So it's been a very...interesting week or so here on planet Earth, it seems. Gunshots, fire, flood, and an earthquake anniversary. Joyous. I considered not touching on any of these things in this blog, since they're sort of everywhere; but on the flip side, since this blog is partially dedicated to social responsibility and action, it seemed sort of socially irresponsible to behave like they're not happening. So let's take them one at a time.
Arizona Shootings
I deliberately did not discuss the Arizona shootings in Monday's blog post because, like most of the rest of the United States, I was busy trying to process the whole thing. I'm still not sure I completely understand what's happened or why, and I'm not going anywhere near the political aspect of the matter, because there are more important things to consider. Specifically, what's more important is the fact that several people are dead for having done nothing worse than attend a public meeting. One of them is a nine-year-old girl who had dreams of a career in public service.
On top of the pain their families are already experiencing, the Westboro Baptist Church is planning to picket the funerals.
I have only one thing to say about the WBC: they do serve one interesting purpose in society. They unite everyone else in agreement that the things they do are awful. They really make me angry, though, so I don't want to talk about them too much. Being a Christian, I feel like they're giving the rest of us a bad name. The God I was taught to love and worship doesn't hate anybody and certainly would not send someone to shoot a nine-year-old child. (I can believe, however, that He's the one sending the Patriot Guard Riders to the funerals of our fallen soldiers, which are another popular picket target for the WBC.)
Back to topic. I couldn't find any specific information on how to help with this particular tragedy. However, I will point the interested in the direction of Pax USA, an organization dedicated to eliminating gun violence. It was founded by Dan Gross after his brother was shot several years ago, and they have lots of great resources. The main page currently contains a message from Dan regarding the Arizona shootings. It's a really informative and thoughtful website, one I encourage everyone to visit.
Edited to add: Thanks to the link provided in comments by my pal Naomi, I was able to discover the website of the Tucson Memorial Project. Here you can find information about specific funerals, how to contribute to the victims' fund, and more.
Haitian Earthquake
Hard to believe, but yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti. Where does the time go? Unfortunately, one year farther on, Haiti still needs help. They're starting to rebuild but they still need global support.
You might recall my mentioning in a previous post that I work at Ten Thousand Villages. That's really what reminded me about the anniversary -- I got to work yesterday and discovered that we had a special display of our Haitian merchandise to let people know that they still need help. Fortunately, there are a lot of organizations that are still working to provide the assistance they need. Some of them have already been mentioned in other blog posts, like Clean the World and Save the Children. The American Institute of Philanthropy has compiled a list of charities still involved with the Haitian relief effort and has assigned them a letter grade based on the portion of their budget which actually goes to the work. I'll list some of the high honors students below.
Australian Fires and Flooding
It doesn't seem entirely possible, but Australia is suffering a dual problem right now -- simultaneous bush fires and severe flooding. The state of Queensland is apparently two-thirds covered in water, an amount of land roughly equal to France and Germany combined. My friend Naomi (the one who was here for Thanksgiving) told me yesterday that residents of Ipswich were warned to stay out of the flood waters not just for the sanitation hazards present, but also because there was a shark swimming downtown.
It would almost sound like a joke if it weren't so deadly serious.
Many of the groups which are helping Haiti will also provide assistance to the Australian relief effort. So if you're looking to do something to help, there are plenty of options. Also, if you're a LiveJournal user like I am, I encourage you to check out the Help Haiti Community and/or the Queensland Flood Auction for creative ways to participate in the relief effort for both calamities; there's also the Help Pakistan Community to help with the relief efforts for Pakistan following their flooding.
In closing, the following charities are some of those who received either an A or B grade from the American Institute of Philanthropy, and would be a good resource for you to find a way to help out.
Hang in there, everybody. The year's got to get better.
Join me Mondays and Thursdays to laugh, to think, and to maybe change the world a little bit.
Showing posts with label congress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label congress. Show all posts
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Skirting (Or Kilting) the TSA Issue
I should preface this post by saying that I am not a frequent flyer. If you consider a round trip to be one instance, I can count all of my lifetime plane trips on one hand. Nor do I have plans to get on an airplane any time before next June, by which time I am sincerely hoping this whole pat-down thing will no longer be happening. I have...issues...with being touched by complete strangers.
The TSA, of course, is the Transportation Security Administration. As you may have heard by now, they're stepping up the already-stringent security measures being taken at airports. The official statement (dated October 28th) is as follows:
"TSA is in the process of implementing new pat-down procedures at checkpoints nationwide as one of our many layers of security to keep the traveling public safe. Pat-downs are one important tool to help TSA detect hidden and dangerous items such as explosives. Passengers should continue to expect an unpredictable mix of security layers that include explosives trace detection, advanced imaging technology, canine teams, among others."
Oh. Goody. Maybe I'll start planning on taking the bus to my goddaughter's wedding. Or if I leave right after Christmas, I could probably walk there in time.
The pat-down procedure in and of itself is not wholly bad, I suppose...well, okay, that's probably one of those lies we tell ourselves to reduce personal panic. But what's worse is some of the stories that are coming out about how TSA employees are handling the matter. Some of the reports make the experience sound like it almost qualifies as assault. For example, there was the recent incident where a three-year-old girl, upset at the idea of her beloved teddy bear being put through the x-ray machine, managed to set off a detector with her tantrum and had to be patted down. A three-year-old? Really? What's more, she turned out to be the daughter of Steve Simon, a television reporter, who managed to film the incident and then reported it on his news program. You can see part of it here.
