One thing we have learned in the last two years is that any idea or action proposed or implemented by President Obama the right will say is awful or disastrous, even if it’s their idea.
The recent enhanced security at airports implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) involving new full-body scanners and pat-downs has got Republican talking heads going crazy and screaming about the violation of civil liberties.
It’s ironic that the testing of body scanners at airports and the implementation of widespread use began during the Bush administration, but the really ironic part is we had no problem with this kind of security the many times the Bush Administration shredded the Constitution.
It was just a few years ago that any one who complained about security after 9/11 was called a traitor or a terrorist who had something to hide. Its’ also ironic that to get out of the extra security, they want us to truly violate other peoples’ civil rights and use racial profiling; something the courts have clearly said is a violation of civil rights. They want to do it even though there is no reliable profile of a terrorist.
But the Rude Pundit really said it best, so I will let him say it. This has always been a PG rated blog, but the Rude Pundit uses language that may be offensive to some people; that is, after all, why he is called the Rude Pundit. So, if you are easily offended, stop reading.
“Well, welcome to the privacy party, motherfuckers. Come on in to the constitutional protections rave. What took you so long to get here? Oh, yeah. Holding people indefinitely without charges? Who the fuck cares. Wiretapping Americans without a warrant? Oh, blow us. Torturing confessions out of innocent people? Sometimes ya gotta spill a little blood to make security stew.”
It’s clear that if this was a Republican Administration doing this, we would be told to man up. In this environment, what else can we expect? Other countries have been doing similar procedures for years. If someone has a better idea to ensure the safety of airlines, let’s hear it. I’m not crazy about it either, but I can only imagine how much screaming we will hear from the right if an airliner is brought down because of terrorism.
“Yep, all it took for some of the citizens of this country to actually make a stink about civil rights was a black president, a Democratic-controlled Department of Homeland Security, and the fear that barely-trained, underpaid airport security people will see what your Mama's tits look like in a government-ordered x-ray body scan. Or, even worse, that if you refuse having your dick or slit on display, you'll get an "enhanced pat down," as it's being called, just like the extra-special interrogation techniques used at Gitmo or a special new cereal, like corn flakes but now with nuts.”
4 comments:
Once again you're wrong about nearly everything you say. Body scanners were first introduced in 2008 in Australia, not in the United States. Now, I know you Socialist Democrats are scared of Bush and think he's all powerful, as seen by your constant blaming of Bush for everything from the economy to Obama trying to walk in a window rather than a door at the White House in his first weeks. But Bush was not President of Australia, nor of the world.
Body scanners were put more widely into use in this country following the Christmas Underwear bomber who's loaded pants only shot blanks. That was a year ago. A year ago, Obama was President.
One of the concerns of the body scanners was that body parts would be easily defined. HHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the scans wouldn't be saved and the only one to see them would be some agent in the backroom and then the scans would be gone.
But then the incidents started. Starting in this country with the guy in Florida that attacked a co-worker after that worker made fun of his less than impressive penis.
A few weeks ago, there were over 100 body scans that had been saved and were put into a publication on the internet.
Nobody is calling for "racial profiling". It's pretty obvious to even a moron that a 3 year old kid with blonde hair is not likely a terrorist and doesn't deserve a naked patdown. A 90 year old woman is not a likely terrorist suspect. A nun is not a likely terrorist suspect.
Lastly, this government has NEVER stopped a terrorist attack on an airplane. The underwear bomber was stopped by a Dutch passenger, and the fire put out by passengers and the bomber held by passengers until the flight attendants could get something to tie him up with.
The most famous is United Flight 93 on 9/11. Passengers took the plane back from terrorists and saved the government by sacrificing their lives. Your precious Congresspeople and government workers were saved by American Citizens. Government did nothing to save the American Citizens.
This current administration is taking away rights under the guise of security. They are incompetent and prove it with each news day.
Oh and by the way, your complaint about wiretaps is falling on deaf ears. Through all of those complaints, they are still continuing on.
I’m sure glad to hear that from you, anonymous coward; that means I am 100 percent correct.
I don’t recall saying the scanners were first introduced in the U.S., but the fact is you are again, anonymous coward, wrong. They were used in England as early as 2006.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077800/Airport-admits-strip-search-body-scanners-WILL-people-naked.html
As you know, I am a liberal Democrat, not a Socialist Democrat. In fact, once again, anonymous coward, there is no such thing as a Socialist Democrat in the United States, and that is just a false, Republican smear.
You are right; I was scared of Bush and the damage he did to the world and this country, but the good news is that all that’s left to do now is to clean up his mess.
I’m well aware of the problems with saved scan images, and they are a problem that needs to be address. Any new technology presents new problems.
Wow. “Nobody is calling for "racial profiling?” That’s an outrageous lie. Off the top of my head there is racist hatemonger Ann Coulter.
http://www.newser.com/story/105531/coulter-tsa-scans-hitlers-last-revenge.html
What’s to stop a terrorist from planting as explosive device on a “3 year old kid with blonde hair or “a 90 year old woman;” especially if they start violating the Constitution and racially profiling? It will happen for sure.
“Lastly, this government has NEVER stopped a terrorist attack on an airplane?” How do you know that, anonymous coward? By the way, where did you steal those talking points, or did you just plagiarize? I read them word for word on a rightwing blog this morning, Brett.
“My precious Congresspeople (sic) and government workers were saved by American Citizens. Government did nothing to save the American Citizens.”
Security is a government function, and by the way, anonymous coward, “Congresspeople (sic) and government workers” are also American citizens.
Where were you when Bush was holding people indefinitely without charges, wiretapping Americans without a warrant and torturing confessions out of innocent people? Hey, don’t fly, or what do you have to hide? Isn’t that what we heard about wiretaps? Plus, there was nothing we could do about it.
If you want to see an incompetent an incompetent administration, check out the 39th worst president ever.
http://liberalmedianot.blogspot.com/2010/07/gwb-is-not-worst-us-president-in.html
Once again, anonymous wimp, I am still waiting for you to back up your outrageous lie that we were “nearly shoulder to shoulder once.”
Where the hell was rude pundit complaining about these anti-freedom measures when Clinton and Reno wanted their own version of the Patriot Act back in the day.
I opposed this then, when Bush was president, and with Obama as resident.
Because it never happened.
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