Originally Posted by
TSORon
What you believe are abuses are no more or less than what we as citizens have asked the government to provide for us. And of course the government rarely explains what it does in detail, and for well known and sometimes very good reasons. Someone out there in the government knows what is done and why and they consider it valid. You don’t, oh well.
Why do you feel that government must “curry public support”? Government is here to serve a purpose, not to make 100% of its citizens happy or lick their shoes.
Originally Posted by
TSORon
It does, and the people have spoken, and better security at airports is what they have demanded. I realize that there are always going to be those out there that either don’t believe that, or that don’t want what the majority of the citizens want, but that is just the way things are. It’s a part of life in this country that we just have to live with. I know, but you can complain and stamp your feet all week long but its not going to change the fact that the majority of this nations citizens have decided to support the government’s actions.
It is the way things were, not as they are. The people did speak. The people spoke in 1789 and 1974 and demanded that the Government operate in open light of day and within very clearly defined limits. Its present president promised open government operating not under the cover of darkness and secrecy, but in the clear light of open exchange of information and transparence. The majority of citizens have serious problems with the government's failure to operate in the open and with its actions in obfuscating these matters.
There is an important distinction. The people, in panic, spoke hastily and created your agency and DHS, its master. The nation had high hopes that this would strengthen our ability to deal with the root causes. We, the people, failed in creating your agencies. The old saw: Act in haste, repent in leisure has never been more true. It is our fault. Not yours. We must correct our hasty actions and we will.
HR 2200, the TSA Reauthorization Act, passed by the House last summer, had a number of provisions to curtail some of the more obvious and egregious abuses of citizens and businesses by your agency.
Included in these are:
Amdt 2: Limits the ability of TSA to bypass the Administrative Procedures act by limiting the duration of security directives to less than 180 days unless an NPRM has been issued for public comment, effectively ending "secret/sensitive security information" based rules and procedures.
Amdt 3: Established procedures for "alternative screening procedures" for individuals with TS clearances.
Amdt 4: Expedited screening for members of the Armed Services under orders and their families.
Amdt 5: Orders TSA to report to Congress within 6 months, complaints and claims against the TSA for loss of passenger property.
Amdt 8: Directs the TSA to use risk based competitive bidding on new grant programs, and if they fail to do so, requires the TSA head to explain to Congress why.
Amdt 10: Prohibits the use of WBI and
requires TSA to provide Opt-Out as a matter of law. Further prohibits TSA from storing/copying/transferring images.
Amdt 12: Requires the TSA to begin an canine air cargo screening program.
TSORon,
This bill passed the House by a vote of 397-25. It has not yet been passed by the Senate, but only because other business kept the Senate occupied. But a bill with those amendments passing by that great a majority will likely be passed in similar form in the 112th Congress and the Senate will have more time to consider what it wants to do with your agency. Like an errant child, Congress has had to repeatedly remind your masters what their true mission is, and like a recalcitrant child, your agency persistently fails to listen and take corrective actions.
The people are about to speak again.