Comments on: It’s Not About Taking Off My Goddamn Shoes

By: Mecca Here I Come « Vines & Cattle

Mecca Here I Come « Vines & Cattle — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:14:58 +0000

[...] October 14, 2009 by Vines & Cattle It’s cold and dreary here. The rain has held up the wheat sowing, but there’s still time to get it in. In fact being a bit late gives you an edge when it comes to avoiding pest problems, and the ever threatening April freeze. But that’s not my big news, the big news is that in one week I board a plane for Virgina, to attend a conference on grass fed finishing and marketing. I’m pretty stoked about it, because I’m going to get to tour Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm. I will be in the presence of the libertarian lone wolf of agriculture, and I can’t wait. Plus I haven’t flown in about ten years, so I’ll get to experience all of the wonderful things the TSA has to offer. [...]

By: Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:33:42 +0000

I see your points. But after traveling a gillion miles…and most assuredly after taking a post 9/11 flight through Heathrow on American Airlines to Cairo for f__ing hold your breath sakes, I’m just happy when the plane doesn’t crash. As long as I make my flight and I land safely and get reunited with my bag(s), I look for bigger fish to fry in my bubbling grease head caldron. Generally speaking, my travel experiences at airports has been annoying but smooth. Except that time I tried to carry on a 16 ounce water bottle.

Truth? My real irritants were pre-9/11 when I traveled often to an from Colombia 1992-2000. I was strip searched more than once in Miami and detained several times in Colombia. I was in Colombia to see friends and dance. Somehow that was never the right answer.

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:28:41 +0000

Just because the kids are taught to parrot it, does not mean that they believe it. Most of the public educational system is set up to indoctrinate kids into the socially irresponsible activity of group think, i.e. liberalism. You are a prime example of that.

What exactly is your idea of libertarian thought, and how should it change?

I can point out the hipocricies of “liberalism” and “conservativism” all day long, my friend. There are also a few in the “libertarian” frame of thought, but they are few and far between. When the choices are statism on both sides of the aisle, just in different forms, one really does simply choose between the lesser of two evils when they vote for someone other than a Libertarian or Independent. Personally, I think the framers of the Constitution (you were there for that also, were you not, oh omnipresent one?) had the best shot to come up with the best idea, and they did better than anyone has to date. What exactly is wrong with following said document and it’s built-in limitations? As someone new to this particular board, I don’t know what you consider, “what passes for libertarian thought in this forum”.

Enlighten us, oh great one.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:18:50 +0000

“A liberal LIBERATES the restrictions built in to the Constitution. A Libertarian is one who believes in personal LIBERTY afforded in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

No kidding? So any schoolkid who can mumble all the way to “…liberty and justice for all” is a libertarian. Given what passes for libertarian thought in this forum, that seems about right.

By: Chad

Chad — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:00:51 +0000

Trey, I think this piece is excellent. Rough and raw, letting emotion show through on a rant about the indecency and humiliation of this process is exactly what is called for.

Normally, I’d keep in check my pointed jabs, but for crying out loud, Bob. Just because YOU weren’t paying attention to Libertarians after 9/11 does not mean we were not piping up. Oh, wait, are you omnipresent? Sorry, God, let me bow to you.

If you don’t know the difference between a liberal (statist) and a Libertarian, yes this all goes over your head, and you are an idiot. A liberal LIBERATES the restrictions built in to the Constitution. A Libertarian is one who believes in personal LIBERTY afforded in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Get a clue, man.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:23:13 +0000

(munching on bread) Did somebody say something about the circus coming to town?

By: Anonymous Man

Anonymous Man — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:24:07 +0000

The government should mandate total nudity and complete sedation for all passengers and crew.

Then we’ll be safe.

By: Joe Schneider

Joe Schneider — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:38:21 +0000

You know how Al-queda and Bin Ladin really aren’t on their game? Once they saw what we had to go through because someone made a shoe into a bomb, the next logical step would have one of their operatives hide a bomb in a personal body cavity and INTENTIONALLY GET CAUGHT. Air traffic would have ground to a halt while we all submitted to full body cavity searches. Or maybe they knew we’d have revolted at that point so they left us with the half-as* system we have today laughing every day at what they’ve created? Terror is about achieving an objective through fear. I’d say the terrorists are winning because our response is what they want.

By: Frank R

Frank R — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:34:20 +0000

In my last job I had to travel by plane. At first I saw the TSA as a necessary evil. The more I traveled, however, the more aggravated I got at the inconsistencies. Some airports had very efficient TSA personnel who did their job with a minimum of fuss and tried their best to move people along quickly. At others the people were downright lazy, either indifferent or over zealous in the performance of their duties.
I went through dozens of checks when one day my luggage was pulled aside. The TSA person dug deep and found in my shaving kit a small pair of snub nosed scissors. She showed them to a very bushy browed manager to told her to confiscate them. This pair of scissors had made many trips and would be completely useless as a weapon. My ballpoint pen made a better weapon. I had another TSA agent dig out my stick deodorant. Why? Because it was cylindrical in shape. He let me keep it, but told me to warn them if I thought something was in there that they might think could be dangerous. Yeah, right! I switched deordorants.
The no profiling thing is also ridiculous. Minetta instituted it under Bush. It was stupid then and is stupid now. Also, the maximum of 3 ozs of fluid. How brilliant is this? How many 9/11 hijackers were there? How many 3 oz bottles can on fit in a 1 qt zip lock bag? Wouldn’t it be possible for hijackers to regroup and mix those together. Further, just how much fluid would it take to make a explosive dangerous on a pressurized plane flying at 30,000 feet?
It isn’t just the creation of the TSA, it’s the inconsistency and idiocy of the rules it is trying to enforce that need review.

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:14:41 +0000

God you people are obtuse. Where were all you phony libertarians after 9-11 when Cheney was ramming all this odious legislation down our throats? I don’t recall Garrison writing a single thing about it. I guess he was too busy drag racing and polishing his ‘gun’ like the other bad-boy teens.