On November 19, 2010 the Boston Tea Party National Committee passed resolutions; opposing the TSA, naked porno-scanners & enhanced pat-downs and supporting the 2nd & 9th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America 5-0 (with 2 no voting).
Whereas the TSA was created after 9/11; and
Whereas the TSA has consistently violated the 4th Amendment protection against “unreasonable searches & seizures”; and
Whereas the TSA has begun using naked porno-scanners; and
Whereas the TSA has begun using enhanced pat-downs that border on sexual assault and/or molestation;
Be it resolved the Boston Tea Party National Committee opposes these violations of individual rights and liberty; and
Be it resolved the Boston Tea Party National Committee calls upon the TSA to immediately cease and desist the use of porno-scanners; and
Be it resolved the Boston Tea Party National Committee calls upon the TSA to immediately cease and desist the use of enhanced pat-downs that border on sexual assault and/or molestation; and
Be it resolved the Boston Tea Party National Committee the Congress of the United States of America to abolish the TSA and require airlines to be responsible for their own safety and security.
And:
Whereas the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America recognizes the right to bear arm; and
Whereas the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;” and
Whereas federal laws have been passed over the last 3 decades infringing on these Constitutionally protected rights;
Be it resolved, the Boston Tea Party National Committee calls upon the federal government to repeal all federal laws infringing on the right to bear arms; and
Be it resolved, the Boston Tea Party National Committee calls upon the federal government to repeal all federal laws infringing upon all “other (rights) retained by the people.”
BTP member George Donnelly (who co-founded We Won’t Fly with James Babb) writes, “(TSA) deployed untested technology that biochemist Michael Love says ‘statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from.’
They did not properly educate the flying public about their new intrusive security regimen. Passengers thrust into these new procedures report cases of trauma, including flashbacks for rape victims and feelings of humiliation. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a political appointee, irresponsibly misled the nation saying the scanners were safe and the genital probings were discrete. They are neither.
Homeland Security has suckered Americans into a false sense of security with scanners of dubious value.”
BTP National Committee Chair Darryl W. Perry says, “People are frustrated with both the theater disguised as security & the intrusiveness by the TSA.”
Donnelly & Babb add, “Air travelers are clamoring for someone to stand up and demand that their basic human dignity be honored. As parents, we have a sacred responsibility to our children to keep air travel safe, trauma-free and respectful of individual liberty.”
The fourth plank of the current BTP program reads, “Congress should repeal the Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act & FISA Acts and abolish the NSA, TSA, CIA and any other federal agency that infringes on individual rights. Congress should review and revoke the emergency powers granted to the President in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The U.S. should restore privacy by forbidding warrant-less wiretapping of phone and internet communication. The U.S. must restore habeas corpus, allowing all detainees, foreign and domestic, a speedy and public trial. No physical or environmental discomfort should be used to influence the interrogation of suspects for any crime. The U.S. government must respect the rights of all people, regardless of place of birth, status of citizenship, or suspicion of criminality.”
Perry adds, “If people continue to allow the government to infringe upon the right supposedly protected by the 4th Amendment to be protected from “unreasonable searches & seizures” then naked porno-scanners and enhanced pat-downs that border on sexual assault will soon no longer be confined to airports, but also train stations, bus depots, federal buildings and possibly shopping malls and school buildings.
When will people decide to say ‘enough?’ After all, something bad might happen and we need to be protected against the ‘terrorists!’
I agree with Thomas Jefferson: ‘I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it’.”
The Boston Tea Party was founded in 2006 with a one sentence platform, “The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.” In October 2008, the party’s National Convention adopted the four point program of the Campaign for Liberty. Their program calls for an end to overseas occupation, a restoration of privacy and other liberties, no increase in the national debt, and a thorough review of the Federal Reserve. During the 2010 convention the Party adopted a new program to End the Wars of Aggression, End the Fed, End the War on Drugs, End the Abuses of Liberty, End the Immigration Fiasco.