Citizens Against Government Waste

Ever heard of Citizens Against Government waste? I was recently on their website, reading their mission and what they are all about, and they seem pretty interesting. I like the idea, here is one of their more interesting adds.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSQozWP-rM

We Should Have an Italian President from New Jersey...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avw0n9b2o9U

Zach's First Post: Hilariously hypocritical, Does the TSA violate the 4th Amendment?

Hello readers of Aperti Animus! Jake who's been a friend of mine for a while invited me to post some stuff on his blog. I'm a Liberal Democrat, just kind of here to level the playing field. Before I begin my article, I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. I was born and raised Jewish, but as I got older I found myself more interested in Pantheism, which is a Buddhist approach to agnosticism. I've read the Tanakh, the New Testament, as well as the Koran and I personally believe that there are certain moral impurities that can be drawn from the Abrahamic view of God, as well as science. I'm not here to convert you guys, I just want to tell you a little bit about my history. That being said, feel free to e-mail me about politics, religion, or philosophy and I'd love to have a conversation. Thanks! -Zach

I recently watched a news program explaining the TSA's new technology to scan people through security checkpoints at airports. It is a x-ray machine, that sees through your clothing, and scans every inch of your body from head to toe. A person of course is watching the monitor of the output of the x-ray machine to make sure there is no weapon on you, meaning this person can see you and your "full glory." If you opt not to be undressed by this machines eyes, you can get a "full pat down search" which means a TSA Officer will put on 2 clean blue rubber gloves, and use the outside of his hands to search every crevice of your body. Personally, I see it as 2 options, let a stranger see you naked, or get felt up by a stranger.

Let me begin this by saying that this is clearly a violation of our 4th Amendment. The 4th Amendment guards against "unreasonable searches and seizures." I find it very difficult to support the fact that I must be sexually harassed before I get on an airplane. The only reason this ISN'T sexual harassment is because it's the government. If they weren't the government, of course it'd be sexual harassment! It's an invasion of civil liberties, and it's unethical.

They (NBC News) also stated that they (the TSA) actually store these images. One reporter even said that they found over 300,000 images of innocent, unarmed, law-abiding citizens in a courtroom in Orlando. All of these photos we're taken from the new TSA x-ray scanners in an Orlando airport.

Terrifyingly enough, these x-ray machines have been deemed hazardous by several officials from radiation poisoning. On top of that, these scanners are 300 times more likely to aid cancer then the government originally thought of.

I posted this to my Facebook to see what others thought of the matter, and a friend of mine said that:

"We are evolving into an era where the measures to prevent terrorism are necessary" To that I say that 9/11 was ONE incident, and can not be used to dictate whether or not we're breaking into an area of safety. The reason we have this and things like the Patriot Act is a massive over-reaction to 9/11, they invade our 4th Amendment rights, our civil liberties, and this case, my penis.

He then asked me if Iwas "going to be the one that will go up to the 2000 families that lost someone in the 9/11 incident and tell them that we're not going to check for dangerous people in airports because of 4th amendment rights?" To which I said "This nation was found upon those rights, and they're taking our Founding Fathers names in vain when the don't."

He then proceeded to question that ""It's obvious that the founding fathers weren't thinking about airport security when they amended the constitution." and I totally agree with him! They were thinking of moral responsibility and interest in human ethics in general, not airplanes.

You wouldn't be okay if every time you entered a building, they patted you down, or x-rayed you so they could see everything. Imagine every time you enter ANY building, they either x-ray you fully, or touch your junk.

The point is that this violates the very pillars that support this nation. As does the Patriot Act, but I digress. The new TSA screening methods invade civil liberties, and civilians pants. This unethical response to terrorism is disgusting, and hypocritical to traditional american values. Our nation clearly over reacts at one poor choice that a few radicals made 10 years ago. Why punish every US constituent for it? Please comment below with your opinions. Whether for or against, I value your input dearly, for it educates us all and let's us grow as both people, and as a nation. Thank you!

Opinion on Marijuana Legalization

With all of the talk about legalizing marijuana going on, I feel like I should give my two cents. The use of medical marijuana is legal in 14 states at the moment (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) but is still illegal at the federal level.  In all honesty, it doesn't matter to me whether or not pot is legalized, for medicinal use or otherwise. If it is legalized, it will only be available to people 18 years or older anyway. I know that there are tens of thousands of kids under the age of 18 that smoke marijuana anyway, so that won't eliminate dealers. According to athealth.com, nearly 50% of teenagers will try marijuana before they graduate high school.  That would mean that there would still be around 8 million minors smoking dope illegally in the U.S. either way. Plus, since I don't smoke (and I'm under 18), this law doesn't affect me too much. I know that marijuana is a mind altering drug that affects motor skills, mental capacity, coordination, etc. but alcohol has similar affects and that is legal. And some over the counter drugs as well can have the same effects. And, truthfully, I would rather it be this that gets legalized than some of the harder, more dangerous drugs. If pot is legalized however, I think that it should be taxed pretty high and also the legal punishment for marijuana related felonies should be harsher than, say, alcohol. This is only my opinion and I am interested to hear yours.

No More ACORN

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now a.k.a. ACORN, responsible for registering 1.3 million to vote in just this past year, has filed for bankruptcy. There have been many accusations of voter registration fraud throughout the past couple of years, especially in 2008 and this year. For instance, on Oct. 10, 2008,  an Ohio man was registered to vote by ACORN 72 times, under the democratic party. But since they are out of business we need not worry. Just pray that there wont be a bailout, like all the other bankrupt companies.

Matt Lauer and George W. Bush

Hi everyone, sorry it has been so long since I posted, just never got around to it I guess. Anyway, last night Matt Lauer's interview with former President George W. Bush aired on NBC.  I thought that it was very interesting. I really have a problem with Matt Lauer, he can seem very smug at some times, and at other times he can be a real, for lack of a better word, asshole.  He was extremely critical of Bush, his questions were pointed and harsh. He also interrupted Bush on many occasions in the middle of an answer, something that bothers me to no end. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with his questions if he were a fair person. He grills many a member of the GOP in his interviews, or really just people that don't believe in the same thing he believes in. However in interviews with people with similar viewpoints, he is not nearly as tough. I'm not saying he skirts around  the important issues, he just doesn't press the matter with certain people. It's just that I feel that a newscast can't be objective if  I can tell what the reporter giving the newscast, or interview, or whatever, stance is on the issue, there is a problem and it really be considered a true, unsubjective interview. And Matt Lauer is one of the worst.