Terrorism

Honestly, I've tried to wait this one out. I've tried to avoid saying anything about this TSA nonsense. At first, it was hard to disseminate the truth from the nonsense stories of standard Internet whack jobs.

This, however, is insanity. That whole "rights" thing... apparently, it's OK for it to get totally fucked. I don't even know where to start.

I'll just start with this: A CBS poll shows that eighty-one percent of respondents are OK with the airport scanners.

So in summary: No, we have not learned that trading our freedoms away for supposed safety is a bad idea. We're just so fragile. Please protect us, Mr. Government, but don't you DARE TRY TO GIVE US HEALTHCARE! (Yeah, I had to slip that in there, sorry.)

Well, what's the big deal anyway? Scanners sound good, right? I mean, we'd be able to stop people trying to blow some shit up. That's awesome.

Apparently not. There are so many front page stories right now about groping, sexual harassment (such as one woman being mocked as her breasts were exposed), three year olds being patted down... I could go on, but if I do, I'm afraid the bile won't stay down.

The good news is that people are fighting back. Lawsuits are pouring in as people's rights are decimated by the TSA. Inappropriate conduct should be punished, and the excuse "we're told to do it" will not fly. It's bullshit and it's unconstitutional. They are pushing their supposed power around and getting away with it. Images have surfaced here and there, and it's obvious that the TSA employees are posting theses images on the Internet with no regard to anyone's safety.

Did you know that a full body scan photo can easily be manipulated (by inverting the color) thereby rendering an actual image of the person in question? So basically, they can easily grab nude images of people. It's already been done, and can be found on the seedier and less seedy places around the web.

By the way, did I mention that the TSA will not allow you to fly if you decline the security proceedings?

So if you're flying, either enjoy being manhandled, or stfu and move on.

It's only a matter of time before the revolt against the TSA hits full swing.

"You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide."
Oh yeah? Fuck you.

So Pennsylvania's office of Homeland Security has been tracking groups engaged in lawful, peaceful protests, including groups opposed to natural gas drilling, peace activists and gay rights groups. Apparently, these groups are akin to Al Qaeda.

Back the truck the fuck up. What? Are you kidding me? The group who claims responsibility for destroying the WTC towers is the same thing as those who think gay people should be allowed the same rights as straight people, people who are against drilling for natural gas, and peace activists?

For fuck's sake. I guess I'm #1 on the list, then, because I am in favor of all of those. Governor Rendell had this to say:

"Uh, oops. Didn't know about that. I'll, uh... get back to you." (paraphrased)

Pennsylvania is sneaky like that. You see, on the east side you have Philly and the west you have Pittsburgh, and bringing up the center is State College... the city of Penn State University. Those three points are plenty liberal, but everywhere else in the state may as well be Arkansas.

Ugh.

We do not face a global jihadist "movement" but a series of disparate ethnic and religious conflicts involving Muslim populations, each of which remains fundamentally regional in nature and almost all of which long predate the existence of al-Qaeda.

Osama bin Laden and his disciples are small men and secondary threats whose shadows are made large by our fears.

Poppycock! This is clearly an Al Qaeda plant, trying to talk us out of voting Republican so Osama Bin Laden can nuke all of our cities and then convert the survivors to Islam.

Karl Rove has just left some hints about the Republican's strategy for the 2008 elections will be.

“Do they or do they not want our intelligence officials to be listening in on terrorists’ conversations in the Middle East who may … be plotting to hurt America?” Rove said.

Rove argued that the Republican candidate must show the electorate “that they understand the surge is working.” Rove said the candidate should get firmly behind the war effort, painting the Democratic nominee as “defeatist.”

I hope this strategy works out as well for them this year as it did in 2006. The only way Democrats can lose this one is if they buy into Rove's BS again and become scared of their own shadows again.

Keith Olbermann called out Michael Chertoff's "gut feeling" regarding the "maybe possible potential terrorist attacks" that Chertoff "feels" may happen.

Lots of quotes for lots of bullshit.