Did TSA Know Sharon Cissna Was A Politician?

Some of the emails sent to Rep. Cissna, who refused to submit to a TSA 'patdown' last week, suggested that as a politician she probably got better treatment than others might have.  So when I had a chance to talk to her Friday, I asked if she had told them that she was a politician.  Her answer was basically 'no.'  She answers more fully in the video.

If Conservatives reject Darwin, how can they embrace Social Darwinism? Thoughts on seeing ASEA at State Capitol

While state employees in Wisconsin are demonstrating in protest of their Governor's move to end collective bargaining, Alaska's unionized employees - mostly represented by the Alaska State Employees Union  - were happily doing what lots of groups of Alaska residents do:  walking the state capitol, talking to legislators about issues, and posing in front of the Capitol building for a picture just as the Key Campaign folks had done the day before.

I don't want to get into the pros and cons of labor unions.  *My short personal sense of unions is at the bottom of the post.

But thinking about unions,  Walker's attack on them in Wisconsin, and their beginnings in the US, brought social Darwinism to mind.  Darwin's Origin of the Species came out in 1859 and Darwin's theory about evolution was debated through the Europe and North America and other parts of the world.

One of the offshoots of Darwinism was something called Social Darwinism.

Social Darwinism was a sociological theory popular in late nineteenth-century Europe and the United States. It merged Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection and Herbert Spencer's sociological theories to justify imperialism, racism, and laissez-faire (i.e. conservative) social and economic policies. Social Darwinists argued that individuals and groups, just like plants and animals, competed with one another for success in life. They used this assertion to justify the status quo by claiming that the individuals or groups of individuals at the top of social, economic, or political hierarchies belonged there, as they had competed against others and had proven themselves best adapted. Any social or political intervention that weakened the existing hierarchy, they argued, would undermine the natural order. [Emphasis added]

Social Darwinism was embraced by the ruling class because it justified their wealth and relieved them of any obligation to help the poor. This was 'scientific' support for the market and competition.

Social Darwinism lost influence during the Great Depression but the term came back in the era of Ronald Reagan.

But given that in 2009 only 4 in 10 Americans professed to believe in Evolution and in some states people are supporting the teaching of Creationism and Intelligent Design in schools, it seems that there is an inconsistency. 

If the hard core Republican base doesn't believe in Darwinism, why are they supporting a party that seems to continue to believe in social Darwinism, continues to favor policies that help the very wealthy and cut supports for the poor?


I can find fault with unions just as easily as anyone.  But those who attack the flaws of unions seem to overlook the equally, perhaps more, problematic faults of business.  Just because the private sector has faults, we don't call for abolishing it, nor should we try to abolish unions.  We should set up safeguards that increase the likelihood that both will do what they do well and not do what they do poorly.



Without unions, individual employees are at the mercy of organizations (I'm not talking Mom and Pop businesses here) with the resources and information that tips every confrontation in favor of the organization against the employee.  Unions provide a base of knowledge for workers - knowledge of the organization's policies, precedents, historical practices, and knowledge of the law and their rights.  Unions give some power to people at the bottom of the heap.  Power to fight abusive bosses, unfair and illegal work and pay practices, power to fight illegal orders and unfair termination.  Without the counterbalance of unions, managers - in public as well as private organizations - have overwhelming power over workers. 





*My Short View of Unions
The fight between unions and management is about power.  My experience, as an employee and as a reader of history, is that American workers are inherently anti-union.  They believe in the individual over the group.  They only vote for unions when management has been so overbearing and unreasonable that joining a union looks like a better alternative. 

And because, despite our rhetoric, we are only moderately good at democracy (look at how many people don't vote and can't tell you the individual candidates' positions). 

And so unions, which are ostensibly more democratic (officers are selected through elections of the members rather than appointment from the top), are easily taken over by those who like to play power games. 

The people on top of organizations aren't very different.  There will be times when unions have sway and times when they have to make concessions (such the current economic downturn).  A good reading of history suggests that without unions, working conditions would be dismal.  And even employees in non-union organizations have unions to thank for things they take for granted, like 40 hour weeks, vacation and sick pay, and a myriad of other benefits. To get a reminder of US working conditions before unions, read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.  It's short and available free at any public library. 

