Blog Commenters Blast the TSA

Following the thwarted "terrorist attack" on an international Northwest Airlines flight, DHS head thug Janet Napolitano issued the following statement:

I am grateful to the passengers and crew aboard Northwest Flight 253 who reacted quickly and heroically to an incident that could have had tragic results. The Department of Homeland Security immediately put additional screening measures into place - for all domestic and international flights - to ensure the continued safety of the traveling public. We are also working closely with federal, state and local law enforcement on additional security measures, as well as our international partners on enhanced security at airports and on flights.

The American people should continue their planned holiday travel and, as always, be observant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious behavior or activity to law enforcement officials.

Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in.

Proposed policy changes included keeping passengers in their seats for the last hour of an international flight, not allowing them to hold anything in their laps, and turning off all in-flight entertainment.

In light of those idiotic restrictions, the Transportation "Security" Administration began to get some interesting feedback on its blog. Here's a small sampling:

It's hardly "unpredictable" when airlines announce lockdowns during the last hour of flight into the US. If this is truly the TSA/DHS recommendation as claimed, then whats the difference between the last 30, 60, or 90 minutes of a flight? Does it matter, or is this another knee-jerk reaction to some idiot to show that "something" is being done, just like the whole shoe fiasco...?

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ALL your layers of security failed yet again.

So what is the response of the TSA - to add even more confusion to the process with the hope that with any kind of plain dumb luck, you'll be able to flummox another idiot terrorist wannabe?

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I am an American Citizen with absolutely no crime history or affiliation with anything illegal. I've been traveling world wide for over 40 years. *I* am on a watch list. Where is Umar's name on this list? What's wrong with this picture?

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I think in failing this individual will have a greater impact on air travel than he would have had he succeeded.

Also re: the new "1 hour before landing, now sit quietly in your seats children" rule. Why does this only apply to international flights? If this is not just more theater it should apply to domestic flights also. Care to comment on that?

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With as annoying as it is getting to fly, soon the only passengers will be terrorists.

I really can't wait for high speed trains.

It's nice to know others out there recognize airline "security" for the scam that it is.

Rewarding Incompetence

Topping Foreign Policy magazine's list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers: Ben Bernanke, chairman of the criminal counterfeiting syndicate know as the Federal Reserve, "for staving off a new Great Depression."

I love how David Kramer of LewRockwell.com put it: "Saying that Ben Bernanke prevented the collapse of the U.S. economy is like saying O.J. Simpson prevented Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman from dying of cancer."

Uncle Sam and Fond Thanksgiving Memories

Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite times of year, a time to get together with loved ones and offer thanks to God for the blessings we have received.

This year will be no different. Friends and family will show up at the door bringing a dish of some sort to share in the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Among those we will be entertaining this year is our Uncle Sam, not because he was invited, but because it's tradition. He always shows up. Not just on Thanksgiving, but every other holiday as well. In fact, he seldom ever leaves.

At times I find myself wondering why we came to dislike him so. We used to actually enjoy his company.

(Read the full article here.)

Thank Goodness for That Stimulus!

Yeah. Right.



(source)

What Stimulus?

Obama was right. The stimulus bill really did affect jobs:

(Source)

Another Example of D.C. Elitism

Congressman Baron Hill (D-IN) has to remind one of his constituents of her place:

They truly believe that we serve them, and not the other way around.

The Future of American Health Care

A couple of recent news stories from across the pond paint a frightening picture of what lies in store for America. If we really wish to continue down the road toward universal health care, then we will have to get used to seeing things like an appendix rupturing after it had already been "removed" and a hospital bed shortage forcing thousands of mothers to give birth in elevators, offices, and bathrooms.

That, my friends, is change we can believe in.

The U.S. Postal Service Is in Trouble

The U.S. Postal Service stands to lose $7 billion this fiscal year. So, it is doing what every government agency does when it hasn't been able to balance its bloated budget: It tries to scare us by threatening to cut services that could be provided much more efficiently by the private sector anyway. That means we could see up to 1,000 post offices close nationwide.

Bring it on. I'm sorry, but there is no reason for anyone to ever set foot in a post office. None whatsoever. You can print stamps on your computer. You can even get them from the ATM when you stop to get cash. And if you happen to be mailing anything other than a first class letter (which, by the way, is illegal for any entity other than the federal government to deliver), you're better off going with UPS or FedEx.

It's time this government-created monopoly was forced into the competitive free market. Where's Lysander Spooner when you need him?

Beware Universal Health Care

According to British physician Anthony Daniels, the U.K. has the "the dirtiest, most broken-down hospitals in Europe." He writes in the Wall Street Journal:

The question of health care is not one of rights but of how best in practice to organize it. America is certainly not a perfect model in this regard. But neither is Britain, where a universal right to health care has been recognized longest in the Western world.

Not coincidentally, the U.K. is by far the most unpleasant country in which to be ill in the Western world. Even Greeks living in Britain return home for medical treatment if they are physically able to do so.

The government-run health-care system -- which in the U.K. is believed to be the necessary institutional corollary to an inalienable right to health care -- has pauperized the entire population. This is not to say that in every last case the treatment is bad: A pauper may be well or badly treated, according to the inclination, temperament and abilities of those providing the treatment. But a pauper must accept what he is given.

And the paupers here tend to accept what we are given. The only way to combat the chaos of universal (i.e. government-run) health care is to exercise what remains of our liberty and vote the control freaks out of office.

If, however, universal health care is forced upon us, I would hope that freedom-loving doctors, patients, insurers, and employers will choose to ignore the dictates of Washington. Since neither the president nor members of Congress have the constitutional authority to manage our health care, we are under no moral obligation to comply. That's easier said than done, but perhaps we Americans have had it too easy for too long.

