Oh, I've written to them, but thank you for providing a good summary of contact information for others. They're quite aware of how I feel, as is the Port of Bellingham.

All three Houston area airports are owned by the City of Houston (Houston Airport System) contact information, and community affairs.

It would be better to pose the question to the City of Houston, which has a city council and a mayor ([email protected]).

Austin is perhaps unusual in having a citizens' airport advisory board (and, yes, in other ways too :)). But that doesn't mean that their progress isn't the result of a lot hard work on the part of a lot of people.

Exactly - it empowers the scattered individuals, not just in Austin, but everywhere, those who never see a flyer or write a Congressional representative...the individuals who thought they were The Only One offended at being treated like a criminal for buying an airline ticket. These people are still afraid to opt out or to speak up because they will be singled out. When they are no longer alone, the dominoes will start to fall.

^^^

Dear Miami: Please do the same thing. Thanks.
Dear Ft Lauderdale: Please do the same thing. Thanks.

SXSW is coming up in a few weeks (March 11-20)... anyone in a position to introduce the organizers to the Airport Advisory Board?

Can you imagine the effects of thousands of tech/media savvy professionals all opting out at the airport that week?

An organized group could buy refundable tickets for an evening flight, show up at 8am, go through the line, exit and repeat all day long. Each time through they could leave some metal in their pocket to make sure they triggered the alarm, resulting in a pat down.

It might be a bigger story than the national opt out day.

"Hurray for the man from Texas! Some bully shot!" ^

But if every state was Texas, then no state would be.

And I have to admit, as heartening as it is to see organized resistance to TSA, old cynical me doesn't really believe that they have a snowball's chance in the Abode of the Fallen Angels of actually making a dent, either in the Fed or in nation-wide public opinion.

Well done Austin. Alas, this would never have happened in DFW, where the predominant personality is a judicious mix of Yosemite Sam and Hermann Goehring.

From the story, a link:

http://tsatyranny.com/

Wow. Wonder if these folks could be requested to travel around and educate others...that website looks awesome.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index....osition-to-tsa

I had planned to fly out of the US from an airport without the scanners with a refundable ticket, and then just reschedule after refusing a rubdown, but this 6 month ban thing puts a new wrinkle in that strategy. It is like they have foreseen such plans and have attempted to thwart them. Notice how there is no talk of any kind of a 6 month ban until it actually happens. This kind of story should sicken anyone who cares about freedom to even the smallest extent. Read the story the article links to. The DHS/TSA is out of control and obviously answerable to no one. I'd like to imagine a mexican standoff between Austin Police and a cadre of Air Marshalls, but that is fantasy. In the US cops are *always* pro-government. They will do exactly what the DHS/TSA tells them to.

An excellent article:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Bravin.....-a0142206826
^^

Interesting coming out of Texas. The same state that thought taking over 500 kids from their parents in a paramilitary raid with no probably cause was a good idea. Texas' stomping on people's freedom and liberty and basic human (and child) rights makes the TSA seem like patriots.

That said, I hope what's happening in Austin with regard to the TSA spreads. It keeps light on the issue, raises awareness, and each credible opposition (as opposed to exaggeration and FUD) lends weight. Wimpie, good post btw.

What raid are you refering to?

I believe he was referring to the YFZ Ranch raid in 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YFZ_Ranch

About 3 years ago Texas authorities raided the YFZ ranch and took over 500 children (infants through 17 year olds). The raid was based on a single phone call from a girl claiming to be a 16 year old held against her will at the ranch. Investigators later admitted they knew that the call was placed from Colorado, not from YFZ or anywhere in Texas.

The ranch is a group of Mormons, most of whom live a polygynous lifestyle. Court rulings found the raid to be unwarranted, illegal, and eventually ordered all children returned to their parents. Five people ended up being prosecuted for sex with underage girls (who they were supposedly married to). Only one of the girls would testify against her husband, the others said that they were happy in their marriage and had sex with their husbands willingly.

I interviewed a number of people connected with this thing. Warren Jeffs, their leader when the raid happened, is creepy and IMHO probably should be locked up. The guy whose wife testified against him was kinda creepy too. The rest of the people at the ranch are extremely nice, intelligent, hard-working folks who just want to live their lives. Just about everyone in every family I talked to was far happier in their family, marriage, and daily life than other average Americans. There are no kids born and raised out of wedlock or by single-parents. Investigating for potential child abuse was as warranted at YFZ as in any neighborhood or apartment building in the U.S. Removing over 500 children without cause was not.