<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tmspa:
Do you really believe that a government agency that deals with security should just release all their info to the public? Think about it for a minute. What would happen if they just gave up all the intel they collected, all their operating procedures, all the why's and how's of the organization. Let's just arm every terrorist in the world, why don't we.
</font>
Let's start with your last sentence. Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were supported by the US govt. in the past so I'm sure some of their arms HAVE come from the US. Not anymore though, so let's move on.
I think if the TSA foiled a terrorist act, no matter how indirectly, it would be a press release in 5 minutes. The TSA is not the CIA. I don't see it as much more than an inefficient feel-good scanning group.
I don't think the TSA does much research, analysis, or actual creative planning work. I'd be shocked if the TSA had an employee at arrivals drop-off scanning cars for suspicious activity.
I'd also be shocked if they, for example, had cameras picking up the license plate of every vehicle that enters the airport. And I know the perimeters of these airports are like swiss cheese. Those maniac snipers near Washington DC probably could have brought down a plane a day with some larger fire power fixed up to their vehicle.
Is TSA scouting the fences around the airport. Is there camera coverage of the airport perimeter. I doubt it. But please continue to take away my kids' mini-swiss army knife and search my 86-year-old Dad.
Oh, and how come TSA allows skate boards on airplanes. Split in thirds the long way (easy if pre-scored) they're clubs. What's up with this stupid exception. And they're wielded by athletic young men exclusively.