Senator Rand Paul stopped by evil TSA agents!

[Tyrannical]

Senator Rand Paul stopped by evil TSA agents! Yes, that is the son of running for President Ron Paul.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/20 ... nashville/

A TSA spokesman disputed that Paul was never “detained.” But he was not granted access to the secure area of the airport when he tried to board a flight Monday morning.

The standoff was short-lived. By late morning, according to TSA, Paul had been booked on another flight and made it through the screening process.

The TSA version of events is that Paul triggered an alarm during routine airport screening and refused to complete the screening process (pat-down) in order to resolve the issue. Paul was escorted out of the screening area by local law enforcement.

But it gets funnier

The U.S. Constitution actually protects federal lawmakers from detention while they’re on the way to the capital.

“The Senators and Representatives…shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same….” according to Article I, Section 6.

The Senate is back in session today at 2 p.m., with votes scheduled at 4:30 p.m. It is not clear if Paul will make it to Washington by 4:30 p.m. on his new flight.

I'm surprised he even goes through screening. I'd think the TSA would be forbidden to search him and his belongings for National security reasons, and the fact Congress makes the laws But he must have some big fancy official federal ID stating his a a US Senator.

[Svartalf]

Do I foresee a case Paul v TSA to determine whether the refusal to let a person access his flight (itself a basic breach of the right to freely come and go, given modern standards for transportation) constitutes detaining/arresting them in the meaning of the constitution, concerning whether lawmakers can be prevented from flying at all?

[Seth]

According to what Paul said on Glen Beck today, when he passed through the scanner, it triggered on something on his leg/ankle. They pulled him out and he offered to (and did) pull up his pants leg for them to inspect. He was told by the TSA that they didn't care to look at his leg because triggering of the scanner mandates a full-body pat-down. Paul refused the full-body pat down and requested that he be sent through the scanner again. TSA refused and detained him in a cubicle.

When he took out his cell phone to call and tell the people he was to meet with he would be late, TSA told him that by "touching his cell phone" he was now subject to a full-body strip search, why I don't know, except perhaps as harassment for "contempt of TSA." He refused to allow that and was eventually escorted from the airport by local police. He took a later flight and passed through the scanner fine that time.

He said that while he was waiting, two different TSA agents told him that the scanners have been programmed to randomly "find" something on people so that they can be subjected to a full search without them complaining that they have been "randomly" selected by a TSA agent for enhanced screening.

I find this claim highly plausible, and if it's true, it's going to be a huge embarassment for TSA.

I think it's plausible that TSA did indeed violate Paul's rights and the Constitution by detaining him and delaying him. I hope he nails the TSA on this and gets to the bottom of the scanner incident. I suspect he'll call Senate hearings on the scanners and TSA's procedures.

[laklak]

A little civil disobedience can go a long way, particularly when done by a U.S. Senator.

If I were a TSA big-wig I'd be sucking a LOT of Senatorial cock right now.

[Audley Strange]

A little civil disobedience can go a long way, particularly when done by a U.S. Senator.

If I were a TSA big-wig I'd be sucking a LOT of Senatorial cock right now.

Any particular reason or is it a fetish of yours?

[JimC]

Australian senator confronted by same scenario...

Fuck off, ya drongo!

[Audley Strange]

Australian senator confronted by same scenario...

Fuck off, ya drongo!

Christ, the C&I here would body cavity search his children in front of him for that. We do like our jobsworthian moments of power in the U.K., we like to be vindictive with it too and the C&I attracts Little Eichmanns like Ikea does those with no taste.

[Svartalf]

And Oz land would secede, get out off the commonwealth and become a formal republic... and they'd start hiring all the cricket champs just to torque you brits off.

[Audley Strange]

And Oz land would secede, get out off the commonwealth and become a formal republic... and they'd start hiring all the cricket champs just to torque you brits off.

Heh, I read that as cricket chimps.

The Australians are welcome to be the best at every game going, they're just games. I take no national pride in the fact that some people who chase each other or balls about fields are better at it temporarily than others, temporarily.

Mind you, they'd need to actually let the cricket champs into their country and I'm sure in the meantime we could find some effective runners and ball chasers from the 47 billion (daily mail estimate) illegal pakistani immigrants working in back kitchens of take aways.

[Svartalf]

Hasn't the Daily Mail praised the intelligence and probity of every cabinet member and government official whose name they ever had to print?

[Seth]

A little civil disobedience can go a long way, particularly when done by a U.S. Senator.

If I were a TSA big-wig I'd be sucking a LOT of Senatorial cock right now.

That's why I'm SO glad they fucked with Rand Paul. If anyone is going to resist the blandishments of the TSA and take them to task, it's him.

[Gawd]

A little civil disobedience can go a long way, particularly when done by a U.S. Senator.

If I were a TSA big-wig I'd be sucking a LOT of Senatorial cock right now.

That's why I'm SO glad they fucked with Rand Paul. If anyone is going to resist the blandishments of the TSA and take them to task, it's him.

Rand Paul was going on a flight to a fundamentalist Christian anti-abortion rally. Don't know what you are rooting for.

[Seth]

A little civil disobedience can go a long way, particularly when done by a U.S. Senator.

If I were a TSA big-wig I'd be sucking a LOT of Senatorial cock right now.

That's why I'm SO glad they fucked with Rand Paul. If anyone is going to resist the blandishments of the TSA and take them to task, it's him.

Rand Paul was going on a flight to a fundamentalist Christian anti-abortion rally. Don't know what you are rooting for.

I'm rooting for the TSA fucking with a United States Senator, which is a very, very stupid thing to do. I don't care where Paul was going or for what purpose. He, like every citizen, has a right to travel in this country without being sexually molested or harassed by TSA agents who are doing nothing to enhance airline security.

[laklak]

[Tero]

Ah, A Glen Beck moment. Who really gives a shit anymore? Does Beck get the ratings? I thought they needed a new foaming at the mouth tea party dude every two years.