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TSA's 9/11 Propaganda Piece on the blog [merged threads]

TSA's 9/11 Propaganda Piece on the blog [merged threads]

Old Sep 12, 2008, 2:55 pm
  #31  
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I think this exchange is getting a bit silly. Some here don't seem to be differentiating between being an editor or moderator and being a censor. TSA has every legal right to filter which comments end up on the blog any way it wishes. However, failure to openly and explicitly acknowledge that critical comments are far more likely to get filtered than those by TSA cheerleaders is to be dishonest and deceitful.

But more importantly, this isn't the main issue here. Look at what Blogdad Bob is trying to do with his post! He mentions 9-11 and what a tragedy that was, and then mentions the TSA, as if somehow the establishment of agency that routinely abuses air travellers, that engages in a propoganda effort that is as shameless as it is extensive and deceitful, that systematically attempts to confuse, defraud and mislead air travellers by promoting discredited, fantasy "threats" such a shoe bombs and liquid explosives, that resists any efforts at accountability by refusing to provide testimony at or otherwise participate in Congressional hearings on passenger complaints, and that has responded to efforts at bringing public attention to its numerous failures by prosecuting the whistle-blowers, is somehow related to those events.

Yes, 9-11 was bad. It does not follow, ipso facto, as Blogdad Bob is trying to suggest, that the TSA is good. Nothing he writes in his Goebbels-esque propoganda piece does anything to weaken the far more credible argument that as bad as 9-11 was, the reaction to it -- creation of the TSA, the NFL, the invasion of Afghanistan (or what I like to call the 4th Anglo-Afghan war), the invasion of Iraq, kidnappings, torture, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, etc. etc. -- have all been far worse. 9-11 killed 2700 people. 100s of thousands have died from the response, and thousands more suffer non-lethal consequences, including being subjected to harassment, torture and illegal imprisonment.
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 3:05 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by TSA Bob
I got together with a couple of folks and we decided the 9/11 thread should just be about remembrance and moving forward.
I'm all about remembrance.

I'm all about remembering the 1st Amendment. TSA at MKE declared the 1st Amendment invalid at the airport, and by denying innocent Americans freedom of movement, TSA stomps on freedom of assembly too.

I'm all about remembering the 4th Amendment, which TSA ignores every time they expand their administrative search to a criminal search and report cash, drugs, or anything else that is not either a threat to aviation or an immediate danger. Or whenever TSA extends their search beyond what is needed to find weapons, explosives, and incendiaries, such as pawing through wallets or reading papers/books.

I'm all about the remembering the 5th Amendment, which guarantees that we shall not be deprived of liberty or property without due process. Yet TSA denies thousands of innocent Americans liberty with no means of due process through the bungled no-fly list. And don't get me started on property theft by TSA, both theft of permitted items at the checkpoint that is winked at and ignored by TSA and theft of items in checked luggage due to total lack of effective video surveillance and prohibitions on locks.

And I'm all about moving forward, by moving airport screening toward an effective focus on searches for weapons, explosives, and incendiaries and away from needless blacklists, ID charades, and unreasonable paranoia about shoes, toothpaste, and water that could be cleared of credible threats using long-deployed existing technology.

We agreed that it was not the proper forum for snarky posts and 9/11 controversies/conspiracy theories.
My post was not snarky, and neither were the other rejected posts that appeared here. My post was not about conspiracy theories. My post was about how we have dishonored the memory of those who died by trampling on the Constitution, liberty, and common sense.

By the way, I'm taking the second half of my paternity leave over the next two weeks, so do me a favor and don't accuse me of ducking and running.
Enjoy your leave, but as you spend time with your kid, think about the world we are leaving to him versus the world you grew up in. Think about why it is different, and how many of those differences are due not to wacko Islamic-extremist terrorists but due to irrational reactionary paranoia by our own government. Better make sure your kid's birth certificate and SSN are in order so that when the time comes he may have his travel papers ready to present to request permission to travel at airports and rail stations and who knows where else that will be next. Who knows how long it will be before papers-please checkpoints are extended to minors. We can't be to careful can we?
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 3:34 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Spiff
And who are the "owners" of tsa.gov?
No kidding. Leave it to the disgusting pieces of garbage running the TSA to assert that the first amendment doesn't apply to a government-run blog.

Disclosure: I've never posted to (nor attempted to post to) the TSA blog - their pathetic attempt to control the conversation is sickening.

Let's treat Americans poorly on a daily basis and even better, let's attempt to control the comments by those most affected.

History is replete with vile figures who would be very impressed by the TSA's accomplishments (or at least its efforts) via its blog.
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 4:13 pm
  #34  
 
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TSA finds 9/11 Commisioners statements about their report snarky or controversial?

Originally Posted by TSA Bob
I got together with a couple of folks and we decided the 9/11 thread should just be about remembrance and moving forward. We agreed that it was not the proper forum for snarky posts and 9/11 controversies/conspiracy theories.
Bob, what about the 9/11 Commission's chair and vice-chair stating that we haven't found the truth about the disaster because they were misled is snarky or controversial?

What about unanswered questions from survivors of the disaster is snarky or controversial?

Remember, all theories about 9/11 are conspiracy theories. I don't see anyone, including the U.S. Government, suggesting that someone pulled this off on his own. Most controversy is over who conspired to commit the crime, not whether it was a conspiracy.

Last edited by pmocek; Sep 12, 2008 at 4:50 pm Reason: fix typo in title
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 4:32 pm
  #35  
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Originally Posted by studentff

And I think 9/11 is the perfect day to sit down and think about how we are dishonoring the memory of those who died on 9/11/01 by trashing the Constitution, liberty, and common sense.