Costco Changes Fish Policy

Last July I posted this in the post  "Costco Reigns as Biggest Offender" from a Greenpeace report

. . . And while most U.S. supermarkets could stand to improve their sustainable seafood policies, Costco reigns as the biggest offender. Everything at Costco is huge—the same is true of the store's environmental footprint. Of the 22 IUCN Red List species, Costco sells 15: Alaskan pollock, Atlantic cod, Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, Chilean sea bass, grouper, monkfish, ocean quahog, orange roughy, red snapper, redfish, South Atlantic albacore tuna, swordfish, tropical shrimp, and yellowfin tuna. The store's fish coolers really serve as a one-stop shop for oceanic destruction. . .

 Greenpeace has a new message up this week:

Costco has agreed to remove over a dozen red list items, pursue better practices in aquaculture and assume more of a leadership role in the ongoing global effort to develop a more sustainable tuna industry.

If you want to know all the specifics (I know I like hearing about all the details), Costco has publicly announced that they’re going to:

-- Eliminate 12 red list species, which will not return unless the company can find an MSC-certified option. This is certainly not perfect—we’d like to see these unsustainable options off the shelves until the populations recover—but it’s a major step forward. The species are:

     - Atlantic cod
     - Atlantic halibut
     - Chilean sea bass
     - Greenland halibut
     - Grouper
     - Monkfish
     - Orange roughy
     - Redfish
     - Shark
     - Skates and rays
     - Swordfish
     - Bluefin tuna

-- Pledge to play more of a leadership role within aquaculture;

-- Partner with World Wildlife Fund to examine their remaining wild-caught species and determine how to best transition to the most sustainable alternative; and

-- Acknowledge the role that the canned tuna industry plays within the global sustainable seafood movement and is in the process of shifting to more sustainable tuna sources in all sectors (fresh, frozen, and canned).

It’s fantastic that Costco's leadership has taken some incredibly important steps forward. Still, this is just the beginning—the company has a long way to go, and just as we monitored the continued progress with the victory around Trader Joe's, we’ll also be keeping an eye on Costco to make sure that they follow through on these policies and continue improving their stewardship towards the oceans.

I'm quoting from Greenpeace, which is touting this as a big victory, because I can't find anything about it on the Costco site.  Here's what I got when I used their search tool:

And the link shows what I got when I just searched for 'fish".

Windy Day in Juneau

Alaska State Rep. Cisnna Gets TSA Stories by Email

Rep. Cissna in her office Friday afternoon

Alaska State Rep. Sharon Cissna's office recorded 92 e-mails for Monday regarding her refusal to be patted down at SEATAC.  There was an equal stack on Tuesday.  Maybe not a great many, but a lot for an Alaskan State Representative.

Rep. Cissna is now back in her office and we discussed the propriety of posting parts of some of the emails.  They were sent to her, she assumes, with the expectation of respect for people's privacy, but they were also sent with the hope that she would find a way to use what they have said to let people know that this is a problem - particularly the issue of people who have had some sort of surgery that now sets them up to be singled out for the 'pat-down.'  So with Rep. Cissna's permission, I have pulled out some representative comments that leave out anything that might identity the writer. 

"Thank you for standing up for your privacy rights and those of other women" - Daughter of a Breast Cancer Victim, Connecticut

"I would like to visit Alaska this year, but at this time I decline to fly. Please do what you can to push back against the TSA, and to beat back this obtrusive and unconstitutional procedure" Colorado

"How can any legislator in any state or any of our US Senators and Congressional members allow this stupidity to continue?" Fairbanks

"With two titanium knee joints, I am a 'victim' every time I fly, which has been four to eight times a month"

"Good for you standing up against the thugs at TSA!" Juneau

"It's not acceptable, it simply defies common human decency." Seattle

"I have two young children who should never be touched as these TSA people touch them!" Juneau

"I regret for you what must surely have been an embarrassing and upsetting incident; not to mention the publication of your personal health matters! But that is what we all face these days." North Carolina

