1) Campaign for Liberty Says Enough to TSA Violating Personal Liberty Once Again
"Since 9/11, the federal government has willingly traded more of our liberties for so-called 'security' through freedom-stealing legislation and wasteful bureaucratic nightmares like the TSA. Americans are now being humiliated into accepting the TSA's naked body scanners by the introduction of 'enhanced pat-downs.' This basically gives fliers, including women and children, a choice between experiencing a virtual strip search or a sexual assault. And we are expected to accept this as a condition of flying."
"Campaign for Liberty has long warned against the gross violations of personal privacy by the federal government's TSA, as one of our own staff experienced its outrageous treatment of passengers first hand. As the incidents continue to pile up, we are glad to see other Americans express their concern and demand change."
"Just like other massive federal government overreaches, the TSA thinks telling us this is necessary for 'our safety' allows it to do whatever it wants to us, including shredding our Fourth Amendment rights (emphasis mine)."
"In the interest of our families, our Republic, and our national security, Campaign for Liberty believes it is time to save the taxpayers almost ten billion dollars a year by abolishing the TSA."
See: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=39459
1a) George Soros also profiting off controversial new TSA scanners
Be sure and read Tim Carney’s Examiner column today on the politically-connected lobby for the controversial new TSA scanners that are upsetting airline employees and travelers everywhere. Carney notes that a company called Rapiscan got a $165 million contract for the new body image scanners four days after the underwear-bomber incident this past Christmas. Not surprisingly, Rapiscan is politically connected, observes Carney:
Rapiscan got the other naked-scanner contract from the TSA, worth $173 million. Rapiscan’s lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee. When Defense Daily reported on Price’s appropriations bill last winter, the publication noted “Price likes the budget for its emphasis on filling gaps in aviation security, in particular the whole body imaging systems.”
Then this morning Carney also noted that former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff was flacking for Rapiscan.
As for the company’s other political connections, it also appears that none other than George Soros, the billionaire funder of the country’s liberal political infrastructure, owns 11,300 shares of OSI Systems Inc., the company that owns Rapiscan. Not surprisingly, OSI’s stock has appreciated considerably over the course of the year. Soros certainly is a savvy investor.
1b) “If you touch my junk, I’ll have you arrested”
A video posted online over the past weekend by John Tyner, a 31-year-old California software programmer, recorded an encounter at the San Diego airport. The video, in which Mr. Tyner tells a TSA screener "If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested," has gone viral, being viewed thousands of times.
…A San Diego TSA official told reporters Monday that Mr. Tyner had violated federal law and federal regulations and could face civil penalties, including a fine up to $11,000.
See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/16/tsa-body-scans-pat-downs-needed/?page=2
1c) Grabbing Junk Is 'Necessary,' Says Biden
Vice President Joe Biden is defending the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) controversial new pat-down technique, calling it a "necessary policy."
Biden acknowledged people have concerns that the TSA's use of full-body scanners and pat-downs are frustrating and intrusive but argued they are crucial to prevent another incident like the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing.
"Well look, Larry, maybe because I spend so much time every morning dealing with the threat assessment that's out there and the fact that it's real — I understand peoples' frustration, but I — unless there's a new technology that comes along pretty quickly, I think it's — I think it's a necessary policy," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live" program. "I think it will have the effect of saving lives, intercepting explosives."
Even though the TSA's new policy has riled lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Biden's comments indicate the agency will continue to scan or pat down passengers at the nation's airports.
Ah, yes, Mr. Vice President. And when was the last time YOU flew on a commercial aircraft? Hmm? …crickets…...crickets....
See: http://nation.foxnews.com/joe-biden/2010/11/19/grabbing-junk-necessary-says-biden#ixzz15lTxHdQL
1d) Napolitano to exempt some muslims from body scans; defends their use for everyone else
Facing mounting criticism and pushback from fliers over increasingly invasive procedures to ostensibly protect U.S. travelers, Janet Napolitano is defending the use of body scans or body pat downs for all travelers - except for some Muslims. The use of body scans or body pat downs applies to passengers and pilots alike, but not for Muslim women, who would be exempted from the full procedure and require only a limited pat down in the head and neck area, or optionally a self pat-down in the head and neck area.
If non-Muslim women want to avoid the intrusive scanning and pat-down procedures, could they simply declare themselves Muslim?
Here's an idea that the TSA might like: increase the scanning intensity or add cavity searches for non-Muslim-women; maybe that would help make up for the plastic explosives or other dangerous items hiding beneath Muslim women's burqas. However by no means should TSA use intelligence, as Israel does, to keep travelers safe. That might offend someone.
