BY SEN. SAM SLOM – Believing that the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has gone too far in an assault on individual and states rights, a new, national, bipartisan legislative caucus is emerging to take action.
Dubbed tentatively the “United States for Travel Freedom” caucus, it officially convened on April 14, 2011 via teleconference and video live streaming (http//alaskalegislature.tv/).
The mission of the caucus is to, “establish a centralized location to share information regarding
· detailed information of federal security policies as they pertain to the right to travel freely;
· detailed information on how these policies affect the citizens of the United States of America;
· detailed information on methods of screening and the accumulative costs of these procedures.
Primary organizers are Alaska State Representative Sharon Cissna and Washington State Senator Val Stevens. Republican and Democrat legislators from Alaska, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington have pledged to work together for common goals to oppose what is perceived as an ever growing threat to liberty by the TSA. Additional state legislative participation is anticipated.
Each of the lawmakers involved to date has introduced legislation in their state to curb what they, and their state’s citizens, believe to be excessive power by the TSA.
Specific issues include constitutional rights, invasion of privacy and civil rights, child protection and fiscal issues. Many of the state bills call for individual state prohibitions on TSA procedures with the ultimate goal federal action against the operations of the TSA itself.
(a series of legislative lists regarding pending legislation may be found at www.akhealthcaucus.org/TSA.php)
In Hawaii, I introduced SB 1150 in January, 2011, “Relating to the use of Body Imaging Scanners at Airports.” The bill would make it illegal to use non-consensual full body imaging devices at Hawaii airports. There were four Democrat co-signatories. The bill was referred to three separate committees, but never given a hearing. It will be back in 2012.
The full imaging device was installed at Lihue, Kauai, in mid-2010. A second unit was placed in service in Honolulu in October 2010, and to date, two more of a planned six units are in operation in Honolulu.
For years, a growing number of people and organizations have raised red flags about the operations of the TSA, its costs and its effectiveness, or lack thereof, of ever identifying a single terrorist or crime, while inconveniencing and traumatizing hundreds of citizens. Now TSA will be unionized.
There are several national and local controversial issues involving TSA. Last week, a video surfaced on Drudge.com, showing (video and audio) the detailed “patting down” of a six year old child. Parents were horrified.
In March, 2011 in Honolulu, KITV-TV investigative reporter Keoki Kerr uncovered a series of incidents at Honolulu International Airport where more than two dozen TSA screeners were not in fact screening checked luggage. The lapse had gone on for months. At least 27 TSA Honolulu officers are currently under a federal probe for these actions.
Just this week, a former Honolulu TSA employee, Dawn Nicole Keka, is facing embezzling charges for allegedly stealing cash from wallets of Japanese visitors in Kona on the island of Hawaii. Keka was arrested last week and she resigned her job on April 11. The TSA initiated a sting operation after numerous allegations had arisen during the past several months.
It should be remembered that Alaska Representative Cissna made headlines previously, when she, a breast surgery survivor, refused invasive TSA handling and was denied aircraft boarding to return home to Anchorage. She was forced to use several other forms of alternate transportation.
In Hawaii, there are no other alternate forms of transportation.
The next caucus meeting is set for late May or early June. Individuals or organizations in Hawaii who would like more information may contact me directly at SBH@lava.net or 808-349-5438.
Senator Sloan,
Mahalo, this invasion of privacy has to stop. These “Body-Scanners” are foremost, a health issue. No citizen should be asked to walk into a device which un-zips DNA. Body Scanners more dangerous than feds admit” from Dr. Russelll Blaylock, a nationally recognized board-certified Neurosurgeon. Most scientists think that the most damaging radiation types are those that have high penetration, such as gamma-rays, but in fact, some of the most damaging radiation barely penetrates the skin. One of the main concerns is that most of the energy from the airport scanners is concentrated on the surface of the skin and a few millimeters into the skin. Some very radiation-sensitive tissues are close to the skin — such as the testes, eyes, and circulating blood cells in the skin. This is why defenders using such analogies as the dose being “1,000-times less than a chest X-ray” and “far less than what passengers are exposed to in-flight” are deceptive. Radiation damage depends on the volume of tissue exposed. Chest X-rays and gamma-radiation from outer space is diffused over the entire body so that the dose to the skin is extremely small. As we grow older, our DNA accumulates a considerable amount of unrepaired damage, and under such circumstances even low doses of radiation can trigger the development of skin cancers, including the deadly melanoma. I would also be concerned about exposing the eyes, since this could increase one’s risk of developing cataracts. About 5 percent of the population have undiagnosed abnormal DNA repair mechanism. When exposed to radiation, this can put them at a cancer risk hundreds of times greater than normal people. This is insanity.
Good work Senator Sloan, we support you.
My family recently traveled from Kauai to Utah. Being the head of the household I made sure I was first in line. When the TSA agent asked me to step inside the microwave I politely informed them that I, and my entire family, would be opting out of the body imaging. They were very polite and directed us to the back of the screening area where we were segregated by gender and then individually patted down. My wife and I are in our 40’s and our kids are 16, 11, 8 and 18 months. Each and everyone of us was patted down, INCLUDING THE 18 MONTH OLD.