"I was always told that the terrorists only won if they forced us to change the way we live and altered the freedoms Americans enjoy. What goes on today in US airports leads me to believe they won. By the way, I am a retired US Air Force Master Sergeant that was once cleared to work on Air Force One. Yep. I'm a real threat." Washington

"I'm am Oregon conservative and registered nurse who wants to thank you for standing up to TSA. . . However, you may not be aware that the scanning you underwent is dangereous to your health." Oregon

"If more of us refused and chose other forms of transportation, this rubbish would end. Thanks for standing up for your rights and dignity and by doing so, the rights and dignity not only of Alaskans but of all Americans." Arizona

"It's a very sad state of affairs we have reached when TSA has to subject a traveler to a pat down because the nude-o-scope reveals that the passenger had major surgery." New Jersey

"It is utterly obscene that so many elderly, disabled and medically challenged people are disproportionately subjected to repeated enhanced physical searches at the hands of this out of control and wasteful government agency. It is my fervent hope that there are more people like you who are willing to step up and say "enough is enough". Florida

"I am a retired law enforcement officer with both domestic and foreign experience. I find these procedures to be largely a waste of resources and time."

"For many of us who travel frequently this so-called "Security Theater" has finally gone too far. . . This should be a bipartisan issue on which we can agree as Americans that these latest search "procedures" have gone too far, from the X-Ray scanners to the euphemistically and inaccurately named "pat-downs," which in truth are groping and invasive searches to which my wife and I have already been subjeted a total of three times in 2011, including once each at SEATAC."

"Is there ANYTHING myself, friends, family, and colleagues can do to stop this disgusting intrusion into our personal privacy?"

"American women such as myself, and I am 60 years of age, need a spokeswoman to cut off the balls of the TSA and DHS. I'm not asking you to do it single-handedly, but your sisters across the country are going to stand with you if you decide to go viral on all the news media with the truth about the outrageous procedures which made you cancel your flight plans."

"I live in California and am almost embarrased to have my daughters fly in to visit us from Kansas. By simply declining the search you have taken a stand and I for one appreciate it." California

"My wife is now disabled and has had neck surgery. As a result, she has plates and screws in her neck. We are pretty sure that they would want to do an enhanced pat-down screening as a result of her medical situation. So. . .we have decided to not fly anymore. I just can't believe that our country has come to this. It is so degrading, humiliating, and really unnecessary. Bless you and take good care."

"I just made myself space out and pretend I was on another planet while having this woman poke in my crotch from front and back, run circles with her hands around both of my breasts, make me lift my blouse so she could put her hands inside my waistband. . . I traveled through several airports in Europe all through the month of October and not once did I have to endure this humiliating experience."

"[After having a bad experience with TSA, she writes] That next month, I showed up to fly, and stripped down to nothing but my speedo swimsuit at 6 am so they could get a better look. NEVER regretted my decision! I am a survivor of cancer and sexual abuse, and being touched sends me to the deep end."

"You should be ashamed of yourself and the way you represent the State of Alaska."

"I travel with a co-worker with a prosthetic leg, he experiences similar personal invasion and loathes the experience." Georgia

"When I (a chubby grandmother) have been pulled out for extra observation it burns me up. Like you, I have decided not to endure this anymore. If I never fly again, so be it." Kentucky

"My husband has an artificial hip, carries a card stating such, but every time he flies the TSA attendant says "I'm not interested in our card, please step over here for a more thorough search." He has to unbutton his slacks and turn the waist band out and the attendant runs his hands around his waist and down his groin on both sides, and down the insides of his legs. My husband is 71 yrs. old." Washington

"Our family is in [the prosthetic business]. . . Due to HIPPA regulations, we could lose our Medicare accreditation if we were to tell 'anyone' the private medical diagnosis of a client. So why is TSA allowed to "out" passengrs' medical conditions for all the world to hear and know about?"