I hear that this might not be true; i.e., that Muslim women are NOT exempt. However, I can find no confirmation of this. If one of my readers would set me straight, I’'d be appreciative.
And: http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2010/nov/napolitano-may-exempt-muslims-airport-pat-downs
1e) CAIR: TSA Can't Pat Down Muslim Women
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued a travel notice to Muslim airline passengers, warning them that new regulations from the Transportation Security Administration violate certain religious rules.
According to CAIR, the TSA's new "enhanced pat down" policy should be limited to searching only around Muslim women's head and neck if they are wearing a hijab and that Muslims objecting to the enhanced full-body scans have the right to request the pat-down procedure be done in a private place.
See: http://nation.foxnews.com/tsa/2010/11/14/cair-tsa-cant-pat-down-muslim-women
1f) TSA: Pilots to be exempt from some airport checks
WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration has agreed to let airline pilots skip the security scanning and pat-downs that passengers face at the nation's airports, pilot groups said Friday.
Beginning Friday, pilots traveling in uniform or on airline business will be allowed to pass security by presenting two photo IDs, one from their company and one from the government, to be checked against a secure flight crew database, the TSA said.
See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101119/ap_on_bi_ge/us_airport_security_pilots
1g) How Israelis secure airports
…Terrorists have yet to use the same weapon twice, and the TSA isn't even looking for whatever they'll try to use next. I can think of all sorts of things a person could use to wreak havoc on a plane that aren't banned. Security officials should pay less attention to objects, and more attention to people.
The Israelis do. They are, out of dreadful necessity, the world's foremost experts in counterterrorism. And they couldn't care less about what your grandmother brings on a plane. Instead, officials at Ben Gurion International Airport interview everyone in line before they're even allowed to check in.
And Israeli officials profile. They don't profile racially, but they profile. Israeli Arabs breeze through rather quickly, but thanks to the dozens of dubious-looking stamps in my passport -- almost half are from Lebanon and Iraq -- I get pulled off to the side for more questioning every time. And I'm a white, nominally Christian American.
2) GOP Earmark Ban Shifts Clout
…Congressional Republicans decided this week to swear off such "earmark" spending for their districts and states—effectively eliminating it altogether given the GOP's expanded numbers in both chambers. That means the Obama administration will have sole discretion over which ports to deepen, waterways to dredge and dams to build, among other things.
"We're going to be in a position where we can implement decisions really based on highest priorities," said Rob Nabors, acting deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Lawmakers may still say how money is budgeted generally for activities such as dredging, but by banning earmarks—specific projects funded as a result of lawmakers' requests—they won't be able to direct cash to individual districts or states. And the president will have more power (emphasis mine. Uh oh.) to eliminate or trim programs that have resisted cuts for years, White House and congressional officials say.
By some estimates, eliminating earmarks could save $15 billion a year, but that assumes recipient programs would be eliminated completely, something no one in government believes. Earmark decisions are more about control than money.
Rep. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), who has crusaded for an earmarks ban for years, favors the new rules despite the power shift. He calls earmarks "the currency of corruption" on Capitol Hill because some lawmakers have traded them for campaign contributions from lobbyists.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said the ban would lead to more horse-trading, with the president holding a powerful hand. (emphasis mine. Is Linsey Graham actually correct about something?). "You want money for that port—vote for START," he said, referring to a nuclear-arms treaty President Barack Obama wants the Senate to ratify. "Every administration is going to use this power, and they'd be crazy not to."
See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703531504575625063777984150.html
3) Democrats to hold votes on middle class tax cuts
WASHINGTON – After meeting with President Barack Obama Thursday, Democratic leaders in Congress said they plan to hold a series of politically charged votes to extend middle-class tax cuts while letting tax cuts for the wealthy expire.
Republicans are expected to block the plan, leaving both sides back at square one as they try to negotiate a deal to spare families at every income level from a big tax increase in January.
Democratic officials said Obama did not embrace a particular approach to the tax cuts in his Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders. He indicated he wanted to wait for a meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders on Nov. 30 before staking out a position.
"I think there's a reality here which is that while it might be best to continue the middle-class tax cuts and raise taxes on higher income people, the votes are not there to do that," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who caucuses with the Democrats. "I think everybody's got to deal with a stark reality which is, are we going to leave here knowing that we haven't come to an agreement and that everybody's taxes are going to go up Jan. 1?"
