This is not the actions of the United States that I served in the USAF for 5 years, 9 months.

Thank you, Michael.

An attempt at punishment for David Swanson et al’s protest yesterday?

Amazing – Trying to deliver a petition gets you detained, eh?

Every military person involved in this is acting dishonorably.

Just like cops – proof of ins, = brok en taillight. anything will serve an excuse.

Jeez. This is BS.

Quantico, for those who don’t know, is very isolated from any other kind of transportation, especially on a Sunday. If your car gets towed, you are very likely stuck there. And if you’re stuck there without a means of getting off the base, they may try a trespass charge.

What a totalitarian state America has become.

Jane has driven David out several times before, always with no problem. The base was notified they were coming and David is on Manning’s approved guest list.

Either they are very afraid of the attention the petition on his conditions is getting or they are afraid of having David see how Manning is doing now.

Let’s all do everything we can to shine light on this – use the facebook share and twitter retweets to get the story out … it’s really important when something like this is happening that people are watching.

I go onto a military base regularly, and having proof of insurance and current registration is always required, even if you are on a first name basis with the guard.

Jane has proof of insurance and it’s always been acceptable before. This is an excuse to harass them or block them now.

Also Jane said they took her registration, did not give it back … then asked her for it again.

They are looking for ways to arrest them …

Yeah, just saying that verifying insurance is normal. Harassing for insurance that you have used in the same form previously is not okay.

This is outrageous and just shows how desperate these bastards are.

This is shocking. Seriously.

Jane has spoken to atty – says this should not happen!

If the military was scared of the attention from the petition, this is exactly the opposite of how to downplay its significance. Now it’ll be a bigger story about the military acting like frightened, little bullies who don’t know how to deal with a couple of civilians.

This is all so petty- small unimportant, yet self-important people are being bred and trained in our armed forces.
I worry for Jane Hamsher and David House- we must also assumed there is renewed reason today to worry about Brad Manning.

Shocking? No….

I can’t always reload the tweets above successfully, so thanks for writing the development in the comments.

Not surprising, but shocking.

What is the military afraid of? Surely not the attention — they just bought themselves a heap more than quiet delivery of the petitions would have caused. So: they must be afraid to let Bradley Manning’s friend see him.

Why?

things to come. our society and its govt are degenerating to full lawless dictatorship. The only redeeming quality of the US was a nominal respect for the rule of law. without that the US is nothing more than a robber baron state.

This is just ridiculous. Jane is probably already on some kind of enemies list. I hope lots of people know they are there, in case anything happens. Now this is what true bravery is all about. Being willing to incur the government’s wrath, not some flag waving chants of USA USA.

Whose military is this?

General Electric, Shell oil, Goldman saks

Now that we have this latest outrage to consider, it’s becoming obvious that the Department of Defense and the President it serves may only wish to convey to everyone who cares about Bradley Manning that they don’t give a flying fuck about human rights, the Constitution, the dignity of an individual, the rule of law, their accountability to the public, freedom of speech, freedom of the press….

But we knew this already….

Facebooked and shared!!

Stay cool, keep calm… as long as Jane and David continue tweeting it’s not the end of the world.

You’re probably right.

Folks – please keep tweeting and sharing on facebook so the news gets out – it’s important that people know what’s happening.

Call Quantico at 703-784-2121 and tell the Marines that the US constitution is still the law of the land.

are they getting jane’s car back? do they have transport home?

Unit, Corps, God, country, in that order, I’m afraid.

Great job, Michael (btw).

Per the update, was this just a stalling tactic to run out time until visiting hours ended?

Military Brass personally shows up to stop the House visit. So, it’s all about the visit with Manning, not the petition?

Exactly, the smart thing to do would be to graciously accept the petition, allow Mr. House the normal visit, then let them leave base.

Now it becomes a big issue, no matter what.

Typical Marine Corps intimidation. Won’t work this time, jarheads.

The military man is protecting ‘Merika from the liburls.

