That’s the Republican way. Increase government intrusiveness, make the national security-military-industrial complex bigger and bigger and let someone else pay for it.
I have never read more stupidity than the comments here. I fly a lot and I a grateful for the professionalism of the people working for the TSA. They have to put up with the crazies, the stupids and the malicious all the while treating average citizens with courtesy and respect. I am old enough to remember “security” prior to the TSA – most didn’t speak any language they were so inarticulate and while they discussed who was going to lunch next a truck could have driven past them. Be anti-government all you want but stop being stupid.
In 12/01, I flew from Burbank to San Francisco. The National Guardsmen in the Burbank Airport with loaded M-16s made me very, very nervous and glad I was white and middle aged. A bunch of scared kids with itchy trigger fingers; YIKES! I’m glad it’s not like that anymore. In 2006, I flew from San Francisco to NYC. I had to stop overnight in Denver due to Jet Blue’s ungodly poor service. Of course, I had to go through security in Denver to get back on the plane in the morning. TSA was there and found a smoking implement in my carry on. He could have busted me, ruined my vacation and possibly made me lose my job. Instead, he showed some humanity, didn’t pull it out of my bag and didn’t look for what went in it. He advised me to leave it at home the next time and get some at my destination. In 2006, I was driving west to east on Rte 80 and stopped in Winnemucca, NV the first night. There was a placard on the door of the truckstop with that day’s terror alert level. It was orange. A town of a few thousand people in the high desert as a potential terrorist target? All fear all the time affects people in very different ways.
In response to 9/11, the sharing of information and coordination of efforts between security & law enforcement agencies and other emergency responders seemed a good idea. The implementation of TSA was, however, a poorly thought-out, hurried response to the “we must DO SOMETHING !” ideology, to allay fears of further terrorist acts in a grand, public, stand-up-chest-out-shoot-from-the-hip way. It seemed more a way to impress the public with a “We are on this !” reaction than effect the perpetrators and address real security problems – understandable, but TSA should have then been integrated, “polished”, made (more) efficient – something more effective than a “NO TRESPASSING” sign and, along with the “Patriot Act”, less of an infringement on the freedoms of and a general PITA for the citizens it was supposed to “protect”. Bureaucracies, Government or Corporate, tend to (unsupervised) grow, to protect the “turf” of the bureaucrats/ supervisors/managers (so much for “Small Government” , when defense/security/quasi-military agencies are involved). The BOGs in TSA largely are conscientious folks trying to, as best they can, do their jobs as directed by their “employers” who, trying to react to each Media-driven & internet-enhanced new perceived threat, seem to enjoy the role of “Chicken Little” (I’ll NEED more people, power & $$$). It would be difficult, likely counter-productive and quite expensive to again individuate the agencies combined in the agency – “Repeal TSA” and go back to where we were – the idea was good, the implementation (because, in part, of the “Rush” to “Do Something”) less so. Let’s have a little cogency, and make TSA a deliberated result instead of political “eye-wash” ?
“What difference does it make now? The right will NEVER dispatch a proven liar, they ‘need’ him to disseminate the HATE, bile and propaganda.”.The left’s track record?Hillary “sniper fire” Clinton?Bill “lied under oath” Clinton?How about those responsible for editing the Trayvon Martin 911 tapes? All the media outlets that kept repeating “it’s about sex” when it was’t?.Hello?
On one of his deployments, my son’s unit had to pass through a civlian terminal to get to their plane. He found the public reaction to their rifles, sidearms, grenade launchers, and other weapons, “interesting”. That they wore no indicators of who they were, made it even more so.
painedsmile about 9 years ago
She’s definitely braying.
HabaneroBuck about 9 years ago
Did Americans really even ask for the TSA? Pretty sure it would be gone if government was really of the people and by the people.
mattro65 about 9 years ago
That’s the Republican way. Increase government intrusiveness, make the national security-military-industrial complex bigger and bigger and let someone else pay for it.
