TSA: Insult to Injury
I love Claire's idea about setting up an amateur TSA -- in fact, I'll bet $20 those 400 people come to a better system than TSA has. I, too, want to chime in on the new TSA screening. What amazes me about the hue and cry is that the Administration’s bungling has turned at winning political issue into a debacle.
Let me start out by saying that I’m sympathetic to the frustration boiling over and sorry about the indignities people are suffering (a disabled child patted down, a woman with a prosthetic breast having to demonstrate she’d had a mastectomy). I’m amazed our impatient, convenience-oriented American society has been indulgent this long with the clumsy and hassled means our government has employed for airline “security.” The Transportation Security Administration needs to find ways to treat travelers with dignity even as they improve security.
But we’re at war with an enemy that is working very hard to identify vulnerabilities in our routines that they may murder civilians in dramatic attacks that terrorize our societies. More than the indignities of scanning, I’m outraged that we’re forced to endure all the hassles just to get on an airplane that carries unscreened cargo.
Where’s the systematic threat assessment and mitigation the Defense Department would bring to this problem? And where’s the public outreach program that would inform Americans of the coming changes? Why wasn’t Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano making public service announcements, engaging mayors and civic leaders to set the example? President Obama has belatedly engaged in explaining that after last year’s Christmas bombing attempt, more needed to be done. But this is so much too little and so much too late.
The debacle lends some credence to the Dems’ self-exculpatory mid-term election explanation that the White House has a communications problem. What the White House actually has is a much bigger problem of disrespect for American voters, of which not condescending to explain Administration policies or modifying the unpopular parts of them are but one element.
TSA looks like petty bureaucrats, and Janet Napolitano telling us to shut up and eat our lima beans in no way advances the government’s cause. That’s why people are revolting against the new procedures, or at least why I am. Not so much because of the new security measures, but because of the suspicion the government is imposing on us because they’re not smart or dedicated enough to think their way through the problem to a comprehensive solution that makes us secure while minimizing the intrusiveness and hassle of that security.
- Comment (15)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
May '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
To shred the Constitution in the process is to hand the enemy victory. To paraphrase Jefferson in On the Necessity of Taking Up Arms (1775), I hereby resolve to die a free man, rather to live a slave to the bureaucracy of Homeland Security.
Oct '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
I'm repeating a comment I earlier posted on Claire Berlinski's site: "Just a random observation... Could the entire TSA lunacy be nothing more than an exercise in breaking mustangs to the saddle?"
This entire subject smacks more of a carefully considered plan than the bureaucratic incompetence that reigned during the Bush administration. The Left is advancing the ball against liberty on the playing field of democratic governance.
Jun '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Now that Al-Qaeda has completely disrupted passenger air travel, I expect that they will not even be thinking of further attempts to put bombers on planes. Well, one more, just for giggles, with the explosives packed into a body cavity, making sure the jihadi is caught. Now, its on to the airfreight business, massive expense and disruption to us, minimal expense and risk to them.
May '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Great explanation of two points missed by people seeing the trees and ignoring the forest!
First, we know the TSA's uncomfortable, demeaning, and inefficient new processes will not catch a butt-bomber. If we want reactive, imperfect theatrics, adding armed plainclothes guards to every flight and advertising their presence seems like it would be cheaper and more effective.
Second, what if we could make air travel 100% bomb-proof? Will DHS begin full-body scanning and/or fondling every American who wants to take a cruise, ride a bus, shop in a mall, or read in a coffee shop? A line has to be drawn somewhere, and I'd rather not watch the government mark smaller and smaller safe zones they'll let us operate in.
Jul '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
The problem is not just that the procedures in place are intrusive and offensive, they are also phenomenally incompetent and ineffective. Stupid on stilts. Any junior high school class in the country could do a better job.
Over-priced scanners that double as a kind of lottery, who will be the next member of the traveling public to be seen virtually naked on Youtube?
An $11,000 fine if you leave the scene of your assault before the perpetrator grants permission, and maybe after, too.
But let's wave the burqas through, wouldn't want to upset those nice people from Hamas, er, CAIR.
Clearly, the plan is to make al-Qaeda laugh so hard at these brain dead clown car antics that they'll never be able to get an attack off with a straight face. The TSA Director is named Pistole, a name made for Euro-snickering, and the whole thing is developing a Commedia dell'Arte flavor.
The TSA cannot go on tour explaining the fine rationales and careful deliberations that have gone into these security steps because the attempt has, at each turn, uncovered the paucity of thoughtful consideration, and gentle correction from junior high students.
