Okay okay! I'll post the article so you can read it. I got this off the Zenzibar Alternative Culture website. I've provided the link to the following story in my above post.
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Unfriendly Skies
By Royce Carlson
Art dealer Doug Stuber was pulled out of a boarding line at Raleigh-Durham airport and told that he was not allowed to fly overseas. Stuber ran Ralph Nader's North Carolina presidential campaign in 2000 and was informed that the reason he was not allowed to fly is because he is a Green Party member. Stuber concluded that the U.S. Justice Department must now consider Greens as terrorists even though the party's values include such principles as nonviolence and social justice.
Virgine Lawinger, a nun, was prevented from boarding a flight to Washington last spring along with 20 students. She is an activist with Peace Action and her group was flying to Washington to lobby against military aid to the Colombian government. "Some of us were taken to another room and questioned by airport security personnel and local sheriff's deputies," says Lawinger.
Barbara Olshansky was ordered by airport security personnel to pull her pants down in full view of other passengers at Newark International Airport in March, 2002. The next time she flew, she was also pulled out of line. She was also subjected to extra scrutiny the next two times she tried to fly. Olshansky is the assistant legal director for the left-leaning Center for Constitutional Rights.
Rebecca Gordon and Jan Adams missed their flight out of San Francisco last August because they were pulled out of line and questioned by the San Francisco police. They are both Bay Area peace and justice activists.
Since 9-11, airport security has been tightened causing delays in boarding for many people and worse problems for certain people. Apparently lists are compiled by various government agencies containing the names of people who are considered a security risk. According to a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, there is a list of about 1,000 people who are considered threats to aviation and are not allowed to fly for any reason. There may be another list for activists.
The TSA has no guidelines to determine who gets put on the list and there are no procedures to get one's name removed from the list if it gets on the list by mistake according to Transportation Security Administration spokesman David Steigman.
Now a new system that conducts background checks on all airline passengers is about to be put in place. "CAPPS II is based on the same concept as the Pentagon's 'Total Information Awareness' program, which proposed massive fishing expeditions through some of our most personally sensitive data," says Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program.
This system will include a color-coded status assigned to each passenger. Passengers will be tagged as green, yellow, or red depending on the government's assessment of security risk with red being assigned to suspected terrorists and green to those deemed not to be a risk. Passengers given a yellow rating would be subjected to intensive security screening. It is unclear who would get a yellow rating. "This system threatens to create a permanent blacklisted underclass of Americans who cannot travel freely," said Katie Corrigan, an ACLU Legislative Counsel.
Andrew Wang was chosen for an extensive search at Newark International Airport and was wanded three times and had his carry on luggage meticulously searched. The procedure took half an hour. Wang took some time later to watch people going through the airport security checkpoint and noticed that, of 73 passengers that passed through, 38 of them were subjected to closer scrutiny. Of the 8 people who looked Middle Eastern, all 8 of them were pulled aside. 8 out of 11 people who looked East Asian were stopped. 6 out of 7 who looked Indian, and 3 out of 5 who were Hispanic were also checked. Of the 35 white passengers who passed the checkpoint, only 3 were taken aside.
It is obvious that airport security personnel are choosing who gets extra scrutiny based on the color of the passenger's skin or the shape of their eyes. During the incident where the nun and her 20 students were stopped from flying, a deputy said that they were looking for Hispanic names, according to Kate, one of the students.
Apparently, if you aren't white, you can expect to be harassed at U.S. airports. Even if you are white and you are a member of the Green Party, or are known to belong to a group that disagrees with the government, you are likely to be subjected to extra searches and questioning and might not be allowed to fly.
This reminds me of the stories I heard about Soviet Russia back during the Cold War. The Russian people were not free to travel and were subject to all kinds of harassment. Now it's happening here in the United States of America. Every week our country is becoming more of a police state. Every day we are becoming less free.
Actually one of my concerns has been a return of mccarthy era communist witchhunts. For example antiwar activists or civil rights activists were labelled communists and denied rights.
