I disagree. 

Think about it.  If you are a terrorist involved in a plot to blow up an airplane or hijack it for use as a weapon, you are not alone.  You have backers, many backers, who have dedicated their lives to reigning terror on America.  These terrorist cells are located world-wide and are funneling money in on a daily basis.  And with that sophisticated network comes funding and other resources that are virtually unlimited.

Right now, any passenger that is randomly selected to undergo a full body scan can “opt-out” and be passed off to a “police-style” pat down.  If the passenger does not want to undergo the pat down, they can choose to leave the airport, and perhaps pay a hefty fine.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out a way for terrorists to combat the TSA’s strategy.  It’s simple really.  Opt-out of the scanning and pat-down, leave unnoticed, and pass the plot off to the next terrorist until someone gets through.  The fine is a drop in the bucket with millions and possibly billions in the terrorist’s kitty.  This is a no-brainer.

Who does that deter?  Terrorist organizations with millions in the wind, or grandma with a fixed budget?

There is a bright side though.  The full body scanners are not completely useless.  They will still pick up juniors Boy Scout knife that Grandpa gave him for earning his Weblo badge that he “forgot” to tell dad he was taking. Maybe even the diabetic insulin needle that wasn’t put in the tray.  And, if we are lucky, Grandma’s plastic knitting tool tucked safely away in the side pocket of her dress. But plastic explosives and non-metallic weapons with the intent to do harm on the plane will simply walk right out the door unnoticed to be used on another day.

Bravo!  Here’s to government making good use of your tax dollars and loss of rights.

If this plan could guarantee the safety of our airways and show proof that it would save lives, I might just agree with TSA’s strategy.  However, the reality of the situation is that it doesn’t.

Do we need to continue to improve our airport security?  You betcha!  But a plan that costs millions, infringes on people’s rights, and has glaring holes that a child can see through is not the answer.

It does, however, lead to other questions that remind me of ”Pandora’s Box.”  What other forms of mass public gatherings will eventually have to endure full body scanning and/or public pat-downs?  Will the slippery slope stop at airports?  What about high rise buildings, football stadiums or Times Square?  While our government is focusing on airports with highly flawed plans that are wasting your tax-dollars, the terrorists are probably miles ahead of them focusing on areas our government is not focusing on.  That’s how 9/11 happened in the first place.  Right?

In other words, they might just be playing into the terrorists hands. 

Ask yourself this question.  Are you willing to bet your tax-dollars, privacy and other freedoms they aren’t?

_____________________________________________________

Other articles of interest:

Who is Barak Obama

Democrats are losing women

At least six GOP senators on the fence about the DREAM Act

Lawrence O’Donnell: Sarah Palin is ruining the English language

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Birthplace of Independent Conservatism
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

The debt ceiling/deficit reduction debate/crises is concluded. The result? Our nation avoided defaulting on its obligations. A good thing. That and the Congress

Need we say more about the liberal mind set on the United States and it’s citizens.  This is what Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) stated in a radio interview on the Don Wade and Roma show on WLS 890 AM this morning.

Radio Host: So Jan Schakowsky, out of every dollar that I earn, how much do you think I deserve to keep?

Schakowsky: What is really your question here? Do you think you should not contribute to firefighters?

Radio Host: No, no, it’s a very simple question. Out of every dollar I earn, how much do you, Jan Schakowsky, think I deserve to keep?

Schakowsky:  I’ll put it this way. You don’t deserve to keep all of it and it’s not a question of deserving because what government is, is those things that we decide to do together. And there are many things that we decide to do together like have our national security. Like have police and fire. What about the people that work at the National Institute of Health who are looking for a cure for cancer.

Radio Host: Okay, so let me ask you again.  Out of every dollar I earn, how much do you think I deserve to keep?

Schakowsky: I am not going to give you a percentage.  I don’t know how what your income is.

Radio Host:  What does my income have to do with it.

Schakowksy:  I think you need to pay your fair share.  In order to do the things that we’ve decided are national priorities.

 

This is it folks.  This is how liberals view the people in this nation.  To them, “you don’t deserve to keep” the money that you worked hard for.  Of course most everyone understands that some taxes need to be paid to cover services provided by the government, but to what extent?  Liberals want to take your money because “you don’t deserve” to keep it and conservatives believe that you DO deserve to keep it and that the government doesn’t have the right to take more and more of it.  You can go to the WLS 890 AM website and listen to the whole interview.

