So, I can’t remember exactly how I found them, but I started following the TSA on Twitter. I guess when your image is shot, you do what anyone would do – start a blog and Twitter feed to try and repair your image. However, it’s quite obvious that the blog is designed to be read by people who never use air travel, because they blow so much smoke up my butt, I’m afraid to burp.

The latest blog talks a story I’m sure you’ve all at least heard about, if not, you’ve gotten the email:

As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards.

Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That’s where the stupid started.

First, everyone was forced to get off the plane–even though the plane wasn’t refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.

It’s probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren’t loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs.

The TSA personnel at the airport seriously considered making us unload all of the baggage from the SECURE cargo hold to have it reinspected. Keep in mind, this cargo had been unpacked, inspected piece by piece by U.S. Customs officials, resealed and had bomb-sniffing dogs give it a one-hour run through. After two hours of sitting in this holding area, the TSA decided not to reinspect our Cargo–just to inspect us again: Soldiers on the way home from war, who had already been inspected, reinspected and kept in a SECURE holding area for 2 hours. Ok, whatever. So we lined up to go through security AGAIN.

This is probably another good time to remind you all that all of us were carrying actual assault rifles, and some of us were also carrying pistols.

So we’re in line, going through one at a time. One of our Soldiers had his Gerber multi-tool. TSA confiscated it. Kind of ridiculous, but it gets better. A few minutes later, a guy empties his pockets and has a pair of nail clippers. Nail clippers. TSA informs the Soldier that they’re going to confiscate his nail clippers. The conversation went something like this:

TSA Guy: You can’t take those on the plane.

Soldier: What? I’ve had them since we left country.

TSA Guy: You’re not suppose to have them.

Soldier: Why?

TSA Guy: They can be used as a weapon.

Soldier: [touches butt stock of the rifle] But this actually is a weapon. And I’m allowed to take it on.

TSA Guy: Yeah but you can’t use it to take over the plane. You don’t have bullets.

Soldier: And I can take over the plane with nail clippers?

TSA Guy: [awkward silence]

Me: Dude, just give him your damn nail clippers so we can get the f**k out of here. I’ll buy you a new set.

Soldier: [hands nail clippers to TSA guy, makes it through security]

This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns–but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.

To be fair, the TSA seems to have debunked at least part of this popular story by posting a response from the Director of Public Affairs of the Indiana National Guard specifically discussing the airport in question. The problem, though, is that they’re still lying through their teeth about a very real issue: those dangerous fingernail clippers on planes.

I have PERSONALLY had fingernail clippers taken away from me on more than one occasion since 2003. And I’m not the only one. If you read the comments of their blog that specifically addresses nail clippers, you’ll see many people that have had them taken away. So, either the TSA is lying to American public, or they can’t control their TSOs!

Not only that, but I’ve also had other non-threatening devices taken from me IN UNIFORM!! The latest example was within the past year. In uniform, I’ve had a Gerber tool taken away from me (actually, I just refused to enter and hid it within the airport until I returned). Given, my Gerber has a fold out knife, but I WAS IN A MILITARY UNIFORM!

My particular Gerber happens to come with a separate, hand held strap cutter. It is designed to quickly cut away seatbelts in the event of a roll-over or other emergency in which you are unable to unbuckle yourself. It has no sharp points on it with which one could cut someone, stab someone, slice someone, etc. Unless the victim is as thin as about 10 sheets of paper, the device is completely useless for doing harm. I’ve traversed the country with this thing numerous times, but when I was returning from a trip the TSA pulled me aside and began searching my bag. I had no idea what they were searching for. They couldn’t find what they were looking for and I asked if I could reach in and pull something things out they may have seen on their screens. Of course, I couldn’t see their screen so I had no idea. Then, the agent pulls out my strap cutter.

“This is it,” he proclaimed. “You can’t have this.”

I asked him why and he said it could be used as a weapon. I asked him how and he pointed to the area in which the strap is cut. I tried to fit my smallest finger and could not. He could not explain how it could be used as a weapon but I couldn’t take it on the plane. A Soldier. This was obviously pathetic nonsense so I demanded to speak to the supervisor. She came over and gave me and an apologetic sob story, but “those are the rules.”

I told them I wasn’t going to let them have my $30 piece of metal and began showing them all the other items in my bag more dangerous than my strap cutter (not a good idea, by the way – they enjoy their authority and I was questioning it). I then demanded that I speak to the next level up supervisor. Obviously, the TSA weenies look out for their own, even when it’s a harmless (to a fellow American) Soldier. Long story story, I left the screening area and had to mail myself the cutter. I’m also convinced that the TSA is in cahoots with the airport package people as it cost me nearly $14 to slow mail the thing home!!

But, yet, the TSA Official Blogger states authoritatively that “nail clippers have never been prohibited by the TSA.” It’s happened to me and it’s obviously happened to others.

The next laughable attempt to placate the masses into giving up their 4th amendment rights and acquiesce like cattle, is their post about the “safety” of their X-ray machines that they maintain are “that has proven to be safe and meets applicable standards.” Yet, buried in their “facts” is this little gem: “[Army] Health Physicists are also gathering area radiation dose data by mounting dosimeters within the inspection zone (that area only occupied by the individual undergoing the screening and delineated by the yellow bordered floor mat) on certain equipment.”

