Dante on July 19, 2012 at 7:39 AM

Actually it was you supporting her point without realizing it. Should have answered the question, this would be much clearer to you, if you had. Or not.

imagine the savings!

Safe junk is happy, healthy junk! (A message from your TSA.)

you didn’t just touch that junk on your own, somebody got you the opportunity to touch that junk.

ted c on July 18, 2012 at 9:26 PM

Somebody taught you how to touch your junk –

Oh, yeah. That was Jocelyn Elders.

I am reminded of the line from Pirates of the Caribbean regarding ‘Pirate laws”: they’re not so much laws, as guidelines!

For instance, the WH pounced to give an Response to an OWS petition with less than 12,000 signatures back in Oct 2011…
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/recognize-men-and-women-who-are-occupying-wall-street/tX0ZX8Z7

It’s always a comfort to me to know that the hand up my bum belongs to a private security guard rather than a government security guard.

sharrukin on July 19, 2012 at 2:00 AM

It’s pretty key knowing the difference between the two, but you’re missing the point. Government is inherently force and coercion, and has no rights, and forcibly infringes upon yours. Private entities do have rights, and yours do not trump theirs, even when you enter into a voluntary transaction with them. Additionally, private entities cannot take away your rights. So when you’re giving examples of giving up your rights, it’s best if you didn’t include examples of private entities, because it doesn’t apply. The Constitution protects us from government, not from each other.

So yes, we all have a Constitutionally-guaranteed right – an inherent, inalienable right – to not be searched by government unless suspected of a crime committed or about to be committed, yet we all allow it to happen. Some because they don’t know any better, some because they rationalize it by thinking that it’s about safety and demonizing a group of people.

Though I suspect there’s a problematic correlation between those who are suspicious of body scanners and those who do not wish to “create an account” on a White House website.

Got that right.

I’m so very glad that this agency was set up by a Republican President to offer a safehouse to them where they can exercise their natural inclinations safely on the traveling public… and boatloads of cash so that they can invent new and fun means to hinder the traveling public and yet still be incompetent enough to miss actual weapons brought on-board flights that have gone through their entire scanner/grope line-up. Why, such safety can be had through these means! And those things that get through are those REPORTED by the concerned public and yet I doubt one single TSA agent has ever lost their job over a security breach.

Or someone walking through the security set-up without going through such things thus requiring an entire airport to be evacuated.

Mind you the ground crew get no such oversight.

Imagine what one terrorist cell could do if it ever got anyone skilled enough to get hired into airport ground crews!

But at least the pervs and sexual molesters are safely off the streets and in our airports.

“It was probably harder on them than it was on me,” Falcon said.

Ya think? I imagine it’s not the first time he’s heard that ladies. Lol!

There you go mixing public and private again.

Dante on July 19, 2012 at 1:32 AM

It’s always a comfort to me to know that the hand up my bum belongs to a private security guard rather than a government security guard.

Dueling with an unarmed man serves only to elevate him, no matter how spot on your bullet.

Its not that you don’t have the right to board the plane without undergoing a full body cavity search, its that you don’t have the privilege. /sarcasm

sharrukin on July 19, 2012 at 12:59 AM

There you go mixing public and private again.

Do I really have to explain a play on words to you? I know you can figure it out if you work at it. Look, unless you drive 150 mph everywhere you go, you too have given up some rights to live in a civil society. If you do, I’ll shut up right now, but I doubt you do, you big sell-out! I wouldn’t have written the post to start with if I were enamored of the TSA. Also, here’s how you’d start a reasonable conversation about this: “Mary Katharine, while I agree with some of your overarching points, I take issue with your use of the word reasonable as it pertains to rights, and here’s why.” You can start again if you want.

Mary Katharine Ham on July 19, 2012 at 1:01 AM

I strongly disagree. I haven’t given up any rights to “live in a civil society”. Far from it, and that’s not quite how the Founders viewed it, either, declaring them inalienable. And not driving 150 is not giving up rights. Yes, you are not enamored with the TSA, but do you believe it is unconstitutional or that it is necessary but poorly run? And do you think there are rights we should reasonably give up to purchase a ticket and board a plane?

I can’t say I agree with some of your overarching points, because I don’t know the answer to these questions. I do like your attitude, though.

So it’s not that we don’t have a right to walk around the plane at will, we don’t have the privilege.

Dante on July 19, 2012 at 12:54 AM

Its not that you don’t have the right to board the plane without undergoing a full body cavity search, its that you don’t have the privilege. /sarcasm

You are being pedantic. You don’t have the right to falsely yell fire, which of course you know.

sharrukin on July 19, 2012 at 12:54 AM

Sure you do. There’s no law against it (and again, you’re talking private property). What one doesn’t have a right to do is deliberately create a panic in which someone comes to harm.

sharrukin on July 19, 2012 at 12:49 AM

Also, two of your examples are private and not public. So it’s not that we don’t have a right to walk around the plane at will, we don’t have the privilege. Unfortunately, in a further erosion of rights, these directives are not coming from the airline, but from your government.

Not this myth again. I do have the right to yell fire. In fact, I would hope that if the theater were on fire, there would be someone yelling fire in order to call everyone’s attention to it.

Dante on July 19, 2012 at 12:52 AM

You are being pedantic. You don’t have the right to falsely yell fire, which of course you know.