Operation: Suntan - Hunter - Price of Liberty

09/06/10

Operation: Suntan
By The Hunter

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April 01, 2004

(Editor's note: We are privileged to have this article from The Hunter's archives.)

In Robert Heinlein's classic 1951 science fiction novel "The Puppet Masters", a slug-like alien race capable of attaching themselves to human being's spinal cord and controlling their minds secretly invades earth. A shadowy intelligence operation detects the alien menace, and led by the protagonist "Sam" and his partner "Mary" manages to defeat them. One of their biggest challenges after they understood what they were up against was preventing infiltration of "Zone Green", the areas known to be free of puppet masters. One of the measures necessary to defeat the alien menace was "Schedule Suntan", ordering uninfected civilians to wear a bare minimum of clothing (or less) so that the slugs would have no place to hide. Desperate measures for desperate times.

Ignoring for the moment the obvious allusion to the invisible spread of insidiously dangerous political ideas like trading fundamental liberties for the illusion of safety, I was reminded of Heinlein's bare-skin solution by a discussion about so-called "airport security" on the Liberty Round Table's mailing list recently. One of the ladies joked that an effective protest against the comically ineffective airport "security" screeners and their frequent groping of women was to arrange a protest by "a gaggle of freedom lovers" who present themselves to the screeners wearing nothing but a trench coat. As she put it, "What a way to protest the increasingly inane 'security' measures... show up and strip naked right there in front of God, goons, and everybody else!"

We all got a laugh out of the thought, and she opined that it was "an action Hunter would surely enjoy getting behind". (Cheerfully guilty.) I started thinking madly, though, and realized that she had come up with a brilliant idea. The notion of nudity as a protest against oppression has deep and honorable roots; everyone has heard the story of Lady Godiva. The tradition continues to this day. Norma Jean Almodovar is one example; she was a libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California whose campaign poster showed her wearing only the red tape she promised to cut. Medical Marijuana Barbie as portrayed by pharmacologist Tracy Blevins, Ph.D has made headlines in over 70 cities with street theatre centered around nudity, and used the resulting publicity to present her case.

It is a shocking tactic, which often offends even some allies, but it does get attention. There are a lot of drawbacks, too. Our society has a strange double standard that tends to go easier on women involved in such protests than men. Anyone using public nudity as a means of political protest has to be prepared to face arrest and trial, which while good for publicity can be both nerve-wracking and expensive. I'd like to see it happen… (err, allow me to rephrase that), but there is a more tasteful and potentially more powerful approach to drive home the same point. Express your disdain at the blatant disregard for civil liberties enshrined in the whole airline security boondoggle by showing up at the security checkpoint in a swim suit and beach sandals. In honor of Heinlein, I'm dubbing this plan "Operation: Suntan".

Most of us are willing to show that much skin in public on the beach for recreation. We should be willing to sacrifice a little dignity to fight for our freedom. Identify yourself as both somebody who is no threat to the other passengers, and somebody who wants everyone to know they have utter disdain for the whole farcical proceedings. Be tasteful and respectful, and remember that there are probably kids watching. I'd suggest wearing a jacket over your bathing suit until you actually reach the screening area. Be sure to pointedly tell anyone who asks WHY you are under-dressed for the occasion. If possible, be prepared with flyers and information presenting alternatives. One good source of information you might find useful is the Project: Safe Skies web site I maintain at www.projectsafeskies.org.

Like any political protest, there is safety in numbers. If you decide you like the idea, find other people to go along with you. Do NOT go it alone unless you are an experienced and savvy political activist who knows EXACTLY what you are getting into. If you can get a group to act in concert, you increase your odds of officialdom leaving you alone. Besides, the whole goal here is to have a bit of fun while making a very visible statement of just exactly what you think of the government's misguided policies. When Operation: Suntan takes to the skies, those long lines at the airports will be full of proud Americans poking gentle fun at the oppressive system that we all know is accomplishing nothing save wasting our time and intruding on our liberties.

Free Hunter!

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A Knight of Non-Aggression is a person committed to fighting institutionalized aggression, who has taken the following oath:

"I swear, by my life and my love of It, to fight against all forms of tyranny. I recognize that the enabling idea that underlies and sustains tyranny is the idea that the socially organized and institutionalized initiation of the use of force against non-consenting and unwilling people can be justified, is desirable, and must be given sanction in order to avoid chaos. I further recognize that no lasting liberty can be achieved until the falsehood of this idea is widely known and pledge my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor to exposing this falsehood.

"To this battle I will turn my creative energy, I will give my time and I will devote my very being, while never allowing my self, my efforts or my cause to become the aggressor, never conceding the premise of the enemy by becoming the enemy."

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