Archive for civil liberties
Is there still a Bill of Rights?
Posted by: |Today is the 220th anniversary of the Bill of Rights being passed. Cato-at-Liberty surveys the current state of these safeguards, and it is not particularly pleasant to consider how pathetic this rogue government has become.
Let’s consider each amendment in turn.
The First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” Government officials, however, have insisted that they can gag recipients of “national security letters” and censor broadcast ads in the name of campaign finance reform.
The Second Amendment says the people have the right “to keep and bear arms.” Government officials, however, make it difficult to keep a gun in the home and make it a crime for a citizen to carry a gun for self-protection.
The Third Amendment says soldiers may not be quartered in our homes without the consent of the owners. This safeguard is one of the few that is in fine shape — so we can pause here for a laugh.
The Fourth Amendment says the people have the right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. Government officials, however, insist that they can conduct commando-style raids on our homes and treat airline travelers like prison inmates by conducting virtual strip searches.
The Fifth Amendment says that private property shall not be taken “for public use without just compensation.” Government officials, however, insist that they can use eminent domain to take away our property and give it to other private parties who covet it.
The Sixth Amendment says that in criminal prosecutions, the person accused is guaranteed a right to trial by jury. Government officials, however, insist that they can punish people who want to have a trial—“throwing the book” at those who refuse to plead guilty—which explains why 95 percent of the criminal cases never go to trial.
The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases where the controversy “shall exceed twenty dollars.” Government officials, however, insist that they can impose draconian fines on people without jury trials.
The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments. Government officials, however, insist that a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense is not cruel.
The Ninth Amendment says that the enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights should not be construed to deny or disparage others “retained by the people.” Government officials, however, insist that they will decide for themselves what rights, if any, will be retained by the people.
The Tenth Amendment says that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states, or to the people. Government officials, however, insist that they will decide for themselves what powers they possess, and have extended federal control over health care, crime, education, and other matters the Constitution reserves to the states and the people.
Thank goodness we still have Amendment #3! The Cato Institute also posted a little video as well:
Tags: Bill of Rights, civil liberties, constitution, history, rights
I posted this article at another website that I help manage, StopAustinScanners.org.
The recent meeting of the Austin Airport Advisory Commission to discuss the upcoming installation of “Advanced Imaging Technology” (AIT) at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has prompted me to revisit some of our earlier reporting about these devices. Reviewing our previously posted article, I found that, at least for the time being, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune’s news report was unavailable. It was time for some hunting…
TSA officials were scheduled for an early morning panel hearing of the House Oversight committee on March 16th – and they didn’t show up. They rescheduled for early afternoon and then testified before the committee.
The Hill reported on the subcommittee hearing that Rep. John Mica (R-FL) called the TSA’s scanners “thoroughly useless.”
"The equipment is flawed and can be subverted," House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) said. "Our staff has subverted it. (TSA Administrator) Pistole said ‘GAO is very clever.’ Well what the hell does he think a terrorist is?"
The Hill covered the hearing very well, but much more was said that they did not mention about the scanners. John Mica in particular had biting criticism for the TSA’s scanning technology. You can watch the entire hearing on Youtube (more links here).
During the 29th minute of the linked Youtube video, you can hear Rep. Mica say that the Government Accountability Office report he had commissioned described the “extensive failure rate” of the AIT systems. I tried to track down any reference to this report at the GAO’s website to no avail; apparently it is still classified.
Mica also lambasted the deployment plan for the AIT systems saying, “The initial deployment of portals [security checkpoints with AIT] was a joke,” and “Even a seventh grader could come up with a better plan.”
Even though Mica was one of the original House members to help establish the TSA, this is not his first time to take a shot at the TSA’s monstrous activities. He has repeatedly called upon the GAO to examine their policies and has routinely called attention in the media to their incompetence. In a press release issued in June of 2010, Mica said, “TSA’s failure to complete these critical risk assessments further demonstrates this bloated bureaucracy’s inability to respond effectively to the nation’s transportation security demands. Even with more than 7,000 supervisors and administrative staff across the country and over 1,000 more in Washington, GAO confirms they can’t seem to get it right.” A month before Mica called for a complete reorganization of the TSA once again (even though they went through five administrations in the previous five years).
Here are some of the links to GAO reports that ought to disturb you to no end. All were either commissioned by Mica or recommended by Mica in the March 16th, 2011 hearing.
