Tag: government
Kazakhstan security summit forces astronauts to return early from ISS
More security madness: A security summit in Kazakhstan is demanding the Russians bring home three astronauts from ISS a week early so as to keep the air space clear during the conference.
Penn at airport threatens to press charges against TSA for assault
A blow for freedom! Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) called the cops and threatened to press charges against a TSA security agent for assault during his airport screening. Fun quote:
I tell the cop the story, in a very funny way. The cop, the voice of sanity says, “What’s wrong with you people? You can’t just grab a guy’s crank without his permission.” I tell him that my genitals weren’t grabbed and the cop says, “I don’t care, you can’t do that to people. That’s assault and battery in my book.”
The story gets even crazier afterward, when a pr gal from the TSA calls Penn and tries to placate him. This quote is especially telling:
“If you give me your itinerary every time you fly, I’ll be at the airport with you and we can make sure it’s very pleasant for you.”
Update: I just realized that this event occurred in 2002, so it isn’t part of the recent TSA craziness, only past TSA craziness that is as unacceptable as the new TSA craziness.
Is the TSA backing down?
Is the TSA backing down?
TSA Now Putting Hands Down Fliers’ Pants
I thought I was joking in my post earlier today, but the TSA actually is requiring agents to put their hands down fliers’s pants!
TSA to investigate man who refused body scan
Freedom of speech alert! The TSA, not content to stick its hands in our pants, is going to investigate the man who refused a body scan and recorded the whole event.
National Opt-Out day suggests wearing kilts as well
National Opt-Out day at the airports is November 24. One commentator is suggesting that men wear kilts, just to drive the TSA even more crazy.
New Castle councilman calls cops on boys’ cupcake sale
Fire him! Local councilman calls the cops on two 13-year-old boys, because they are selling cupcake illegally!
Abolish the TSA
Now here’s a good idea: Abolish the TSA.
The coming train wreck for Commercial Human Spaceflight
This post by retired NASA engineer Wayne Hale explains why it probably is a good idea if Congress cuts the subsidies for new commercial space: The coming train wreck for commercial human spaceflight. This is the key quote, where Hale describes the regulations NASA is requiring these new companies to meet:
The document runs a mind-numbing 260 pages of densely spaced requirements. Most disappointing, on pages 7 to 11 is a table of 74 additional requirements documents which must be followed, in whole or in part. Taken all together, there are thousands of requirement statements referenced in this document. And for every one NASA will require a potential commercial space flight provider to document, prove, and verify with massive amounts of paperwork and/or electronic forms.
More TSA abuse
Another example of the TSA’s abuse of airline passengers. And here’s another, this time abusing a three-year-old.