Well, in all honesty I have never met the man but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I prefer to assume we are friends until convinced otherwise. So I said to myself, you need to write to Senator Bill about an issue that's been bothering you about things in your beloved United States of America. As a citizen it is your duty, at least as much as paying taxes. Theoretically that's why you pay taxes, isn't? For representation?
Anyway, I succumbed to the overwhelming need to perform my patriotic duty and not perform my tedious duty and logged onto Senator Bill's website. With only a few clicks I had three choices for contacting Senator Bill; "Position on an Issue", "Request for Assistance (Casework)", "Tour Request".
Reviewing the choices, I figured "Position on an Issue"went straight to the bit bucket as we say in computer lingo. I had no interest in a tour. Therefore, I must be requesting assistance, which is after all what I am seeking.
I am requesting assistance from my friend Senator Bill in telling Janet Napolitano,(who puts someone named Napolitano in charge of Homeland Security, anyway? Was that Gotti chick not available? I know it doesn't mean anything but just for appearances sake. You wouldn't put someone named Newcomb in charge of the Department of Defense would you? You'll never see another guy named "Brownie" running FEMA.) to set his people free! Quit that airport searching thing and let Americans be free. What the heck is that motto again, "Land of the Free! Home of the Brave!".
Todd Beamer made "Let's Roll!" a new rallying call for a new generation of citizens when he joined an attack upon terrorists threatening his life and our country's government on September 11, 2001. Does anyone think Todd and his fellow citizens who died with him would feel honored to know that the very same government they died to protect is now taking away nail clippers, limiting liquids to 3 ounces, electronically if not manually strip searching citizens under the pretense that no one else will ever have to suffer the indignity of being brave, and free, and dying while defending themselves and their country from enemies foreign or domestic?
I really have to get that project finished.]
Dear Senator Bill,
I chose Veterans
Affairs because I couldn't find a check box for "Defend the
Constitution". As a veteran I hope
that is why I served, as a senior representative of the people I hope that is
why you serve.
The 1st Amendment
to the Constitution, I'm sure you know it well, guarantees me the right “to
petition the government for a redress of grievances". I would like to know the procedure for filing
the petition if this isn't it. Somehow I
don't believe it could be this easy.
My grievance
involves the TSA and what I consider a violation of my rights against
unreasonable searches and seizures.
The 4th amendment
to the constitution which I expect you also know, states, "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."
How do we go from
those words and guarantees to the actions of agents from my government grabbing
my gonads because I want to get on an airplane and travel from Melbourne to
Detroit for work. Or pleasure for that
matter. I seem to recall I have the right
to pursue happiness. I know, good luck
catching it but that's up to me isn't it?
So anyway, where
do these people get off strip searching me because I want to travel freely as
is my constitutionally given right? The
last time I suffered this humiliation at the hands of my government my
conversation with the TSA agent went something like this:
Me, "How
many red headed terrorists has the TSA apprehended or stopped?"
TSA agent, broad
smile.
Me, "How
many terrorists with 10 years of service to the US Navy with secret clearances
has the TSA apprehended or stopped."
TSA agent, broad
smile. (He really was a nice guy I don't
have a problem with him other than he, an American citizen is accepting payment
from his government to violate its citizens’ rights)
Me, "How
many terrorists whose ancestors walked all the way from the shores of Virginia
to the mid-West starting in 1710 has the TSA apprehended or stopped?"
TSA Agent, broad
smile.
Seriously what
has the TSA done that wasn't a reaction to some fools action? Some jackass tries to light his shoe so now
everyone has to take their shoes off.
Another jackass tries to light his freaking skivvies for God's sake and
now everyone gets a free nudie picture or a free full body massage. I assure you there is no happy ending, ask Al
Gore, to this massage. It makes my blood
boil. What makes my blood go straight to
steam is when the TSA agent patronizingly says to me, “The world is changing,
sir”, as if I am some kind of old fool that must be tolerated. I am 57 (but look good for my age, still have
my hair and all) and I belong to Mensa.
I am not some kind of old fool. I
may be a special kind of old fool but certainly not the kind their comment
insinuated. Besides, to my knowledge the
world changing has nothing to do with the Constitution changing and until the
Constitution is changed I still have the rights granted me in 1776 and paid for
ever since with the toil, blood, and suffering of millions of patriot
citizens. So who is the fool? The American standing up for his Constitution
or an American taking pride is trampling on it while considering themself a
patriot. By the way, whatever Orwellian
name you people put on agencies and policies doesn’t mean that they are what
they are labeled. The PATRIOT act is no
more patriotic than Homeland Security is secure. Where’s the truth in labeling there? The government is in an uproar because Taco
Bell doesn’t put enough meat in their tacos but who’s there to complain when
the PATRIOT act has nothing for patriots and Homeland Security is a greater threat
to the citizens than what they purport to be protecting us from.
What happens when
inevitably yet another jackass tries to stick a bomb up his butt? You know some dingbat is going to try
it! What happens then, cavity searches
for everyone? That might affect the air
travel industry as well as TSA's ability to recruit.
If you reply that
the government is justified in ignoring the Bill of Rights for the general
safety of the citizenry I will be obliged to remind you of a former Senator who
proposed the same convoluted idea a while back. His name was Joe McCarthy. His thinking proved to be flawed then and
contradicting the Constitution will always be flawed thinking. Those guys were smart that wrote the
Constitution. They knew about
tyranny. They knew about power
mongers. They knew about freedom and
basic rights of citizens. They knew how
hard fought freedom was and the idea of giving away even the slightest bit of
it was reprehensible.
My hope is that
you are always thinking about what kind of America we, the citizens you
represent including yourself, are leaving to our Grandchildren because I sure
am. The money and hocus pocus crap y'all
do with the treasury doesn't mean squat if America loses her soul. The Constitution is our collective soul. Let's get back to the source, what do you
think? I mean who would you rather talk
to about Christianity, Jesus Christ or the Pope? We can draw comparisons from many other
religions if sensitivity is an issue.
According to the 1st amendment it isn't.
Thanks for
straightening that out for me,
Dennis Logan
