleman's life, but "rules are rules".

Except that the gentleman was told later by a more HUMAN member of the Schutzstaffel that exceptions can be made for items, like the peanut butter, that are needed for health reasons.

An older gentleman could have gone into a diabetic coma mid-flight with no one able to understand what was happening to him (or how to help him) all because some fascist wanted to be a big shot and refuse a legally permissible exception to an older man who was clearly not a threat to anyone.

Bastards.

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how much I hate the TSA! But I'll keep trying, as more and more of these kinds of stories crop up...and they WILL crop up, because the TSA goon squad just can't help themselves. They HAVE to be tools. It's in their DNA.

Petty tyranny at the old ball game

As I indicated the last time I posted on this theme, there are varying degrees of fascism, ranging from comical to dangerous. This item shows the type of petty oppression that comes with giving a fallen human being "authority".

Like a number of people without a ticket to the Nationals' game Sunday, Mark Butler stood outside the left field gate and watched some of the historic event from a distance. The Minnesota man carried a digital camera to capture the memories. For a member of the Uniformed Division of United States Secret Service, Butler captured too much.

And just what did this representative of the Schutzstaffel DO about it?

Butler said the officer demanded he delete any pictures that showed the security checkpoints set up to screen fans for the visit by President George Bush.

Uh huh. And by what authority did this ArschlochenFührer make that demand?

When specifically asked about the legality of ordering someone to delete pictures Wiley answered, "We have the authority to ask them to remove the picture from the camera."

REEEEEEEEALLY? And just WHERE in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Official Code of the District of Columbia, or -- gee, I don't know, from his ASS maybe? -- did the putz get the idea that he could exercise this kind of coercion against an American citizen?

Is there someone out there who wants to defend this? I'm dying to know.

TSA strikes again!

Hoo boy, all of you TSA defenders are going to just LOVE this one.

A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation.

Okay, now that I have your attention, here's the juicy part of the story.

The female TSA agent used a handheld detector that beeped when it passed in front of Hamlin's chest, the Dallas-area resident said.

Hamlin said she told the woman she was wearing nipple piercings. The women then called over her male colleagues, one of whom said she would have to remove the jewelry, Hamlin said.

Hamlin said she could not remove them and asked whether she could instead display her pierced breasts in private to the female agent. But several other male officers told her she could not board her flight until the jewelry was out, she said.

She was taken behind a curtain and managed to remove one bar-shaped piercing but had trouble with the second, a ring.

"Still crying, she informed the TSA officer that she could not remove it without the help of pliers, and the officer gave a pair to her," said Hamlin's attorney, Gloria Allred...

Okay, so the little Schutzstaffel wanna-bes wouldn't cut the lady some slack. If that were the end of it, it would probably be the end of it (well said, Yogi!). But it wasn't.

Hamlin said she heard male TSA agents snickering as she took out the ring. She was scanned again and was allowed to board even though she still was wearing a belly button ring. (emphasis mine)

Now THERE'S the good TSA Nazis that I know and loath! They force a woman, who anyone with half an ounce of common sense would tell you is only a threat to the teeth of the men who sleep with her, to endure a public humiliation and experience excruciating pain while they LAUGH RIGHT IN HER FACE. Then they ignore the equally "dangerous" naval ring -- after all, no laughs in having her remove that, is there?

Go ahead, you TSA defenders. Tell me (a) by what authority did the Nazis have the right to demand that the nipple bars be removed, (b) why was she allowed to board with her NAVAL ring still inserted if piercings are indeed a "threat", and (c) what exactly IS the "threat" in nipple rings, anyway?

Security uber alles, right?

For those of you who hammered me for my disrespect of the TSA and for comparing it unfavorably to the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS), I want you to think of this the next time you're at the airport and some goon is hefting your bag (and I don't mean your suitcase).

The United States has outsourced the manufacturing of its electronic passports to overseas companies — including one in Thailand that was victimized by Chinese espionage — raising concerns that cost savings are being put ahead of national security, an investigation by The Washington Times has found.

You and I get molested at the airport. But terrorists get a little special something from Uncle Sam -- a simplified way to obtain forged documents.

There's nothing more I can add to this. It speaks for itself.

Here comes more TSA invasiveness

Just as surely as sunrise follows sunset, you can bank on the TSA to find more and more "threats" to air travelers. This latest is a doozy.

