RadioGirl

But he has stated that the NoS is a "necessary element of security" frequently.

I appreciate your optimism, really, I do. But look at the track record:

• TSA says "NoS will never be mandatory" and people claim they said "NoS will never be primary."
• TSA says "NoS viewer in backroom for privacy; patdowns by same-sex screener" and people think they heard "NoS viewer is the same gender as the passenger."
• TSA says "we blur the face to protect your privacy" and people (including Congresspersons) believe they said "we blur your face and private areas."
• TSA says "modified patdowns for children under 12" and people think they said "no patdowns for children under 12."

In every case, TSA has chosen words very carefully to give an impression of something they're not saying. Read the fine print. Read it very carefully.

SDF_Traveler

Q: Will there be a fee for those to participate?

A: There will not be for those in the frequent-flyer programs. There is obviously a fee for those in Global Entry, Nexus and Sentri, and of course you do an interview and a background check, and that is what the fee pays for: to make sure you don't have a criminal history and you are doing biometrics and all that. For the frequent-flyer portion, there is no fee associated with it. Now, the airlines are incurring a cost to reengineer their IT systems so we have interoperability with them. It's not without cost, but not to the passenger.

No Cost to the Passenger? Is Pistole not familiar with Capitalism?

The airlines will pass the IT "re-engineering" costs onto the consumer though higher airfares and/or fees. It is likely a lot more than just programming and database changes.

I am a business owner and recent laws have required I make changes to stay compliance of laws and regulations created by the US govt. These changes take time, cost money, and involve consultation with outside counsel to ensure compliance. These costs are passed onto consumers.

Unlike the TSA, air carriers are in the business to make a profit. Air carriers are not charities or an arm of the govt where everything can be put on the federal govt credit card. Air carriers must pass such costs on.

Air Carriers exist to make profits & they ultimately answer to their shareholders (unless you are one of the few private companies - I believe Spirit is one). Airlines may not always be the best investments, but it wouldn't surprise me if they made up a small portion of mutual funds that many people hold in their IRA's.

SDF

SDF_Traveler

Keep in mind the TSA has at least 30, likely more, spokesmen/women on staff in order to spin just about everything.

It's all in the fine print, but they do such a good job that most of the public is snowballed.

I don't have a link, but was recently watching a program about politicians and spin that was done in response to Christine O'Donnell ending an interview with Piers Morgan (on CNN) instead of doing a dodge and spin for a response. She didn't have to end the interview, all she had to do was recognize the question, go into transition to dodge, spin the subject, and provide an answer to something else.

Apparently studies carried out indicate that most/many viewers never recognize a dodge and/or spin when a political provides a smooth, polished response to a question about something else.

Other politicians, Reagan comes to mind as a guru here, are good at taking the question they don't want to answer, cracking a joke using portions of the ?, and then going into the dodge/spin while the audience is laughing.

The TSA spokesmen/spokeswomen and John Pistole are good at doing these dodges. It's good to see you .. and many TS/S'ers recognize it. ^

Now ... only if the general public would see through the sheet being put in front of their eyes.

FliesWay2Much

There's also the supervisor drug-runner in BUF and the convicted felon with a SIDA badge in RIC.

SDF_Traveler

More time and money, this time by airport operators.

What Pistole fails to say is how much this is going to cost taxpayers.

Here's another goodie:

How can a study supporting the ETHICS of "behavior detection" be CLASSIFIED? (or is it just SSI)

Is there something to hide in the study? Afraid of the study being reviewed by independent professionals who are not in on the take from the TSA?

Other scientists have not only questioned the ethics, but they have questioned the science as a whole. It is junk science as far as I'm concerned; we have a history of using & creating junk science to support political agendas.

The more Pistole says (or doesn't say) about this trusted traveler program, the more I'm disgusted and convinced it is merely a data collection scheme by an agency with questionable safeguards when it comes to privacy and private data.

Most American citizens should be "trusted" without having to supply a plethora of personal information to the TSA. The CBP, unlike the TSA, has a need for personal data at Ports of Entry into the United States.

SDF

GUWonder

The federal government has gotten increasingly creative to get what it wants about US persons' personal information even when federal law doesn't allow the federal government to do what the federal government wants done.

The following is an example of how that is done:

http://news.yahoo.com/cia-help-nypd-...090019915.html

This TSA thing will be yet another example of that -- actually it already is.

While the above is a long read, it provides some windows into information that may not have been know by those who haven't been in on the loop about what various government OLCs in the DC Metropolitan area have been doing and not doing. The government is on an out of control fishing expedition, with very questionable financial practices that are inadequately scrutinized. Pistole is acting as if he is intent upon playing his part in enabling such even more than is already the case.

barbell

From the article GUWonder linked:

This is frightening, and is exactly where stuff like Trusted Traveler can lead. If we suspect you might do something, then we're going to get LE involved and haul you off to jail.

This is not how America is supposed to work. What is happening to this country?

FriendlySkies

I'll add it to the list.

+1



So much for "Land of the Free"...

Ari

Great map. ^

You should change "CITIZEN" to "TRAVELER".

barbell

Excellent Map!

I would also add:

a second star to DTW since Tom Sawyer was harassed twice.
Screeners caught stealing from pax luggage also happened at LAX and JFK
Strip search of cancer patient happened at VPS
Pedophile screeners arrested at PHL and BOS
Kidnapper/rapist at ATL
Kidnapper at ABQ
False arrest of Yukari Miyame at PHX
Arrest of Andrea Abbott at BNA for attempting to protect her daughter
Luggage went unscreened for MONTHS at HNL

Seriously, this map could get to the point where it is nothing but TSA "stars" .

JumboD

To be fair, by the end he probably thought he was answering the question as asked. Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

JumboD

This sort of brings me back to my two potential interpretations, and what he's trying to spin. He's either trying to entice the frequent flyers to do this by not coming out and saying that the worst parts will still be in effect or doesn't want a mass "Why are they so special?" from the Kettles when he admits there won't be any more NOS for trusted travelers.

GUWonder

I'd add a star for:

"honey causes TSA bomb scare";
"air marshal arrested for raping a prostitute in TSA-paid hotel room"
"Former TSA employee arrested for hate crime against elderly immigrant"

GUWonder

TSA strip search machines will continue to be used on "trusted travelers".

LuvAirFrance

Is there going to be a Twisted Traveler who keep going out and back in to get more gropes/