It was actually two regimes. What occurred after WWII was pretty bad too, albeit not on the same scale. But I suspect that both episodes are what make people extra cautious now about privacy rights and spying on others, etc.

Remember, it really only has been just over two decades that life was relatively 'normal' for people, so only the youngest generations have no memory of what occurred from the 1930's through the 1980's. And even the younger ones still feel the influences, even if they don't realise it.

But TSA said these machines will speed up screening?!

But TSA said only 3% of people get patted-down.

:rolleyes:

Good is bad. Black is white. We've always been at war with East Asia.

thanks. It had slipped my mind that for what was eastern germany, the nightmare continued under new masters for quite some time after wwII. the good part is, that memory is still fresh as a consequence. In the US, the education system is generally poor wrt history, so it looks like we are going to be repeating some of those mistakes in a US way. The 4th Amendment is being eradicated systematically by our court system and by the government, as it stands in the way of implementing the police state the government seems intent on setting up.

This is why the TSA needs to be restricted to airports, and their mandate past this eliminated, along with the VIPR program, whose motto Dominate, Intimidate, Control would send chills up a German citizen's back, has no impact on many American minds as they don't realize what is in progress here.

It is clear that the US government, or at least the DHS/TSA component of it, sees the relationship of itself to the US citizens, as one of domination, intimidation, and control. So when TSA inspectors come to the local AmTrak station, as they came to the one I use, and tell people there that they are there as a "show of force", they are intending for EVERYONE on that platform to be impacted by this, not simply terrorists. They have an US versus THEM mindset against those they are supposed to serve.

This is a well-written comment and I think it goes to the heart of a major part of TSA/DHS's intent - to teach americans that they factually can be forced to give up all rights and recourses in dealing with fedgov. What they intend to do with this in the future can be frightening to contemplate. Republics seem to tend to turn against (some of, at least) their own citizens as their primary enemies very late in life as they become what we would call today police states. I think DHS a couple of years ago clarified what types of americans it considered worrisome.

I enjoyed this take on the German decision.

http://www.loweringthebar.net/2011/0...an-police.html

So where are all the TSA apologists explaining this one away? Has anybody asked Blogger Bob to comment?

I guess TSA could offer to buy them for the US, but that wouldn't do Chertoff any good.

Maybe the US will start leaning on other governments (more than we do already) to require NoS with US machines for all US-bound pax.

^^^^
ex military, christian, conservative, you're not trusted. you are a threat. yeah, I read those reports put out by DHS.

thanks for the link. Too funny. Please tell me the Segway attack was not real...

my question continues to be, if women's hygiene products show up in these ATR depictions, or normal crotch sweat (eeeeewwww), that is UNACCEPTABLY intrusive, as this sh*t is out there for all to see. SATTSO and Bart say wait and see, but the track record here is not comforting.

I think we heard that last fall. It was apparent even then that there was a great deal of anticipatory glee over what the reaction was likely to be here.

Yup, so amusing to think of folks who are physically incapable of assuming and holding the position for the NoS being groped for life. So amusing to point out that one of the hardest parts of your job is to remind folks to 'go far enough up'. So amusing to post 'wait and see' for the fools on FT foolish enough to take it in good faith.

:td:

For real? Who thinks of these acronyms? Is a one-eyed snake part of the insignia that goes with the motto??

<shakes head>

The funny thing is, these VIPR teams are what, a handful of people, in a sea of hundreds of millions who are really beginning to get annoyed by them. Why the h*ll would you think it *smart* to p*ss them all off? Fear will NOT work here.

Look around you at the checkpoint (or in the gate area). Fear is working just fine.

But it's not fear of terrorists.

Seriously, when you go to the airport, do you ever give a second thought to terrorists?

I don't. Anymore than I worry about a drunk driver going the wrong way on the freeway or a police chase that can lead to 'collateral damage' (me, my car and my pax). And I am much more likely to encounter a drunk driver going the wrong way on the freeway or to crash because I'm innocently in the way of a high-speed cop chase.

The only 'fear' I have at the airport is the security gauntlet. How far into my pants will the groper descend? What will they find for me to 'surrender' this time? When I explain that I'm not capable of assuming and holding the position in the NoS, will I get barked at because "you're an opt-out, right? an opt-out? Your choice, right? Do you know what it means? OK...."

Will I have a BDO following me into a bathroom and asking me questions while I'm in the stall? Will a 'drinks tester' accidentally drop the test strip in the Starbucks that I just paid $ for and took the lid off to cool? Will I have to stop and dig out my ID again and possibly have to bag check my bag because of the gate checkers? Will I be questioned in the parking lot and followed into the elevator by someone asking probing questions that I don't want to answer but yes, I'm afraid not to answer because I really do want to fly today...

Will asking for a comment card risk making me miss my flight? (It almost did, and unfortunately the TSO I wanted to praise never got it). Will I ask for a comment card and be required to submit copies of my BP and ID, so somewhere my name and info are in a TSA file labelled 'pax contacts' that Nappy will probably fold in to her little 'domestic extremists' file at some later date just because I wanted to compliment an employee for a job well done?

Plenty of fear and apprehension and unease at the airport, but none of it has to do with terrorists.

Not really. Who is it that you are fearing? How long does that continue until it turns into contempt and resentment. What follows from those two things?

This is a dynamic situation with really bad outcomes for those folks over time.

going back to being public servants, and not pubic gropers, is the only way out for them.

I was thinking more of the acronym of the motto... uhm... dominate intimidate control??? What the he!! were they thinking (pardon the redundancy) I'm not sure what you are saying... do you think I actually have the power to piss off the powers to be by suggesting that there might be an unintentional (or not) acronym other than the oh so clever "vipr"? Whoop-di-doo.

I am not afraid of these idiots and their mottos.

Spell it out if you must.

I am among the sea of WAY more than annoyed by this DICish crap. Do you really think otherwise???

In case you hadn't noticed, I am also in agreement with the overwhelming majority of your sentiments :-)

They ate the German screeners?!

Mike