A few days ago I cited political correctness as one of the biggest threats to classical liberal ideals — that is, to the founding ideals of this country (with a focus on individual autonomy and liberty; private property rights; government by consent of the governed) — noting at the time that what PC does, and what in fact it is designed to do, is inverts those very ideals so that, for instance, “tolerance,” as it is meant to be understood (ie., the least popular beliefs and expressions are permitted, provided they remain inside the law) becomes that mechanism by which speech is characterized as “tolerant” only when it doesn’t give offense; or “fairness,” understood to mean equality of opportunity before the law, is replaced with an idea of “fairness” that is dependent upon an equality of outcome — a move that allows for the government to create special rules and dispensations favoring particular groups that they themselves designate.
I bring this up here because over the last few days we’ve been learning quite a bit about enhanced screening machines, radiation scatter, and opt-out pat downs that include “groin checks” — and yesterday, amid an understandable backlash against tales of nuns and children being groped by unionized airport monkeys, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napalitano, while counseling travelers to “be patient” and insisting on the righteousness of this kind of invasive approach to airline security, did make one startling concession: under pressure from CAIR, a Muslim “advocacy” group with ties to Hamas, Napolitano noted that the rules could possibly be changed for Muslims, specifically Muslim women in full hijab. Citing Muslim concerns with modesty, CAIR has told the TSA that scans are out of the question and that pat downs are only permitted around the head and neck of Muslim women. Napolitano was asked specifically about this concern at yesterday’s press conference, with (sadly) predictable resultes:
When asked today if she will insist that Muslim women wearing hijabs must go through full body pat downs before boarding planes, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano did not say yes or no, but told CNSNews.com there will be “adjustments” and “more to come” on the issue.
[…]
“Look, we have, like I said before, we are doing what we need to do to protect the traveling public and adjustments will be made where they need to be made,” Napolitano responded. “With respect to that particular issue, I think there will be more to come. But, again, the goal here, you know, we’re not doing this just to do it. We’re doing it because we need to keep powders and gels and liquids off of planes that are unauthorized just as we need to keep metals off of planes.
“This is being done in recognizing that we all have a collective role in our security and we all know and can recognize that there are threats and risks that have been articulated by those who seek to harm the United States, particularly in the aviation environment,” said Napolitano. “And, so, you know, what we are doing is designed to really be risk based, to be intelligence based, to be layered like I said, when you get to the airport at that screening center, that’s really–these TSO’s [Transportation Security Officers] are really the last line of protection we have for the aircraft and that’s the way we’re going to evaluate things.”
While Napolitano was noncommittal in her response, we can contrast that particular reply with her defense of the program as it is to be more generally applied. Which is suggestive that once the identity politics jockeying is done, what we may soon have in place, as a matter of Homeland Security policy, is invasive “naked” screening (or groin-check pat downs for those who opt-out of the radiation blasts) for all but the Muslim religious fundamentalists.
And while we certainly aren’t at war with all Muslim religious fundamentalists, those who have declared war on us are the very Islamists who would be able to circumvent security screenings as a function of their religious beliefs. Among which, in their extreme form, is the charge to kill infidels.
Up is down. Black is white. Bonnie is Clyde.
And the terrorists may truly have won.
****
update: Oops!
Still, just a glitch. Trust us. We’re smart.
then
Well, we thanks God that at least our enemies are articulate if our Administration can’t be.
Whom the gods would destroy….
it doesn’t inspire confidence really that this hoochie doesn’t understand that the last line of defense is passengers not her stupid illiterate union thug squad
I predict that the next couple of months will see at least a dozen instances of people assaulting ‘frisky’ TSA monkeys. I’d be surprised if more than half of those cases result in convictions. I know for certain that the government would have to try awfully hard to keep people like me off the juries.
What we need now is an ambitious State’s Attorney (or ten) to start charging these TSA goons with sexual assault under their state statutes. Force the Supreme Court to issue a ruling stating that “It’s okay for people to sexually molest you so long as they wear federal badges.”
I honestly thought that the revolution would begin when people opted out of paying their taxes, and that it would build slowly over time. I guess the midterms have clarified that Obama (and Napolitano) only have a few short months to bring down the Republic, and so they’re kicking it into high gear.
This is especially ridiculous in light of AQ types evolving tactic of using women precisely because the Hijab is so conducive to concealing explosives.
Typical P.C. BS. We’re going to strip search olod ladies, nuns, and three year old girls, but not members of the most likely group to commit terrorist attacks in the first place…
Next time I fly I’m going to get some conductive RF shielding paint (I’m guessing that stuff will be fairly opaque to the scanner) and put a nice message on the front of my undershirt.
