We may not agree with Tulsi Gabbard's position on each and every issue. She was, after all, a Democrat throughout most of her political career. She represented Hawaii in the House of Representatives as a Dem; she ran for president as a Democrat. But Tulsi Gabbard is an upstanding citizen and a patriotic American. She holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves and has several deployments on her record. She presumably pays her taxes, doesn't park next to fire hydrants, and holds the door for little old ladies - all the things that decent people do.
So it's a little baffling to see that she is reportedly on a TSA surveillance list normally used to keep an eye on possible terrorists.
In an exclusive breaking story, several Federal Air Marshal whistleblowers have come forward with information showing that former U.S. Representative and Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is currently enrolled in the Quiet Skies program. Quiet Skies is a TSA surveillance program with its own compartmentalized suspected terrorist watchlist. It is the same program being weaponized against J6 defendants and their families. Quiet Skies is allegedly used to protect traveling Americans from suspected domestic terrorists.
Would the TSA have us believe that Tulsi Gabbard is a suspected domestic terrorist? Why? Well, it is as you might suspect:
According to (Executive Director of the Air Marshal National Council (AMNC) Sonya) LaBosco, Gabbard’s enrollment in Quiet Skies is likely politically motivated. Air Marshals were first assigned to Gabbard on Jul. 23, a day after she criticized Kamala Harris, Biden, and the National Security State in an interview with Laura Ingraham. FAMs were mobilized on Jul. 24 and assigned to their first flight with her on Jul. 25. Gabbard posted the interview on Twitter, as shared below.
Here's the trouble with these kinds of watch lists: Once you are on one, for any reason - or no reason - it's well-nigh impossible to get off it. There is no avenue to seek redress. There is no appeal process. As we see in the case of Tulsi Gabbard, there appears to be little or no set criteria for who gets placed on these lists except for by bureaucratic fiat. Some time back, my friend and colleague Bob Hoge related the story of a friend of his (and now a RedState contributor) who was having exactly this problem.
What It's Like to Be Flagged by the Feds: A Personal Story
It's tempting to ask where in the Constitution the federal government has any enumerated power to surveil the citizenry in this manner, but I think we all know that the Constitution and its restrictions on government have very little to do with any of this, nor are the people who manage these lists overly concerned with anything so trivial as the highest law of the republic. And, as the case of Tulsi Gabbard would indicate, no American is safe from this kind of abuse of power. If Tulsi Gabbard can be put on a list like this, a list where her name is placed alongside others deemed possible "domestic terror" threats due - we suspect - to her vocal criticism of the Biden administration - where does it end? And there can be little doubt that her criticism of all things Biden/Harris is very likely what got her placed on this list.
In the context of what has transpired since 2020, there is ample reason to speculate that Gabbard may have been placed on Quiet Skies because of her viewpoints and recent fallout with the Democratic Party. Gabbard fell out of favor with the Democratic party when she switched parties to become an Independent in 2022.
In addition, during her 2020 Presidential Campaign, Gabbard was highly critical of U.S. interventionism and endless wars. She continues to be very outspoken and critical of the Biden administration. Hillary Clinton smeared Gabbard during the 2020 campaign by suggesting she was a “Russian asset.” Gabbard answered Clinton with a defamation lawsuit filed on Jan. 22, 2020.
There are no depths to which these people will not sink. Fortunately, Tulsi Gabbard is made of sterner stuff and continues her criticism.
Tulsi Gabbard Strikes Again: Kamala Harris Not 'Knowledgeable or Strong Enough' to Face Our Foes
Tulsi Gabbard Is Back Haunting Harris, This Time Over MSNBC Deceptively Editing Joe Rogan Video
Now we see, very plainly, that one can draw the attention of a faceless, unelected bureaucrat and be placed on a terrorist or terror suspect watch list for which there are no known criteria for inclusion, no recourse, and no appeal to have oneself removed. What's more, one can be placed on this list for no reason other than being a persistent thorn in the side of the Biden/Harris administration, which Tulsi Gabbard surely is - and we celebrate her for it.