As I mentioned, I have a problem with beingmanhandled touched by complete strangers, and that's just because I'm a fussy little git. I can only imagine how these new procedures must be upsetting to someone who has a legitimate reason to not want to be touched, e.g. a survivor of assault or sexual abuse. Newsweek brought up this very issue in a recent article. For a specific example, they linked to the blog post of John Tyner, who is now under investigation after walking away from a screening that was, in his opinion, sexual assault. I'm kind of horrified.
Part of the problem seems to be that they're not too strictly worried about who's doing the patting. According to the blog of the ACLU, the TSA has no time to train their screeners. Their source of information is a little hard to refute, too -- it's the recent report compiled by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. Among the more disturbing bits are where one employee admits that some workers are encouraged to just sign the statement that they received their reading materials and training without ever having done so.
Is the pat-down absolutely required? Sadly, the pat-down is apparently the lesser of two evils. The alternative involves being scanned by something called a backscatter machine, which essentially takes naked pictures of you. The ACLU describes your choices as being "between a virtual strip-search and a really aggressive grope." They encourage concerned Americans to stand up for their rights not to be felt up by TSA employees, and tell Congress exactly how they feel. I encourage you to do it too.
In addition to sending your concerns to Congress, however, you might want to consider participating in another form of protest. If you have to fly in the near future -- and many people do, what with American Thanksgiving being only a week away -- you can be part of National Opt-Out Day on November 24th. You opt out of the backscatter scan, which the TSA acknowledges is your right, but then are subjected to the pat-down. You should be prepared for that. You should also insist that the pat-down take place in public, so everyone can see what's being done to you.
If you're male, you can add a fun little extra something-something to your pat-down by pretending to be Scottish. Inspired by a comment from Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, some supporters of National Opt-Out Day are encouraging men to wear kilts when they fly on November 24th, and to wear them regimental-style -- that is, sans underwear. You have to admit, if the pat-down gets a bit too friendly, that's one way to surprise the employees.
And maybe the TSA would do well to remember the words of the esteemed Benjamin Franklin, who once remarked, "Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Special thanks to my friend Rachel, who directed me to the ACLU blog, and to Debbie Tenzer of Do One Nice Thing, who alerted me to the kilted protest.
The TSA, of course, is the Transportation Security Administration. As you may have heard by now, they're stepping up the already-stringent security measures being taken at airports. The official statement (dated October 28th) is as follows:
"TSA is in the process of implementing new pat-down procedures at checkpoints nationwide as one of our many layers of security to keep the traveling public safe. Pat-downs are one important tool to help TSA detect hidden and dangerous items such as explosives. Passengers should continue to expect an unpredictable mix of security layers that include explosives trace detection, advanced imaging technology, canine teams, among others."
Oh. Goody. Maybe I'll start planning on taking the bus to my goddaughter's wedding. Or if I leave right after Christmas, I could probably walk there in time.
The pat-down procedure in and of itself is not wholly bad, I suppose...well, okay, that's probably one of those lies we tell ourselves to reduce personal panic. But what's worse is some of the stories that are coming out about how TSA employees are handling the matter. Some of the reports make the experience sound like it almost qualifies as assault. For example, there was the recent incident where a three-year-old girl, upset at the idea of her beloved teddy bear being put through the x-ray machine, managed to set off a detector with her tantrum and had to be patted down. A three-year-old? Really? What's more, she turned out to be the daughter of Steve Simon, a television reporter, who managed to film the incident and then reported it on his news program. You can see part of it here.
As I mentioned, I have a problem with being
Part of the problem seems to be that they're not too strictly worried about who's doing the patting. According to the blog of the ACLU, the TSA has no time to train their screeners. Their source of information is a little hard to refute, too -- it's the recent report compiled by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. Among the more disturbing bits are where one employee admits that some workers are encouraged to just sign the statement that they received their reading materials and training without ever having done so.
Is the pat-down absolutely required? Sadly, the pat-down is apparently the lesser of two evils. The alternative involves being scanned by something called a backscatter machine, which essentially takes naked pictures of you. The ACLU describes your choices as being "between a virtual strip-search and a really aggressive grope." They encourage concerned Americans to stand up for their rights not to be felt up by TSA employees, and tell Congress exactly how they feel. I encourage you to do it too.
In addition to sending your concerns to Congress, however, you might want to consider participating in another form of protest. If you have to fly in the near future -- and many people do, what with American Thanksgiving being only a week away -- you can be part of National Opt-Out Day on November 24th. You opt out of the backscatter scan, which the TSA acknowledges is your right, but then are subjected to the pat-down. You should be prepared for that. You should also insist that the pat-down take place in public, so everyone can see what's being done to you.
If you're male, you can add a fun little extra something-something to your pat-down by pretending to be Scottish. Inspired by a comment from Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, some supporters of National Opt-Out Day are encouraging men to wear kilts when they fly on November 24th, and to wear them regimental-style -- that is, sans underwear. You have to admit, if the pat-down gets a bit too friendly, that's one way to surprise the employees.
And maybe the TSA would do well to remember the words of the esteemed Benjamin Franklin, who once remarked, "Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Special thanks to my friend Rachel, who directed me to the ACLU blog, and to Debbie Tenzer of Do One Nice Thing, who alerted me to the kilted protest.
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