Who is this "we" are you talking about? You certainly don't speak for me.
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 5:51 pm
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by TSA Bob
Hey all. Whenever I need to feel loved, I stop by Flyer Talk. I've been reading for years by the way...

First off, for those familiar with how blogs work, comments are an option. We don't have to give you a forum. But, that would be pretty silly since we want to hear from you.

You folks know as well as anybody else (since you read and comment on the blog frequently) that we allow you to stick it to us on a regular basis. Obviously, we're fine with most of it as you can tell by reading our blog.

I got together with a couple of folks and we decided the 9/11 thread should just be about remembrance and moving forward. We agreed that it was not the proper forum for snarky posts and 9/11 controversies/conspiracy theories.

By the way, I'm taking the second half of my paternity leave over the next two weeks, so do me a favor and don't accuse me of ducking and running.

Blogger Bob
I guess that means nothing is going to happen on that blog for the next two weeks. Will you be approving comments on the non-9/11 posts? Who's left, just you and Lynn? I thought you'd have a post about the nationwide rollout of your United States Police Force (my "Escape Form New York" reference for the day) uniforms.

I don't know if you saw the 9/11 National Service Forum, but one thing that was mentioned was participation in and awareness of our government in order to keep our government accountable.

When we post comments critical of your agency, we're doing our patriotic duty. When you refuse to post comments in a timely manner or get "heavy handed" with the delete button, you're doing the opposite.
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 6:33 pm
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by TSA Bob
Hey all. Whenever I need to feel loved, I stop by Flyer Talk. I've been reading for years by the way...

By the way, I'm taking the second half of my paternity leave over the next two weeks, so do me a favor and don't accuse me of ducking and running.

Blogger Bob
Congrats on Blogger Baby & enjoy diaper duty!
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 7:24 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Spiff
Dear Comrades,

9/11 means many things to many People. For some of you, it is day the the federal government started to destroy civil liberties in this nation and start to become more like Axis of Evil. However, I want to share story about how I came to Communist Party and what it means to wear Communist Party costume...

Before 9/11, I was always looking for work. Ok, not really work, but rather some function that did not require much effort, physically or mentally. but still paid many kyat (sorry, imperialist dollars). Suddenly, federal government went into frenzy after murderers destroyed buildings. Take away this, restrict that, secret rules about this, cannot talk about that... Perfect opportunity, Comrades! So I joined People's Workfare Program and eventually became Minister of Propoganda blogger.

Many Comrades who send in email are very negative. (Haha don't worry, we log IP for future when Party is permitted to really investigate Comrades with Bad Attitude!) They do not understand principle of Party: Security through Obscurity. Remember, We tell you Comrades what you need to know. Since there is no Improper Use of Magic Office, we can claim our devices can do anything, even if we don't really know what they do! Is very satisfying career talking down to Comrades Who Complain.

Today I marked moment of silence and then had moment of great joy when I looked at checkbook which used to have much red (glorious color) ink. Now is all black, like sections of Constitution.
Since the blog is pretty much a propaganda site, I propose we rename it. I like the name Propaganda Village, named for Gijeong-dong on the North Korean side of the DMZ. It looked good from a far and blared propaganda into the South about how great the North is. Of course, get up close and you see that no one lives there except a few caretakers, there's no windows in the buildings, and the whole town was built for show. They also have the largest flag pole in the world to show how great they are.

Now substitute Big Catches, 9/11, no real substance to their security and the constant propaganda coming out of them. Am I that far off?
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Old Sep 12, 2008, 7:58 pm
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Superguy
Since the blog is pretty much a propaganda site, I propose we rename it. I like the name Propaganda Village, named for Gijeong-dong on the North Korean side of the DMZ. It looked good from a far and blared propaganda into the South about how great the North is. Of course, get up close and you see that no one lives there except a few caretakers, there's no windows in the buildings, and the whole town was built for show. They also have the largest flag pole in the world to show how great they are.

Now substitute Big Catches®, 9/11, no real substance to their security and the constant propaganda coming out of them. Am I that far off?
Is excellent idea, Comrade.

I also think idea for mirror site without censorship would be very good way to let Comrade Kip Hawley see just what a filthy Communist he is.

Last edited by Spiff; Sep 12, 2008 at 10:24 pm
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Old Sep 13, 2008, 8:53 am
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by essxjay
Who is this "we" are you talking about? You certainly don't speak for me.
Well, I think we the citizens of the USA all bear some collective responsibility for the over-reaction and paranoia of this nation post 9/11. (I would apply something similar to the UK and other nations.) Now there are certainly some amongst us who have spoken our or taken action against it, and the responsibility is arguably much less among many of those. But the nation as a whole has still allowed this to happen.

Hypothetically, if in the 2002 or 2004 elections, every elected official who had supported paranoia (DHS, TSA, Patriot Act excesses, etc.) had been tossed out of office--and I'm not just talking about Bush or Republicans--then I might believe that a rogue government was responsible for this and not the citizenry. But the citizens as a whole have effectively endorsed the paranoia in the 2002, 2004, 2006, and likely 2008 elections.
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Old Sep 13, 2008, 9:22 am
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by Superguy
I think it's also a CYA slogan. No one wants to be responsible if something does happen.
Yes it is and it was my poor attempt to make a joke about the slogan.
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Old Sep 13, 2008, 9:43 am
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Superguy
Since the blog is pretty much a propaganda site, I propose we rename it. I like the name Propaganda Village, named for Gijeong-dong on the North Korean side of the DMZ.
I like that. ^

Alternatively Potemkin Town.
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Old Sep 17, 2008, 11:32 am
  #43  
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Interesting update: The 9/11 thread on the blog has started allowing in some comments accusing the TSA of censorship. Wonder how those slipped through?

Mike
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