Irene's Weblog

This is the full text of my article from The Daily Censored. Feel free to check out all the other stories at The Daily Censored as well.

Tennessee has become the first American state to use the TSA statewide, with officers placed in airports, bus stations, weigh stations and on the highways. Using Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR), the TSA is traveling across the state monitoring the highways and weigh stations.

“Where is a terrorist more apt to be found? Not these days on an airplane more likely on the interstate,” said Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons.

I don’t know where a terrorist is likely to be found because, in the entire history of the TSA, they have yet to find a terrorist.

Tuesday Tennessee was first to deploy VIPR simultaneously at five weigh stations and two bus stations across the state.

Agents are recruiting truck drivers, like Rudy Gonzales, into the First Observer Highway Security Program to say something if they see something.

“Not only truck drivers, but cars, everybody should be aware of what’s going on, on the road,” said Gonzales.
It’s all meant to urge every driver to call authorities if they see something suspicious.

That’s right folks. If you see something, say something and be a good little stasi, citizen.

The random inspections really aren’t any more thorough than normal, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Tracy Trott who says paying attention to details can make a difference. Trott pointed out it was an Oklahoma state trooper who stopped Timothy McVeigh for not having a license plate after the Oklahoma City bombing in the early 1990s.

If the inspections aren’t any more thorough than normal then what is their purpose? The fact is that, by its very existence it is more than normal. We also must point out there are many more people who say extremely suspicious behavior in and around Oklahoma City that day who were ignored. McVeigh was caught simply because he plate fell off after he got onto the highway. The trained police officer didn’t have any clue who McVeigh was or what he had done. He just thought some jerk was driving without a license plate and got extremely lucky.

At what point do people finally get angry enough to tell the TSA to go away? Why are people willingly accepting these intrusive, and possibly illegal, “security” measures into our lives? When will we all have to start carrying our papers with us?

And what the hell happened to “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Deprivation of rights, fear mongering, criminalizing normal behavior, making every American afraid of everyone and everything is not the country I grew up in. It is not the country of freedoms, it is the country of tyranny.

Nothing is going to change without a major revolution and the American people don’t seem prepared to take that step. Those in power won’t step aside until this happens. They will push the fear of terrorism as far as they can.

I have written to my representatives in Washington, including the president. I have told everyone I can possibly think of that they need to act as well. I am constantly confronted with laughs when I say we are sliding down the road to a police state. What more can I, as an individual, do when all my friends, family, and neighbors scoff and say I’m being paranoid and it’s nothing to worry about?

NOTE: If the video ever goes down, it’s on YouTube as well.

When people hear New York, they think you mean New York City. When they say New York City, they are thinking of Manhattan, and when they say Manhattan, they really mean Midtown.  With that in mind, this is every conversation I’ve ever had with people when I say that I’m from New York State. People who live in New York State have their own variation in this conversation to relate to.

Them: Where are you from?
Me: New York.
Them: Oh I’ve never been to New York City!
Me: I didn’t say New York City. I said I was from New York. The State.
Them: Oh, what’s the difference?
Me: Ugh!

I grew up in Middletown, New York. It’s in the Hudson Valley on the Western side of the Hudson River. Middletown is 67 miles from Manhattan, which is part of New York City. Here’s a map for you to look at.

Middletown is also in Orange County. That’s in New York. It’s not that piece of shit county in California. It is also home to the Orange County Choppers. Fuck California for trying to take over our place name with a bunch of douche bags.

Unfortunately, the map below is how everyone else in the world sees New York State. Yes, I know the person who made it spelled non-existent wrong.

Also, for all you folks that don’t know how to pronounce words correctly, stop saying the name of New York’s capital wrong. Albany pronounced all-bin-y or awl-bin-y. Say it correctly and know where it is.

You want to know how big New York State is?

The Adirondack Park is larger than any of the seven smallest states in the United States: Hawaii, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. It would take these five national parks added together to equal the size of the Adirondack Park: Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Everglades, and Great Smoky National Parks.

New York State is actually quite beautiful. If you’ve looked around my website, you’ve seen photos that I’ve taken around the state. So, at least for the sake of my sanity, don’t ever assume again that, when someone says they are from New York, that they are from New York City. You’re just going to make them want to stab and/or shoot you.

This is the full text of my article from The Daily Censored. Feel free to check out all the other stories at The Daily Censored as well.

The US has begun warning airlines of the possibility of bombs that are implanted inside the human body that can be used at airports and to blow up planes. Such things have been joked about for several years on the internet, but the US now says that it might happen. At the moment, they don’t have any credible sources, just some tips and innuendo. So, should we be worried about body bombs or not?

The department of homeland security has sent a bulletin to airline executives saying it has identified a potential threat from terrorists who could “surgically implant explosives or explosive components in humans”.

“As a precaution, passengers flying from international locations to US destinations may notice additional security measures.”

Experts say the explosives could be implanted in abdomens, buttocks and breasts allowing suicide bombers to pass undetected through airport body scanners. Explosive compounds such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) could be implanted, then the person’s wounds allowed to heal, making the material difficult to detect. On board the plane, the material could be detonated by injection.

Are you scared yet? That’s just what the government wants you to be. Terrified. So afraid that you do whatever the government and the TSA at the airport tells you to do.

US officials have been on high alert for terror attacks since US forces killed al-Qaida’s leader, Osama bin Laden in May. They say there is no intelligence about a plot, but US and international carriers are being urged to consider the threat.