- Homeland Security: Better Use of Terrorist Watchlist Information and Improvements in Deployment of Passenger Screening Checkpoint Technologies Could Further Strengthen Security (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-401T)
- Aviation Security: TSA Is Increasing Procurement and Deployment of the Advanced Imaging Technology, but Challenges to This Effort and Other Areas of Aviation Security Remain (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-484T)
- Aviation Security: DHS Has Taken Steps to Enhance International Aviation Security and Facilitate Compliance with International Standards, but Challenges Remain (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-238T)
- Transportation Security: Additional Actions Could Strengthen the Security of Intermodal Transportation Facilities (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-435R)
Again, the most important report that shows the TSA’s blatant disregard for safety standards and human rights has been hidden from us. We know it exists, watch the video of Mica.
Time and time again, we see that the TSA is a joke and a fraud, and the joke is on us for accepting their word for anything of value at all. Further, they clearly make the Federal Government’s claims about the major threats of terrorism look more and more like a joke every passing day, even while they force us to be exposed to radiation or get groped if we refuse. Why trust these phonies?
Tags: civil liberties, politics, scanners, TSA
The Christian’s Political Objective
Posted by: |This essay concludes the Christian Theology and Public Policy Course by John Cobin, author of the books Bible and Government and Christian Theology of Public Policy. Congratulations if you have finished reading the entire series! This column is the second segment of a two-part series dealing with Christian civic duty.
Active Christians need an objective in carrying out their civic duty. In America, Christians need to have a vision of what an ideal republic would look like, along with some specific objectives of social transformation in order to achieve that republic. A fallen world can be improved by a Christian’s efforts, but his efforts need to be focused.
In terms of political activism, a useful starting point for thinking about ideals is facilitated by considering society without any political structure, as well as considering the actions of fallen men in establishing it. The natural state of society is anarchy —not in the sense of untrammeled chaos but in the sense of having no established civil authority. Yet the sinful tendencies of men have led them to create states— parasitic power structures that devour social order and bring chaotic social conditions. As bad as society under anarchy may be it is always preferable to life under a state.
Tags: activism, civil liberties, ethics, theology
The Christian and Political Activism
Posted by: |This essay continues the Christian Theology and Public Policy Course by John Cobin, author of the books Bible and Government and Christian Theology of Public Policy. This column is the first segment of a two-part series dealing with Christian civic duty.
All Christians should be activists, although what each individual Christian decides to do politically should be left to the liberty of his conscience. Christians can make a difference through many means, such as petitioning the government for a redress of grievances, voting, participating in public meetings and informational lectures, writing to elected officials, and participating in jury duty. All of these activities are costly to Christians, not only in terms of incidental expenses incurred but also in terms of time. Accordingly, engaging in some political activities might seem to make no sense—at least theoretically—unless we begin to view them in a different light.
For example, voting is always futile in the sense that there is virtually no chance that any individual vote can change the outcome of a major election. The expected cost exceeds the expected benefit. Yet voting makes more sense for a Christian activist once other accrued benefits are considered. Economic efficiency is reached when the benefits of activism are elevated in our minds through exalting the importance of spreading the truth, standing up for principles, and transforming our society by heralding the fundamental rights that America’s Founders held dear. To the extent that voting can help accomplish these things or encourage virtue it becomes a net benefit to a Christian (i.e., the benefit exceeds the cost).
Tags: activism, civil liberties, ethics, theology
The Texas TSA Bill Story – What Really Happened
Posted by: |I had the honor of giving the keynote address at the Third Anniversary Party for Texans for Accountable Government. They asked me to do this because, besides being a TAG member, I also was heavily involved in the effort to resist the TSA in Texas. During my talk, I told the story of what happened during our battle. Some of this is well known, but I had not yet put all of the details of my involvement in one place. The following is the speech I wrote out, even though I gave it more or less extemporaneously during the event…
Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you tonight, it is my honor to address such an esteemed group of people whom I can truly call my friends in the struggle for liberty. What I’d like to do tonight is tell you the story of our battle against the TSA: how it began, the opposition we faced, and why we gained a victory despite not getting a bill passed.
Everything began in the fall of 2010, when two public trends began to catch my attention. First was the increasing rate at which the TSA was subverting our civil liberties and right to travel through the x-ray and millimeter wave scanners. Second was the growing interest in the principles of nullification. So, having already developed a rapport with newly elected representative of the Lockhart area of Texas, David Simpson, we launched a conversation. Little did we know where it would take us.
I started with this: “What do you think about giving the TSA a swift kick in the rear?”
He said, “Tell me more…”
And so it began.
Tags: civil liberties, legislation, libertarianism, nullification, politicians, politics, Texas, TSA
Norman Horn is the creator and primary writer for LCC. Learn a little bit about him in the 