As much as I am extremely anti-TSA, I think I am a pretty down to earth and level headed person. I do not tend to jump on conspiracy theories and I like to give the benefit of the doubt WHEN POSSIBLE.

So someone please tell me if I am way off the mark here or if I have lapsed into paranoia:

The way I see it is that this is nothing more than another power grab and a way to build up the agency. Who is going to do all this "intelligence" work? Another 30,000 TSA clowns? You need intelligent people to do intelligence and they aint gonna find that in the TSA application line that's for sure.

They are couching it as if it will be an "alternative" to what is going on now. Somehow I just don't believe it. It would likely start out as some kind of system whereby you divulge your life and all your privacy to this twisted government agency and in return you get to go through a line with MMW instead of backscatter or some NONSENSE like that. Or wait, newsflash..."TSA announces that trusted travelers no longer have to remove their watches!!"

Then, the first time another incident happens (which of course is inevitable as sad as that may be) everything will be rescinded. Trusted traveler will be pulled in a heartbeat and now all the people that gave up all their privacy will be back in the radiation lines and getting their scrotum "brushed" again (as happened to me today).

No TSA - you are not fooling us. The minute you get this you will want more. The organization ought to be disbanded; but short of that, nothing other than a complete system overhaul and extremely tight Congressional oversight and the requirement to follow the laws of this nation is acceptable.