‘Nazi punks fuckoff’ is my first thought, but I might be a little more playful ‘Janet, call me 555-123-4567.’
Seriously, peole need to write and/or call their congressional representatives and tell them to tighten up on “Big Sis” Napolitano.
And tell everyone you know to do so also.
Yesterday’s Drudge picture of the hijabbed TSA agent patting down the nun really says it all.
Counterfactual thought experiment: Had we, in Dec. ’01, lit up the sky over Tora Bora with a light brighter than a thousands suns, would air travel be more or less of a undignified hassle than it now is?
Sarin…and less.
Just sayin’
Funny how cruel and unusual humiliation is OK for the presumed innocent, yet taboo for the guilty. So I’ll agree to the occasional wiener assault if the guy who beat the doctor, raped his daughter and wife and torched the house is drawn up in the public square and we citizens are each given a swing of the bat.
surreal skies indeed
the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report last week the costs of a strong assault on global warming by 2030 had risen by $1 trillion to $18 trillion simply because of delays in 2010.
Good. We’re broke. The whole damn developed world. All of us. We can’t afford to fight global warming. Time to admit defeat and go home.
Michael J. Aguilar, chief of the TSA office in San Diego, called a news conference at the airport Monday afternoon to announce the probe. He said the investigation could lead to prosecution and civil penalties of up to $11,000.*
we are a failshit little country, a failshit little country are we
Well, at least I know what I need to wear to get waved through. Hijab.
It a Joe the plumber witch-hunt for Mr. Don’t touch my junk. Another case where everyone needs to call their reps and regoister displeasure over.
Underscoring a need for urgency, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report last week the costs of a strong assault on global warming by 2030 had risen by $1 trillion to $18 trillion simply because of delays in 2010.*
They can eat a bag of dicks.
[that’s my new expression I learned over at H2, cool, isn’t it?]
I think we should have an “everybody wear a hijab” day. See what that does…
The H2 is sure a creative group of folks, especially when it cones to witticisms and pithy remarks.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is holding a hearing tomorrow at 10:00 with John Pistole, Administrator for the TSA.
Here is the list of committee members. My fax to Sen. Klobuchar will go out by lunchtime today. I have little doubt that it’s just pissing into the wind, but I don’t want to hear one effin’ word from her about how “nobody saw the backlash coming.”
Further justifying my determination that if the only way I can get someplace is by flying commercial, I ain’t going.
I was fucking eager to fly just a few weeks after 9/11. What the terrorists couldn’t do, the “professionalized” security checkpoints did.
Well, that settles it.
Hijab is now my official Air Travel Costume.
Drudge has the link to TSA head John Pistole wanting to fine John Tyner for not getting his security check and for leaving the San Diego airport after, well, he was asked to leave.
John Pistole did send to me his full-body scan, though. No, really!
Thanks to the host, my ID has been reinstated.
Awesome, JD. Now get with the program and get an avater. Slacker. ^__^
And the terrorists may truly have won.
I don’t know that they’ve won so much as provided themselves with an endless supply of comedy.
From Drudge: Full body scans kept and leak online.
Yeah, the TSA isn’t saving the images. Just like Google didn’t grab unencrypted wireless traffic with their Streetview cars.
I hope the “Don’t grab my junk” guy sets up a legal defense fund if he’s charged. I’d be happy to contribute.
Would it be wrong of me to suggest that Sen. Klobuchar submit to invasive
T&ATSA scanning and groping and publish the whole procedure on her Senate website? Sort of a putting her moneyshotwhere her mouth is kinda thing?Or would that be insufficiently respectful to my duly elected moral superior?
Line up every member of Congress and run them all through the scanner and the pat-down.
Awesome, JD. Now get with the program and get an avater. Slacker. ^__^
Make sure it’s nice and classy.
It just gets better:
That would be the secure area from which he was escorted by TSA and police personnel that he left without permission.
Which raises the question, Pablo, of just whose permission he’s supposed to have, I guess. Janet Napolitano’s? “Sheriff” Joe Biden’s?
I think the term is justifiable homicide. A guaranteed result if I’m on the jury.
I seriously believe the current administration is provoking the bitter clingers out there. All part of Cloward-Piven.
How much more brazen can government be, than responding to objections of a naked scanner with an option for a grope instead?
The whole reason we are subjected to groping, is to avoid profiling the one group that has a very high incidence of taking explosives on planes.
The weakness the west is showing the world is sickening.
The day after Iran gets the bomb, She will own Saudi Arabia and we will be assed out. Get ready for gas lines, ala 1979.
Next Patterico post: “ENABLED BY CRAZED HOST, PW COMMENTERS ENGAGE IN WHOLESALE DEATH THREAT ISSUANCES-ING”
[…] this, with some beginning comment from Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom: I bring this up here because over the last few days we’ve been learning quite a bit about […]
Yeah, being escorted nails the whole “permission” thing.
