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The Consequences of Blind Support: Black Backlash Against Obama
By Linn Washington, Jr.
After spending much of her 94-years as a civil rights activist this Washington, DC resident is understandably supportive of the Barack Obama presidency because she like many African-Americans never thought she’d ever see a black man sitting in that Oval Office seat designated for the most powerful person on earth.
Woman dying of leukemia abused by TSA
The TSA has a lesson to teach you. And by George, you’re going to learn it.
Read the rest at TSA News.
TSA mocks Breast Cancer Awareness Month by using pink gloves
Really, you can’t make this stuff up:
"According to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein, during the month of October the 650 TSA officers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) will be be wearing pink gloves instead of the more familiar blue gloves as a sign of their support in the fight against Breast Cancer."
Read the rest at TSA News.
New Book for Ages 6 to 10: Tube World
http://davidswanson.org/tubeworld
New Book for Ages 6 to 10: Tube World
Tube World is the first children's book by David Swanson, author of several nonfiction adult books. The illustrations for Tube World are by Shane Burke.
Parents: Have your kids been tired in the morning? Have you found wet bathing suits in their beds? Do they know things about far-away places that you didn’t teach them and they didn’t learn in school? Do children visiting your town from halfway around the world always seem to be friends with your kids, and to only be around during certain hours of the day? You won’t believe the explanation, but your kids might grin and wink at each other if you read it to them.
Kids: Did you know the center of the Earth was hollow? Do you know the words that can take you there, if you’re under the covers in your swimming suit and prepared for the trip? Can you imagine traveling anywhere in the world where there’s a swimming pool — and being home again in time for breakfast? If you haven’t been to Tube World yet, this book will tell you the secrets you need to know. And it will tell you about some children who discovered Tube World and used it to make the whole world a better place.
Buy the PDF, EPUB (iPad, Nook, etc.), or MOBI (Kindle) from Ebookit.
The paperback has been published in two versions, one with slightly better color, slightly better paper, and a dramatically higher price.
Buy the standard paperback from Amazon,
(If you order from Amazon it will ship right away even if Amazon says it won't ship for weeks; it is print-on-demand.)
Buy the premium paperback from Amazon,
Your local independent bookstore can order the book through Ingram.
Anyone can order the book in bulk at the lowest possible price right here.
Buy PDF, Audio, EPUB, or Kindle for $8 right here:
http://davidswanson.org/tubeworld
Advance Praise for Tube World:
“This book will make you laugh till water comes out your ears!”--Wesley
“This story is super flibba garibbidy schmibbadie libbidie awesome, mostly!”--Travis
“The best part is we saved 2,000 islands and pretty much the whole world in our swimming suits!”--Hallie
About Shane Burke:
Shane Burke lives in Denver Colorado and has been drawing and painting since he could hold a pencil. He took private art lessons when he was young and began winning awards and contests by the age of seven. His first big commission came at age nine when he created artwork for a billboard near his home town of Tracy California. His greatest influences came from his grandfather and elementary school teachers. He loved watching his grandfather paint landscapes and wanted to be just like him. Shane is a creative day dreamer and at complete peace when putting ink to paper. You can see more of Shane's work at www.beezink.com
DHS: the rot starts at the top by Deborah Pierce
Looking at the Department of Homeland Security’s response last week to a scathing Senate subcommittee report on fusion centers, it’s clear that the rot starts at the top. DHS is the TSA’s parent agency. Its shoddy operating procedures and defensiveness in response to questions and criticism mirror the way the TSA operates.
Read the rest at TSA News.
Is the TSA punishing us? by Christopher Elliott
Steven deForest is an experienced air traveler, but he says nothing could have prepared him for the confrontation he recently had with a TSA screener in Las Vegas.
Read the rest at TSA News.
TSA’s disability and multicultural problem by Bill Fisher
In September the TSA website posted an announcement noting that the agency hosted nearly 40 disability and multicultural organizations and federal agencies at its 10th Annual Disability and Multicultural Coalition Conference ”to discuss advances in security screening and issues of concern to coalition members and their constituencies.”
Read the rest at TSA News.
Assange Labeled an 'Enemy' of the US in Secret Pentagon Documents
By Dave Lindorff
An investigative arm of the Pentagon has termed Wikileaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange, currently holed up and claiming asylum in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for fear he will be deported to Sweden and thence to the US, and his organization, both “enemies” of the United States.
Assange Labeled an 'Enemy' of the US in Secret Pentagon Documents
By Dave Lindorff
An investigative arm of the Pentagon has termed Wikileaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange, currently holed up and claiming asylum in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for fear he will be deported to Sweden and thence to the US, and his organization, both “enemies” of the United States.
Assange Labeled an 'Enemy' of the US in Secret Pentagon Documents
By Dave Lindorff
An investigative arm of the Pentagon has termed Wikileaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange, currently holed up and claiming asylum in the Ecuadoran Embassy in London for fear he will be deported to Sweden and thence to the US, and his organization, both “enemies” of the United States.