It seems that TSA now fears that terrorists may try to build a bomb in midair using parts smuggled onto the plane in small, hard-to-distinguish pieces.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who wants to call BS on this one. Let's go through the checklist, shall we?

• A bomb sufficient to drop an airplane must be of a size large enough to cause a destabilizing hole in the plane or must be placed in a strategic location (like, for example, near hydraulic lines or fuel storage)
• For placement in a strategic location, the terrorists would almost certainly have to have inside help
• Inside help, at least in theory, should be nearly impossible due to the background checks that are performed on airline personnel
• It would take a large number of terrorists to bring the parts and core explosive material onto a plane in carry on-sized pieces undetectable by TSA, even for a small bomb
• Alternately, major portions of the bomb might be held in checked luggage; however, we're back to the need for an insider to smuggle the terrorists down to cargo, and it could take a very long time just to find the luggage
• Constructing the bomb, assuming that it is broken down into pieces small enough to evade TSA detection, could take hours for a complex bomb, but certainly would take 20-30 minutes for even the most primitive improvised explosive (again, we're talking about SMALL parts here)
• Getting the pieces of the bomb to the bomb maker (unless construction is to be an "assembly line" process) would certainly raise suspicion among the passengers and crew
• If construction IS an "assembly line" process, the partially assembled bomb must be hidden between assembly steps or passed from one terrorist to another; passing the pieces would most certainly raise suspicions, but unless there's an insider assisting, hiding the partially assembled bomb would be extremely difficult
• Given the time needed to construct the bomb, where exactly are the terrorists going to go to do it? Unless there's an insider who can smuggle them down to baggage or into a crew-only area (now we're talking about the big, transcontinental jets, not your common 737), there is only one option - the commode, and if you think someone can hole up in the can for 30 minutes or more without raising a fuss, you haven't flown lately
• What about the tools needed to assemble the bomb? You're certainly not going to walk through security with a screw driver in your pocket; again, we're back to the need for an insider

Can you see where I'm going with this? Unless someone comes up with the Perfect Bomb, one comprising no more than a dozen easily concealed pieces that are pretty much snap-togethers, this is a straw-man scenario.

So, if that's the case...why even bring up the possibility? That's easy. TSA needs to keep us in a perpetual state of anxiety to justify their existence, their budget (which will CERTAINLY have to be increased to combat this faux threat), and whatever invasive procedures they dream up for harassing and humiliating the American public.

Let the colon exams begin!

The latest in fascism

It's been a busy week for fascists everywhere. Where to begin? I guess I could start with the State of California declaring that parents do not have a right to meddle in their children's education.

A California appeals court ruling clamping down on homeschooling by parents without teaching credentials sent shock waves across the state this week, leaving an estimated 166,000 children as possible truants and their parents at risk of prosecution.

The homeschooling movement never saw the case coming.

As usual, it gets better.

Leslie Heimov, executive director of the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, which represented the Longs' two children in the case, said the ruling did not change the law.

"They just affirmed that the current California law, which has been unchanged since the last time it was ruled on in the 1950s, is that children have to be educated in a public school, an accredited private school, or with an accredited tutor," she said. "If they want to send them to a private Christian school, they can, but they have to actually go to the school and be taught by teachers."

Heimov said her organization's chief concern was not the quality of the children's education, but their "being in a place daily where they would be observed by people who had a duty to ensure their ongoing safety."

The last line of that quote sends shivers down my spine. Parents can't be trusted to ensure the wellbeing of their children -- only a duly-appointed and sanctioned agent of Das Überwachenden can ensure the safety of the children of Die Staat. The Nazis of the 1930's couldn't have said it any better.

But this is just the first of many fascist highlights from this week.

The family of a middle school student who was given detention for wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of a gun has filed a federal freedom of speech lawsuit against the school district.
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Donald Miller III, 14, went to Penn Manor High School in December wearing a T-shirt he said was intended to honor his uncle, a U.S. Army soldier fighting in Iraq.

The shirt bears the image of a military sidearm and on the front pocket says "Volunteer Homeland Security." On the back, over another image of the weapon, are the words "Special issue Resident Lifetime License — United States Terrorist Hunting Permit — Permit No. 91101 — Gun Owner — No Bag Limit."

Officials at the Millersville school told him to turn his shirt inside out. When Miller refused, he got two days of detention.

But I'm sure if the shirt had said, "Hey Virgins! Thanks for nothing!" nobody would have said boo. Anyway, here's the money shot.