Jun '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Jason Hart
Second, what if we could make air travel 100% bomb-proof? Will DHS begin full-body scanning and/or fondling every American who wants to take a cruise, ride a bus, shop in a mall, or read in a coffee shop? A line has to be drawn somewhere, and I'd rather not watch the government mark smaller and smaller safe zones they'll let us operate in. · Nov 21 at 12:37pm
That's what I thinking Jason. Screw up air travel, move on --TSA crows how successful they are at avoiding attacks that no one is still planning but the TSA program goes on forever. Same thing with airfreight, then ship containers. Move on to the pro and college bowl games, invasive pat-downs for 70,000 -100,000 each Saturday and Sunday in each of 80 cities? Every hardened target just exposes the next soft one
Jun '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Ballad to the TSA—Sung to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly with Me
Comply with me, comply, comply, away
If you can use some exotic abuse
There’s a Tsar at the TSA
Come on and c’mply, with me, let’s c’mply, let’s c’mply away
Comply with me, let’s grope deep into you
In Obama land there’s one cold hand
And it’ll toot your flute for you
Comply with me, let’s take off to the loo
Once I hit you up there where the wear is hair-ified
We’ll glide leery-eyed
Once I hit you up there I’ll be groping you so near
You may hear the sister’s cheer ‘cause we’re in the nether
Nether-wise it’s such a lovely play
Just say the words and we’ll beat the girds
Holdin' in the ol’ lingerie
It’s a perfect start to a honeymoon they say
Comply with me, let’s c’mply, let’s c’mply away.
Edited on Nov 21, 2010 at 3:01pmJul '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
And then, there are these 'scanners' which apparently unable to see anything that is inside the body.
These are very complex items that will be in operation 24/7 by your really competent TSA, and of course, throughout the world, all the bureaucracies will want some to play with. What could possibly go wrong????
Aug '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
You know ? We should very quickly give this back to the airlines.
They are very smart survivors, they won't be nearly as embroiled with all this stupid stuff.
We entrust them to fly us, and thankfully the government isn't in charge of that !!
May '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Good grief, why is it such a problem to just walk through the scanner? It is not that hard. Pat-downs are only an issue if you are unable to be scaned due to a prosthesis of some type. Otherwise it is fast, simple, and relatively effective.
And the stuff I've read about the conspiracy-mongers or anti-science zealots worrying about radiation risk remind me of the European anti-GMO wackos, or Kelly Preston telling mothers not to let their kids be vaccinated.
Often the same people who say we need to build the border fence (we do), even though it is not completely effective in preventing border breach, then complain non-stop about the layered security measures at the airport. And most of the fuss is based on bad data or over-emphasizing outlier exceptions or a flaky nut like the "junk man".
If some TSA guy behaves badly, he will be disciplined or fired. You can't escape bad people completely in this life. But you cannot have both perfect privacy and perfect security. Life is about making imperfect choices.
May '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
So based on your tone, it's safe to say you're content with the TSA's new policies? Out of curiosity, where would you draw the line?
I don't think anyone expects perfect security or perfect privacy. But I think we could do a lot better at striking a balance, and I'm taken aback by your confidence in the TSA -- and your apparent irritation over any criticism of the new screening process.
Jul '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Close, but not quite right Duane. The fact of the matter is you cannot have either perfect security or perfect privacy.
Given that, I'm not up for my wife, my daughter, or my son lighting up the quasi-naked jumbo-tron just because the powers that be refuse to acknowledge that we are at war with Islamists. Let alone allowing them to be assaulted by the groin gropers.
When the TSA gets serious about spotting threats, I'll reconsider.
Jun '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
"Comply With Me" That's beautiful!
Oct '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
That's true. So, let's focus more on the enemy and not so much on the tools of their trade. I'm a pasty-white 49-yr-old male (except after I return from PR; then I'm thankfully not so pasty) who is NOT a threat under any sane, reasonable definition. But I'm microwaved or groped just the same.
It is a forest-for-the-trees situation, just as is the health care debate. Too many people's objection to Obamacare is its cost. NO. That's the wrong objection. I don't care if it WERE cheaper; it's WORSE medicine than we have now. If it didn't cost a penny it would still be too expensive because the "cost" is in the poorer care, not the cheaper pricetag.
Likewise with the TSA. I despise it not because it violates my rights but because it's wholly incompetent in and incapable of preventing sky-high threats.
May '10
Re: TSA: Insult to Injury
Palaeologus Given that, I'm not up for my wife, my daughter, or my son lighting up the quasi-naked jumbo-tron just because the powers that be refuse to acknowledge that we are at war with Islamists. Let alone allowing them to be assaulted by the groin gropers.
First of all, I'm no fan of TSA. I was in favor of each airport setting up its own screening procedure and staff, audited by DHS. Joe Lieberman insisted on a new unionized TSA, the Repubs in Congress finally gave in to avoid being criticized for blocking the implementation of improved security measures. I am also in favor of a competent no-fly list and related databases- but note that the same privacy zealots who block most everything else have more to say about database profiling than they do about this.
Further, the kind of security profiling that the Israelis do would involve lots more highly paid government employees. Maybe we should go that way, but don't complain about the cost if we did.
My chief problem is the myths spread about 1) scanner (link) resolution, and 2) danger. 3 microrems in 5 seconds? C'mon.