I assume Jane and David have back-up communications and transport plans; Quantico is not far from Metro DC, so friends ought readily be available to drive, if they are allowed to leave unmolested.

This treatment, by the way, is frequently enacted every day at US border crossings to US citizens and visitors. So, yes, to quote frequent Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan in his most famous speech (from 1896) advocating that we use our voices peacefully but more assertively:

We do not come as aggressors. Our war is not a war of conquest. We are fighting in the defense of our homes, our families, and posterity. We have petitioned, and our petitions have been scorned. We have entreated, and our entreaties have been disregarded. We have begged, and they have mocked when our calamity came.

We beg no longer; we entreat no more; we petition no more. We defy them!

The First Amendment famously includes freedom of assembly and the right to petition the government with our grievances. Without them, freedom of speech is a tree falling in the forest with no one to hear it.

everone who comments here regularly is probably on a dozen watch lists at the FBI and your local “fusion center” (a kind of 7-11 franchise of police state intrusion)..with the exception of tinman, who is probably a fusion center employee.

Yeah, so what condition is Manning in that the military would rather have a publicity problem for not accepting the petition than let House visit Manning?

Anyone in the area should drive out there. Don’t go onto the base but, be an observer.

Semper timent!

someone posted a link of a fairly recent pic of him yesterday and he does not look well.

The US Marines do tremendous work, often thanklessly, at their primary job. They are the first in to do whatever fightin’, shootin’ and killin’ the president orders them to do, having decided that such extreme measures are a last resort and necessary to promote our “national interests”. They should not be put in the position of jailers for whistleblowing prisoners; the president has other functionaries better suited to such tasks. This is primarily Barack Obama’s problem, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that.

Curious. Military brass are not dummies, so the decision to risk publicity over this rather than allow visit is suspect. What did they not want seen?

Wanna bet next week’s visit is not allowed either? Bruises not healed yet….

Where was that? I’d like to see…

our millitary is as much a threat to us as it is a protection.

hold on

Manning’s statement recently said as much.

At David Swanson’s thread @ fdl yesterday, I commented on a photo purported to be of Manning, but of highly doubted authenticity. I then asked if there is a way we can force the Defense Department to have Manning photographed or – preferably – have a video made – so people can see his actual physical and mental condition. Thoughts?

The way Jane and House are being treated at Quantico is quite different from the way the demonstrators were treated at the post gate just the other day. Although there was some over-the-top hassling of the demonstrators then, mostly the MPs handled the situation with professionalism. What’s happening now is total bullshit.

having decided that such extreme measures are a last resort and necessary to promote our “national interests”

Riiiiiiiiight.

So what?

Of course he wouldn’t look well — who could under such confinement? Hence the petition…

But their vaunted bloodthirsty aggressiveness does not preclude them from obeying the Constitution.

What is Manning’s offense…obeying the Constitution and Intl law on reporting war crimes?

I’d imagine the only photo of Manning taken since his arrest is his initial brig photo and they’re not gonna release that.

Just like every other time in history, getting arrested and risking your behind is the only way to really bring attention to an issue. Because I have never heard the name Bradley Manning on teevee. Curious to see if there is coverage today or tomorrow on our “liberal” oh cough cough MSNBC. (and coming on the heels of the Olbermann ouster)

I salute anyone that takes these risks. And, clearly the fascist state is here.

Oh, I haven’t forgotten for a moment Marine General Smedley Butler’s criticisms, and the persistent misuse of the US Marines as lowly-paid enforcers for private US corporations, especially in Latin America. (That’s one reason I put “national interests” in quotes.) But that’s not the focus that seems most pertinent here.

This is starting to wing back to us:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/activists-manning-held-quantico/

If it is the picture I linked to, I don’t think it is authentic. I’m pushing for the DoD to be forced to have somebody – his attorney, preferably – be photographed as he speaks with Manning.