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he would like to schedule competing votes on the Senate floor. One would be on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's bill to make all the tax cuts permanent; the other would be on a Democratic plan to extend only the middle class tax cuts. Neither is expected to pass.
If all the "tax “cuts"” (which are not “"cuts"” at all; they are the absence of RAISING taxes) do not go through, the economy will be further crippled.
See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101119/ap_on_bi_ge/us_tax_cuts_democrats
4) Acquittal on Most Charges Stirs Debate About Terror Trials in Civilian Courts
NEW YORK—A jury convicted a former Guantanamo detainee of one count of conspiracy in the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, but acquitted him of more than 280 other counts in a case widely seen as a test of the Obama administration's effort to try terror suspects in civilian courts.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, 36, of Tanzania, was the first former detainee of the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to be tried in a U.S civilian court. He faces 20 years to life in prison.
Mr. Ghailani's acquittal of the vast majority of charges could boost the arguments of those who maintain that military tribunals, and not civilian courts, are the proper venues for major terrorist trials. It also bolsters the view from others who say the security fears that surrounded the decision to try Mr. Ghailani in lower Manhattan were overblown.
The verdict, delivered Wednesday by an anonymous jury of six women and six men, is "a blow to both sides of the debate; neither side comes away with a clean argument for its case," said Robert Chesney, a University of Texas law professor and who served on a Obama Justice Department detainee task force. On one hand, he said, the government can claim some victory with one guilty count, but opponents of civilian trials can't ignore that Mr. Ghailani will likely get a tough sentence.
Mr. Ghailani, who was imprisoned Guantanamo from 2006 to 2009, was charged in connection with two deadly truck bombings outside U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 people and injured thousands more.
See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704648604575621144046448352.html
5) George Soros Tells Progressive Donors Obama Might Not Be The Best Investment
WASHINGTON -- At a private meeting on Tuesday afternoon, George Soros, a longtime supporter of progressive causes, voiced blunt criticism of the Obama administration, going so far as to suggest that Democratic donors direct their support somewhere other than the president.
The Hungarian-American financier was speaking to a small side gathering of donors who had convened in Washington D.C. for the annual gathering of the Democracy Alliance -- a formal community of well-funded, progressive-minded individuals and activists.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of his remarks, Soros told those in attendance that he is "used to fighting losing battles but doesn't like to lose without fighting."
"We have just lost this election, we need to draw a line," he said, according to several Democratic sources. "And if this president can't do what we need, it is time to start looking somewhere else."
See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/george-soros-obama_n_785022.html
6) The 19 Senators Who Voted To Censor The Internet
from the free-speech-isn't-free dept
This is hardly a surprise but, this morning (as previously announced), the lame duck Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to move forward with censoring the internet via the COICA bill -- despite a bunch of law professors explaining to them how this law is a clear violation of the First Amendment. What's really amazing is that many of the same Senators have been speaking out against internet censorship in other countries, yet they happily vote to approve it here because it's seen as a way to make many of their largest campaign contributors happy. There's very little chance that the bill will actually get passed by the end of the term but, in the meantime, we figured it might be useful to highlight the 19 Senators who voted to censor the internet this morning:
Patrick J. Leahy -- Vermont
Herb Kohl -- Wisconsin
Jeff Sessions -- Alabama
Dianne Feinstein -- California
Orrin G. Hatch -- Utah
Russ Feingold -- Wisconsin
Chuck Grassley -- Iowa
Arlen Specter -- Pennsylvania
Jon Kyl -- Arizona
Chuck Schumer -- New York
Lindsey Graham -- South Carolina
Dick Durbin -- Illinois
John Cornyn -- Texas
Benjamin L. Cardin -- Maryland
Tom Coburn -- Oklahoma
Sheldon Whitehouse -- Rhode Island
Amy Klobuchar -- Minnesota
Al Franken -- Minnesota
Chris Coons -- Delaware
7) China grabs a chunk of GM (at US taxpayer expense)
Should you be worried?
BOSTON — Tucked away in the euphoria over General Motors’ stock offering is the news that the Chinese government is now one of the company’s largest shareholders, with a stake valued at about $500 million.
Ironically — some would say tragically — as Beijing snaps up GM shares, U.S. taxpayers will lose some $4.5 billion on the stock offering, about 25 cents for every dollar of stock sold. This effectively means that American taxpayers are subsidizing China’s purchase to the tune of some $125 million.
In the United States, the taxpayer loss and subsidy to China have barely raised heckles.
The American people generally believe that a company like GM shouldn’t be held by the government, and the administration of President Barack Obama decided that $4.5 billion was an acceptable loss to bear to return it to private business.
