Our government is terrorizing us in order to keep us safe from "terror".

[Barack_America]

And has been doing so for some time, of course.

Honestly, I'm actually glad we've gotten to a point where Americans are declaring, "enough!". I wasn't sure we ever would.

This administration, however, is setting themselves up for disaster by reflexively defending the new TSA policies.

Most Americans may not understand how wiretapping and internet monitoring are real threats to their liberties, but they certainly know they don't want their genitals groped by government agents. The outrage and complaints regarding these policies are sincere and not media-manufactured. As such, they are not going to end any time soon. The administration is wrong and foolish to downplay this issue and does so at their own peril.

The official response thus far to, "stop complaining and accept that this is necessary" (to paraphrase) is ridiculous. Assurances are long overdue that the concerns of the American public are being taken seriously and that complaints are being thoroughly investigated.

The administration likely has only a matter of days to "get with the program" regarding this issue before the shit really hits the fan with holiday travel. Or perhaps they'd rather show the public just how tone deaf they really are. If they do, we'd all better start hoping that a serious primary challenger to Obama emerges. And I'm serious about that; this issue is that much of a tinderbox, IMO. There is no swath of the American public that is not pissed off about this.

[flyarm]

1. damn right they are!

[killbotfactory]

2. It's all worth it if we manage to stop a ball-sacks worth of contraband from boarding a flight!

And then, when people adapt to this change, it will be on to the random body cavity probes!

"sorry grandma, the terrorists are clever, and your vaginal/anal cavity could well be hiding enough C-4 to take down the next flight to Idaho. Safety first!"

[Barack_America]

6. Heh.

I probably shouldn't find your post funny as it's an unfortunate possibility, but I can't help it.

:thumbsup:

[Blue Owl]

3. K&R

n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Actually when they went "we're willing to listen"

Shows some of the real anger is starting to filter..

Call congress but whatever you do, insist they do not privatize

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. H.L. Mencken

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken

[NightWatcher]

7. they're terrorizing us to sell us shit

The body scanners are sold by a company that has hired Chertoff's company for PR.
TWIC cards cost a fortune and the money goes to some other contractor....

it's all a shakedown, not a patdown

[Tsiyu]

8. Prison Planet

get used to having no rights.

It's the Wet Dream of Cheney, Chertoff, Norquist, Rove, Papa B*sh, Murdoch, McConnell.....

Cowed, submissive people will do their bidding so fantastically. And they'll make a fortune!

It's a tried-and-true method.

They've been perfecting this shit on the poor and/or imprisoned for years.