Now due to the abusive confinement, any testimony against Assage woul be challenged as torture testimony and disallowed by a honest judge.

Jane, just don’t fly to Kuwait, might be tough to get back in….

Behavior reminiscent of what? Manning a US citizen treated like a piece of shit? Why? Scumbags? Scumbags! I recall how many, in a very specific European country, just followed orders! This is BULLSHIT!

The word “pigs” applies here. Fucking fascist jarheads aren’t bright enough to do anything except what they’re told. This comes from above.

In all likelihood, no matter how well or ham-handed Jane and David may be being treated, that treatment is a function of political judgments originating in the White House, from the same players who have been attempting to dismantle WikiLeaks and to demonize Julian Assange and by association the information whose publication he promotes. My point is that they should be the focus of our attempts to promote change we can believe in, even in the behavior of military guards.

And the 24 video tapes can’t be an FOIA request? ACLU, Glenn Greenwald?

I know they claim the right to spy on everyone, including on the intertubes. But Jane is high profile. They could make her life miserable. You know all the peaceful groups who are now considered low level terrorists? And if you don’t know, Walmart will soon remind you to be suspicious of your fellow shoppers because everyone and his brother is now a potential terrorist, don’t ya know. LOL at Tinman. Takes all kinds, I guess.

exactly…They do it well. Scaring people into subservience. They only have to scare a few to infect teh whole. Don’t buy that bad bread.

Best to Jane

this was the one I saw,in an edward teller post in response to “Bradely manning is being punished for…”

http://www.iill.net/bradley-manning

so nothing really, was just a reply to someone else’s comment. Not a prposition hanging in space like most replies to a threaad.

Let’s not sell the jarheads short here. Sure this came from above but Marines are quite capable of being assholes. During my three cruises aboard CVs, there were many drills during which the USMC would shout “Down!” and storm through the area. No matter how quickly you complied, no matter how low you got, many of them took pleasure in going out of their way to stomp on people. Let’s be real. Marines are encouraged to be assholes.

Oh, SH*T. I really hope that’s a fabricated photo. ET what makes you think it’s a fake?

Just for us dummies, is House Manning’s attorney?

That does tend to go along with the fightin’, shootin’ and killin’ part of the job. My focus is on the political use of such weapons for partisan political purposes, objectives that do not seem remotely, by any objective standard, a matter of national security.

Doesn’t look like him at all.

House is a friend. Manning’s attorney was not present today.

Yeah, well let’s not absolve them of all responsibility in this.

Im not sure its a fake. The thorazine eyelid droop is particularly morbid

I’m 64. I’ve been protesting the excesses of Democratic (LBJ) and GOP (Nixon) administrations alike since the week after I got out of the Army. No doubt they started a file on me long, long ago. And on a lot of other people here at the lake. Again – so what?

Be interesting to see if Rachel or Ed cover this. (Tweety and LoDo won’t touch it with a ten foot pole, and Ratigan is probably not a question mark…if he still has a job tomorrow.)

Can’t even begin to count all the Amendments this is violating. Sad how the Constitution has largely been reduced to a prop for stunts by the “freedom”-loving GOP’ers who would want to see all of us reduced to compliant & complacent sheep in self-imposed isolation from the facts..

Well the ‘just following orders’ defense has been rightly disassembled here by others…

What I am concerned with, and what I feel all should be so concerned with, is the steady shift of the US military into performing unconstitutional acts here and abroad without any repercussions (eg My Lai vs. Assange). Since 911 there has been a steady and constant incursion of military into public space, supported wholly by media and entertainment outlets.

The military, while ostensibly following ‘orders from the WH’, also seems to be engaging in domestic operations outside their historical scope.

When will they be held accountable? By whom? Have they already charted their future outside of Constitutional restraints? Is it the WH or the Pentagon that is really in control?

The noses match. Not much else, though. I don’t have software that coudd put that image over one of Manning that we know to be him. Another suspicious item about the photo is that it has never appeared attached to a credible article about him.

