...and for people who work in classified environments and cannot disclose their travel details or even their employer. Having been in those types of jobs, I can say that all of these folks are so well-versed in tradecraft skills that they would have the SPOTNik for lunch.

My standard line these days is, "I don't discuss my travel."

I wasn't even going to mention that. However, since you brought it up, there are some folks that are asked - as part of their jobs - to travel under assumed names with the restrictions you note. That will be very interesting....

Okay another funny thought. How is TSA going to judge if the program test is successful? TSA has never caught a terrorist, and they probably will not with the test at BOS. I guess they will have to judge it based on the number of dumb azz criminals that show up. Can not wait to the see "Good catches".

Also this program is a test, I wonder what would happen if one declines to participate?

If one declines to participate, then the TSA gets to test their escalation procedures.

But, but, but - how can one travel under as assumed name when one's ID must match the boarding pass and one must say one's name to the ID checker?

Same here.

Bruce

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8830/4.5.0.138 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

I happen to have worked with and for the current DNI. He has no reservations about hopping down to Pentagon City on the Metro and ripping Pistole a new one.

If it will help, I'll pay his taxi fare so he can get down ther faster. Hell, I'll drive him there, for that matter.

I remember when they tried this before

Did you accept anything from anyone before boarding your flight?
Did you pack your bags yourself?
Did your bags ever leave your sight or supervision before they were checked in?

And what's funny is that all the 9/11 terrorists could have probably answered those questions honestly and it wouldn't have made a single bit of difference.

My best guess is that the same thing is going to happen with the TSA interrogation gauntlet. I wonder how many failures TSA will be willing to report for people who slip by their behavioral science gurus. (Each missed criminal in this dragnet, after all, represents a failure for them and further shows how little Mr. Pistole really knows about security or good management.)

I'll carry him on my back, for crying out loud. It would be nothing less than marvelous if someone who really cares about national security informed Pistole that he and his joke of an agency contribute nothing to it. If anything, they detract from and hinder the efforts of others.

Bruce

I'll kick in my share, someone needs to stiff arm Pistole and get his fricken attention.

Can we send him to the gulag?

If Pistole really wanted to find out for himself what the TSA experience is like, he would fit himself with a 3/4 full ostomy bag (bag attached to his body, real contents) and spend a few days going through checkpoints at airports of all sizes. He should make it a particular point to go through DTW.

He should carry one of the TSA 'I have a medical problem' cards that I think came out after he met with Sawyer.

He should add in a couple days travelling with an ostomy bag while in a wheelchair.

He should also make a couple runs after someone rubs the wheelchair with glycerin lotion and fertilizer. Put a container of nitro pills in his bag along with some >3.4 oz sterile medical LGAs.

This the only way this guy would begin to 'get it'.

But it still wouldn't make any difference.

Why bother? The checkpoints would all receive phone calls telling them that der F�hrer der Heimatsicherheitministerium was on his way.

He'd come through the experience saying "I had nothing but pleasant interactions with the TSA employees who screened me," and might not even have any idea that they were forewarned.

Bill Forster provided an interesting look at what the TSA considers appropriate "testing" and "inspections" in his HomelandSecurityTheatre comic commentary.

Cha-CHING! (cash register sound)




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