“Touch Me? Sue YOU, Touch Me” (+ Open Thread)
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on January 27, 2011 at 8:00 PM in Arrogance, Civil Liberties, Current Affairs, Governance, Homeland Security, President Barack Obama
That is the revised philosophy of “Screw me? Screw You, Screw Me” since the institution of Government Sanctioned sexual assaults by TSA agents. At least as far as former Governor, Jesse Ventura is concerned.
Yes, recently the former governor of Minnesota suffered the indignity others of us have had to endure, and his response is to sue the Department of Homeland Security and TSA for unlawful, warrantless search. And why was the good former governor given the TSA assault treatment? He had a titanium hip replacement.
Welcome to my world, Governor.
Yes, like me, rather than use a wand to search the former governor, he was subjected to the same sexual assault numerous other Americans have had to suffer. He had this to say about it:
[snip]Rather than being scanned with a hand-held wand, he says he was subjected to an intrusive pat-down that “exposed him to humiliation and degradation through unwanted touching, gripping and rubbing of the intimate areas of his body.”Ventura, who was governor of Minnesota from 1999 through 2002, says such searches not only intrude on his “personal privacy and dignity” but cause him to be concerned about his “personal health and well-being.”
Ventura asked a federal judge in Minnesota to issue an injunction so he would no longer be subjected to “warrantless and suspicionless” scans and searches. [snip]
Right there with ya, brother. Ventura’s lawyer, David Olsen, cites these reasons for the lawsuit:
[snip] “He’s made a decision that someone needs to make a stand and he’s not one to back down from a fight,” said Olsen. “He sees the erosion of civil liberties here and he’s willing to stand up not only for himself, but for others.”The suit names Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and TSA Administrator John Pistole as defendants. [snip] (Click HERE to read the rest.)
Good for Governor Ventura. This kind of treatment of law-abiding citizens simply because they/we have purchased an airplane ticket and had to suffer from a joint replacement should not also have to suffer this kind of indignity, this assault. There is no other word for it but that.
I was curious, given the outrage and brouhaha over these illegal searches if Obama would mention it in his SOTU address, you know, like maybe they were going to stop doing them, and return to using a wand should the need arise.
Well, Obama said something about it alright:
Ahahahaha – so very funny, President Obama. What a freakin’ jokester you are. For those of us who have been sexually assaulted by the TSA, elderly people, children, folks with joint replacements, colostomy bags, et. al, this is no laughing matter. Add to that people who have been sexually assaulted previously in their lives. This kind of thing, this public assault and indignity, can make those assaults fly to the fore of someone’s life, doubly victimizing them.
And Obama makes a joke about it. That is just cruel. Cruel and mean-spirited. That is one of the big problems with Obama – he has no compassion, or certainly does not appear to have any.
The ACLU is none too happy about this little “joke” of Obama’s either. The ACLU is collecting information from travelers, including me, about these “pat-downs,” and is working on a case to end this un-Constitutional practice.
As for me, I wish I could join in with Governor Ventura on this lawsuit. I wish I had thought quickly enough to have my partner photograph these assaults/pat-downs. And, for our next upcoming trip, we will be driving – from the Charleston, SC area to Miami, FL (for a cruise) rather than flying. I cannot, I WILL not, go through that again, certainly not so soon after the last indignity.
That the Dept. of Homeland Security, specifically Janet Napolitano, continues to assert this is the way to go, and that the president of the United States, rather than ceasing this horrendous practice, makes a joke about it, is telling indeed. What it says is that our leaders do not have our best interests in mind. That they do not care about our civil liberties being trashed by the very people who have sworn to up hold them. To them, this is a joking manner.
Mr. President, government sanctioned sexual assault is no joke. Shame on you for even treating it as such. This practice should be ended, and now. Oh, and try something new and different next time, like a little bit of compassion, would you? Just a thought…
by Ronald Scott
* More novels by 
* 
(
)
- You'll have access to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books, as well as ultra-fast Web browsing with Amazon Silk -- faster than iPad. Full e-mail and document access and a keyboard. Fire can transmit what is on your screen onto a connected TV or monitor without an accessory. It runs Flash (iPad doesn't). 