Maybe should have had the attorney come along and help deliver the petition. At least that way somebody would have seen Manning today, passed along news of the petition, etc.

I’m not going to give MSNBC traffic until I know the details behind Olbermann’s departure and then any future traffic from me will depend on those circumstance.

” Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
Helen Keller

They won’t cover it. Especially Maddow. Maddow wants a career. Olbermann did a couple of short Manning segments.

I admit that was my first thought. But, of course, I don’t know Manning from anything but the smiling picture at the Lake, so I couldn’t really tell whether it is him or not.

Glenn Greenwald has it up now http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/index.html Amnesty International and others too with cited violations of law.

Hey, we’re out. Held us for 2 hours to tow us 10 ft.

Exactly! There is also a great deal of personal behavior involved. The jarheads were told to step on people during a drill if they got in the way. Except many of them didn’t care if you were in the way or not. You could watch them coming, many of them ranging all over the passageway to catch peoples’ backs, heads, hands, legs, anything exposed. But they weren’t stupid. Officers never got stepped on, whether they were in the way or not. It didn’t happen. So while “just following orders” isn’t a valid excuse, it’s often abused as an enabler of bad behavior.

true but there arent many “cedible” articles being written about Manning. I see a lot of mislabled pics in the web though. A google image search of Manning turns up more picture of Julian Assange

House has visited Manning multiple times and was on the approved visitors list for today. Whether or not the attorney had been there, this should not have happened. And there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t have treated Manning’s attorney in the same manner.

Did you manage to take any photos?

Hey Jane! Sorry that happened to you. What a bunch of jerks. They must not want you to see Manning’s new conditions.

Coombs is his attorney, I guess. From Jane’s link on teh Twitter:

http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/01/article-138-complaint.html

A daily petition delivery should be organized. At the very least a 24-7 vigil outside the base gates. Visible, won’t go away, news-worthy.

Jane! Hammer this to every media outlet that will listen.

Glad you and Mr. House are okay. Was very concerned following your tweets.

Has anyone been in contact with Manning in the last 24 hours? I fear something terrible may have happened and that’s why they wouldn’t let you see him.

Er, that was a bit of a hassle at Quantico, no?

Right fuckin’ on!!!!

I’m glad the “following orders” defense has been “rightly disassembled here by others”. I wasn’t promoting it. Nor was I excusing any conduct unbecoming a Marine. I was promoting the idea that the origin of the treatment of Jane and David will have come from decisions made at the White House, whose staff will be in frequent contact with the Pentagon and Quantico officials about this affair.

I am no fan of the apparent treatment meted out to Jane today. Quite the opposite, but my shouting or using four-letter words won’t help Jane or enhance the debate about what to do about it. And FWIW, it is not “engaging in domestic operations” to control access to military bases.

Where are the cameras? You need a video cam with you next time. Even a little Flip will do.

“…being punished for…” Letting the US citizens know how we kill and murder people without justification in the name of America. Letting people know about the senseless loss of life, to protect corporate oil whores who then fuck America, at Americans expense? Yes I can see how the military would not want truth available to the citizen, all in the name of national security? A cluster-fuck run amok for sure! Nazis bastards did not want the German people to know the scope of the death and inhumanity Nazi bastards inflicted on the world and the German people.

Careful, photographing “sensitive installations” will get you arrested these days

Congratulations. We all look forward to your safe return home and a full, published account of your experience.

Yep. I can’t remember, is that “espionage” or “terrorist collusion”?

The military loves them some ruthless, dramatic “examples” when they want to make clear that they don’t like something. Manning is one and now so is Jane.

Nice work hard to keep this a secret now and Glenn does a great follow.

I think they fucked with the wrong person on this one. Jane has a pretty loud voice nowadays.

Yes, and it is fear inducing stuff, but one must not take it in. If we live in fear we lose. Our enemy is not just the oppressor but our reaction to that oppressor as well. This is meant to scare us.