[A]n attorney for the school district said school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district's policy.

ROFLMAO! The image of a gun causes a threat to the safety of their students! Seriously, you just can't make this stuff up!

This next item hits WAY too close to home for this little Vulture.

Kentucky Representative Tim Couch filed a bill this week to make anonymous posting online illegal.

The bill would require anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and e-mail address with that site.

Their full name would be used anytime a comment is posted.

First they make us to register our guns, now they're going to make us register our.......blog commenters? The Kentucky asshat says his reason for proposing the bill is "to cut down on online bullying". Uh huh. Like the bullying that got a Russian blogger brought up on criminal charges? He said mean things about the police. Is that what you have in mind, Representative Assclown?

I'm just getting warmed up - I'll post more Fascism News later today.

DW has his say (on security)

It seems DW didn't care for my take on Amtrak security.

Alriiight Vulture I have to say something here. I have not been a follower of your blog spot. I have known you for years and always knew you were a reasonable thinker. But railing against security? I do a lot of travel on the airlines and so do my kids. Not once have I been DENIED to travel or even searched. I am very glad the security measures are in place. Not once has any of the security measures been a delay. So I don't get where you think putting security measures in place for Amtrak, which by the way is a dirty way to travel, is a bad thing. What if I disagree with the vulture I am a sheeple? I think not my Berkeley loving foe. The Muslims just love us!

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Please try to follow along, won't you? (Arrogant, ain't I?)

Security is a good thing. Security is something the providers of travel should be striving to achieve as a matter of good business -- a safe business is one that can count on the return business of its satisfied customers.

So what's my beef? Airport (and now train) security has been co-opted by the government. This is just one more little trip down the slippery slope to totalitarianism. You haven't had any problems with the TSA Nazis? How about I have -- just about every third time I fly. I've been wanded and patted down. I've had to "f" with my laptop until the Nazi in question was satisfied that it wasn't a bomb. I've had to undo my belt and my pants - in public! - to satisfy some Nazi who must have liked the cut of my jib. I've had the contents of my checked luggage searched.

I haven't been denied travel BECAUSE I HAVEN'T PUT UP A FUSS. Once I say, "No, I won't submit to this unconstitutional invasion of my property and person", I'll be standing curbside waiting for a cab to take me to the bus station -- that is, if I haven't been arrested. Does that sound like freedom to you? Mind you, this is done to me, and to you, and to your kids, and to 95-year-old grandmothers in wheelchairs so that we won't be accused of "profiling", which, to me, is a word that means "good police work", but to the PC crowd, it means something dark, sinister, and racist.

We're sheeple (and trust me, I count myself in that category in this case). Why? Because we WON'T STAND UP TO THIS FLAGRANT ABUSE. Because we just LET IT HAPPEN. Because we subject ourselves to being groped, prodded, and wanded. We submit to having our personal property searched without cause, without warrant, and without due process -- the very things the fourth amendment was written TO PROTECT US AGAINST.

Mark my words -- the people who brought us the TSA "in the name of public safety" will bring us some other "security" apparatus in the near future to "protect" us. And it'll be something that makes the ATF look like a bridge club.

They hate us for our freedoms II

As if airports aren't enough of a nightmare, now we have Amtrak entering the world of harrassing the innocent in the name of "security".

Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains.

The initiative, to be announced by the railroad on Tuesday, is a significant shift for Amtrak. Unlike the airlines, it has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks, a distinction that has enabled it to attract passengers eager to avoid airport hassles.

There goes the neighborhood.

Yeah, let's sacrifice a little more liberty to the cause of 'security at any cost'. Asshats.

Amtrak plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" first on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, the railroad's most heavily used route, before expanding them to the rest of the country.

The teams will show up unannounced at stations and set up baggage screening areas in front of boarding gates. Officers will randomly pull people out of line and wipe their bags with a special swab that is then put through a machine that detects explosives. If the machine detects anything, officers will open the bag for visual inspection.

Anybody who is selected for screening and refuses will not be allowed to board and their ticket will be refunded.

Wow! Really? We have the right to refuse this flagrant violation of the Fourth Amendment? Sweet! Oh yeah...we WON'T BE ABLE TO TRAVEL. And this is okay with the American sheeple.

But the last line of the AP story is the one that justs melts my cold, Vulture heart.

"There is no new or different specific threat," Kummant said. "This is just the correct step to take."

