Rational Nation USA

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny We live in America. Free from fear of tyranny of the police state. Imbued with certain rights and legal safeguards protecting us from the abuse of authority. Or so we thought... Congressman Ed Markey July 9, 2012 - Congressman releases first-ever accounting of responses from wireless carriers that indicate sweeping personal data requests from law enforcement agencies. WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the first-ever accounting of its kind, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) has found that in 2011, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies made more than 1.3 million requests of wireless carriers for the cell phone records of consumers, and that number is increasing every year. Last month, Rep. Markey queried nine mobile wireless carriers about their policies and practices for sharing their customers’ mobile phone information with law enforcement agencies after a report in the New York Times reported that law enforcemen...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Liberty -vs- Tyranny Often over the past four decades I have pondered with great concern what I see as an obvious trend towards increased state militarization of our law enforcement and a slowly expanding control over our lives by the federal government. While we still enjoy liberty on many levels and fronts the myriad of regulations and unnecessary restrictions placed on law abiding citizens has undoubtedly reduced or shutdown many liberties heretofore enjoyed by our parents and grandparents. While contemplating the trend of the last forty to fifty years (actually go back one hundred years) I stumbled upon the Cato Handbook for the 105th Congress which addressing this quite well. Chapter 17 of the handbook specifically addresses the issue of expanding federal police power. The Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act and the TSA are perhaps the most recent example of this expansion. All American citizens ought to be concerned ov...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA The slow indoctrination continues. Objectively it is fine to pat down, or subject travelers to full body scans according to Janet Napolitano of Homeland Security. Soon we will witness the same on every form of public transportation. It is only a matter of time. From the Hill this Sunday morning. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday that controversial new airport security procedures are likely to remain in place since they have been effective. Some airline passengers and lawmakers have objected to the new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) policy, which includes full-body scans and pat-downs. Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" if anything is going to change with the pat-down program, Napolitano said, "Not for the foreseeable future." The secretary called the procedures "objectively safer" for airline passengers and said they are part of a broader security strategy that in...