Top 10 Astonishing Police Brutality Videos Caught on Surveillance Cameras
By Clint Henderson
The internet is full of videos exposing police officers' use of excessive physical force when trying to apprehend or detain "potential criminals". Every year in fact there seems to be an increase in YouTube video uploads, video views, and news stories depicting this type of injustice.
TSA agent admits to stealing cash from passenger as punishment
As we’ve noted several times, TSA agents often act out of petulance and pique. Because they have absolute power, they can abuse it. And they do.
The latest example of this is the guilty plea from TSA agent John W. Irwin. As Press TV reports, Irwin stole $520 from a passenger because the passenger wasn’t deferential enough to him.
Read the rest at TSA News.
Philly DA Scored for Defending Prosecutorial Misconduct
By Linn Washington Jr.
The recent outrage in Pennsylvania over the scheduled October 3 execution of a man who killed two men who had sexually abused him during his childhood has tarnished the reformer image of Philadelphia DA Seth Williams, exposing him as just another prosecutor willing to trample justice to preserve a death penalty.
Loews hotels partner with TSA
As we’ve noted repeatedly about the TSA program called Pre-Check, not only is it the embodiment of “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” but it doesn’t guarantee participants expedited screening. Nor scan-free nor grope-free nor hassle-free travel.
Read the rest at TSA News.
But the Police State Marches On: Protestors Win in 2004 RNC Protest Mass Arrest Case in NYC
By Dave Lindorff
On the morning of the big march through midtown Manhattan on the opening day of the Republican National Convention in New York City in 2004, I and a few friends were having breakfast at a little coffee shop near 96th Street on the Upper West Side. We had a few homemade signs and were clearly headed for a political action. Across from us were three New York City cops, carrying riot helmets, having their breakfast. They were clearly headed to the same place we were.
Lakota Nation Leaves America
Lakota Sioux Nation Leaves America
by Stephen Lendman
America betrayed them and all Native Peoples. Throughout US history and earlier, genocide was policy.
Historian Ward Churchill explained four centuries of systematic slaughter. It went on from 1492 - 1892. It continues today against Native culture.
What TSA’s iPad theft problem means for your next flight by Christopher Elliott
TSA agents seem to have a thing for iPads. Apple’s tablet computers are easy to swipe from unwitting airline passengers and can be sold quickly online, as I noted earlier this year. You’d think the TSA would do something about the wave of thefts reported this spring. But instead, it has apparently done nothing.
Read the rest at TSA News.
Judge Stays Terry Williams' Execution
Judge Stays Terry Williams' Execution
by Stephen Lendman
A previous article discussed Terry's fight for life. He was scheduled to die on October 3. Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina spared him for now. More on her ruling and what's next below.
TSA: Freeze, or else
We have another not-a-new-story but one that many people still haven’t heard yet and for which there’s a new video that’s making the rounds. And lucky us, we can see the TSA’s foray into Saturday morning cartoon territory.
Read the rest at TSA News.
Terry Williams: A Life in the Balance
Terry Williams: A Life in the Balance
by Stephen Lendman
Human life is sacred. Throughout its history, US policy scored it. It shows horrifically in one war after another. It's no different at home at the federal, state, or local levels.
TSA thumbs its nose at the law, courts say OK
Over a year ago, the TSA was ordered to hold a public comment period on the use of the strip-search scanners. The agency ignored that order.
Read the rest at TSA News.
You’re in Good Hands with Happy Hands Homeland Security
Political movements never succeed by one method or strategy alone. It takes many tactics, many plans, many approaches, many disparate–even at times conflicting–actions to get things done. And artists are always an important part of the effort.
Read the rest at TSA News.
How close are we getting to a “papers, please” society? by Christopher Elliott
America is edging closer to becoming a “papers, please” society, at least when it comes to travel.
Read the rest at TSA News.
TSA propaganda: sex, lies, and video clips by Bill Fisher
Despite overwhelming Congressional and public criticism of its personnel and policies, the TSA continues undaunted in its public relations program, which many have deemed a propaganda campaign. Instead of addressing the documented shortcomings within the agency, the TSA opts instead to waste effort planting spurious press releases and making false claims.
Report on the TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee by Wendy Thomson
Don't let the dry title fool you. Powerful post by Wendy Thomson. Read the whole thing at TSA News.
Frequent flyers rate the TSA: epic fail
Remember that TSA Gallup poll from a few weeks ago?
A few of our writers took it apart here at TSA News, most notably Bill Fisher and Phil Weber. They pointed out that of the people polled who claimed that the TSA is doing a good job, half of them hadn’t flown at all.
The Birthday of Occupy
By Charles M. Young
Is there anything less threatening than a morbidly obese cop on motor scooter?
John Pistole’s victims are legion – and all are “one-offs”
TSA Administrator John Pistole is frequently heard to minimize the importance of devastating passenger experiences at the checkpoint by referring to them as “one-offs,” as in the quote below:
Read the rest at TSA News.
Wisconsin Anti-Worker Law Struck Down
Wisconsin Anti-Worker Law Struck Down
by Stephen Lendman
It happened last year as well. On May 27, 2011, Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi rescinded Walker's bill. In a 33-page decision, she ruled Republican lawmakers violated Wisconsin's open meetings law.