So, there isn’t really anything to worry about. This is just one of those “what if” scenarios that the government is thinking about but doesn’t have an credible information about. They just want to force airlines overseas and other countries to beef up security and terrorize people into thinking there is a problem.

The real problem is that many major news outlets are jumping on board to such news and reporting it as if there was a current, serious threat to the airways. The Wall Street Journal’s article details that this is all just wishful thinking at the moment, furthering the fact that it appears the government just wants beefed up security overseas.

The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t warned of a specific plot, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. But the specter of militants carrying bombs within them—perhaps stitched into the abdomen, breasts or buttocks—is prompting additional security measures at U.S. airports and overseas airports serving U.S. destinations, the Transportation Security Administration said in a written release.

Mr. Carney said militants had repeatedly expressed interest in experimenting with new techniques to conceal explosives.

This is propaganda. This is not an imminent threat. It’s not even a potential threat at the moment, yet many newspapers are picking up the story and spreading it as if the next plane to take off is going to be blown up by someone with a body bomb. The truth is, no matter where you go in life, you will never be 100% safe. The only thing the government has done in spreading this story is giving potential terrorists and idea to play with now. Thanks TSA, DHS, and the US government.

While this guy has the right to spew forth whatever homophobic and misogynistic crap he wants, he put a lot of people in danger. He was jamming up transmissions for everyone else.

This is the full text of my article from The Daily Censored. Feel free to check out all the other stories at The Daily Censored as well.

The DHS, TSA, and CBP want to improve its tarnished image. After the criticism that has befallen the TSA since last fall when they mass-introduced full body scanners, it’s no surprise that they are now universally hated. The problem, however, is that the TSA can never improve their image as long as they continue to introduce draconian security measures followed by even more extreme responses when people object to being treated as manhandled cattle.

Last week, just after the DHS announced their desire to be more liked and understood, the world became privy to a video of a 6-year old girl enduring the TSA’s enhanced pat down. The enhanced pat down is very similar to sexual assault. This little girl broke down in tears once it was all over. How can the TSA even begin to justify this as something normal?

Men and women have complained numerous times that they feel sexually assaulted by the TSA procedures. The have expressed concerns that it is a form of retaliation from the TSA when they choose to opt out of the full body scanners.

The enhanced pat down consists of what you would expect of a pat down, but it goes much further. The TSA agent will feel inside your pants, down your underwear, squeeze your breasts, touch and move your testicles and feel around your labia. Women have also reported that TSA agents have even felt inside their vagina during and enhanced pat down.

There are also accounts of people reporting that TSA agents rarely change their gloves, leading to major health concerns. When passengers do request TSA officers to change their gloves, they are subjected to increased harassment from the officers. It should be obvious that, if a TSA officer comes in contact with a passenger that has an STD, it could easily be passed on to the next passenger if proper health and safety measures aren’t followed.

Congress is now beginning to call for investigations into the TSA’s methods. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, said that he is mortified that his grandchildren might have to undergo an enhanced pat down. He is now pushing for legislation to change how the TSA operates.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday he would be ticked off if one of his grandchildren got the kind of pat-down search a 6-year-old girl was subjected to earlier this month at an airport security checkpoint in New Orleans.

“I have nine grandchildren and I wouldn’t want my granddaughter treated like that,” LaHood said

Mr. LaHood might also remember that the TSA vowed in 2006 to never have pat downs for children. Since the TSA is run on policies and not laws or regulations, it’s free to change them whenever they wish, no matter how illogical and ill conceived they are.

When the TSA tells passengers that the full body scanners are safe, yet airline crews do not need to use them and reports state that the radiation levels are higher than reported, it is difficult to believe the TSA. Everything they do is security theater. It is frustrating and unnecessary. The full body scanners would not have prevented any threats. They also don’t appear capable of stopping weapons from passing beyond the security checkpoints.

If the TSA is sincere about improving their image, they need to immediately begin rolling back some of their more draconian practices. A first step would be to no longer treat passengers like criminals, particularly when they are vocal about TSA policies. Just because a person exercises their right to say they disagree with the policies, doesn’t mean they should be singled out for extra security measures or be considered terrorists. They also need to stop sexually assaulting passengers during enhanced pat downs and discontinue harassment of passengers who decide to opt out of the full body scanners.

We already have reinforced cockpit doors and the pilots are armed. We know that passengers will fight back. There is no need for the enhanced pat downs and full body scanners other than to provide a visual appearance of security theater. The TSA and DHS need to stop giving their standard answer of “we followed procedure and everything is fine,” when it clearly isn’t. They need to admit their mistakes, roll back many of the changes introduced in the past few years, and put real reform into place.

The TSA needs to admit that they don’t need to keep the skies safe from kleenex smugglers and should look closer at the suspected criminals and child pornographers within their midsts.

These few steps would go a long way in redeeming a modicum of respect back to the TSA. Until we return to sensible screening measures, don’t expect people to stop calling attention to the abuses of the TSA and be prepared for even fewer passengers than before.

In the mean time, take action to let the TSA know why you won’t fly and why you will continue to fight for your 4^th amendment rights. Write to Rep. Jon Mica and let him know that you agree the TSA should be abolished. Send letters to your representatives in Washington informing them that they need to take action as well or you won’t be voting for them in the next election.