“Your honor, if I did not have permission, the half dozen officers surrounding me could have stopped me at any time. They did not, and in fact seemed to encourage my progress. I interpreted that as permission.”
I’ve heard a lot of noise being made about 80% of people polled approving of the full-body scans. My standard reply has been to quote from the Onion: 98% of Americans Support Mass Transit For Other People.
Do me a favor, CBS: conduct a poll of people who actually go through airport security more than once a decade.
I’m officially issuing a DEATH THREAT right now. I haven’t decided who I’m going to kill, though.
Suggestions would be welcome.
I fly about 4 times per year, and I haven’t had to deal with any of this stuff yet. I can hardly wait until it happens.
My understanding is that the new scanners can’t penetrate the skin, so I predict that the newest airport screening “enhancement” in 2011 will be the “standard cavity search”. Unless of course you’re a Muslim, in which case you get the optional foot washing and personal TSA escort to the private prayer wing of the airport.
Remember, you heard it here first.
Jeff, I totally went Clockwork Orange before I saw your avatar. DAMMIT. At least we went with completely different iterations of Alex.
Prediction #2:
The final nail in the TSA body scanner coffin will occur when naked images of prominent actors and celebrities start showing up on the internet, despite assurances that there are processes, dammit, PROCESSES! in place that make such happenings IMPOSSIBLE!
No hijabs allowed. You wanna wear a bag, take the fuckin’ bus.
The final nail in the TSA body scanner coffin will occur when naked images of prominent actors and celebrities start showing up on the internet…
That would require the “special” people to go through security like the rest of us. Not gonna happen. That would be like requiring Congress to adhere to the laws it passes. Laws, like airport security theater, are for the little people.
Ceci n’est pas une death threat.
– The food, if you get any, on a long range flight is already enough of a death threat issuance.
– BTW, there’s been a steadily growing grumbling among the TSA union heads about the potential dangers of long term repeated exposure to the scanner radiation.
– This dustup is just beginning.
That would require the “special” people to go through security like the rest of us. Not gonna happen.
I agree. But as more body scanners are rolled out (and more people are thereby exposed to the new ‘get a naked photo or a grope’ process), I expect (and hope) the public anger level to rise concurrently until at some point, people are going to start yelling “Hey WTF??!!” to the TSA folks when they see “special” people bypassing the screening.
That means a lot, coming from a guy with his own private jet avatar…
Oh, Jeff, the Good Man is well aware of my viewpoint on jury nullification. Which he hates, because like every other minion of the state, having free citizens decide that the law is bad, and was applied capriciously and with dishonesty and evidence suppression aforethought, and that they aren’t going along, makes him break out in hives.
That means a lot, coming from a guy with his own private jet avatar…
Don’t I wish. Who do I look like, Nancy Pelosi?
Re: Oops! They aren’t supposed to store the images. But then, they aren’t supposed to steal stuff, either.
The next time I want to visit my inlaws, I guess I can always travel by train across the entire effin’ continent, and then sail by freighter across the whole effin’ ocean, can’t I?
Don’t google Flash Mountain.
Your tax dollars, hard at work to make you SAFE!
Because nothing says “personal responsibility” like the gov’t physically taking away your ability to partake of that activity.
And please note that this clueless proposal comes despite CDC figures showing that auto accidents deaths have fallen over the same time period that cell phone usage has risen.
Decisions based on teh science, not icky politics, don’tcha know.
that will make cars more expensive… which means the union whores will sell fewer union whore chevrolets and union whore cadillacs
Capt. Sully Says There’s No Need For Junk Touching At Airports
irradiating fruits and vegetables and eggs would do a whole lot more to benefit public health than the failshit government’s cancer-causing naked people scanners will do
Generating more of our electricity using nuclear power instead of coal and petroleum would also do more to benefit public health than anything the government can do, with or without scanners.
It’s occurred to me that I like this policy because it’s the sort of thing that gets people to sit up and take notice of what their government is up to. Kind of like reelecting Nancy Pelosi to leadership. They’re doing what?!?!?
With any luck, they’ll be doing body cavity searches by summer 2012.
All this is is kabuki. Are bombers so stupid that they haven’t realized that more casualties would be caused in the security queue waiting for the scanners and gropers than on the plane?
I think Homeland Security has realized it’ll be harder to fly planes into buildings if all of the airlines have gone out of business.
Penn of Penn & Tell had an interesting flying experience last week.
I hope we see more people reacting this way… taking the time to hold the TSA screeners accountable for their actions.
I especially like Penn’s attitude as expressed in this quote:
Penn & Teller