Category Archives: Current Events
Does Rand Paul Look Irate to You?
Just watch the video and tell me does Sen. Rand Paul look irate about being detained at the Nashville Airport.
He doesn’t look angry to me. Perhaps, the TSA officials at the airport that day might have added too much drama when referring to the incident.
Whatever the case may be, Sen. Paul’s incident has brought to light that it is time that the effectiveness of TSA be questioned. In an recent op-ed that appeared in The Washington Times, Paul wrote about TSA’s work should be on police work, instead of violating our Fourth Amendment rights.
If a federally funded TSA is going to exist, then its focus should be on police work and it must respect the rights of citizens. The TSA should not universally insult all travelers; it should however research, track, monitor and target people that are, in fact, threats to our nation.
This blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans against unwarranted search and seizure, has insulted many citizens, and rightfully so. I, along with many other travelers, do not view traveling as a crime that warrants government search and seizure. In fact, I view traveling as a basic right, for Americans are free to travel from state to state as they please.
I refused an unnecessary patdown and stood up for my rights as an American citizen. This is a battle Americans face every time they fly. It is my firm belief that TSA should not have such broad authority to violate our constitutional rights in ineffective and invasive physical searches, thus I will further push for the reinstatement of traveler privacy and rights. I will be proposing legislation that will allow for adults to be rescreened if they so choose.
I couldn’t agree more with Sen. Paul’s points. As Americans, we should not be subjected to a groping fiasco before boarding our flights, rather we should be able to go through a screening process that respects our privacy.
Mark Plotkin Out at WTOP
For those in Northern Virginia, if you listened to WTOP on Fridays, you would typically hear Mark Plotkin’s Friday Politics Program. This program would often feature Plotkin’s interviews with various local politicians and candidates about the issues facing the area. It was a great program, even if Plotkin’s politics were liberal leaning.
Imagine my surprise when I read that Plotkin and WTOP have parted ways, creating a void on Fridays. The Washington Post reported today that the decision came as a surprise to many Washingtonians who listened to his commentary, especially when it came down to voting rights in D.C. WTOP would not release any additional details, but it has been speculated that Plotkin’s behavior could be the cause of the separation. Prior to WTOP, he hosted a show with WAMU about politics. He left WAMU in 2002.
While Plotkin’s presence on the airwaves will be missed by some in the D.C. Metropolitan area, it will be interesting to see who will fill the void at WTOP in the meantime.
Cross posted at Bearing Drift
Don’t You Love the Smell of Corruption
D.C. is the Nation’s capital, but it is also the capital of corruption. Needless to say, I am not surprised that some on the D.C. City Council are being accused of corruption for various money scandals. Currently, the FBI is investigating city councilman Harry Thomas, Jr. for charges of corruption and tax evasion.
However, the most recent allegation plaguing the city council is one that is more damning. According to The Washington Examiner, a live feed from a D.C. Council was recently cut during a press conference, as Council Chairman Kwame Brown was being questions about the ethics scandal and the poor approval ratings. While the press conference was about upcoming legislation, reporters wanted to focus on the ethics scandal. After all, people are outraged and questions need to be answered. The excuse was that Brown, nor his Chief of Staff did not know that the feed was turned off.
What does the D.C. Council have to be afraid of? The live feed was turned off, which results in a lack of transparency. Transparency is essential in government. Shouldn’t the Council answer for their actions? Whatever the case may be, the people don’t deserve to be left out in the cold in terms of what is happening on the D.C. City Council.
Reflections and a change…
I have been doing a lot of serious reflections over the course of this year, in terms of the direction of CCC. Frankly, I have come to the point where I want to focus on other things outside of politics. Living, breathing, and eating politics over the past five years, I have realized that it has been burning me out. In fact, when I come home at night, the first thing I really want to do is to watch ESPN or Food Network to escape politics as usual. Blogging is usually the last thing I want to do at the end of the day. With this being said, I am still going to write about politics every now and then, but there will be some running and cooking thrown into the mix for a balance.
As I approach the fourth anniversary of CCC, I am grateful to those who read my contributions and to those who challenge me to think outside the box. It means a lot to have your support over the course of this adventure. Not to worry, I am not planning to peace out of the blog world. There is still much work to be done, especially with my contributions over at Bearing Drift too. (Side note: If you like what you read over at Bearing Drift, you should contribute to their efforts…there is a lot of exciting things happening.)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I leave you with the best Christmas greeting ever (H/T to Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.)
The Occupy Crowd Wants to Shut Down Wall Street
Reuters reports that the Occupy crowd wants to shut down Wall Street. Didn’t they try to do this already? I know things have been busy with the election, and maybe, I have neglected a few things when it came to the Occupy crowd. Oh well, I wonder if it will be as successful as it has been in cities like Oakland and Portland, where they have been booted out.
They are probably not succeeding in Springfield.
Happy Veteran’s Day
Thank you to all who have served in the Armed Forces and for protecting our freedoms.
Halloween on Steroids
I don’t know about you, but this is pretty freaking sweet! I just love how people go above and beyond to celebrate Halloween (even though, I hate the holiday except for dressing up). How could you go wrong with a light show tuned to Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train?
Have you seen any odd or totally awesome displays for Halloween?
Ready for Irene?
Hurricane Irene is on a path towards Virginia, and this storm is predicted to be worst than Isabel was in 2003. While it is too early to say how bad this storm will be, please make sure you are prepared. The Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Emergency Management has a hurricane preparedness guide that will give you tips to ensure you and your loved ones are safe. Don’t underestimate this storm!
You can also track the storm through The Virginian-Pilot‘s coverage. In the meantime, please stay safe.
