Hawaii, Other States, Form Caucus to Oppose TSA Intrusions

By
Sam Slom
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BY SEN. SAM SLOM – Believing that the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has gone too far in an assault on individual and states rights, a new, national, bipartisan legislative caucus is emerging to take action.

Dubbed tentatively the “United States for Travel Freedom” caucus, it officially convened on April 14, 2011 via teleconference and video live streaming (http//alaskalegislature.tv/).

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The mission of the caucus is to, “establish a centralized location to share information regarding

·      detailed information of federal security policies as they pertain to the right to travel freely;
·      detailed information on how these policies affect the citizens of the United States of America;
·      detailed information on methods of screening and the accumulative costs of these procedures.

Primary organizers are Alaska State Representative Sharon Cissna and Washington State Senator Val Stevens. Republican and Democrat legislators from Alaska, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington have pledged to work together for common goals to oppose what is perceived as an ever growing threat to liberty by the TSA. Additional state legislative participation is anticipated.

Each of the lawmakers involved to date has introduced legislation in their state to curb what they, and their state’s citizens, believe to be  excessive power by the TSA.

Specific issues include constitutional rights, invasion of privacy and civil rights, child protection and fiscal issues. Many of the state bills call for individual state prohibitions on TSA procedures with the ultimate goal federal action against the operations of the TSA itself.

(a series of legislative lists regarding pending legislation may be found at www.akhealthcaucus.org/TSA.php)

In Hawaii, I introduced SB 1150 in January, 2011, “Relating to the use of Body Imaging Scanners at Airports.” The bill would make it illegal to use non-consensual full body imaging devices at Hawaii airports. There were four Democrat co-signatories. The bill was referred to three separate committees, but never given a hearing. It will be back in 2012.

The full imaging device was installed at Lihue, Kauai, in mid-2010. A second unit was placed in service in Honolulu in October 2010, and to date, two more of a planned six units are in operation in Honolulu.

For years, a growing number of people and organizations have raised red flags about the operations of the TSA, its costs and its effectiveness, or lack thereof, of ever identifying a single terrorist or crime, while inconveniencing and traumatizing hundreds of citizens. Now TSA will be unionized.

There are several national and local controversial issues involving TSA. Last week, a video surfaced on Drudge.com, showing (video and audio) the detailed “patting down” of a six year old child. Parents were horrified.

In March, 2011 in Honolulu, KITV-TV investigative reporter Keoki Kerr uncovered a series of incidents at Honolulu International Airport where more than two dozen TSA screeners were not in fact screening checked luggage. The lapse had gone on for months. At least 27 TSA Honolulu officers are currently under a federal probe for these actions.

Just this week, a former Honolulu TSA employee, Dawn Nicole Keka, is facing embezzling charges for allegedly stealing cash from wallets of Japanese visitors in Kona on the island of Hawaii. Keka was arrested last week and she resigned her job on April 11. The TSA initiated a sting operation after numerous allegations had arisen during the past several months.

It should be remembered that Alaska Representative Cissna made headlines previously, when she, a breast surgery survivor, refused invasive TSA handling and was denied aircraft boarding to return home to Anchorage. She was forced to use several other forms of alternate transportation.

In Hawaii, there are no other alternate forms of transportation.

The next caucus meeting is set for late May or early June. Individuals or organizations in Hawaii who would like more information may contact me directly at SBH@lava.net or 808-349-5438.

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40 COMMENTS

  1. Last week my 95 year old mother, all 4″10″ and 90 lbs. of her, was selected for the full body scan at Honolulu International on her return trip to New Jersey. When will we stop wasting resources by refusing to acknowledge that the threat to air travel is not from 95 year old grandmothers, or from 6 year old children?

    • Palani: You know the truth, as does the rest of us — this isn’t about catching terrorists, or stopping terrorist threats. This is all about conditioning the American people into foregoing their 4th Amendment rights, while making absolutely sure that traveling Muslim’s aren’t offended in the process.

      Seriously, just spend a day at your local airport. Then keep tabs on who gets searched. You’ll find that searches are conducted on the following individuals in descending order:

      White women over the age of 30 (because they won’t complain much)
      Children under the age of 10 (because they won’t complain much — future sheeple, plus mommy’s there)
      White men under the age of 30 (because they’re used to their rights being violated).
      Some minorities (to make things look ‘equal’).
      Women in Burka’s (NEVER)
      Muslim men (NEVER)

      See where I’m going with this? Due to political correctness, the powers that be will NEVER focus on where the threat is most likely to come from. They’ll just keep frisking Grandma so as to appear to be “fair.”

      Unfortunately, this doesn’t have the effect of making our airports any safer.

  3. We live in Kentucky and have been wanting to come to Hawaii for a week’s vacation and to visit a relative there. But we refuse to fly until these rules change. We refuse to have ourselves and our 3 children subjected to inappropriate physical touching by airport and TSA employees. So we’ve decided to drive to California instead for vacation this summer. We’d rather support Hawaii’s economy, since we think it might be hurting from Japan’s tsunami, but we have to draw the line, and that is beyond what we can accept.

  6. Senator Sloan, thanks for your article. The quickest way to get these rules changed is to make Congressman and Senators wait in the same lines and go through the same security as the rest of us. After all, that was the impetus for the formation of this coalition.

    After was watching that little girl be molested by that TSA agent, I told my wife, “I feel like I can’t travel anywhere anymore.”

    Also, there is alternate forms of travel to HI. Haven’t you ever hopped a freighter?

  8. The TSA should be abolished. I say give law enforcement the right to kill suspected terrorsts on the spot and then do an investigation. The many should NOT be so inconvenienvced and hassled as they are due to the possible actions of the few. I would rather fly naked than be strip searced and patted down by some governemt goon. My right tp privacy with respect to my body and my things is something I will NOT give up. Therefore, I just do not fly any more.

  9. Hello, I am glad Hawaii and other states are trying to do something about the TSA and by extension the US government about this no excuse of abuse of all citizens. My wife and I have stopped flying in the US and especially to Hawaii because of the TSA policy. We regret it because Hawaii is our ancestral home. But we refuse to be abused by the USG regardless of what they pretend are policies for our safety. GO BACK to the policy of the rest of the world’s airports. Metal detection, Profile Behavioral analysis, k-9 for chemical trace and baggage check. That is all you need!

  10. This is not a question of excess power, The DHS has taken total control of security and intends to perform as they please. Handeling the genitils of minor children and adults is unexcusable. Singleing people who complain about this overt treatment and make them stand in a plastic box for all to see is only exceeded by the NKVD and Gestapo. Their power needs to be eliminated and new regulations introduced to make reasonable searches acceptable.

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