"I have a leg amputation . . .I had a female TSA agent literally shove her hand agressively up between my legs. I am not a person who has a big personal space issue, but this went way beyond anything decent. If I had been outside the airport I could have had this woman arrested. I was so shaken that I asked the TSA suprvisor if this was standard procedure. I was given a very abrupt "yes" and sent on my way."

"Thanks for your willingness to stand up against the charade." Virginia

"Since Gov. Parnell is so keen on thumbing his nose at the federal government over the health care law perhaps you could introduce a resolution or bill urging him to do the same over the TSA:s invasive and probably unconstitutional procedures."

"I am a rape survivor and have PTSD and can't imagine what kind of state I might be in when groped by these thugs."

I think the emails speak for themselves.  I would add that I just flew out of Seattle last week.  While I almost always am conscientious about putting all the metal into my jacket pocket and putting and  almost never set off the alarm, this time my cell phone was in my shirt pocket and I didn't realize it until they told me to stand facing the blue wall.

This is obviously not a random sample of Americans, or even of her emails.  There was the one - in here - that clearly found Rep. Cissna at fault.  There was one other that wasn't clear. Here there are 19 positives and one negative.  The actual count was 90 to 1 (maybe 2).

The raw emotion in some of them says very clearly that we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.   TSA  says, we haven't had any domestic terrorists because of our security.  I think it's more like the man in Central Park who scattered torn up newspaper around his bench.  When asked why he did that, he said, "To keep away the elephants."  "But there are no elephants here." the questioner pointed out."  And the man said, "See, it works." 

I'm not saying terrorism doesn't exist, or that the intelligence agencies shouldn't be vigilant, but I suspect that subjecting grandmothers to groping TSA inspectors isn't what is keeping the terrorists away.  And no one has been killed, to my knowledge, by a terrorist in the US since 9/11.  But 40, 000 a year (pushing the total close to 400,000 this year) have died in car crashes.  Many more have been injured and maimed.

House Passes Law to Make Folding State Flag More Complex

Here's the current Alaska Law (ec. 44.09.030.) for Display and retirement of flags.

(a) The official flag of the state shall be displayed with the flag of the United States only from sunrise to sunset, or between the hours designated by proper authority. However, the flag may be displayed after sunset upon special occasions when it is desired to produce a patriotic effect.

(b) The flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Alaska shall be displayed daily, weather permitting, in the following places:

(1) on or near the main administration building of every institution under the authority or control of the state government;

(2) in or near every schoolhouse during school days.

(c) An official flag of the state that is no longer a fitting emblem for display because it is worn, tattered, or otherwise damaged may be respectfully retired by fire.

Short and sweet.

Here's a law sponsored by Rep. Craig Johnson (and co-sponsored by Reps. Hawker and Keller), making it more complex.  About 140 words in the old law, 440 in the new one.

HOUSE BILL NO. 98

01 "An Act relating to display, folding, presentment, and retirement of the state flag."
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
03 * Section 1. AS 44.09.030 is amended by adding new subsections to read:
04 (d) When displayed horizontally, the flag shall be positioned with the hoist on
05 the left and the North Star in the upper right corner.
06 (e) When displayed vertically, the flag shall be positioned with the hoist at the
07 top and the North Star in the lower right corner.
08 * Sec. 2. AS 44.09 is amended by adding new sections to read:
09 Sec. 44.09.032. Folding and presenting the state flag. (a) When folding the
10 state flag, the following procedure shall be followed, whenever possible:
11 (1) hold the flag waist-high with another person, so that the flag is
12 parallel to the ground and the hoist is on the left;
13 (2) fold the flag lengthwise, with the open edge up;
14 (3) holding the edges securely, rotate the flag so that five stars are< 15 facing up; 01 (4) fold the flag lengthwise a second time, with the open edge up; 02 (5) holding the edges securely, rotate the flag so that two stars are 03 facing up; 04 (6) fold the flag widthwise, with the North Star facing down and the< 05 hoist on the right; 06 (7) holding the edges securely, fold the flag widthwise a second time, 07 with the North Star facing down and the hoist on the right; 08 (8) fold the flag widthwise a third time, with the North Star facing up. 09 (b) When presenting the folded flag to another person, the folded flag should
10 be turned so that the North Star is nearest the receiver.