Problem is, with Jane they grabbed the tiger by both ears and I have a feeling the tiger is gonna bite.

Yeah, I doubt Jane will just sit down and STFU after this episode. More likely that Hurricane Hamsher is strengthening.

I don’t think hundreds of thousands of americans died in WW2 and other USA wars for this!

Good Job JANE!

Innocent until proven Guilty is the USA way, if OBAMA, and other phony Politicians in the USA don’t like this idea, they need to re-signed ASAP!

Because a lot of Americans died for this simple USA fact!

Of course they know she has a loud voice. Like I said, they love that kind of thing. They didn’t go so far that anyone is going to be disciplined but they made sure that this was going to universally known by this time tomorrow.

They just awoke a sleeping giant………………

Right. So what is going on in the brig that makes the publicity worth the denial of the visit?

Oh, I agree. I have no doubt that they are going to wind up very regretful of their actions. Right now though, they are high fiving each other and gleefully reliving the humiliation inflicted.

I think the American public will receive this as we have, with anger and indignation. I hope the MSM picks up on this and spreads the story of what happened to Jane and David today. The attention this can bring will hopefully do some good for Manning. Jane can cast a huge spotlight on this problem now.

What a lovely experience this was. You should share it with a few close friends: us and your attorneys!

Hey, I have no problem with you views, in fact I find them quite sound…and intellectually stimulating rather than posturing.

but “And FWIW, it is not “engaging in domestic operations” to control access to military bases.” underscores the whole problem of a massive and bloated ‘standing army’. Is the Pentagon subservient to US, or is it the other way around?

And the people rotting in Guantanamo are also, imho, a domestic military operation.

How should I know? And I asked the same question above or rather I speculated that they were preventing anybody seeing Manning’s new living conditions.

Methinks they’ve mistaken humiliation for stoking the fire.

I agree. See mine at #111

Give ‘em hell, Jane. It’s time that they start treating Bradley Manning like an American and a soldier, and more importantly, a human being.

Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Right now you know they are all congratulating each other. I don’t think that’s going to last long though.

Good Jane, Glad you are out. You all speak my thoughts. Left, right or indifferent, we are driven apart with purpose and I wish people could see that and come together.

KO forced off the air, Jane detained I thought the Righty blogs thought they were the ones going to get that kind of treatment? Face it GOpers you are not Obama’s real enemy your his foil, his reverse psych Shill. Your at best his hard ass business partner or the bad cop but in the end you both act to obtain the same things.

A shill or plant is a person who helps another person or organization to sell goods or services without disclosing that he or she has a close relationship with the seller. The shill pretends to have no association with the seller/group and gives onlookers the impression that he or she is an enthusiastic independent customer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill

I don’t even want to give voice to my biggest fear.

IMHO his physical and emotional states probably wouldn’t be the stuff of good publicity. This isn’t just about the petition. Perhaps they decided to torture him. Unless someone gets in to see him now, who knows what horrible acts have been perpetrated? Has the CIA come a-callin’?

That was rhetorical. They *must* know about the negative publicity that will be generated from this, yet they are willing to draw attention to themselves just to keep Manning from seeing House. That is startling, IMO.

I wonder where the ACLU is in all of this. Or the Red Cross, or Amnesty International (Jane tweeted a statement from AI a few minutes back, glad to see them enter the fray).

The big human rights groups should be all over this. Independent observers should be allowed to visit him and make sure he’s being treated humanely.

Makes me fear the worst. This action reeks of reactionary cover-up. Poor planning and decision making by the military. I fear they’re trying to cover up something big.

Didn’t mean to seem snappish. :)

Yep. The physical and emotional damage must be so severe that the negative publicity from That Hamsher Woman is better. Otherwise they’re just ordinary stupid.

Maybe they’ll start referring to her as The Hamsher.

Glad to read the Jane and David House were released. I read about this at Glenn Greenwald’s site.