I took great pride in the fact that since the six of us opted out, that occupied the time of three TSA agents which was enough for them to have to shut down the microwave imaging device. Everyone in line behind us got a free ride through the metal detector instead of having to be radiated.
During the return trip from Utah I was prepared to opt out again but didn’t have to as my 8 year old was feeling a little under the weather and ended up vomiting on the floor directly in front of the imaging device. The unnerved TSA agents simply waved us through the metal detectors. I just smiled to myself and though how appropriate.
Maybe the surest way to end the TSA tyranny would be for all of us to carry a little Ipecac and routinely induce puking episodes all over the screening areas.
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The TSA is a joke. All the security procedures are a result of successful terrorist plot; shoe bomber underwear bomber. They are always behind the curve. When the next terrorist plot is called the anal bomber; what is the TSA response. Currently they are groping us or taking naked pictures.
Here’s an idea, anyone who flies from countries known to sponsor and or simply export known terrorists, and we all know who they are, get the special TSA rubber glove love treatment, and for domestic flights anyone who’s not an card carrying American citizen or the child of one who’s been in country for over 5 years or anyone with a felony record also gets it. Race,creed color nor religion no matter.
The drill goes like this: you fit that troublesome rabblerouser criteria YOU stand over here, and everyone else gets the old fashioned wand treatment as worked in this society just fine until a certain group of bloodlusting foreigners and their domestic armies lying in wait disrupted the safety balance in the western civilized free world. That is unless they whomever they are for some reason at the time of boarding bring attention to themselves, like people sweating profusely, or chanting in line with other ‘passengers’, or kneeling on the dirty floor to pray together, etc….. those kind of things GET YOU FLAGGED.
Understand so far? Good. 😉
And if that certain group who’s always moaning and groaning who seem to strangely be the ones who the terrorist profile seem to fit in 99.99999999% of the known terror acts that have been committed in our lifetimes don’t like it, THEY can start their own airlines!!! Or, if they wish to use our private industry owned airliners and public owned airports, THEY get the backscanners and other intrusive and unconstitutional, rubber glove, TSA groper sexual assault treatment and only they.
Unless again, they’re American citizens of over 5 years with no criminal records ‘at all’ nor any known terrorist links, and that means if you come from one of those aforementioned countries, YOU HAVE TERRORIST LINKS, it’s that simple.
And to make it more secure, there’s no hiding behind certain types of ‘religious’ garb and or clothing either under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, that goes for Nuns, Priests, Buddha’s, IMAMS And Burkha veil wearing middle easterners. There’s always the Enterprise rent a car right down the terminal for you people who can’t conform to THAT simple rule. Got it? This isn’t a RIGHT to fly in this world or country, it’s a privilege… and like having a drivers license, treat is as such or you simply don’t fly. If not, Too bad, like it or lump it!
And furthermore, you all can tell your friends and family who are usually the ones causing trouble all around the world to either chill out from here on out, or we can only reasonably assume you’re ALL part of the same security problem in our free society, and therefore instead of airliners inconveniencing the 999999999% of the world population who don’t practice this certain bloodthirsty cult’s tenets as our sad and pathetic PC sickened government has been doing to kow tow to you .4% of the population, you will be the recipients of any and all inconveniences until this global situation simply discontinues or relieves itself..
GOT IT ACHMED, MUHAMMAD, Timothy Mcwhoever and Malcom XYZ Shabbazzz and the rest of all you disaffected trailer trashers and hoodie prison converters to this bloodthirsty cult? You too are on the “Stand over here” list from here on out until eternity.
The way that that portion of the new rules goes is thus: One stinking US Committed felony on your lifetime personal record, YOU get the pleasure of standing over here with the other problem fliers while all those non middle easterners under 6 and Everyone else stands over there to enjoy their terrorist free flights.
Got it. Simple enough.
As for the certain liberal leftists trolls here and elsewhere who will invariably come to the unwavering defense of that segment of our crumbling society as they ALWAYS do I say this: PC kills and the enemies foreign born and donkey domestic of America INSIDE the wire and outside the wire know this and use it as a weapon over and over to not only bankrupt the nation but simply get Americans turning on one another instead of the easy to spot common enemies while simply driving the nation crazy as well using the misguided useful idiots usually of the liberal persuasion as their trusty comrades who at this point in our history may as well be thier freaking mascot for cripes sake
Everyone Enjoy your flight, everyone else, the car rental and buses are down the terminal ….
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The TSA was created by legislation enacted in hysteria. Legislation created in such an environment is always bad legislation. The effectiveness of the TSA is unknown.
Once an agency is created it has a life of its own and cannot be eliminated. The TSA employees will now become unionized.This means that the inept, the offensive, the incompetent cannot be fired.
TSA activities are expensive and are an assault on the freedoms of US citizens and needs to have oversight.
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