Of course, the Chinese adhere to no such ideological constraints. On the contrary, China’s Communist Party runs many of the country’s businesses. Not only that, they pick winners in the marketplace and take the long view, focusing for many years on turning them into national champs.
So should Americans be concerned about Chinese ownership of an American company like GM? For now, given that the stake is relatively small, it’s difficult to foresee any significant risk.
See: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china/101118/china-GM-magnets
8) Chinese Firm 'Hijacked' Data
A state-owned Chinese telecom firm "hijacked" massive volumes of Internet traffic earlier this year by redirecting it unnecessarily through servers in China, a congressionally appointed panel said Wednesday.
During an 18-minute stretch on April 8, China Telecom rerouted traffic sent to about 15% of the Internet's destinations, including branches of the U.S. armed services, the U.S. Senate and companies like Microsoft Corp., the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its annual report.
The commission, set up by Congress a decade ago to examine the security implications of growing economic ties with China, said it couldn't determine whether the misdirection was malicious or how the messages might have been used. But it said the incident appeared to be part of a broader pattern of computer and Internet exploitation, possibly sponsored by the Chinese government.
"Persistent reports of that nation's use of malicious computer activities raise questions about whether China might seek intentionally...to assert some level of control over the Internet, even for a brief period," the report said.
…In the incident on April 8, China Telecom sent erroneous messages that led servers around the world to route traffic through the country, the commission said. The tactic could be used to spy on specific users, disrupt communications or conceal a separate attack, the commission said.
See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704648604575621071689674364.html
9) Senator’s Shock Fantasy: FCC Tells Fox News & MSNBC ‘Out …Off… End …Goodbye.’
Sen. Rockefeller’s shared some thoughts that were not in his prepared remarks today. The West Virginia Democrat gave a mini-lecture on communications and journalism during a Senate hearing on retransmission consent:
Mr. Rockefeller spoke broadly about the ways he believes television is ailing, and in doing so he singled out the “endless barking” of cable news.
He said: “There’s a little bug inside of me which wants to get the F.C.C. to say to Fox and to MSNBC, ‘Out. Off. End. Goodbye.’ It would be a big favor to political discourse; to our ability to do our work here in Congress; and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and, more importantly, in their future.”
There is little the Federal Communications Commission can say about Fox News or MSNBC since the channels are on cable, not delivered over the broadcast airwaves.
Apparently Senator Rockefeller didn’'t know that….
9a) More on this…Sen. Rockefeller: FCC should shut down Fox News and MSNBC
You see, Rockefeller says he hungers for quality news and believes that the FCC should play a part in facilitating that end. He believes that without the extremes of Fox News and MSNBC, the American people would have more faith in their government, would have better political discourse, and that it would help legislators do their work. Yeah right, Fox News is the reason why the American people don’t have faith in their government (emphasis mine).
What Rockefeller really wants is news that doesn’t hold him and his legislative buddies accountable. He doesn’t want news that would appropriately vet, say, President Obama, and uncover what he really believes and how it’s the complete opposite of what the majority of Americans believe. What he wants is a propaganda machine, which is why for the life of me I can’t figure out why he wants MSNBC taken off the air. Anyway, what this is really about is not what the American people want, but rather what he wants – freedom of speech and the Constitution be damned.
The bigger point here is the size of government. This is a prime example of why we must limit the size of government so as to maximize the freedom of the individual. Milton Friedman points out that every person works for their own self interest and the bigger the government, the better chance that a legislator’s self interest will conflict with yours. And when they conflict, we all know who wins that battle (i.e. Obamacare).
See: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/11/18/sen-rockefeller-fcc-should-shut-down-fox-news-and-msnbc/
10) Voting Irregularities in Alaska?
Don’t expect Joe Miller to concede anytime soon. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has declared victory, but the Miller campaign, citing the election’s close margin (among uncontested ballots, Murkowski leads by about 2,200 votes; if you add the contested ballots in, Murkowski has a lead of about 10,000 votes in an election where 255,000 votes were cast), is considering asking for a recount and examining precinct logs today and possibly tomorrow as well to see if any voting irregularities occurred.
The Miller campaign has posted on their site three affidavits from voters concerned that irregular activity occurred at their polling places. One says that, although he was the tenth voter at his location, he saw a ballot box stuffed with “hundreds” of ballots. Another claims that the 15 write-in ballots she reviewed had Sen. Lisa Murkowski written in in what looked like similar enough handwriting that it could be from the same person.