Some of the acts bush wants to make law which would look into each american and try to decide how loyal they are (patriot act or something like that)would actually label a lot of things "terrorist".
The first suggestion we might be reverting back to that type of thinking was labelling drugs as supporting terrorism. I wouldnt be surprised if someday Bush starts labelling being Liberal as being pro terrorist. This is something we have to be very careful with because in mccarthy's era if you were labelled a communist (even if it was because you diagreed with the atom bomb) you couldnt get jobs, some even spent time in jail.
This worries me a great deal and Bush's administration is obviously seeking to take away many civil liberties in the quest to "fight terrorism". This is an issue that has scared me from day one. The more people are going to use "pro terrorist" as an insult to describe things that are obviously not terrorist related (protesting, smoking pot) etc the bigger the danger will be to have a witch hunt for any "terrorist/communist" type of regression.
I think that's one of the main points this article was getting at. What's next, concentration camps? How do people like Bush even get into positions of power in the first place? We had this problem with McCarthy. So why didn't anyone do anything about it? Personally I think Bush and his followers are a social disease. I think the whole reason he's the "president" is a conspiracy, no question about it. His brother was the governor of FL. and I wouldn't be surprised if he or his brother had connections in the Supreme Court.
I have the same HUGE concerns.
Here's two sites that speak around the same issues.
Thom Hartman has written a few books on ecology, spirituality and transformation. His latest book is about dominance of multi-national corporations & the taking of our rights and democracy.
http://www.thomhartmann.com/
This is John Stauber's an independent journalist. He has written about the government's use of spin to manipulate the multitudes.
Pr watch website.
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/index.html
http://www.davidicke.com/
Author David Ickes is way out there.... his ideas have seemed so totally nuts but what he spoke about yrs ago is exactly what seems to be happening before our very eyes. Looking like we are headed towards a fascist world power. Bush & his benefactors are a very scary men. They are controlling & manipulating using lies, threats and fear.
vc
I have the same HUGE concerns.
Here's two sites that speak around the same issues.
Thom Hartman has written a few books on ecology, spirituality and transformation. His latest book is about dominance of multi-national corporations & the taking of our rights and democracy.
http://www.thomhartmann.com/
This is John Stauber's an independent journalist. He has written about the government's use of spin to manipulate the multitudes.
Pr watch website.
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/index.html
http://www.davidicke.com/
Author David Ickes is way out there.... his ideas have seemed so totally nuts but what he spoke about yrs ago is exactly what seems to be happening before our very eyes. Looking like we are headed towards a fascist world power. Bush & his benefactors are a very scary men. They are controlling & manipulating using lies, threats and fear.
Ha! Finally! I found an article that expresses exactly what I'm feeling- THE TERRORISTS ARE WINNING THE WAR (unfortunately).
http://www.zenzibar.com/Articles/terroristswin.asp
quote:
This reminds me of the stories I heard about Soviet Russia back during the Cold War. The Russian people were not free to travel and were subject to all kinds of harassment. Now it's happening here in the United States of America. Every week our country is becoming more of a police state. Every day we are becoming less free.
Well, people who can remember farther back still... it's the old Nazi party and Jews all over again.
Yours,
Frank
Who's really the terrorist group here- The US or "everyone else," as Bush and "friends" seem to have decided?
My father does not see it but a friend of mine from work told me over a year ago that this would start to happen. 2004, big brother will be watching.
I'm not pleased with our government. They are less American than anyone I know. They bring disgrace and dishonor to our name. It makes me wonder. How are we ever to achieve "heaven on earth" with so many of these terrible individuals in power? What sorry excuses for human beings they are. They would fire upon their brothers and sisters for trying to enlighten them.
I think our government has all the characteristics of one who belongs in a mental institution. They are paranoid, dangerous (to us and themselves), and they are definitely not in tune with anything divine.
Now my question is, how can we stop them? I believe there is a way, because I know that believing otherwise is going to lead to the development sheep mentality.
