Last Friday (October 15) an airline pilot stood up to our ever-encroaching police state. In his letter he (accurately) describes his aversion to the new AIT scan devices being fielded in airports across the nation. Despite evidence to the contrary, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) insists that image data is neither retained nor utilized improperly. These new “nude scanners” are egregious affronts to our liberties as a free people. In the alleged name of increased security the TSA insists that every suspicionless citizen in our so-called free society is a potential threat and must, therefore, succumb to nudity or groping prior to exercising the privilege of commercial air travel.
The airline pilot, who may now be unemployed due to his insistence upon exercising a Constitutional right, is but one example of many abuses of power by the government and its agents. It is past time for citizens to stand up and refuse to be trampled upon by a government which alleges to work for us. This may well be the only place in the world where the agent possesses more power than the primary. TSA policies are quite obviously completely reactionary in nature and extremely invasive to the rights and privacy of law abiding citizens. Virtually every government bureaucracy exhibits innumerable examples of obscene power grabs and displays of contempt towards “ordinary” citizens.
Another excellent example is the none-too-well publicized corruption in the foreclosure market. Most people are aware of the increased numbers of foreclosures but I wonder how many are cognizant of the blatant disregard for ethics and law. Many homeowners are becoming aware of the fact that numerous banks are hiring dubious law firms to process foreclosures. These law firms (and the banks themselves) are given bonuses for processing foreclosures as quickly as possible. Very little effort goes into reviewing the paperwork in cases such as this. One example is the man who paid off his mortgage in full and still had his home foreclosed.
To make matters worse, Treasury initiated a program to give bonuses to banks for each mortgage which they signed into the new troubled homeowners’ program. This program, designed to assist homeowners receive lower interest rates and payments, has turned out to be very easy (comparatively) to sign up for but virtually impossible to remain enrolled in. Homeowners discover that after being accepted into the program and the bank receives the bonus from Treasury, the bank rescinds the homeowner’s admission and then applies late fees just for good measure. This policy is turning law-abiding citizens into an irate mob which chooses to disregard the blatantly abusive policies.
A law which disregards the people as the basis of legitimacy has no authority and must be ignored. Just as the states have a duty to shield their residents from an overpowering central government gone awry, each and every citizen has a duty to stand up to all government which oversteps its mandate. Through peaceful disobedience, the people of this nation – and the world over – have a small hope of retaining their priceless liberties.