“Our campaign has sworn affidavits identifying unsecured ballot boxes, other precincts where numerous ballots appear to be in the same handwriting, others where there is 100 percent voter turnout and still other precincts where the ballots were sent to the Division of Elections presorted by U.S. Senate candidate,” said Miller spokesman Randy DeSoto in a statement. “These and other irregularities give our campaign pause. Alaskans must be able to trust the results of its elections.”
See: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/253582/voting-irregularities-alaska-katrina-trinko#
11) Rangel found guilty on 11 ethics charges; expulsion unlikely
Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), who was until his recent troubles one of the House's most powerful members, was found guilty Tuesday of breaking 11 separate congressional rules related to his personal finances and his fundraising efforts for a New York college.
The eight-lawmaker subcommittee that handled the trial - and reached a unanimous verdict on 10 of the counts - will now send the case to the full ethics committee for the equivalent of sentencing. Potential punishments include a formal reprimand or censure, with either of those needing to be ratified by a vote on the House floor. Expulsion is another possible penalty but is considered highly unlikely.
…Those charges pointed to a collection of infractions related to four central elements of the case: that Rangel improperly used his congressional staff and official letterhead to raise seven-figure donations from corporate charities and chief executives for a college wing named in his honor; violated New York City rules by housing his political committees in his rent-controlled apartments in Harlem; did not pay taxes on a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic; and did not properly disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal financial assets.
This occurred while he served as the ranking Democrat or chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which has oversight of tax issues. He resigned as committee chairman in the spring when he was found guilty of a more minor infraction related to accepting corporate-financed travel.
See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/16/AR2010111606155.html
12) Senate targets fresh veggies
Will farmers still be permitted to sell food directly to public?
WASHINGTON – A controversial bill that would expand the power of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the American food supply is scheduled for a procedural vote in the lame-duck Senate tomorrow.
Natural-food growers fear the bill will threaten "the public's right to grow, trade and transport any foods," according to naturalnews.com. "It would grant [Big Brother] the power to arrest and imprison people selling cucumbers at farmer's markets."
S. 510, the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010," is currently being "held" by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, R.-Okla. A "hold," or threat to filibuster, prevents consideration of a bill by the full Senate. If 60 senators vote for cloture, they would break the hold and allow the Senate to begin debate on the merits of the bill itself.
See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=229229
13) Gap, Wal-Mart Clothing Costs Rise on ‘Terrifying’ Cotton Prices
Gap Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and other U.S. retailers may have to pay Chinese suppliers as much as 30 percent more for clothes as surging cotton prices boost costs.
“It’s a little terrifying to deal with cotton suppliers now,” said Vicky Wu, a sales manager at Suzhou Unitedtex Enterprise Ltd., a closely held, Jiangsu province-based clothes maker that counts Gap and J.C. Penney among its clients.
Cotton futures in China have surged more than 70 percent this year and were at a record earlier as the global economy emerged from recession, allowing people to spend more on clothes. Production of the fiber in China, the world’s biggest user and importer, is forecast to lag behind demand for a 12th year, cutting its stockpile to the smallest since 1995, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
14) Sen. Barbara Boxer Likens U.S. to Iran, North Korea and Pakistan Because U.S. Bans Homosexuals From Military
(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) today likened the United States of America to Iran, North Korea and Pakistan because those nations also do not allow homosexuals in their militaries.
Boxer likened the U.S.A. to the Communist regime in North Korea, the Islamic regime in Iran and the Pakistani government at a press conference in which she called for repealing the ban on homosexuals in the military during the lameduck session of Congress, which is taking place now before the new members elected on Nov. 2 can arrive in Washington, D.C. and replace the members who are retiring or who were defeated.
“We now stand with this rule with countries like Iran, North Korea and Pakistan in banning gays and lesbians from military service,” said Boxer. “Our brave young men and women fight alongside allies like Australia, the United Kingdom and others who allow gays and lesbians to serve openly. Let’s not stand with Pakistan and with North Korea and Iran.”
Isaiah 5:20: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
See: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/sen-boxer-compares-us-iran-north-korea-a
15) Wow! HUNDREDS OF RIDERS WITH US FLAGS Escort Cody Alicea to School Today (Video)
Hundreds of American Legion Riders and fellow patriots escorted Cody Alicea to Denair Middle School this morning. They all had American Flags on their bikes.
Remember, this was the boy who was told by his school to remove his American flag from his bicycle because he was causing “racial tension”.
See: http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2010/11/wow-hundreds-of-riders-with-us-flags-escort-cody-alicea-to-school-today-video/
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