Religious Right and libertarians converge on Privacy

From Eric Dondero:

Dave Nalle, National Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC.org) and a Texas resident has been pushing legislation these last few weeks, to halt intrusive searches by the TSA at Texas airports. His efforts have proved successful.

The proposed legislation, backed by mostly hardline religious conservatives, "would still make it a misdemeanor punishable with up to a year in jail to touch a person's sexual organs and other sensitive areas."

The House passed a measure, and soon after, a somewhat softer version was passed through the Senate. It now awaits Governor Perry's signature. He has already indicated he's strongly in favor of such legislation.

The AP reports on "Airport groping Bill":

Although dismissed last week as a "publicity stunt" by Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, the issue has become a top priority for the libertarian wing of the Texas GOP.

Ironically, the prime mover of the legislation in the Senate was fiery religious rightist Sen. Dan Patrick of north Houston. Adding further irony, Joe Straus (photo), long-held in great suspicion by the social conservatives, was the prime mover of the legislation on the House side.

Note - Of course, the Pro-Defense libertarian position is Anti-Groping/Pro-Profiling of airline travelers from Islamic countries and other suspicious travelers.