That’s right. They don’t have that data now, so they’ll just keep radiating the general public. Why is it that every time I walk into a doctor’s office for x-rays, I have to wear a lead vest or plates where they don’t want x-ray radiation to permiate? Why is it that the technician always walks out of the room while pressing the little button? The fact is that Thomas Edison died of cancer as a result of x-rays. His assistant, Clarence Dally died of cancer from x-rays.

A study done in 2004 in the UK blamed exposure to medical x-rays for 0.6% of all cancers. While that number seems low, thing about how many times the average person ever needs medical x-rays. Now compare that the number of times that many people pass through airports and will eventually be exposed to these machines, if they haven’t been already. My good friend, Troy, seems like he’s NEVER home. He’s always flying somewhere. I’m willing to bet that he’s probably been through more airport x-rays just since he retired than medical x-rays in his entire life! I could be wrong, but maybe he’ll leave a comment and let me know.

With all that said, so what! The TSA is still ignoring a fundamental aspect of why people are so pissed! The excuses about the dangers of x-ray are only being shouted because we know that the government could care less about the real issue: our Constitutional rights.

Amendment 4 of the United States Constitution – Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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.

THIS is why Americans are so pissed off. I don’t think there are many constitutional scholars that will say walking through a metal detector or magnetometer because these are general in nature. The concerns of our government is that these things don’t detect explosive material. That’s fine. There are machines that can “sniff” those compounds out, even in small doses. Again, it’s a generic search that merely involves a puff of air that is analyzed for known compounds used in the production of explosives.

However, the machines that require I be submitted to a virtual strip search ARE invasive and DEFINITELY violate my 4th Amendment rights. The argument of the ignorant doesn’t hold water either: “if you don’t like it, don’t fly.” That flies in the face of US law and precedent that ensures me a right to travel “that has been firmly established and repeatedly recognized.” (U.S. v Guest, 383 U.S. 745) (Note: pay close attention because this is how I also beat speeding tickets.) Shapiro v Thompson, 394 U.S. 618 noted that “it [the right to travel] is a right broadly assertable against private interference as well as governmental action. Like the right of association, … it is a virtually unconditional personal right, guaranteed by the Constitution to us all.” In Kent v. Dulles, 357 U.S. 116, 125, is was confirmed also that “the right to travel is part of the Liberty of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment.” And if that was too broad, “each citizen has the absolute right to choose for himself the mode of conveyance he desires, whether it be by wagon or carriage, by horse, motor or electric car, or by bicycle, or astride of a horse,” according to Swift v. City of Topeka, 43 Kan. 671, 674.

In other words, if I want to travel by plane, car, hiking boot, or emu, I have that right and “the claim and exercise of a Constitutional right cannot be converted into a crime” by the TSA or any other government bureaucracy (Miller v. U.S. 230 F. 2d 488, 489). The original Articles of Confederation explicitly gave us this right that the “people of each State shall have free ingress and regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce.” However, when the 1st Constitutional Congress began debating the Constitution as we know it, this was considered such a fundamental right, that it wasn’t mentioned in our founding document. As a matter of fact, most of the Bill of Rights almost wasn’t included because the rights proscribed therein were, at the time, considered fundamental. Thank you James Madison for fighting the fight for a bill of rights and having the vision of what kind of tyrannical government we’d be faced with today or we’d be screwed today!

So the argument to “not fly if you don’t like it” isn’t a valid argument and demonstrates a fundamental lack of civic awareness and over an overabundance of deference to the government. We only have the rights that we, as citizens, are willing to stand up for. If someone says you can’t own a gun and you just never buy a gun because of that, then you’ve voluntarily surrendered that right. If a police officer walks up to you and asks if he can search for no reason and you let him, you’ve voluntarily surrendered that right. But, just because YOU have voluntarily surrendered that right doesn’t mean it no longer applies to me.

I refuse to surrender my 4th Amendment right when I travel on a commercial aircraft. I will not allow my person, papers and effects to be violated without my consent. Threatening me with refusal to fly without probable cause is a civil rights violation and opens up the government to lawsuit. Forcing me to giving up my 4th Amendment rights through coercion, force, or theats is not valid defense because I only gave permission under duress and my permission therefore null and void. I do not willingly surrender my rights by purchasing a plane ticket.

If we, as Americans, do not fight for our rights and demand adherence to the 4th and 5th Amendments, then we will lose them. Ben Franklin is often quoted as having said that “those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Let there be a line for patriots and freedom loving, peaceful Americans like myself that will not stand for these violations and a separate line for the sheep among us that will “give up essential liberty” just to get on a plane. The TSA has created a blog to create more of the latter. I’m not a criminal and refuse to be treated as one.

[Author's Note: The OPINIONS expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent those of any agency of the United States Government, expressly including, but not limited to, the Department of Defense or the United States Army. This site is not designed, authorized, sanctioned, or affiliated, by or with, any agency of the United States Government, expressly including, but not limited to, the Department of Defense or the United States Army. This post is in accordance with DODD 1344.10, which expressly permits me to "express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, but not as a representative of the Armed Forces." Therefore, I hereby declare that I do not write this post as a representative of the Armed Forces. Since I no longer own this site, consider this post also in compliance with the provisions of paragraph 4.1.1.6 of DODD 1344.10.]