TSA Seeks Comment on 'Identity-Based' Screening
Mar 21, 2011 | 4:23 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 855
TSA Seeks Comment on 'Identity-Based' Screening
http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/03/2...sed-screening/
I'm a bit busy right now. I'm posting this FYI. For those who don't know me - chill! I'm not advocating, I'm informing. Don't get worked up and flame me.
I'm a bit busy right now. I'm posting this FYI. For those who don't know me - chill! I'm not advocating, I'm informing. Don't get worked up and flame me.
Mar 21, 2011 | 6:44 pm
#2
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 959
I agree with Fisher1949's comment in its entirety! I assume this is the same person that posts here.
Comment on article by Fisher1949: TSA states they pat down 2% of passengers. At 2 million flyers per day, that is 40,000, ten-minute pat downs every day. This means 14.5 million pat downs per year. Their indifference toward passenger privacy and safety is demonstrated in fact that with the time spent frisking 40,000 innocent passengers every day, they did not bother to commit even one day to checking the scanner safety data.
The only interest of this bloated and corrupt agency is growing the size of its budget. There have been ten TSA employees arrested or convicted for crimes ranging from theft from passengers to drug trafficking and attempted rape in the last four months and likely many others that were covered up. No doubt unionizing these criminals will improve safety, their safety from prosecution.
TSA nor Congress care if passengers die as the result of scanner radiation exposure so long as a portion the scanner profits are funneled back into the campaigns of the elected officials, both Democrat and Republican, who fund their bloated organization.
Things to get worse until there is a concerted effort demanding reform of TSA.
The only interest of this bloated and corrupt agency is growing the size of its budget. There have been ten TSA employees arrested or convicted for crimes ranging from theft from passengers to drug trafficking and attempted rape in the last four months and likely many others that were covered up. No doubt unionizing these criminals will improve safety, their safety from prosecution.
TSA nor Congress care if passengers die as the result of scanner radiation exposure so long as a portion the scanner profits are funneled back into the campaigns of the elected officials, both Democrat and Republican, who fund their bloated organization.
Things to get worse until there is a concerted effort demanding reform of TSA.
Thanks EC.
Mar 21, 2011 | 8:42 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ATL Lost Luggage
Programs: Kettle with Kryptonium Medallion Tags
Posts: 12,661
Blogdad Bob's entry begins with: A common statement we hear at checkpoints is "I'm not a terrorist!
Well, Duh!
If terrorists were actually to show up at a TSA checkpoint, they would be easily identifiable because they would be the ones who had broken down in hysterical laughter at the sight of uniformed smurfs feeling up American children. Their high-fiving one another and otherwise celebrating their wins would be dead giveaways.
Well, Duh!
If terrorists were actually to show up at a TSA checkpoint, they would be easily identifiable because they would be the ones who had broken down in hysterical laughter at the sight of uniformed smurfs feeling up American children. Their high-fiving one another and otherwise celebrating their wins would be dead giveaways.
Mar 21, 2011 | 9:30 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Denton County, TX
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 737
As much as I am extremely anti-TSA, I think I am a pretty down to earth and level headed person. I do not tend to jump on conspiracy theories and I like to give the benefit of the doubt WHEN POSSIBLE.
So someone please tell me if I am way off the mark here or if I have lapsed into paranoia:
The way I see it is that this is nothing more than another power grab and a way to build up the agency. Who is going to do all this "intelligence" work? Another 30,000 TSA clowns? You need intelligent people to do intelligence and they aint gonna find that in the TSA application line that's for sure.
They are couching it as if it will be an "alternative" to what is going on now. Somehow I just don't believe it. It would likely start out as some kind of system whereby you divulge your life and all your privacy to this twisted government agency and in return you get to go through a line with MMW instead of backscatter or some NONSENSE like that. Or wait, newsflash..."TSA announces that trusted travelers no longer have to remove their watches!!"
Then, the first time another incident happens (which of course is inevitable as sad as that may be) everything will be rescinded. Trusted traveler will be pulled in a heartbeat and now all the people that gave up all their privacy will be back in the radiation lines and getting their scrotum "brushed" again (as happened to me today).
No TSA - you are not fooling us. The minute you get this you will want more. The organization ought to be disbanded; but short of that, nothing other than a complete system overhaul and extremely tight Congressional oversight and the requirement to follow the laws of this nation is acceptable.
So someone please tell me if I am way off the mark here or if I have lapsed into paranoia:
The way I see it is that this is nothing more than another power grab and a way to build up the agency. Who is going to do all this "intelligence" work? Another 30,000 TSA clowns? You need intelligent people to do intelligence and they aint gonna find that in the TSA application line that's for sure.
They are couching it as if it will be an "alternative" to what is going on now. Somehow I just don't believe it. It would likely start out as some kind of system whereby you divulge your life and all your privacy to this twisted government agency and in return you get to go through a line with MMW instead of backscatter or some NONSENSE like that. Or wait, newsflash..."TSA announces that trusted travelers no longer have to remove their watches!!"