I am happy that my first post to PIN in a long time is to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending what this wonderful country stands for.  From the time when the seeds of America where first planted and the idea that freedom and liberty where deserved by all, there have been those willing to die in defense of it.  As a country, we need to make sure that we do not forget the price paid by these wonderful men and women and their families.  These were the words of Ronald Reagan on Memorial Day in 1983:

Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past, and renew our commitment to the future of America.

Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.

I don’t have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.

This Memorial Day of 1983, we honor those brave Americans who died in the service of their country. I think an ancient scholar put it well when he wrote: “Let us now praise famous men . . . All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.” As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world.

Lets make sure this weekend as we barbecue, gather with friends and enjoy the extra day off, to remember those who made it possible.  As I wrote in a post a while ago titled “These Colors Never Run”, these American patriots proved that.  We must now honor their legacy and sacrifice by understanding that freedom is not free, evil does exist and the fight changes, but always continues.

The picture to your right represents businessmen {forgive me ladies I couldn’t find a picture with businesswomen in my limited time}working together in teamwork to find resolution to business problems that effect them all. As well as those who work for and depend on them making the right decisions for the business. The business that pays all their salaries and upon which all their livelihoods depend.

Teamwork. Concept seems simple enough to me. I am sure it does to you as well. Hm.

If the above paragraph(s) make any sense at all then does it not make sense that teamwork in government might make sense as well? Just asking because I sure as hell haven’t found the answer to that question on conservative blogs {even my own}, conservative news sites, liberal blogs {including Truth 101}, liberal news sites or anywhere else for that matter.

I find myself wondering why. Cant’t help it. There is certainly a wealth of intelligent fiscal conservatives, Libertarian, modern  liberals, classical liberals, social conservatives etc. and yet we find our nation in the most divisive state since perhaps the mid 1800′s.

I just recently felt a strong need to take a hiatus. Still do. But as I spent the time bouncing from site to site, including conservative, Libertarian, and liberal I began to realize that each and every one of them really want what is best for America.

Having thought the above I had to ask myself just what is it that I feel is best for America. After going through the list of my fiscally conservative, moderate  Libertarian, and classical liberal beliefs  I realized it is the need for the proponents of all the varying belief systems, and political  principles to talk with each other rather than at each other.

It is time for all special interests to put American interests first. It is time that labor unions recognize business is their life blood. It is time that corporations recognize that labor is the engine that drives their success. It is time that corporations, labor, and government actually acknowledge this nation is indeed standing on the precipice. It is time for solutions. Time for American solutions to the unique problems that are America’s.

A I stand prepared to be criticized by both the hard right as well as the hard left I stand ready. As an independent conservative, the owner of  the site that is the Birthplace of Independent Conservatism, I know that America has a population that indeed loves their country, its Constitution, and its way of life. Which for all you far left leaning dudes and dudettes is pretty damn good!

Now, as I prepare to once again return to my well earned, if I may say so myself, hiatus, I shall leave my thoughts for your consideration. I assure my brethren of the fiscal conservative right, and my brethren of the moderate Libertarian center, and my brethren of the Classical Liberal left, I have not, and will not forgo weighing in on all issues of state and national importance based on how I view them from my unique perspective. I simply have grown to realize that no political or philosophical premise can stand only on its own beliefs. We are a diverse nation of ideas. We always have been.

Is that not how our founders saw it? It is not correct ? I leave it to you to decide.

Cross posted to Rational Nation USA, Left Coast Rebel,

I just love the new phrase that Obama has sold to the faithful, and that includes the lame stream liberal media. Spending, and trillion dollar deficits have been assigned the new official term of investments.

Lets get one thing straight…. Obama coined the phrase “investments”, which is nothing more than a slick snake oil salesman’s attempt to confuse the American people and gain support for a huge domestic social spending agenda. That and to insure his pre-determined socialist plan to slip his destructive socialist agenda by the American people and force his spendthrift deficit spending through a willing Congress before anyone noticed. If spending becomes an investment in America’s “future” how can lots and lots of it be a bad thing? You may want to refer to Keynesian economic theory for a answer to that one. Then ou will undoubtedly want to check ut Hayek’s more rational economic theory.

Spending is necessary to operate the government. No country can remain a viable state without spending on infrastructure, defense, or the the nation’s legal system etc. But the idea that it is the federal governments responsibility to take care of the social issues, social concern, or social welfare of 50 sovereign states is ludicrous. Consider also that billions of American dollars are going out in foreign aid to nations that hate America, all in the name of compassion and under the umbrella of altruism.

This misguided altruistic belief, combined with the fervor to feed the Military Industrial Complex is bankrupting America. When one adds to the this fact that government and Corporate America are in fact willing partners in the demise of true capitalism in the pursuit of crony capitalism and corporatism it should be resoundingly clear the American people is the pooch and we are being collectively screwed.