From experience, I know that the military can insist on things being by the books when it wants to. It may be stating the obvious by now, but before Jane tries to go to Quantico, she should have all her car’s paperwork in order, plus any of her own that they insisted on seeing (driver’s license being the only thing I can think of. I assume she doesn’t have a Common Access Card). If she had to have her car’s emissions tested, she should bring that paperwork along, too. Anything they ever let slide before is something they don’t have to let slide again.

What’s Obama and the base commander trying to do, make Bradley Manning a martyr?

The only way Obama can demonstrate this mess is isn’t being carried out as a result of his direct order is by relieving the base commander of his command next week.

If Obama does relieve Ouantico’s commander of his command within a few days, we gotta primary Obama. He’s turning into more and more of a monster every day.

I don’t think it has anything to do with whats going on in the brig. I think this little exercise was to show Jane and David who the boss is, in the Marine Corps’ own inimical way. They’re not blind to what’s being said outside of the corporate media.

I think he could redeem himself by releasing Bradley Manning.

xtranormal vid!!!

You gotta understand their thoughts. What most likely happened is that somebody higher up than the base CO sent down orders to prevent them seeing Manning. The go to carry out the orders in their usual….zealous way…. and Jane is detained and harassed. The higher ups didn’t tell those guys who she was. The most they know is that she is “some blogger”, they don’t realize the scope of her influence because they don’t read FDL. Heck, when I used a DoD computer, half the time sites like FDL were blocked. So they treat Jane and House like “blogger and company” and don’t realize their mistake until tomorrow sometime. Right now they are celebrating. They won’t be tomorrow.

I think that’s right. They (apparently) didn’t have to let the electronic insurance thing slide, so they’re making a point.

I’m sure this White House thinks it can marginalize reactions to his mistreatment by relentlessly calling Jane leftist, liberal, progressive, emotional, hysterical, the usual litany of phrases it finds demeaning to women and critics on the left – well, anywhere to the “left” of whatever fictional “center” they imagine Obama as holding. After all, they’ve already branded Manning as a “traitor” and Assange as a “terrorist”, and most news organizations repeat those characterizations without journalistic inquiry.

All that will hurt this White House with the Democratic Party’s traditional base, but pissing on that base seems to have become a Democratic bloodsport, like riding to hounds with progressives and most Americans as the fox. It allows them to cozy up to the right in a comfy, Brooksian, Broderian, bipartisany sort of way.

It’s a good sign they feel as seriously threatened by citizen journalism as by whistleblowers who reveal credible evidence of criminal behavior in government. Which begs the question about how much more this administration hiding. The political temperature is not likely to go down in Washington before Nov. 2012, and almost certainly not thereafter.

In this White House’s inimical way.

If I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet on that happening unless I could get some really good odds.

That would make the episode fall into the just plain stupid category. In which case they should get a grand prize.

I’m sure it won’t happen. I’m hoping Jane, Coombs, House et al can put enough heat on the situation that they’ll be forced to remove Manning from POI. That would seem to be the most reasonable and possible outcome.

Under the circumstances, I’d have to agree. He is at least suspected of being guilty of a pretty serious charge. But there’s no justification for his current treatment.

Well, the Marines have never won an award for being the brightest of the armed services.

Exactly. I understand his detainment. I think it’s wrong, but it’s within the guidelines of the UCMJ. If we want that changed, it’s a seperate issue.

As for the way they’re detaining him, it’s a human rights violation. And our government doesn’t even have the bullshit “enemy combatant” justification, or the “Gitmo gray-area” line. This is a US Soldier on American soil. If Jane and Co can get this out in the MSM, I don’t think the USG will have a choice but to lighten up on the poor kid.

Nor is this incident likely to get them a nomination for one.

Their swords are always the brightest!

write email to protest whitehouse.gov and telephone tomorrow morning to the white house comment line 202 456-1111

Yeah, well, my katana may be 70 years old but it’s just as shiny and will slice one of theirs in half.

