Wimpie

In the CSO Security and Risk blog, a guy named Salted Hash wrote this puff piece, and got SLAMMED royally:
http://blogs.csoonline.com/1833/its_...the_tsas_fault

Then he did a followup piece in response to my comment, and got SLAMMED even more.
http://blogs.csoonline.com/1835/rebutting_my_tsa_post

LMAO!

I think he needs a few more comments

10mmAutoFan

Good job at slamming his blog! Reading the comments was entertaining - but yours certainly were dead on. I agree with you completely.

doober

Ditto and ^^

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

pity that nobody is allowed to have a view that dissents from the fanatics who are so opposed to the tsp and the staff it employs.

fascism by the tsp or incessant bullying by people who disagree... seem pretty much the same to me.

I for one get sick and tired of it. change your tune.

I agree with the author of the article, noting thatch is talking about very specific issues such as removing shoes, or liquids. not all tsa employees should be lumped together.

StanSimmons

What is "tsp"? Do you mean TSA?

Do you really equate the fascism of the TSA with the griping of people that disagree with the TSA? The TSA can enforce their rules at gunpoint (other government agency guns, but you get my point), those of us opposed to them can only use our voices.

N965VJ

You can't be faulted for having a pacemaker. But it is going to make your trip through security a bit more time consuming. Get over it and relax. Besides, getting worked up so easily is probably one of the reasons you have that pacemaker.

With "advice" like that this guy should consider going to work for the TSA Blog.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

incessant, never ending bullying of anyone who dares disagree? yup, I'm starting to equate the two.

someone posted that they don't have to be nice to the tsa, but the tsa HAS to be nice to them. never mind common courtesy by the passenger. who do they think they are to treat another person that way? (I'd actually really like to know the answer to that)

nachtnebel

Who are they to rub our @sses, groins, and breasts whenever they want to, for no reason? This behavior continues to offend, makes a mockery of our constitution, and deeply violates our standards of behavior. Engaged in this offensive activity, what expectation do they have of being responded to with any kind of civility?

IAHFlyBoi

What I find sad is all the venting, ranting etc. The biggest problem is systemic. Write to your elected officials, and have agencies like this one shut down, if they don't comply, this is a republican democracy, therefore, get organized and vote 'em out. We can vent and rant all we want, nothing changes until we initiate change.

jtodd

While I probably have not done as much as some on this board, or others from varying groups and forums, my activity on this board is not the limit of my action.

1. I have given up a job that provided me much enjoyment in travel.
2. I have given up air travel altogether, which means that I missed out on travel with friends twice this year, and will again early next year.
3. I have written "ALL" of my elected representatives, state and federal, an untold number of times.
4. I have notified all of the rewards clubs/memberships of my inability to travel due to the TSA, this includes hotels, rental cars, restaurants and, of course, airlines.

Don't interpret all that goes on here, as the only action that goes on. Many here are heavily involved in activities to stop the TSA.

What I find really sad is that none of that may actually matter, not that complaining in this forum does, but that "some" feel that's all an American citizen should do, and then still belittle them for doing it.

I fear my service, risking everything, was for nothing.

nachtnebel

You should be saddened by what the TSA is doing to people, to our country, and to the Constitution, not by our reactions to this. What you call for is pure PollyAnna. Ain't gonna happen. There is too much interested money in play for us to counter it, barring huge numbers of people objecting, and that is not going to happen--a small percentage of the people fly on a regular basis.

Just look for airline traffic to continue to diminish and more airlines to go out of business, thanks in large part to what TSA has done to flying. Airlines have lost a lot of my business and my family's business. TSA has done a better job of destroying this industry than the terrorists could in their wildest dreams.

cardiomd

To write this is beyond offensive and obnoxious. It is also clearly incorrect and misinformation. It is completely irresponsible to post something like that, even in a blog. This man should not be taken seriously, spewing such detestable comments.

Amusingly, if his nonsensical claims were true, his first and fourth sentences are contradictory.

Agreed, but it is also nice to realize that a sizable minority of people also realize the nonsense that goes on. Knowing that there are other people who feel the same way you do provides needed cohesion for a movement.

bluenotesro

Sorry, but it's always the TSA's fault.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

he was just throwing in a bit of humor. most rational people appreciate that. It does take a bit of effort, but the lack of a smiley face icon doesn't mean everything has to be taken so literally

I have two heart conditions, I didn't take offense to what he wrote.

I just don't see how people are so bitter towards the tsa... it is the government who instituted the program, they have hired people to carry out their instructions, those people are doing so within the bounds of the training they have been provided with.

please don't compare the actions of the tsa with nazi Germany or anything else like that... it's not and it never has been. a grope is not the same as a nazi.

so once you get over that hurdle, then you need to look beyond the employees, take your issue up with government.

to the poster who responded on the blog site that the tsa HAS to be nice to him (but not vice verse) they might be surprised to know that many western countries have a zero tolerance policy towards abuse of public servants in customer facing roles.... uncontrolled behavior by a passenger is NOT a right.

aside from all of that... it does seem to be the people with a chip on their shoulder that have all the problems... over and over again. I just haven't seen the evidence in my dozens of flights around the us...

cardiomd

Meh, I showed this to a few people sitting around me right now (some related, some not.) None found it funny. They, and I, are all quite "rational people." YMMV I guess. If the piece is meant to be parody, it just isn't funny. If it was meant to be serious, it is offensive in my opinion. If it was meant to be in between, it is a nonsensical rant. Either way it adds little to an important debate.

I fly twice a week for business, 107k miles this year, but mostly short commuter flights. I will go through security screening six times this week alone. MOST of my flights are completely fine and I get a WTMD selection (like many FF's, I know the lanes / techniques / airports to avoid the grope.) Many of the times I opt-out it is quite uneventful.

Your final paragraph has airs of "blaming the victim." This is quite a dangerous thing to believe without some really close examination...

For me, my encounters again are largely uneventful, but about once per month I have a really bad one. If I flew once per month I would rarely encounter a problem. Doesn't mean they don't occur, or the victims are looking for trouble, etc. If I flew only "dozens of flights" I probably wouldn't have as many bad encounters either. In fact, I may have zero bad encounters.

No Nazi comparisons, but it is like saying "beaten women cry a lot. Perhaps if they wouldn't cry they wouldn't be beaten." I hope you see the flaws.

I'm a middle aged professional, and do not have a "chip on my shoulder." I am a rational person against wasteful security theater.

Again, if I didn't have to fly incessantly for business, I possibly wouldn't see the problem either. I unfortunately have to fly a great deal, and am exposed to this nonsense incessantly. A lot of other posters here are also in a similar boat.

If you do have a pacemaker, I'd bet the hundredth time some screener yells at you that you must go through the WTMD (don't), or makes a joke that it is your fault you need a pacemaker, when you are stressed out on a critical business trip, you would start to not find it funny.