Ctbballfan about 9 years ago
I have never read more stupidity than the comments here. I fly a lot and I a grateful for the professionalism of the people working for the TSA. They have to put up with the crazies, the stupids and the malicious all the while treating average citizens with courtesy and respect. I am old enough to remember “security” prior to the TSA – most didn’t speak any language they were so inarticulate and while they discussed who was going to lunch next a truck could have driven past them. Be anti-government all you want but stop being stupid.
echoraven about 9 years ago
Ted your not jumping on the bash O’Reilly bandwagon?
mattro65 about 9 years ago
In 12/01, I flew from Burbank to San Francisco. The National Guardsmen in the Burbank Airport with loaded M-16s made me very, very nervous and glad I was white and middle aged. A bunch of scared kids with itchy trigger fingers; YIKES! I’m glad it’s not like that anymore. In 2006, I flew from San Francisco to NYC. I had to stop overnight in Denver due to Jet Blue’s ungodly poor service. Of course, I had to go through security in Denver to get back on the plane in the morning. TSA was there and found a smoking implement in my carry on. He could have busted me, ruined my vacation and possibly made me lose my job. Instead, he showed some humanity, didn’t pull it out of my bag and didn’t look for what went in it. He advised me to leave it at home the next time and get some at my destination. In 2006, I was driving west to east on Rte 80 and stopped in Winnemucca, NV the first night. There was a placard on the door of the truckstop with that day’s terror alert level. It was orange. A town of a few thousand people in the high desert as a potential terrorist target? All fear all the time affects people in very different ways.
Robert C. Premium Member about 9 years ago
In response to 9/11, the sharing of information and coordination of efforts between security & law enforcement agencies and other emergency responders seemed a good idea. The implementation of TSA was, however, a poorly thought-out, hurried response to the “we must DO SOMETHING !” ideology, to allay fears of further terrorist acts in a grand, public, stand-up-chest-out-shoot-from-the-hip way. It seemed more a way to impress the public with a “We are on this !” reaction than effect the perpetrators and address real security problems – understandable, but TSA should have then been integrated, “polished”, made (more) efficient – something more effective than a “NO TRESPASSING” sign and, along with the “Patriot Act”, less of an infringement on the freedoms of and a general PITA for the citizens it was supposed to “protect”. Bureaucracies, Government or Corporate, tend to (unsupervised) grow, to protect the “turf” of the bureaucrats/ supervisors/managers (so much for “Small Government” , when defense/security/quasi-military agencies are involved). The BOGs in TSA largely are conscientious folks trying to, as best they can, do their jobs as directed by their “employers” who, trying to react to each Media-driven & internet-enhanced new perceived threat, seem to enjoy the role of “Chicken Little” (I’ll NEED more people, power & $$$). It would be difficult, likely counter-productive and quite expensive to again individuate the agencies combined in the agency – “Repeal TSA” and go back to where we were – the idea was good, the implementation (because, in part, of the “Rush” to “Do Something”) less so. Let’s have a little cogency, and make TSA a deliberated result instead of political “eye-wash” ?
Cerabooge about 9 years ago
But, but … the profiling was excellent, especially in protecting us from 80-year-old ladies in wheelchairs, and from nursing mothers.
echoraven about 9 years ago
“What difference does it make now? The right will NEVER dispatch a proven liar, they ‘need’ him to disseminate the HATE, bile and propaganda.”.The left’s track record?Hillary “sniper fire” Clinton?Bill “lied under oath” Clinton?How about those responsible for editing the Trayvon Martin 911 tapes? All the media outlets that kept repeating “it’s about sex” when it was’t?.Hello?
Dtroutma about 9 years ago
On one of his deployments, my son’s unit had to pass through a civlian terminal to get to their plane. He found the public reaction to their rifles, sidearms, grenade launchers, and other weapons, “interesting”. That they wore no indicators of who they were, made it even more so.