Progressives or liberals typically abhor corporate welfare. They have gone after the Bush Administration for violating the rule of law when detaining, interrogating and imprisoning terror suspects. And, they have fought against warrantless wiretapping and other actions sanctioned by the PATRIOT Act and its expansions.
There should be no hesitation. The Democratic Party could
repair their image here and gain the support of a number of outraged Americans
by taking on the TSA and choosing to support a movement toward a less invasive
and more intelligence-based set of security procedures for airports. But, what
they will or won't do is of no consequence: Americans should consider it their
obligation to stand up against what government is doing to Americans in
airports.
Both Roberts and Whitehead (as I will show later when I publish both their interviews in full) think the private sector is the answer to the problem. The government monopoly on security should be broken. Left-leaning Americans might not like the idea of corporations running security anymore than having DHS handle it and choose to be reluctant and not make common cause with libertarians or conservatives opposing the TSA.
My suggestion is that citizens not let a fear of what might happen after they get airport security to stop violating Fourth Amendment rights get in the way of cooperating and organizing with people they might not normally cooperate or organize with. This is a grand transpartisan opportunity for progressives to gain some credibility and, because two political ideologies often pitted against each other can clearly admit this is wrong, achieve a key victory for citizens over corporate influence in government.
Let's slay the beast before we worry about what to do in the wake of the beast's death. This is a mess and a gross violation of American civil liberties that should end now.
Opt-Out Day is on November 24th, the day before Thanksgiving. If one doesn't have to travel this holiday, don't. If one has to travel, they should refuse the scanners. When they are forced into being groped by TSA, they should remind them they do not wish to be sexually manhandled. And then, they should share their experience with other Americans by sending a description of what they went through to TSA, civil liberties groups and citizen campaigns that are keeping a close-watch on this police state expansion that has been unfolding.
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