11 Sec. 44.09.034. Retirement of the state flag. An official flag of the state that
12 is no longer a fitting emblem for display because it is worn, tattered, or otherwise
13 damaged may be respectfully retired by fire in a ceremony or other dignified manner
14 honoring the flag as a fitting emblem for the state. When practicable, retirement of the
15 state flag should occur in a public ceremony under the direction of uniformed
16 personnel representing a state or federal military service or a patriotic society. If a
17 formal ceremony is not practicable, a private ceremony is acceptable.
18 * Sec. 3. AS 44.09.030(c) is repealed.

It passed the House of Representatives today with no dissenting votes.

Rep. Johnson's website says the law was brought to him by the Dimond High ROTC

As part of Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) curriculum, "Service Learning Project", the cadets of the A. J. Dimond High School JROTC Program realized there were several issues concerning the handling of Alaska's state flag, including statutory ommissions. Based on their research, the following three issues were identified and are recommended for inclusion in statute:

Even though this new bill would triple the words in the flag statute, it's still much shorter than the US Code.

I thought less government, less regulation were important to the party of the sponsors. But at least it's written as a guide, not a mandate. There don't seem to be any penalties for getting it wrong.

But I don't understand why military should be favored over civilians in retiring the flag. It just seems a way to link the flag and patriotism to war. I would hope think that it would be better if people around the world saw our flag as a symbol of peace and prosperity.

Key Campaign Rally for Families with Kids with Serious Health Problems

 When I got back from the Alaska ferry terminal to see Rep. Cissna's homecoming, there was a rally in front of the Capitol. They had a song book and were singing their message with familiar tunes with new lyrics.

I wasn't completely sure who was putting this on or their specific objectives, so I looked on line.  The information is on the Hopealaska website - I think this is the organization that used to be known as Hope Cottages:

Anyone who is concerned about the rights, dignity and dreams of individuals who experience disabilities is encouraged to join in the efforts of our Key Coalition. The Key Campaign will be held in Juneau February 23-24, 2011, with similar advocacy rallies across the face of urban and rural Alaska, taking place on Thursday, February 24.

In addition to joining the rallies, you are asked to contact your legislator personally by sending an email or submitting a Public Opinion Message (POM): Submit POM Online or Download the POM Form.

Their specific objectives are:

The Key Coalition has identified four major priorities to be addressed during this year’s Key Campaign.

Wait List Reduction—Currently the State of Alaska has committed to drawing 50 people from the State Wait List for Community Services each quarter. This initiative encourages the State to increase the draw to 75 people per quarter (from 200 people to 300 people annually).

Periodic Rate Review—Establish a periodic rate review into statute. This statute would address an equitable process to establish rate increases for community services that are in place for institutional services.  All we are asking in community programs is a simple matter of equity—the same ability to predict consistent budgets in a similar process dictated under state law.  This discrepancy between institution and community resulted in a previous period of a four year rate freeze for programs similar to Hope, while nursing homes and hospitals received much needed annual adjustments.

Complex Behavior (HUB)—Support the Hub component (point of entry) of the Alaska Complex Behavior Collaborative, which is an investment in Alaska's workforce and services for individuals with cognitive disabilities and complex behavioral needs.

Autism Insurance— Pass HB79 and SB74 requiring insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorders.  Most insurance policies specifically exclude coverage for treating autism, even when the services are otherwise covered by the health plan. Coverage of medically necessary autism treatment in Alaska will enable many children to access the services they need and live more productive lives. 

 But the real reason this is important comes through in this short video of a mother of a severely brain damaged child.  She and her husband had no one to turn to until Key Campaign organizations helped them out.

Alaska Rep. Sharon Cissna Finally Arrives in Juneau via Ferry

I went out to the Alaska State Ferry terminal about 14 miles north of downtown to be there when Rep. Sharon Cissna disembarked after her long journey following her refusal to be patted down at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEATAC) security.  (For those unfamiliar with the situation, she had a mastectomy and did not want TSA people putting their hands on her chest as they did on her last trip.)