And there you have it. There's no threat. There's no eminent danger. The government just deems it "the correct step to take." Well, by all means, then!

* Vulture's head explodes *

More Liberal Fascism

I know it's been a while since I've railed against the fascism of the Far Left. Sorry. I hate to let down my readers.

This one really made me chortle. Dude must be auditioning for the part of Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor of the One-World Socialist Utopia.

David Suzuki has called for political leaders to be thrown in jail for ignoring the science behind climate change.

At a Montreal conference last Thursday, the prominent scientist, broadcaster and Order of Canada recipient exhorted a packed house of 600 to hold politicians legally accountable for what he called an intergenerational crime.

Capture the infidels! Torture them until they pass legislation!

I'm telling you, you can't make this stuff up...

They hate us for our freedoms

Just remember these two news stories the next time our dear, addled president tries to tell us that the reason for terrorism is that "they hate us for our freedoms".

This first story presents, in a shockingly approving manor, what I consider to be a major violation of the 4th amendment.

Police officers in Daytona Beach are swabbing the mouths of persons of interests during traffic stops with special DNA kits in the hunt for an elusive serial killer, sources close to the investigation told Local 6.
...
Agents are using the DNA kits to collect as much DNA as possible during traffic stops and special operations in hopes on making a match.

Local 6 showed agents stopping a person of interest from Canada, who gave his DNA to officers on the street using the DNA kit.

The DNA kits are also being used in prostitution stings in the area.

Stop me when I get to the part that bothers you. Is it that citizens are being compelled to give police officers evidence, or that citizens are being compelled to give police evidence that is not related to the offense for which they were stopped, or that the asshat reporter sees absolutely nothing wrong with these patently illegal searches? Ah, the "freedoms" we enjoy!

This story also disturbs me. It seems that flying with electronic devices has been identified as a breach of National Security if you're an Arab or South Asian.

Nabila Mango, a therapist and a U.S. citizen who has lived in the country since 1965, had just flown in from Jordan last December when, she said, she was detained at customs and her cellphone was taken from her purse. Her daughter, waiting outside San Francisco International Airport, tried repeatedly to call her during the hour and a half she was questioned. But after her phone was returned, Mango saw that records of her daughter's calls had been erased.

A few months earlier in the same airport, a tech engineer returning from a business trip to London objected when a federal agent asked him to type his password into his laptop computer. "This laptop doesn't belong to me," he remembers protesting. "It belongs to my company." Eventually, he agreed to log on and stood by as the officer copied the Web sites he had visited, said the engineer, a U.S. citizen who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of calling attention to himself.

Maria Udy, a marketing executive with a global travel management firm in Bethesda, said her company laptop was seized by a federal agent as she was flying from Dulles International Airport to London in December 2006. Udy, a British citizen, said the agent told her he had "a security concern" with her. "I was basically given the option of handing over my laptop or not getting on that flight," she said.

The seizure of electronics at U.S. borders has prompted protests from travelers who say they now weigh the risk of traveling with sensitive or personal information on their laptops, cameras or cellphones. In some cases, companies have altered their policies to require employees to safeguard corporate secrets by clearing laptop hard drives before international travel.

Today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Asian Law Caucus, two civil liberties groups in San Francisco, plan to file a lawsuit to force the government to disclose its policies on border searches, including which rules govern the seizing and copying of the contents of electronic devices. They also want to know the boundaries for asking travelers about their political views, religious practices and other activities potentially protected by the First Amendment. The question of whether border agents have a right to search electronic devices at all without suspicion of a crime is already under review in the federal courts.

The lawsuit was inspired by two dozen cases, 15 of which involved searches of cellphones, laptops, MP3 players and other electronics. Almost all involved travelers of Muslim, Middle Eastern or South Asian background, many of whom, including Mango and the tech engineer, said they are concerned they were singled out because of racial or religious profiling. (emphasis mine)

Can you believe this? The courts have to review whether an illegal search is okay? You can't make this stuff up!

You might argue with me for getting bent over a minority that protects terrorists being harassed by "the man". But it's the old slippery slope, my friend. How long before these Nazis decide that MY laptop is fair game? Or your phone?

Our liberties - whether immigrant citizen or free-born American - are supposed to be GUARANTEED under the Constitution. The actions of the Daytona Beach police and the TSA Nazis is simply more evidence of the way our government wipes its ass with the Constitution.