TSA rolling out new pat-down procedure

Why are we allowing the TSA to take over so much control? Everyone wants to be safe but not at the expense of our civil liberties. In my limited samples of experience with the TSA I find that some locations are friendly and do their best to limit the unpleasantness of the experience and others (such as Philadelphia) are downright offensive. There needs to be a much more consistent process implemented in all locations and it's about time this process receives a more serious debate from politicians rather than a police organization. CNN:

Rosemary Fitzpatrick, a CNN employee, said she was subjected to a pat-down at the Orlando, Florida, airport on Wednesday night after her underwire bra set off a magnetometer. She said she was taken to a private area and searched, with transportation screening officers telling her the pat-down was a new procedure.

According to Fitzpatrick, a female screener ran her hands around her breasts, over her stomach, buttocks and her inner thighs, and briefly touched her crotch.

"I felt helpless, I felt violated, and I felt humiliated," Fitzpatrick said, adding that she was reduced to tears at the checkpoint. She particularly objected to the fact that travelers were not warned about the new procedures.

NOTE FROM JOHN: They did this to me coming back from Europe a few weeks ago (Amsterdam airport boarding KLM/Delta flight). It was the most thorough pat down I've ever had in my life - and yes, he touched everything. But it was quick, and honestly, I'm okay with it if it means there's a chance of me not blowing up at 35,000 feet. Read the rest of this post...

Video: Labrador swimming with a dolphin

This is a really adorable video for animal lovers. I don't think that I've ever seen anything quite like it. Read the rest of this post...

What Pelosi accomplished

Kerry Eleveld at the Advocate makes a good point:

I would be remiss if I did not mention that Nancy Pelosi could very possibly lose her post as speaker of the House if the Democrats get pummeled next Tuesday. She may not have scheduled all the LGBT votes the community would have hoped for, but Pelosi hammered home hate-crimes legislation early on and steamrolled “don’t ask, don’t tell” with 39 votes to spare. From a broader perspective, she near seamlessly pushed through Democrats’ agenda, stocking the Senate with more than 400 bills that never saw the light of day. Quite frankly, Speaker Pelosi delivered the change Obama promised more ably than the White House could either message or capitalize on those achievements.

If the House Democrats are ousted on election night, it will be a true irony that the single most effective legislator of the 111th Congress will be rewarded with a demotion.

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Park Service says 'well over 200,000' attended Stewart/Colbert rally

Told ya so. Read the rest of this post...

Daylight savings may be bad for our health and the environment

I'm not much of a morning person anyway and would much rather have the sunlight later in the day.

Countries across Europe, the United States, Canada and parts of the Middle East mark the start of winter by ending Daylight Saving Time (DST) and putting their clocks back by an hour -- often in late October or early November -- a move that means it is lighter by the time most people get up to start their day.

But this also robs afternoons of an hour of daylight, and some experts argue that in more northern regions, the energy needed to brighten this darkness, and the limits it puts on outdoor activities are harming our health and the environment.

Leaving clocks alone as winter approaches would allow an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon and could boost levels of vitamin D as well as encourage people to exercise more.

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An insane number of people turned out for Stewart/Colbert rally in DC

Click photo for larger image

In my 25 years in DC, I've been to a lot of the biggest rallies, save the Million Man March and the Pro-Life rallies. I have never, ever, seen anything this big. It was wall to wall people.  You couldn't even walk across. It took us half an hour to go across maybe 100 feet. I have never seen anything like this. I wouldn't be surprised if there were half a million people there or more. I've seen rallies of a quarter million - they were puny compared to this.

A few more photos.  There were a good number of costumes and funny signs.

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Dems held abstinence hearings, Repubs impeached Clinton - LA Times thinks it's the same thing

And by the way, the GOP is planning to gut the EPA.

LA Times:

Using control of congressional committees — and their investigative powers — to attack the opposition is not a new idea. After Democrats gained control of Congress in 2006, they held critical hearings on everything from an energy task force run by Vice President Dick Cheney to the Bush administration's support of abstinence-only sex education.

Similarly, during the Clinton administration, when Republicans took over they appointed independent counsels to investigate various aspects of the administration, leading to the Whitewater probe and the impeachment proceedings, among others.

Similarly?

The Poles said "please don't invade us." Similarly, the Germans did. Read the rest of this post...

McDonald's in northeast Ohio handing out voting advice to employees

There's a good reason to avoid that revolting place.

A handful of McDonald's employees in northeastern Ohio received handbills in their most recent paychecks suggesting they vote for three Republican candidates.

"If the right people are elected we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above our present levels," the insert said. "If others are elected we will not."

The fast food chain's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., distanced itself from the action by Canton franchisee Paul Siegfried, saying it was not reflective of the company's position. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the Democratic elections chief, said she was launching an investigation because the action appeared to violate Ohio election laws.

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Yemen warns of 26 more suspicious packages

Some may have already been sent out of the country.

After intercepting two mail bombs addressed to Chicago-area synagogues, investigators are searching for two dozen more suspect packages that terrorists in Yemen attempted to smuggle onto aircraft in a brazen al-Qaida terror plot.

Authorities on three continents thwarted the attacks when they seized explosives on cargo planes in the United Arab Emirates and England on Friday.

The plot sent tremors throughout the U.S., where after a frenzied day searching planes and parcel trucks for other explosives, officials temporarily banned all new cargo from Yemen.

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Saturday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Today is the Stewart/Colber rally for sanity/fear. I was out walking Petey this morning and already saw people heading down Connecticut Avenue wearing their rally t-shirts and carrying signs. The program doesn't begin til noon. We will head down to check it out.

It's the final weekend before the elections. We're getting deluged with polls and early voting numbers. The President is beginning his GOTV swing. Today, he'll be in Philadelphia, Bridgeport, CT and Chicago. He's spending the night in Chicago and will head to Cleveland tomorrow.

Biden is heading to Quincy, Massachusetts to do an event for Bill Keating, who is running for the open seat in the 10th CD.

It's also Halloween weekend and I think Lizz Winstead offers some sage advice, via Twitter:

Hey Halloween: When you add shitfaced and stumble to your "sexy costume" your costume becomes "drunk with mascara on face."

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