My Juneau host was headed to a meeting at the university anyway, and she graciously offered me the car for the rest of the way.  The M/V Matanuska was already in dock, but people hadn't disembarked.

I probably should note that I've known Rep. Cissna for a while.  Although, she had a masters degree already, when she was elected to the State House, she decided to take graduate classes in public administration.  That was when I got to know her quite well.

As a member of the minority, Rep. Cissna knew she had limited power, but she decided to become an expert on health care and education (the U-Med - University-Medical - district is in her house district) and she has traveled the state and researached to be, I'm quite sure, the most knowledgable legislator on these issues.  She even canoed (or rafted?) down the Yukon River with her husband to visit remote villages and talk to folks on their own turf.  Plus she is the warmest and most caring person you could want to meet.






Although the video ends abruptly, that was the end of things. This video captures about 98% of what Rep. Cissna did and said as she came off the ferry.

ALEC's Clinton Woods Helping Legislators Fight Obamacare, the EPA, and Other Conservative Nightmares

Like lots of other people, I looked into room 106 of the Capitol because it was lunch time and someone had provided free sandwiches, potato chips, fruit, and cookies to attract legislators and staffers to their talk.  I had no idea who was talking.   The bins were full.  You can see that lots of folks made off with sandwiches.  But only a few stayed.  I got a sandwich for a nearby staffer, but there was nothing vegie, and I had brought my own, so I only took a banana for me. 


It turned out to be the American Legislative Exchange Council - an organization I hadn't heard of.  A young man named Clinton Woods was recruiting people for this organization which is a smaller competitor of two other organizations state legislators traditionally belong to:

•  the National Council of State Legislatures and 
• the Council of State Governments. 

These are non-partisan organizations dedicated to basic principles of good government such as these:

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization founded to:

• Improve the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures;
• Promote policy innovation and communication among state legislatures;
• Ensure state legislatures a strong, cohesive voice in the federal system.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (he kept calling it ALEC) clearly states that they are based on Free Market, Jeffersonian Principles and are open to the private sector members as full partners.

I noticed Rep. Carl Gatto there. He reported last year getting $2249.68 to attend a Heartland Institute conference in New York on International Climate Change.  Heartland doesn't believe much in Climate Change and pushes market solutions in any case. Also present were Reps. Keller and Tammie Wilson and Sen. Dyson.

Their brochures made their position on the political spectrum fairly clear.  This is not a neutral better government organization.  It's an anti-government organization.   


In his talk, Clinton Woods said they create model legislation for their members to push, "Over 1000 of our model bills spread across the US with 20% enacted."

Clinton Woods

They have various task forces working on these model bills. 

• Civil Justice (working on tort reform, which tries to limit the liability or organizations who have done harm) 
• Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development
• Education
• Energy, Environment and Agriculture (lots of stuff on fighting the EPA)
• Health and Human Services (repealing Obama's health care legislation)
• International Relations
• Public Safety and Elections
• Tax and Fiscal Policy
• Telecommunications and Information Technology
• Federal Relations

Wikipedia's post on ALEC includes charges that the corporate members call the shots on the kind of policies they pursue:

Criticism

ALEC has approximately three hundred private sector members including corporations, state and national think tanks, and trade associations. Some corporations and trade groups that have supported ALEC include: American Nuclear Energy Council, American Petroleum Institute, Coors Brewing Company, Texaco, Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, VISA, Exxon Mobil, the National Rifle Association, Amway, Koch Industries, and others. Groups critical of ALEC claim that the organization is controlled by the entities that fund it, subsequently promoting donors' agendas and goals, along with attempting to advance legislation that favors their interests. NPR reported that the Corrections Corporation of America was present at meetings when legislators were introduced to model immigration laws, used for example as the template for Arizona SB 1070, passed in 2010. The report suggested that the group could be used to avoid state laws requiring legislators to disclose meetings with and gifts from politically unpopular corporations. Shortly after the report was published, ALEC released a response statement addressing some of NPR's accusations.