Fewer Cops = More Freedom

What do you call a massive layoff of police officers? A good start. Maybe people will start buying more guns and actually take responsibility for defending themselves.

The sad fact is that cops have become little more than uniformed tax collectors. Most of the laws they enforce serve no other purpose than to fill the coffers of greedy bureaucrats. The primary function of your average police officer is to protect and serve the interests of the state, not the citizenry -- unless, of course, protection is defined as responding to a crime after it has already been committed.

Government Propaganda on YouTube

Who can blame the government for wanting to get in on the action? Bloated federal bureaucracies like the EPA, NASA, FEMA, and even the Department of Defense have channels on YouTube.

Here's the latest from the Federal Trade Commission:

Obama's Politics of Fear

Forget the message of hope Barack Obama preached during his campaign for the presidency. He's in the White House now, which means he can let his true colors begin to show. So, it was no surprise when he used his first press conference to spread a message of fear.

And what a dismal picture he painted. People can't pay their bills. They aren't spending, and businesses are being forced to lay off workers as a result. He drew attention to the fact that last month we lost 598,000 jobs (or 500 million, according to Nancy Pelosi). Everywhere you look it's doom and gloom.

But wait...there may be hope for the economy after all. Why not let the government kiss it and make it better? The president didn't mince words, saying that "at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life." Oh, yay. We're saved.

Interestingly, no mention was made about what these "resources" are or where the nearly $1 trillion will come from to pay for this pork-filled spending package. That's because the federal government has no resources of its own. It produces nothing. It must borrow the money from foreign sources and increase the national debt, print more money and further devalue the dollar, or simply steal it from productive citizens, which defeats the whole purpose of trying to get people to consume more.

The fact of the matter is that this "stimulus" package is nothing more than a wealth redistribution scheme, the largest in our nation's history. But it will sell because people are gullible when they're afraid.

Just as Dubya frightened people into thinking that it was a good idea to send teenage girls overseas to keep us safe from the Axis of Evil, Obama is scaring people into believing that spending money we don't have (i.e. doing exactly what got us into this mess in the first place) will actually prevent economic collapse. Either our new president is pitifully ignorant, or he thinks we are. But one thing is certain: you can count on him exploiting our fears for as long as he can.

The Dumbest Thing Bush Has Said in 8 Years

"I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system."

If You Have to Call 911, It's Already Too Late

This CNN story demonstrates the inadequacy of our government "protectors":

Brittany Zimmerman, a 21-year-old college student who wanted to be a doctor, called 911 as she was being attacked by a stranger, police say.

But the police did not come for 48 minutes. By that time, Zimmerman was dead. Her fiance found her body.

Although the dispatcher claimed later to have heard nothing, the 911 tape captured screams, gasps and what sounds like a struggle, according to the court documents.

Change? What Change?

Chuck Baldwin talks about the kind of "change" we can expect from the new administration. (Hint: Those who really thought Obama would change things are going to be disappointed.)

Citizens, Protect Yourselves

If the cops can't protect law-abiding citizens, why not allow law-abiding citizens to protect themselves? That's exactly what one city official would like to see. Check it out:

A St. Louis city leader frustrated with the police response to rising crime called Tuesday on residents to arm themselves to protect their lives and property.

Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe said police are ineffective, outnumbered or don't care about the increase in crime in his north St. Louis ward. St. Louis has had 157 homicides in 2008, 33 more than last year at this time.

"The community has to be ready to defend itself, because it's clear the economy is going to get worse, and criminals are getting more bold," Troupe, 72, said Tuesday.

Troupe said that when he and residents approached a district police commander last year, they were told "there was nothing he could do to protect us and the community ... that he didn't have the manpower."

Good for you, Mr. Troupe.

Naturally, Chief Dan Isom of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department disagrees. He wants a more enlightened, "it takes a village" approach:

While police officers have the dangerous job of arresting criminals, we must all be willing to roll up our sleeves and do the work that addresses the underlying reasons why criminals commit crimes---poverty, lack of education, lack of family structure, lack of employment skills, drug addiction. We must work together. We must look out for our neighbors and our neighborhoods. We must care enough to get involved, even if it's not happening in our own backyard. I think all of these things will help but I can't guarantee these are the solutions. However I can say with certainty that the solution is not more guns.

OK, Chief Isom. When will you and your fellow officers be giving up your guns?

D.C. Elitism

The attitude of the ruling elite in Washington, D.C., is perhaps best summed up by the recent remarks made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway. In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true."

Accounting According to Congress and the Federal Reserve

The Global Consensus Against Iraq Was So Great...

...that all the pro-war speeches started to sound the same. Check it out:

This blatant example of plagiarism is just more proof of government incompetence.

President Bush Is a Strong Believer in Free Enterprise?

Sure. He said so last night:

I'm a strong believer in free enterprise. So my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention. I believe companies that make bad decisions should be allowed to go out of business. Under normal circumstances, I would have followed this course. But these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There's been a widespread loss of confidence. And major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down. ...

... I know that Americans sometimes get discouraged by the tone in Washington, and the seemingly endless partisan struggles. Yet history has shown that in times of real trial, elected officials rise to the occasion. And together, we will show the world once again what kind of country America is -- a nation that tackles problems head on, where leaders come together to meet great tests, and where people of every background can work hard, develop their talents, and realize their dreams.

The president believes in free enterprise so much that he wants to use the force of government to "liberate" every consumer in America -- kind of like what he did to the Iraqis, I suppose.

Excuse me, Mr. President, but why can't we just can't allow market forces to provide the solution? Given the fact that it was government intervention that created the problem in the first place, I would say that the market is functioning exactly as it should. Just let it run its course.