The Freedom Bulletin

The new members of Congress were sworn in today, including the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-OH). Before she handed over the gavel, former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gave a fairly classy speech, in which she complimented Boehner and congratulated him and the new Republican majority. Boehner’s speech (below), although not the most exciting I’ve ever heard, was short, sweet, and straightforward.

The representatives will read the Constitution aloud tomorrow, which I think is pretty cool.

Also, some of my favorite politicians were on the news to weigh in with their ideas for the new Congress:

Ron and Rand Paul discussed the national debt in a great interview with George Stephanopoulos of Good Morning America.

The father-son duo were also on Anderson Cooper 360 on Monday.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) talked about spending and the health non-reform bill on the Dylan Ratigan Show.

I hope that this new Republican majority can get some good things done!

More coverage of today’s events from the usual sources: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and AP.

I didn’t forget – as I have done in some form every year that this blog has been in existence, here is my roundup of the 10 most important / courageous / unique / influential people of the past year, in no particular order. This list is by no means scientific and is based merely on my own (arguably weird) opinions. Enjoy!

1. Ed and Elaine Brown – This New Hampshire couple refused to pay the federal income tax, arguing that it is unconstitutional. They went on trial this year and were convicted but remained as defiant as ever. They broke the law but did so in the name of liberty. Go, Ed and Elaine!
2. Jason Chaffetz – This freshman Congressman from Utah introduced HR 2027, a bill which would prohibit the government from forcing all airline passengers to be strip-searched. We desperately need this bill to be passed, now more than ever.
3. Neda Agha-Soltan – She was the young woman killed by the Iranian government in the streets of Tehran during this June’s protests against the rigged election. She became a symbol of freedom as the people of Iran fought against their oppressive government.
4. Scott Brown – The Republican candidate in the special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat vacated by Ted Kennedy. A former model and current Lt. Colonel in the National Guard, he’s a pretty cool guy, and wouldn’t it be cool if Massachusetts finally had a Republican in the Senate?
5. Joe Kennedy – Not the nephew of Ted Kennedy, but the independent / libertarian candidate for Ted’s old Senate seat. Although he doesn’t have much chance of winning, his libertarian ideas are something Massachusetts really needs to hear more of.
6. John Ensign – No, I’m not including him because of his extramarital affair but because he had the courage and the sense to argue against the individual mandate in the Senate’s health bill and introduce a motion to examine its constitutionality. He is completely right!
7. Simone Davis – She is a 17-year-old girl who was denied permanent residency in the US because she refused to receive the HPV vaccine, which is only beneficial to people who have sex. I salute her for standing up for the rights of asexual and/or celibate people.
8. Joe Wilson – He infamously shouted “you lie” when President Obama said that his health bill would not cover illegal immigrants. Although criticized by liberals as rude, I think that what he said rang true and took guts.
9. Taylor Swift – She’s one of my favorite musical artists and was named AP’s entertainer of the year, as well as winning CMA, VMA, and AMA awards, among many others. Although not directly related to politics/liberty, she has so much talent that she belongs on this last.
10. Michael Jackson - I couldn’t leave the King of Pop off of my list. In addition to being an undoubtedly iconic artist, he was also undoubtedly quirky. Unfairly plagued by child molestation allegations, he is a unique person, for better or for worse.  

A while ago, I promised to make a post going into more detail on the issue of airport security, and how the backscatter machines that show people’s naked bodies are a violation of privacy rights and of the Constitution. However, I found this absolutely awesome article at the Campaign for Liberty which says it better than I could. This is probably the best article that I have ever read, on any topic, in any newspaper, magazine, or website. In it, he says everything that I’ve always believed. It makes me happy that someone I’ve never met before thinks exactly the same thing I do. You simply must read this article:

“Liberty is an absolute” by Tom Mullen

Having said that, there are also a few updates in the battle against the naked machines. As you may recall, the TSA decided to switch from making everyone go through metal detectors and only go through the naked machines if they set the metal detector off, to making everyone go through the naked machines. This is obviously a change for the worse.

Thankfully, Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced a bill restricting these machines to people who fail the primary screening method (metal detectors), and the House of Representatives passed it! This bill is the least the government could do to secure people’s privacy rights at the airport. I think it would be ideal if the naked machines were banned entirely, as well as the practices of making people take their shoes off and take out all the liquids that they’re carrying. Chaffetz’s bill is very moderate and reasonable, and the Senate would have to be crazy not to pass it. I don’t know when they’re going to vote on it, though. Unfortunately, there has been very little media coverage of the whole naked machine issue, and Congress is more focused on “health care reform” than stopping everyone who boards a plane from being forcibly strip searched.

Also, the Electronic Privacy Information Center is campaigning against the naked machines, and the TSA responded last month to their criticism by simply saying exactly what they’ve been saying since the naked machines were invented: your face is blurred, the officer who sees the naked images is not near you, and the images are never stored or transmitted. These things may be true, but they really don’t make anything any better. The reason why EPIC, myself, and others who believe in privacy rights oppose the naked machines is not because they reveal people’s faces or identities, but because they reveal people’s naked bodies. None of the TSA’s so-called privacy measures do anything about this. I don’t want people looking at my naked body, even if they don’t know my name or see my face.

I will blog again if there are any significant developments. I hope there will be soon, since I’m not boarding an airplane if I have to go through the naked machines first.

Great news! People are finally fighting back against the naked machines! The Electronic Privacy Information Center launched a campaign today to suspend the use of whole body imaging devices – in other words, devices that show people’s naked bodies – as a method of airport security. Additionally, Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced legislation in April to ban the naked machines.

Sadly, opposition to the naked machines arose only after the TSA reversed its policy of using them only on passengers who set off metal detectors or were randomly selected for additional screening. To an inexplicably small amount of media coverage, the TSA announced it is now planning to use the naked machines on all passengers, instead of metal detectors! In other words, if the TSA gets its way, people will have to have their naked bodies examined in order to board an airplane! This is more immoral, unconstitutional, and un-American than words can convey.

More people should have opposed these virtual strip searches long ago, but it’s better late than never. Needless to say, I enthusiastically support EPIC’s and Chaffetz’s campaigns against the naked machines. I also now have a second-favorite Congressman (after Ron Paul, of course).

I will blog back with a more detailed entry on why I oppose the naked machines and many of the TSA’s other policies.

For more information, see EPIC’s whole body imaging technology page.