Everyone should be aware of the situation with TSA at airports across America at this point. The agency has been carrying out policies which are something one would expect in Communist China. The naked body scanners have been firing dangerous potently cancer causing X-rays at travelers. If travelers choose to opt out they have been subjected to pat downs similar to rape or at least sexual assault. Countless Americans are reporting being groped, including women and young children. The situation has gotten so bad that many Americans are refusing to fly all together. The outrage Americans have against the TSA has now been expressed in the form of legislation.
H.R. 6416 recently introduced in the house by Rep. Ron Paul from Texas would strip the TSA of any immunity from lawsuits filed against it. The bill, commonly know as the American Traveler Dignity Act of 2010 prevents any law from being enacted which offers immunity to any Federal employee, agency, individual or entity, which receives federal funds, who subjects a person to physical contact to board an airplane. In short, if this bill becomes law any TSA agent who gropes or sexually assaults someone during a security check can end up getting their ass sued.
Some of you may be wondering why the states have not taken action against the TSA. Why must it take such extreme means to keep the TSA in line? It is true that the states could kick the TSA out of their airports very easily. The states have the power to refuse any federal law,regulation or agency under the guide line of the 10th Amendment. This does not happen because all the State Attorney Generals would rather protect their own political future than directly go up against the Federal government on a states rights issues like a Federal agencies legal ability to operate within said state. There is also the fact that most State Congresses take a complaint filed against the Federal government by a State Attorney General very seriously. If could mean political suicide if he/she gets it wrong. A keen State Attorney General will wait until a good amount of complaints have been filed with his/her office and then serve those complaints in the form of a class action lawsuit;thus avoiding a direct states rights clash with lawmakers.
H.R. 6416 bypasses politically compromised Attorney Generals by giving the people the direct power to sue the TSA though the courts. It would be a up hill fight to get this bill all the way to the presidents desk but it could happen if enough pressure is placed on Federal lawmakers in Washington. Yet to think in more reality based terms if the bill gets a lot of co-sponsors and becomes a hot bill in Washington the TSA would be scared into ending its current security policy at airports. If this bill gains support rest assured the TSA would reconsider what it is doing to the American people.
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