Friday, February 24, 2012

Why I Don't Talk To Cops

This absurd ruling by the Supreme Court of The United States today reinforces why an innocent person should never and I don't, talk to cops. It is simply another piece of our Constitutional Rights being negated by the high court of the land.

Superb piece by Professor James Duane, In Praise of the 5th Amendment explaining why folks shouldn't talk to cops.

As well as a response by Officer George Burch of the Virginia Beach PD

All worth reading & watching.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Routinely Dismissed

As reported earlier, I filed a formal complaint against TSA for my treatment at IAH.

Well, I have received a reply and not surprising, my complaint has been routinely dismissed.

The text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. Olsen,

Thank you for your letter of January 17, 2012, to Secretary Janet Napolitano concerning your passenger screening experience at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on January 17, 2012. Your letter was forwarded to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for response.

We regret that you found your screening experience to be unsatisfactory. TSA seeks to provide professional and efficient customer service to every passenger while maintaining a high level of security. Our policies and procedures focus on ensuring that each individual is treated with respect and courtesy We go to great lengths to train our Transportation Security Officers (TSO) in the proper way to inspect individuals and their personal items.

TSA management at IAH conducted an inquiry into this matter and it was determined that standard operation procedures (SOP) were followed by the TSO, Transportation Screening manager (TSM), and Supervisory Transportation Security Officer (STSO) who assisted you during your screening.

You arrived at the screening checkpoint and provided your boarding pass ad an identification (ID) card from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Criminal Justice Services. The TSO informed you that the ID was not on TSA's list of acceptable IDs and the Houston Police Department (HPD) became involved.

Because your ID had been accepted in the past, you indicated that it should have been recognized that day, and you did not see the need to produce any other documentation. Instead you requested that the officers clear you to proceed throught the screening checkpoint and secondary screening. you informed the security officers that you possessed acceptable documentation but did not believe you should be required to produce it to gain access to the airport sterile area.

TSA is not able to confirm whether the ID card from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Criminal Justice Services was accepted at other airports. However, the TSA officers at IAH acted appropriately when they requested a second form of ID accepted by the Department of Homeland Security. Eventually, you produced an acceptable form of ID and were cleared for travel.

We appreciated that you took the time to share your concerns with us and hope this information was helpful.

Sincerely yours,

Chad Bash
Assistant General Manager for Communications
Office of Security Operations

cc: Federal Security Director, IAH


There are blatant errors and omissions within the above letter. I did not find the experience "unsatisfactory." As an American, I found it offensive. HPD did not become involved. They were called by TSA and despite being told there was a raving, threatening maniac at the checkpoint, determined this wasn't the case and departed, in essence telling TSA "You're a bunch of ignorant, anserine morons."

TSA being "unable to confirm whether the ID card from DCJS was accepted at other airports" is simply because TSA is too arrogant to do any research and follow up. Not surprising.

Of course, anyone with half a brain knows that TSA goes out of its way to mistreat Americans with discourtesy and disrespect. One need only read the hundreds of newspaper articles or follow TSARants on Twitter to read about the abuses and absurdity that is TSA Security Theater.

The lesson learned here is to, in the future, blatantly lie to TSA regarding identification. I have no problem doing so with an organization for which I hold in contempt and disdain and have zero respect or confidence. TSA is the laughing stock of the federal government. 50,000 sad, pathetic, insignificant individuals, on power trips, sucking off the federal teat, all the while, routinely violating the Constitutional Rights of every American who travels the skies.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Politics Before Honor

With each passing week, TSA appears to pull yet another stunt that focuses the spotlight of ignorance and stupidity on the organization. Meet Mr. Jayve Montgomery. Not only do the screeners pull down his pants, they then have him arrested for indecent exposure. He appears to ask only if the search is finished before pulling up his pants. Screeners then go into full bully mode and call the cops. Of course they prove to be nothing more than bullies as well.

What I find most disturbing are the dozens of sheeples who come and go with nary a glance or comment to the treatment Mr. Montgomery is being subject to. Not a single person comes to his defense. Fellow Americans, who ignore the daily raping of their Constitutional rights in the mistaken belief that TSA, this farce of an organization, is somehow keeping them safe.

I'd most likely have been arrested as well. I can not and would not sit idly by as a fellow citizen is being treated in this manner. To not come to their defense is unconscionable. I'd like to say that every person who passed by should be ashamed. However, they are, as stated above, sheeples and worthy only of contempt and ridicule.

What does Congress do about the plethora of TSA abuses? Nothing. Our so called representatives; those men and women who took an oath to uphold the US Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, abdicated that oath in favor of political survival. Few, if any of them, care one iota about everyday citizens. They are cowards, lacking even the most basic sense of honor; bereft of personal integrity, hiding behind quaint phrases such as "keeping the homeland safe" and screaming "national security" at the top of their lungs.

Knowing that they've whored themselves out, that they've sold out their constituents and lacking any semblance of personal accountability and responsibility, how do they sleep at night?

Thursday, February 9, 2012

TAKING ADVANTAGE

Here in Virginia we've waited patiently for the Winter weather to arrive. To date, we've had one or two slight dustings of snow and a few icy mornings. For the most part this winter, we've been rewarded with 50+ degree days and lots of sun.

The reward for this mild weather...more time on my motorcycles. It's a short 26 mile commute to work on secondary roads. I roll one of the bikes out each morning, gear up and merrily ride off.

The sun rises in the East, directly in my face, the warmth slowly creeping onto the landscape; melting the few ice crystals that came into being from the previous days rain. Today I'm rewarded with a hawk, alighting onto a power pole, searching for some breakfast that might be scurrying along the bare farmland.

I see the looks on the faces of cagers as we roll by one another. I'm thinking "Hey guys, come on out and play...it's a perfect 31 degrees out here this morning! You poor bastards, you have no idea what you're missing." They of course are thinking "Are you out of your frigging mind!!!! Don't you know it's only 31 degrees out there??!!!" I can only chuckle.

I honestly don't know how riders up North survive these months. Feet of snow, some of which it seems won't melt until July! Digging out and stuck in their 4-wheeled cages. What a miserable existence.

Yet, I wonder when (not if) Old Man Winter will drop the other shoe. While not a frequent event, it's not unheard of for February/March to roar in with their own surprises.

Still, I'm taking advantage of every day that affords me the opportunity to ride. I'm in my own carefree world when I'm on two wheels. I find the feel and smell of the air as it blows by and through me, invigorating. There's a oneness that comes with being part of the environment. Something all of the poor bastards, stuck in their hermetically sealed, temperature controlled cages around me, will never experience.

Such is their lot in life.