Texas Legislature, Federal Government Clash Over Airport Pat-Down Bill; Texas Backs Down After Feds Threaten to Ground Flights
May 26th, 2011Via: NPR:
Texas lawmakers and federal agents came to a dramatic showdown last night, over a bill that would have prohibited Transportation Security Administration agents from conducting intrusive pat-downs. The Department of Justice circulated a letter that told the politicians if they went through with HB 1937, the TSA would cancel flights out of Texas.
Texas State Rep. David Simpson, who wrote the bill, put the ultimatum in more vibrant terms in a press release he issued today:
Either Texas backs off and continues to let government employees fondle innocent women, children and men as a condition of travel, or the TSA will cancel Texas flights. The Federal Government showed its willingness to bully the State of Texas if attempts to protect passengers from being forced to give up constitutional rights are not dropped.