For no other reasons than the above do I welcome the the TEA Parties influence in cutting the federal budget by 100 billion dollars. Waste is abundant in the feral government and we need rabid watchdogs to keep spending{not real investments}under strict control.

I have said my piece. Now check out the following excerpt from THE HILL.

“This evening, on behalf of House Republicans, Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers introduced a Continuing Resolution that will reduce spending by at least $100 billion in the next 7 months – a historic effort to get our fiscal house in order and restore certainty to the economy,” Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said in a statement.


“At a time when unemployment is too high and economic growth is elusive in part because of the uncertainty created by our skyrocketing debt, this legislation will mark the largest spending cut in modern history and will help restore confidence so that people can get back to work. These are not easy cuts, but we are finally doing what every other American has to do in their households and their businesses, and that’s to begin a path of living within our means,” he said.

All this independent conservative can say is, RIGHT ON! It is indeed time Congress begin to act responsibly and with fiscal restraint. This statement applies to oth sies of the political aisle and political ideology.

What is missing in the 100 billion dollar cuts are cuts to military {defense} spending. Rather, the proposal is for increasing defense 2% over last years expenditures and make ABSOLUTLY n sense.

If we are to again  to become a fiscally responsible nation all expenditures must be put on the chopping block. The pain must be felt all around the budget table. We either act responsibly across the board or we become another Greece or Portugal.

The choice still rests with the American people. Don’t squander it on the likes of  the Obama vision. His vision is nothing more than that of a charlatan.

The full HILL article.

Cross posted to Rational Nation USA and the Left Coast Rebel
Via: Memeorandum

Freedom and liberty….  the principle that no single entity, or government has the right to subvert the rights of any individual through force, or enslave them to the whims, dictates, or desires of another entity, whatever that entity may be.

Freedom and liberty are the inalienable rights of all men and women who inhabit this earth. No one has the right to subjugate another to their beliefs, be they religious, secular, or for any other reason or purpose.

The right of the individual to their life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness {reference the Declaration of Independence}, as determined by their abilities and their effort, should be denied to no one. The freedom of opportunity is a right that was realized, at least for some, in all its fullness in America following the American Revolution.

Principles and ideals that were borne of the Enlightenment and The Age of Reason became the rallying cry for American Independence. The desire to be free of burdensome taxation without representation, and  the demand for a representative voice in the affairs that affected the colonists lives became the the lightening rod that sparked the American revolution. For 234 years the world has stood witness to the power of liberty and freedom such as enjoyed by the citizens of the United states of America.

The principles that insured these inalienable rights {life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness}were, for a time, and for purely political and economic reasons denied to many for far to long in the very nation that became the champion of individual rights, liberties, and freedom. It is to this nations ever lasting national shame that it took until 1865 to right the wrongs of human bondage on our shores.

Having said the above, I will remain forever in agreement with the philosophical principals of our founding fathers. The principles they wrote so eloquently about, and fought so valiantly to obtain for themselves, are proper principles that hold true for all of humanity. In short they are timeless principles that natural rights and subsequently natural law bestows on all individuals regardless of religious views, ethnicity, race, nationality, or any other possible consideration.

You may ask, perhaps rightfully so, what the purpose for this post is. To that question there are many answers. All can be easily identified if one contemplates the true meaning of freedom and liberty. By this I mean in its truest and most pure for

However, in an attempt to answer the above question {perhaps more so for myself than my readership}, here is the quick answer.

It is my fervent desire (and indeed my hope) that the TEA Part movement will hold true to the ideals of our founding principals and through their efforts facilitate a more fiscally responsible government. It is also my hope and desire the TEA Party will attack the crony capitalism and corporatism that is indeed destroying the American Dream and allowing our international competitors {and adversaries} to bleed us to death, while enriching there own nation at the expense of our people and our nation.

Given the events in Egypt, and the possibly, indeed the likilihood of a strong emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood {see prior post and links on Rational Nation USA} it remains my hope that President Mubarak, the despotic leader he was, is not replaced by an even more repressive regime in the form of an Islamic Theocratic Dictatorship based on Sharia Law that does not recognize human rights in general and the rights of women specifically.

The world is a dangerous place. It is my sincere desire, hope, and driving purpose to see freedom and liberty survive in the United States of America. It is equally my hope the seeds of democracy and true freedom and liberty are planted and take hold in Egypt. For if this happens perhaps the rest of the Middle East may come to recognize freedom and individual liberties.

Cross posted to the Left Coast Rebel, Democracy Central