There's the Black Bloc anarchist movement, which involves running around smashing in the store windows of major corporations such as Old Navy, Gap, etc., getting in fights with police officers, etc. which I don't really think is such a good idea due to the fact that this would probably cause injury to our own people. Plus I don't think we're ready for anarchy. I don't know which is worse. But this quote keeps running through my head:
"He who would rather substitute freedom in exchange for safety deserves neither." -Ben Franklin
I would personally rather be free but not safe than safe but not free. But I would not dare force this upon others.
bb
Personally, I'd rather have the anarchy.
By the way, has anybody seen "Enemy of the State?" It's a good movie, and I think it has some points that touch on this thread.
I have a question. How can one nonviolently protect their civil liberties? Honestly, I'd rather avoid violence, but if it comes down to it, I will not hesitate to use it when necessary. The fact that we have a very stubborn, closed-minded group of individuals alarms me. They are very dangerous because of how they "think." They are telling us that they can snoop around in our lives, digging up extremely personal information, and then use it however they see fit, all to protect the very freedoms which they are taking away from us. How did people allow this to happen? If they really do consider this, I will no longer consider them a government. I will consider them a radical regime like those in the Middle East, because THAT is what they are becoming. What hypocrites they are. Bush is no more mature than a five-year-old child. My cat could run this country better than he could. In fact, so could the contents in my septic tank.
"Honestly, I'd rather avoid violence, but if it comes down to it, I will not hesitate to use it when necessary."
I just thought I would clarify that when I say "necessary" I mean that I would only use it as a last resort, when ALL ELSE has failed, such as if I was physically threatened. I can't really explain now but I will later.
Oa
Yes. I have more to ask. Just how ignorant are people in general and how can we inform them and encourage them to become more aware of things? This will be important when employing boycotts and such. People need to believe. I realize we cannot change others. But I think that the time has come for me to be anti-government. I do not believe in terrorism, and I believe the best way to deal with terrorists is to show them that on the inside we are stronger than they are. Violence is definitely bad, but kung fu has taught me something- when you've got a guy in your face and you see it in his eyes that his intent is to inflict serious or lethal physical damage upon you and he won't stop until you're down or out, what do you do? You can't keep running away, and if reasoning has failed, then what? You fight back- IF you want to stay alive. Life is one of God's most precious gifts. It is what allows us to use our free will. I intend to exercise my free will for the benefit of all mankind. Bear in mind that even if I do resort to violence, I would NEVER kill anyone. I would incapacitate them, but that is it. Every religion says not to kill- but when necessary, why not incapacitate?
Anyway, I think boycotting will work. I will need to gain knowledge of how to make some tools in order to survive. I've seriously contemplated moving into the wilderness or something and just hiding, and bringing nothing but a lifetime supply of books with me, books with knowledge about all kinds of things. And maybe I'd set up a pirate internet connection to research new things that I would buy.
I do not like the fact that corporations run everything. I would almost advocate stealing from them, but I don't believe stealing is going to solve anything either. Maybe boycotting really is the best way out. And posting. My problem is this: Let's say I speak out now. The government sees me as a "possible terrorist" so they throw me in jail without just cause. What does that say about our system? And why should I willingly cooperate with them? Or anyone else for that matter? If they do not have just cause to hold me, then I believe I have just cause to fight back. I'm not going without a fight.
By the way, living in the woods would also require getting some sort of generator to produce electricity for electrical appliances such as a computer. And maybe a satellite dish to transmit/receive internet signals.
Hi. I decided since the war is something overseas that does and doesn't directly affect us (depending on which country you live in), I would post this thread which is about issues concerning our own countries. These issues, in my opinion, are far more important to the people of our countries than a war that is taking place in a foreign country. It's not that the war isn't important, but this other stuff should be looked at as well. This, for instance, is something people should pay more attention to.
http://www.zenzibar.com/Articles/unfriendlyskies.asp