Snakes In the Grass

Vipers are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world. All have relatively long, hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom. During a strike, the mouth can open nearly 180°. The jaws close on impact and powerful muscles that surround the venom glands contract to inject the venom as the fangs penetrate. This action is very fast. Vipers use this mechanism primarily for immobilization of prey. Experiments have shown these snakes are capable of making decisions on how much venom to inject depending on the circumstances. In predatory bites, factors that influence the amount of venom injected include whether the prey is held or released. In defensive bites, the amount of venom injected may be determined by the size of the antagonist, as well as the assessed level of threat. A viper bite is often a very painful experience and should always be taken seriously, though it may not necessarily prove fatal. Even with prompt and proper treatment, a bite can still result in a permanent scar. A victim's fate is impossible to predict, as this depends on many factors, including the condition of the victim before being bitten.

America’s illusions of freedom are becoming more and more transparent, with the federal government’s now standard practice of deploying armed agents to actively roam public venues and conducting “suspicionless searches.” The TSA sends out its Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams to set up unannounced checkpoints used to “Dominate, Intimidate, & Control” American travelers. The purpose of VIPR teams is to maintain a presence in public areas and force travelers to submit to searches.

TSA records show that the teams ran more than 8,800 unannounced checkpoints outside of airports last year alone. These included searches at train stations, bus depots, the Indianapolis 500, the Super Bowl, the Democratic and Republican national conventions, political speeches, and sports stadiums. The TSA conducted an estimated 9,300 “suspicionless” spot searches of travelers in 2011.

VIPR teams have checked people at the gangplanks of cruise ships, the entrance to NASCAR races, and at ferry terminals. The Feds are also deploying “TSA assets” in and around sporting arenas. Fans may encounter VIPR teams on local transportation venues and mass transit. TSA assets will also work with law enforcement during high-profile games. Fans had their clothing searched, their bags X-rayed, and their persons sniffed by dogs. In one shocking story from New Mexico, TSA agents were scheduled to conduct warrantless searches of high school students attending their Senior Prom.

TSA has also made their presence felt on America’s roads, setting up VIPR teams to perform checkpoints in the middle of highways. As one TSA official pointed out, “We are not the Airport Security Administration.” Vehicles at Federal roadblocks were subjected to VIPR agents inspecting them for terrorists and terror-related materials.

To justify their unconstitutional infringements, they claim the checkpoints are “administrative searches” that are exempt from probable cause, therefore conveniently impervious to constitutional protections.

TSA now has 56,000 agents. “We have to keep terrorists on edge.”

[This blog was written with the assistance of an article published by Police State USA at: www.policestateusa.com]

“Uncontrolled search and seizure is one of the first and most effective weapons in the arsenal of every arbitrary government. Among deprivations of rights, none is so effective in cowing a population, crushing the spirit of the individual and putting terror in every heart.”— Justice Robert Jackson, chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials

“Dominate, Intimidate, & Control”

Official motto of the TSA

For more discussion on this topic, please read the excellent article by John W. Whitehead at the Rutherford Institute. Linked by permission.