TSA strip searches 85-year-old woman at JFK?

85-year-old Lenore Zimmerman said she was taken to a private room and made to take off her pants and other clothes. She asked for a pat-down because she has a defibrillator.

NEW YORK (AP) - An 85-year-old woman said Saturday that she was injured and humiliated when she was strip searched at an airport after she asked to be patted down instead of going through a body scanner, allegations that transportation security officials denied.

Lenore Zimmerman said she was taken to a private room and made to take off her pants and other clothes after she asked to forgo the screening because she worried it would interfere with her defibrillator. She missed her flight and had to take one 2 1/2 hours later, she said.

"I'm hunched over. I'm in a wheelchair. I weigh under 110 pounds (50 kilograms)," she said from her winter home at a seniors community in Coconut Creek, Florida. "Do I look like a terrorist?"

TSA says no strip search was done.

"Private screening was requested by the passenger, it was granted and lasted approximately 11 minutes," the TSA statement read. "TSA screening procedures are conducted in a manner designed to treat all passengers with dignity, respect and courtesy and that occurred in this instance."

TSA is lucky they aren't all struck by stray lightening bolts.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (RINO-Alaska) to be stripped of Seniority by GOP Senators (Updated)

In the wake of her decision to ignore Republican primary voters and run in the general election as a write-in candidate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski will have her seniority position on the Senate Energy Committee stripped by her GOP colleagues. I guess tarring, feathering and riding her out of town on a rail wasn't a serious option.

CNN's Political Ticker reported:

Senate Republicans just said they will move tomorrow to strip Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, from her post as ranking Republican on the Senate Energy Committee.

Republicans say Wednesday they will vote to elect an acting ranking member and then the full GOP conference will ratify the vote…

Another Republican came out of the Senate GOP lunch and told CNN it was clear Murkowski has virtually no support among her colleagues anymore. That senator spoke on condition of anonymity, in order to speak freely about a private meeting.

Update: GOP Senators decide to not strip Murkowski. She resigns from leadership position.

Stupak Stripped of "Defender of Life" award

It has begun.

FOX News reported:

Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser said the group was revoking its "Defender of Life" award to Stupak, which was to be awarded at its Wednesday night gala.

"We were planning to honor Congressman Stupak for his efforts to keep abortion-funding out of health care reform. We will no longer be doing so," Dannenfelser said. "Let me be clear: any representative, including Rep. Stupak, who votes for this health care bill can no longer call themselves 'pro-life.'"

Bart Stupak angered his liberal constituents long ago and earned himself a primary cahallenger. Now, he has angered his conservative and pro-life constituents. It is hard to see who his constituent base will be this fall. There are a large number of Independents, but they are notoriously fickle and over 60% opposed the Democrat's health care reform bill. What in the world could Rep. Stupak have been thinking?

Senate Votes 83-7 to Strip ACORN of All Federal Funding

The Senate has voted by an overwhelming majority to strip all federal funding from ACORN. Senator Johanns' amendment (Johanns #2355) has passed. This came on the wake of three straight days of BigGovernment.com’s video exposés of ACORN offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Baltimore offering tax help to a pimp and prostitute wanting to set up a brothel with underage illegal immigrant girls. The latest video is here. Seven Senators voted against the amendment. Nine failed to vote.


Here are the NAYs and Not Voting:

NAYs ––-7
Burris (D-IL)
Casey (D-PA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Leahy (D-VT)
Sanders (I-VT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)

Not Voting - 9
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Coburn (R-OK)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hutchison (R-TX)
McCain (R-AZ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Link


Hot Air reported:

Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) introduced an amendment to the HUD and Transportation appropriation bill to strip ACORN of all federal funding. A week ago, Johanns wouldn’t have gotten the amendment to the floor. Today, however, after three straight days of BigGovernment.com’s video exposés of ACORN offices in Washington DC, New York City, and Baltimore offering assistance to pimping, tax evasion, and trafficking in underage Salvadorean girls, Johanns not only got his vote — but he got an impressive bipartisan showing. The Senate passed the Johanns amendment 83-7.