National Opt-Out Day is a great response to the TSA’s damned outrages.
From the Opt-Out Day website:
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 is NATIONAL OPT-OUT DAY!
It’s the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights, stand up for liberty, and protest the federal government’s desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an “enhanced pat down” that touches people’s breasts and genitals in an aggressive manner. You should never have to explain to your children, “Remember that no stranger can touch or see your private area, unless it’s a government employee, then it’s OK.”
The goal of National Opt Out Day is to send a message to our lawmakers that we demand change. We have a right to privacy and buying a plane ticket should not mean that we’re guilty until proven innocent. This day is needed because many people do not understand what they consent to when choosing to fly
I have been thumping TSA periodically since the publication of Terrorism & Tyranny in 2003. Here is link to an excerpt from that book that Reason published in early 2004 entitled, “Dominate. Intimidate. Control.”
Congratulations to the organizers of National Opt-Out Day for putting TSA outrages in the headlines – where they have belonged for at least seven years.
Unsurprisingly, I’m starting to see the Democrats blogs responding to the outrage against the TSA with Standard Answer #1: racism! Eugene Robinson’s op-ed in the Washington Post likewise insinuated that the protestors just want profiling. I imagine a Keith Olberman rant about how racist we all are will be forthcoming shortly if it hasn’t already.
Scrunching private packages is the perfect antidote for racism, right?
Maybe all this outrage over the enhanced pat-downs is actually homophobia. Of course, this could easily be remedied by having members of the opposite sex do the groping.
Somehow though there is some poetic justice in the torment experienced by those who cheered on the whole Homeland Security, TSA, PATRIOT Act, etc. being mauled by the thugs they celebrated just a short time ago. It seems that the whole bunch of right-wing talk radio jerks are just shocked, shocked by the end result of the police state they were once so fond of when Bush was in charge. Now to feed the outrage of the day addiction of their listeners, some are claiming that Muslim women will be exempt – of course all of this is the fault of Muslims in their warped minds.
It’s just unfortunate that the rest of us have to suffer as a result of all the little nazis in Amerika. Just remind them that freedom ain’t free and if you ain’t got nothing to hide, you ain’t got nothing to fear. I’ve got a new one – if the TSA ain’t gropin’ your junk, then al Qaida would be gropin’ it.
Wait until we have to get anal probes before entering shopping malls.
Tom, I can’t help but think of people had to endure those kind of probes before going shopping, the Federal Reserve will have to do even more Quantitative Easing/mass debasement to create a facade of prosperity.
** Has anyone seen a good collection of quotes from journalists or politicians in recent weeks cheering on and apologizing for the TSA?
The “Hit and Run” blog at Reason had a couple of columns regarding newspapers chastising the commoners for not submitting tamely to the gonad gropers:
http://reason.com/blog/2010/11/22/editorial-boards-to-the-little
http://reason.com/blog/2010/11/24/shut-up-and-bend-over-part-ii
Thanks, Alpowolf! I’m glad the Reason folks are covering the hoopla.
This will only get better….