Originally Posted by bdschobel
I really cannot understand -- and maybe I'm losing patience with -- people who say that they respect the individuals who work the front lines for the TSA but not its mission. This is internally contradictory.
Good thing I don't fit in that category as I
do support the mission of the TSA.
tismfu ducks to avoid hurling of tomatoes. 
Originally Posted by bdschobel
Most TSA employees are gung ho maniacs who insist in their peculiar thuggish way that they are "keeping us safe." With guardians like that, who needs terrorists?
And how do you know that "Most TSA employees are gung ho maniacs"? Have you done psychiatric evaluations on more than 50% of the TSA employee base? Have you even encountered more than 50% of the TSA employee base? Maybe you've talked to about a dozen other FlyerTalkers who say it's so, so it is?
People who would work for an agency with such a befuddled mission and incompetent execution do not deserve our respect. I would respect them much much more if they just quit. I can't believe that the articulate TSA employees who post here (and many of them military veterans besides) can't find real jobs.
Your declaration of the TSA having a 'befuddled mission' and 'incompetent execution' is merely opinion. Just because you believe it to be true does not make it so. And I'm glad people don't quit to gain the 'respect' of others who don't like what they do.
While I might not agree with a certain agency or political party's position it doesn't mean that I don't respect the individuals who are a part of the organization. An example: you support Proposition X in order to achieve Z and work for a group who promotes X. I vehemently oppose X and instead support Y to achieve Z. Does that mean that I cannot respect you? I have many friends who have fundamentally different beliefs than I, many of which I can't even begin to comprehend. I still respect them. If I didn't I would hope they didn't respect me either. I don't think I would be deserving of their respect, for that matter. The important issue is that we are both trying to reach the same goal, we merely prefer taking different paths in order to get there. If we don't respect each other we fail at common decency, in my humble opinion.
Originally Posted by OutOfOffice
I see your point but at the same time, there are alot of government agencies we must interact with that have missions I disagree with for one reason or another.
Excellent point.