Agree. However, fucking with the attorney would add another layer to the situation.

I hope Jane sues. Any of the lawyers here know if she can get punitive damages as well as preventing a reoccurence?

The Corps would have a hard time talking their way out of hassling Manning’s attorney.

You’re right. I think if Jane and House had any reason to suspect something like this would happen, they would’ve brought an attorney.

The USMC won’t be all open arms next week what with all the chat on this thread.

Now it looks like Jane might have to ask Grover to deliver the petition.

“Torture/ Murder / Treason rules this country with a Extreme Fascist with his hand on the whip.”

Maybe in the USSR Baby

Jane, YOU HAVE GONE and done nothing but good !

I’m with you , admire you and bless you and your mission !

Can’t wait until the Marine Corps trolls show up. That should provide some small amusement.

More to this? This moronic action may be a message to Assange, to show they are coming after him and there is nothing that will keep them away. Assange, please consider dumping everything, if the US is so afraid that they will resort to this type of illegality, then please expose us. As in ‘we the people’. America is becoming a place of thugs, christianists, and liars. We are becoming fascists. Please expose this, you will only help this country by doing so.

I doubt very seriously that any of our trolls have been in the Marines, or any other branch, for that matter. Gotta have an IQ above 3 below plant life to get into the Marines.

Five-headed?

Jane, I don’t have lots of money but I do have time. Anything I can do to help count me in. I can drive East or anywhere, just say the word. I hate what is happening to this country, and I despise those who are bringing it about.

I’m talking about the new trolls that the Marines send in. They should be instantly recognizable. I’m thinking screen names like USMC1, USMC2 ….

They’ll take any Pacific Island you tell them to take; but you have to tell them which one. That’s the politician’s job; that’s why we explicitly have a civilian in charge of the military. I’d say that the White House’s urgent desire to control and diminish its critics may backfire. It ought to.

LOL Yeah, they’ll be hard to spot alright.

http://law.justia.com/us/cfr/title32/32-6.1.1.1.3.3.1.3.html

“Title 32: National Defense
PART 806b—PRIVACY ACT PROGRAM
Subpart C—Collecting Personal Information

§ 806b.12 Requesting the Social Security Number.

When asking an individual for his or her Social Security Number, always give a Privacy Act Statement that tells the person: The legal authority for requesting it; the uses that will be made of the Social Security Number; and whether providing the Social Security Number is voluntary or mandatory. Do not deny anyone a legal right, benefit, or privilege for refusing to give their Social Security Number unless the law requires disclosure, or a law or regulation adopted before January 1, 1975 required the Social Security Number and the Air Force uses it to verify a person’s identity in a system of records established before that date. ”

Note (not from above web site): The Air Force started using SSNs as serial numbers around the Vietnam era, hence the 1975 reference.

So did the friendly gate guard give you a Privacy Act Statement? Did he tell you the legal authority for requesting it?

The White House’s mismanagement of this event reminds me of a line Al Pacino delivered in Ocean’s 13. Warning Danny Ocean that he should be too afraid to make things right for Reuben, after Pacino’s character had extorted control of his casino from him, he claimed to violently protect himself without quarter.

Watch out, he said, because “I slice like a god*mn hammer.”

George Bush, or Barack Obama, couldn’t have said it better.

*Slaps forehead* Once upon a time I thought Barack Obama might actually roll back the police state. Nowadays I worry about the political things I write/have written on the internet. Change we can believe in?

I hope I am on one of those lists. Which is why I am not anonymous here. Bring it on MFers.

Another thread going on this subject.

Book Salon up with Tracy Baim’s Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage hosted by Teddy Partridge

It´s the identical tactic the israelis pull on the palestinians when they queue up on their day of worship.

Greetings from Arequipa, Peru.

Just can’t believe this would happen in America . . . hey, your tweets seemed to leave out the fact that your car had expired tags? Sure it was just a mistake and not a deliberate omission.