Then, the first time another incident happens (which of course is inevitable as sad as that may be) everything will be rescinded. Trusted traveler will be pulled in a heartbeat and now all the people that gave up all their privacy will be back in the radiation lines and getting their scrotum "brushed" again (as happened to me today).
No TSA - you are not fooling us. The minute you get this you will want more. The organization ought to be disbanded; but short of that, nothing other than a complete system overhaul and extremely tight Congressional oversight and the requirement to follow the laws of this nation is acceptable.
Mar 22, 2011 | 5:31 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 855
My take on "trusted traveler" is that 99.9 % of citizens belong in this category.
The DHS has a list of people they are worried about. The DHS needs to inform all the people on their no-fly list that they are on the list. Then there needs to be a sensible dialog about why these people haven't been arrested for crimes or scratched off the list. Many people who are on the list would probably be annoyed, but after the initial shock wears off they might be willing to give the DHS enough information to calm the investigators' anxieties and get themselves off the list.
As for the rest of the population, they're all "trusted travelers" until proved otherwise.
The TSA must get very, very good at identifying the short list of people the DHS feels threatened by. The TSA must also get very, very good at treating everyone with respect and courtesy.
Really and truly, what they need is an UNTRUSTED TRAVELER PROGRAM that actually works.
The DHS has a list of people they are worried about. The DHS needs to inform all the people on their no-fly list that they are on the list. Then there needs to be a sensible dialog about why these people haven't been arrested for crimes or scratched off the list. Many people who are on the list would probably be annoyed, but after the initial shock wears off they might be willing to give the DHS enough information to calm the investigators' anxieties and get themselves off the list.
As for the rest of the population, they're all "trusted travelers" until proved otherwise.
The TSA must get very, very good at identifying the short list of people the DHS feels threatened by. The TSA must also get very, very good at treating everyone with respect and courtesy.
Really and truly, what they need is an UNTRUSTED TRAVELER PROGRAM that actually works.
Mar 22, 2011 | 8:59 am
#10
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 438
My take on "trusted traveler" is that 99.9 % of citizens belong in this category.
The DHS has a list of people they are worried about. The DHS needs to inform all the people on their no-fly list that they are on the list. Then there needs to be a sensible dialog about why these people haven't been arrested for crimes or scratched off the list. Many people who are on the list would probably be annoyed, but after the initial shock wears off they might be willing to give the DHS enough information to calm the investigators' anxieties and get themselves off the list.
As for the rest of the population, they're all "trusted travelers" until proved otherwise.
The TSA must get very, very good at identifying the short list of people the DHS feels threatened by. The TSA must also get very, very good at treating everyone with respect and courtesy.
Really and truly, what they need is an UNTRUSTED TRAVELER PROGRAM that actually works.
The DHS has a list of people they are worried about. The DHS needs to inform all the people on their no-fly list that they are on the list. Then there needs to be a sensible dialog about why these people haven't been arrested for crimes or scratched off the list. Many people who are on the list would probably be annoyed, but after the initial shock wears off they might be willing to give the DHS enough information to calm the investigators' anxieties and get themselves off the list.
As for the rest of the population, they're all "trusted travelers" until proved otherwise.
The TSA must get very, very good at identifying the short list of people the DHS feels threatened by. The TSA must also get very, very good at treating everyone with respect and courtesy.
Really and truly, what they need is an UNTRUSTED TRAVELER PROGRAM that actually works.
This is the most intelligent thing I've seen posted on this entire topic in FT.
Mar 22, 2011 | 9:04 am
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,728
I think that perhaps the TSA must hire personnel capable of reading a clock, so as to avoid incidents like Savannah.
Mar 22, 2011 | 9:11 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 855
"Fear not!", said Copernicus.
"Uranus is not the center of the universe." (Myanus neither.)
Just because we fear someone doesn't mean they know we exist, or particularly care if we continue to exist.
We're real important to ourselves, but so important to others. Mostly folks worry about themselves, their families, and maybe their neighbors.
A lot of the people our government fears are too busy to give them the time of day. These "enemies" have their own concerns.
As a nation, we need to fear less and live more.
I'd like to see less money spent treating fear, and more money spent improving our bottom line. Our financial insolvency, shaky economy and mediocre educational system are bigger threats than any boogie men.
As long as we cower before every imagined threat and neglect our real problems, we are our own worst enemy.
Just because we fear someone doesn't mean they know we exist, or particularly care if we continue to exist.
We're real important to ourselves, but so important to others. Mostly folks worry about themselves, their families, and maybe their neighbors.
A lot of the people our government fears are too busy to give them the time of day. These "enemies" have their own concerns.
As a nation, we need to fear less and live more.
I'd like to see less money spent treating fear, and more money spent improving our bottom line. Our financial insolvency, shaky economy and mediocre educational system are bigger threats than any boogie men.
As long as we cower before every imagined threat and neglect our real problems, we are our own worst enemy.