How wonderful it must be to be able to lump all leftists into one group, then climb on your high horse and look down on us. How is the view up there, kellymich?

You might want to troll around (if you'll excuse the expression) a little more. Or as the blues song says, before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.

Barbara, from the US, from a hunting family. A joy-sucking leftist.

Gross caricatures and stereotypes are not always accurate are they ? - A hint to my friends on the left.

If you spend a bit more time here, I hope you'll recognize that the majority of people who post try quite hard to avoid "gross caricatures and stereotypes".

And perhaps you'll also recognize that it's a bit rude to come on as new member and simply start tarring everyone here with the same brush, laden with your preconceived notions of what we're like.

Open-mindedness works both ways.

This is written by a friend of mine, this happened to her. I am blind with anger.

$S$S-ticket flagging
Wands & Rubber Gloves
The following event happened to me at the F0rt Lauderdale airport on May 8th. My husband, son, 72 year old mother and myself traveled by Spirit airlines to the Miami area to enjoy a 4 day family vacation on the beach. LB intended to stay on an extra 4 days to work with some business clients. Thus we had 4 people arrive together and 3 people leaving on May 8th.

The leader, Mr. Shrub, was in F0rt Lauderdale on the 8th for a G0P fund raiser causing traffic jams and road closers. LB drove us to the airport just in time. At the counter the Spirit people said we might encounter some delays due to the Shrub being in town. They processed our tickets then sent our luggage over to high security review. I was trying to manage my elderly mother and get some dinner for my son.

Entering the security gates our tickets were reviewed and ID’s checked the armed security personal corralled my 72 year old mother and son in one direction and shuttled me off in another. As I entered the ‘special line’ it became apparent that I was the only woman. Most of the people around me were young men of color. The man in front said “I got nailed for buying a one way ticket.” I chose not to speak. Fear… set in. They took my bags and one by one the men in front of me were put in a coffin like box. Air was blasted on them to ‘check for expl0sive residue’. At this point I told security that I was holding a wallet with my cash, credit cards and passport inside my skirt. The armed male security came to view the contents and let it pass...so I thought. I entered the coffin like air tester and waited a few minutes inside until a green light appeared and the guard said to move ahead.

I had already passed through 3 types of security and was waiting to walk through the metal detector like the rest of the gentlemen in front of me.

I did not walk through the regular metal detector as those ahead of me did. The guard asked what carry on was mine and escorted me to a separate plexi glass room. Two large female guards came in and asked “would you prefer to go into a room with walls and a door?” FEAR…yes they had on rubber gloves, armed and hand metal detectors. What does one say in this situation? SK: “Well it all depends on what exactly is going to happen here. Are the clothes staying on or off?” Officer: “this will be a pat down search with your clothes on unless we decide other wise.” Where is my mother? Where is my son? How can they do this? What have I done? I take off my shoes, sox, hand over my bag, they take all my money, credit cards, passport & ID. I am left with a shirt, skirt and under wear in a plexi glass box of a room. The guard starts the metal detector and the pat down. It was personal, violating, intrusive. On my breasts, stomach, abdomen, between my legs and up my crotch. I am blushing…..should I have chosen the closed room? Where is my passport? What country is this? What have I done?

The armed security finishes the pat down in about 7 minutes and I get dressed. They give me back my things. The first thing I check for is my passport. They had it all. I may have had a shirt & skirt on but I could not move or ever gotten out…for 25 minutes I was in the system and no way out. It made me appreciate how the wrongly convicted feel if only for a few minutes.

Finally getting out of this maze of plexi glass security with armed guards I am reunited with my mother & son. Sitting down catching my breath and definitely not saying what is on my mind I look at my ticket compare it to my mom’s. My Spirit ticket has a mark of $S$S > 4 of them ran across the top. This appears to be the flagging system and I searched it on the internet as you may choose to read below.

What have I done to become such a security risk to this country or to this administration? I have gone through clearances and met state governors, Hillary Clinton and never was it like that. Was it because LB stayed behind and that flagged us? Is it the union activities, anti war marches or informational lectures I have attended? Or just a random search?

Mean while in the port of F0rt Lauderdale & Miami fleets of ships arrive with thousands of containers from over seas. The port authorities are checking less than 1% of these containers. Do you feel any safer yet? We have more work in the Caribbean in June. Do I go? What if I am held up and do not have access to a lawyer? Jamaica is close to ‘Guantanamo-Bay’. This was really minor but it gave me a taste of what is happening to people being stripped and held without legal recourse.

At the beginning of the second round of the Shrubs administration I asked people to remove me from e-mail lists, list-serves and other politically sensitive activity. Many thought I was paranoid about the spying I thought was happening on the citizens. Well with the recent USA Today story about NSA tracking of all calls both domestic & international…perhaps my paranoia was not so off base. It is not “terr0rism” it is rule by - “Scar0rism” rule by fear. Removing myself from lists didn't seem to help last Monday…guess they know how I vote & what color my blood is too. Welcome to 1984.

My mother didn’t think there was anything wrong with what happened to me or to the other men in line. “It will keep us all safe dear.” I said “mom what if those security people just took me away for no reason and you never knew why?” “Oh honey don’t be dramatic they would never do that.” “Mom the government is doing just that. There are prisoners on an air base in Cuba who are not charged with any thing…it is happening….it is real and that is the one place we know about. What if there are more places like Guantonamo … people being held that we don’t know about yet.”

"yah just can't make this shit up" - Susan

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." Benjamin Franklin

The Fourth Amendment: 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.

Follow up story indicating the S$S$-flagging:

http://springfield.news-leader.com/columni...cke-125340.html