People for the American Way, the self-proclaimed left-wing advocacy group, refers to ALEC as "a right-wing public policy organization with strong ties to major corporations, trade associations and right-wing politicians" with an agenda that includes "challenging government restrictions on corporate pollution, limiting government regulations of commerce, privatizing public services, and representing the interests of the corporations that make up its supporters."

Truthout identifies ALEC as a Koch Industries supported organization that has helped Wisconsin's Governor in his labor busting attempt in Wisconsin:

A Koch-financed front group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, has prepped Wisconsin GOP lawmakers with anti-labor legislative ideas.

I haven't been able to verify that.  Charity Navigator rates them 49 (out of 70) and got two ** out of four.  It says they do not have audit data, nor are IRS  990 forms available so their accountability is low. 

 
You can watch part of Clinton Woods' presentation. 






[UPDATE March 19, 2011: Hector Solon at Daily Kos has a more thorough piece on ALEC, links to this post. It would be nice if he also credited the photo of the brochures from here that he posted.   LATER, as he says in the comment below, he added the links and credits.]

". . . no one should have to sacrifice their dignity in order to travel"

[Update, Feb. 24: New post with video of Rep. Cissna talking to media as she gets off the ferry.]
The Alaska State House passed a "Sense of the House" resolution today in support of Rep. Sharon Cissna, offered by Rep. Chris Tuck. His introduction was:

Last weekend the long-time member of this body from District 22 chose respect. She stood up for her rights, her sense of decency, and her prior commitments to herself at the Seattle airport by not submitting to an intrusive search of her body.

The sense of the house that passed stated:

"It is the Sense of the House that efficient travel is a cornerstone of the economy and our quality of life, especially in Alaska, and that no one should have to sacrifice their dignity in order to travel."

The vote was 36 yeas, 2 excused (Cissna, Fairclough), and Representatives Bob Lynn and Dan Saddler voted against.  

Cissna's office has been inundated with supportive emails from around the country.  The stack in the photo above is just Monday, and an equal sized stack came in Tuesday.  

Meanwhile there was a lively forum at flyertalk.com. (Not sure the link works if you don't register - for free - to flyertalk.)  Here's a post that apparently was also sent to Rep. Cissna:

Dear Rep. Cissna,

I wish to congratulate you on your bold stand against the TSA at SEA as recently reported in the Seattle press. Please know that a number of your fellow Americans stand behind you, and we, too, are tired of the ongoing abuse leveled by this agency. No one wants less security. What we do want is security that is safe, sane, effective, respectful, and doesn't make people like Michael Cherthoff richer. Instead what we have at the hands of the TSA are expensive machines that can't detect guns (recently reported in Dallas), thieves who have stolen a combined total of nearly $300,000 from innocent travelers (Newark and New York - JFK), and people who are literally sticking their hands in our pants. The images created by the full body scanners would make decent people blush, and as you are unfortunately aware do not protect anyone from an invasive body search demanded under threat of authority. I wish you good health, and as a fellow Democrat hope for your continued political success.

Sincerely,
barbell

 Here's another:

And check out TSA's reaction:

Quote:

TSA spokesman Kwika Riley was asked to respond to Cissna’s comments when contacted by The Associated Press. But a general statement issued later did not mention her or her claims, saying the agency is "sensitive to the concerns of passengers who were not satisfied with their screening experience and we invite those individuals to provide feedback to TSA."

Translation: Stuff it, you whiner.

A number focus on TSA's treatment of people with medical prosthetics:

Quote:

Originally Posted by BubbaLoop As usual, the TSA fails horribly when dealing with prosthetics. Lucky for us, it was with a public figure. This has to get out to more news media. I´ll do my share to make this link go viral.

Problems with abusive and humiliating treatment of breast cancer survivors has been reported before. In that case, a TSA agent put her full hand on the (prosthetic) right breast of a US Air flight attendant and made her remove the prosthesis from her bra for inspection.

This post gives contact info for various beast cancer organizations.

These organizations should be "strongly encouraged" to fight for the rights of women to continue with their lives and careers after surviving breast cancer, including the right to travel without harassment, humiliation, and abuse.