Obama Administration: The Pat-Down Outrage Is Overblown!

National Review ^ | 11-22-10 | Jim Geraghty

[Justaham]

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security indicated today that they won’t yield to demands to amend new airline passenger screening rules that have been decried as wildly intrusive.

On the contrary, administration officials are quietly and aggressively defending the policies against what they see as a media frenzy of distorted information. For instance, the administration noted that fewer than one half of one percent of the 34 million passengers who traveled on airplanes in or to the U.S. last week were subjected to crotch-area pat-downs.

They also disputed the very notion of a public backlash, even as those words played ubiquitously on news tickers and as video parodies of the Transportation Safety Administration were being emailed around the globe. Before press coverage of the new rules reached a roar late last week, TSA received only 700 complaints nationwide about its procedures, an administration official said. The official insisted on anonymity because the information was not intended for public release. The issue is sensitive because physical space intrusions are just about the last thing an administration cast by Republicans as prone to governmental overreach needs.

[mo]

I suspect that some of our more liberal countrymen...might..ahhh..’mmm...”enjoy”, so to speak, this “travel benefit”?

[GingisK]

Local patterns seem to be repeating, don’t they?

[DaveTesla]

"What the HELL ARE WE DOING LETTING THESE SICK BRAINWASHED CULTISTS INTO OUR COUNTRY?"

Smiting YOU, of course.

................................Well, he does hate us!..................................

[DaveTesla]

[savagesusie]

History always repeats....it is why the Marxist have been rewriting our history books for the last one hundred years and creating an ignorant populous who have no idea about anything important. Only pop culture is promoted and immorality is held up as the ideal where no one is responsible for anything. Let nanny government take care of all the useful idiots.

[aruanan]

History always repeats....it is why the Marxist have been rewriting our history books for the last one hundred years and creating an ignorant populous who have no idea about anything important. Only pop culture is promoted and immorality is held up as the ideal where no one is responsible for anything. Let nanny government take care of all the useful idiots.

And yet the "ignorant populous [sic]" is rebelling.

[UCANSEE2]

I suggest the Administration, including zero line up for an examination.

Brings up the OBAMAS recent trip to India.

Did any of their 250-1000 friends/staff/czars/advisors have to go through a RANDOM SEARCH process????

[MichaelCorleone]

“Ummmm....the people affected by second-hand smoke are a pittance yet we got draconian Gov’t intervention to hamstring all smokers.”

Good point.

[freekitty]

It’s not corny. It’s true.

[UCANSEE2]

I want to know how much money changed hands, in both directions, over those scanners, and who’s hands they were.

Two of them just got back from a trip to India on AF-1.

I have no objection to the use of the scanners, btw. I only object to the method the way they are being used.

We could, however, eliminate the need for this expensive equipment by just using DOGS again, as we used to before CAIR bought off enough politicians.

[Yooper4Life]

Only one half of one percent? That's 170,000 people, zero, you moron! 170,000 people who have been unconstitutionally searched and violated. And no bombs found. FUBO!!!

And that is just the PAST WEEK - what about the 1- 2 weeks prior when this was first stepped up, and what about the last couple of years of "creeping grope", as evidenced by some of the pics, videos, and statements??

[tacticalogic]

I have no objection to the use of the scanners, btw. I only object to the method the way they are being used.

We could, however, eliminate the need for this expensive equipment by just using DOGS again, as we used to before CAIR bought off enough politicians.

Didn't the terrorists just prove they could get explosives past x-ray machines in those printer cartridges?

[Chode]

[Jack Hammer]

Let it never be said that Obama and his idiot minions waste any time listening to the American people....

[A message]

Further proof Socialists and Communists are dictatorial sociopaths.

[itssme]

Call, fax, email....keep pounding these politicians and tell them that muslims MUST follow the same procedures at airports that the rest of us do.

Until we can find a better system, we MUST DEMAND THAT MUSLIMS BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE SAME PROCEURES AT AIRPORTS THAT THE REST OF US DO. I can't say this enough.

I am outraged if in fact muslims are not being subjected to the very same requirements at the airports.

Muslism terrorists are the enemy, and we must stand up, speak out and make our DEMANDS known. Cancel your flight reservations, take other modes of transportation...file complaints and lawsuits against the TSA...keep pressuring the politicians. There are more of us than there is of them...would we have been catering to the Japanese in this country during WWII? Hell no, and We The People must draw a line and fight this power play of the govt. vs the people...profiling is an option, and better methods should be applied to protect our safety...We The People are NOT the enemy, and we must not allow this govt. to treat us as such.

[Smokin' Joe]

It dawns on me that if Obozo has supported the unConstitutional search of thousands of Americans, that alone is a violation of his oath of office, and an affront to our Constitution--cause for impeachment.

Now, I know there are those who will argue that will go nowhere, buy he more this administration is kept busy defending itself, the less damaging crap it can foist upon the US.

For now, don't fly. Even a week of not flying would help hut this crap down.

[jmcenanly]

Treating the general population like a herd of cattle, to be herded about, and if necessary thinned, is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind

[Kackikat]

I think we should have a line by line explanation of all expenses from that 10 day farce to Asia, don’t you???

[Ezekiel]

Treating the general population like a herd of cattle, to be herded about, and if necessary thinned, is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind

Obama's fathers are Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler, so he's just sticking with their "original intent", as passed down from their father - Satan.