A few months ago, we wrote about how a TSA agent who was involved in an intrusive “pat down” of Amy Alkon threatened her with a defamation claim for daring to say and write that she felt she was raped by the TSA agent. Recently Alkon sought to publish an op-ed about her experience and the importance of standing up for one’s civil rights in America. As she notes, pretty much all of the American mainstream media refused to publish the piece:
Media outlets that refused to publish this piece include the LA Times, The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo.com, MSNBC.com, and The Washington Post.
You know who did publish it? Pravda. Yes, the rather infamous Russian publication.
The TSA’s main accomplishment seems to be obedience training for the American public — priming us to be docile (and even polite) when ordered to give up our civil liberties. Not only does the TSA violate our Fourth Amendment rights, they’ve posted signs that effectively eradicate our First Amendment right to speak out about it. One such sign, in Denver International Airport, offers the vague warning that “verbal abuse” of agents will “not be tolerated.” Travelers are left to wonder whether it’s “verbal abuse” to inform the TSA agent with his latex-gloved hands on their testicles that this isn’t making us safer, or are they only in trouble if they pepper their statement with obscenities? Not surprisingly, few seem willing to speak out and risk arrest.
Whether or not you agree with Alkon’s point, it seems bizarre that the big American media wouldn’t even let her speak her mind on the subject…
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