Another TSA Complaint

[Kennedy 0]

More examples of the Thousands Standing Around helping themselves, not security.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1104/190100.html
***I-Team: Illegal Strip Searches at Reagan National?
Feeds From ABC 7 Wednesday November 24, 2004 5:55pm Reporter: Andrea McCarren

-WJLA Script-

Anchor:
NEW ALLEGATIONS TONIGHT ABOUT ILLEGAL STRIP SEARCHES TAKING PLACE INSIDE REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT.

ON MONDAY, THE I-TEAM UNCOVERED CHARGES OF SERIOUS SECURITY LAPSES THERE AND NOW, WE'RE HEARING ABOUT SOME DISTURBING INCIDENTS RELATED TO PASSENGER SCREENING.

ANDREA MCCARREN JOINS US WITH MORE ON THE STORY.

Andrea McCarren on-set:
IN TSA JARGON, THEY'RE CALLED PRIVATE SCREENINGS. THAT'S WHEN A PASSENGER WHO SETS OFF AN ALARM IS TAKEN TO ANOTHER LOCATION AND CHECKED MORE THOROUGHLY FOR WEAPONS OR EXPLOSIVES.

BUT WE'VE NOW LEARNED ABOUT SOME PRIVATE SCREENINGS THAT APPARENTLY WENT TOO FAR.

Story:
TSA Employee: "I couldn't imagine my sister or my mother going through that process. I was so upset."

AGAIN AND AGAIN, TSA EMPLOYEES AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT -INCLUDING SUPERVISORS-TOLD US THAT PASSENGERS WERE ASKED TO REMOVE THEIR CLOTHING AND EXPOSE THEIR PRIVATE PARTS DURING SECURITY SCREENINGS…A CLEAR VIOLATION OF TSA'S OWN INTERNAL GUIDELINES… OBTAINED BY THE I-TEAM.

TSA Employee: "The look on their face would almost give you the sense that they felt like they were in a sense being raped. In a sense, being victimized and to a certain extent, they were. "

TSA Employee: "That really incensed me that someone felt that they could just put on some gloves and they could just violate someone to that degree."

TSA Employee: "They actually had the passenger remove the clothing that covered the sensitive area and perform a duck walk to see if something would fall out."

IN FACT, SOME OF THOSE SO-CALLED PRIVATE SCREENINGS WERE ALLEGEDLY CONDUCTED IN A VERY PUBLIC PLACE: THIS STAIRWELL…ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER PASSENGERS AND AIRPORT EMPLOYEES.

TSA Employee: "The private screenings were conducted right in that stairwell"

Andrea McCarren: Isn't that an inappropriate place to be searched?

TSA Employee: "That's a very inappropriate place to be searched."

TSA EMPLOYEES SAY AFTER THEY COMPLAINED, THE SCREENINGS WERE MOVED INTO THIS MANAGERS' OFFICE… WHERE THEY ALLEGE, UNSUSPECTING PASSENGERS WERE EITHER VIDEOTAPED OR MONITORED ON CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION.

TSA Employee: I couldn't believe it! I said is that a camera up there? And they said yeah.

Andrea McCarren: Do you think the women being strip searched had any idea they were being videotaped? TSA Employee: Absolutely not

A TSA OFFICIAL INSISTS THE CAMERA WAS COVERED UP AND EVEN DEACTIVATED… A FACT SEVERAL EMPLOYEES DISPUTE.

Andrea McCarren: You saw a light go on in that camera? TSA Employee: "Right."

SOME TSA EMPLOYEES ALSO ALLEGE THAT THE PASSENGERS SELECTED FOR ADDITIONAL SCREENING WERE OFTEN DETERMINED WELL BEFORE THEY REACHED THE MAGNETOMETERS.
Andrea McCarren: "You're saying a FEMA (website - news) le passenger would be stopped for additional screening not because she set off an alarm but because of her breast size?"

TSA Employee: "Absolutely, Yes"

IN FACT, SHE SAYS SOME SCREENERS EVEN -INTENTIONALLY- SET OFF MAGNETOMETERS BY KICKING THEM.

TSA Employee: "It leaves supervisors in a very bad spot because if the manager's enjoying it, then how are you going to tell him to stop them from doing it?"

Mark Hatfield, TSA Spokesman: "The rules are non-negotiable and they apply to everybody."

TSA SPOKESMAN MARK HATFIELD.

Mark Hatfield, TSA Spokesman: "In terms of a violation or a criminal act, something that violates civil rights or the privacy of an individual, there's zero tolerance for that. And we'll get to the bottom of that and root out the individuals."

SOME FEMALE PASSENGERS FEAR IT'S ALL PART OF A GROWING TREND TOWARD MORE AGGRESSIVE SCREENING.

Woman #1: "Sometimes they overdo it. I've been almost stripped, practically."

Woman #2: "You're sort of treated like a criminal."

Woman #3: "I was like, whoah! You can't do that and the supervisor who I had been objecting to was standing right there and he said yes, we can."

TSA Employee: "It's very upsetting to see this happen and there are a lot of screeners that took his job thinking that they could do something good and many of them have quit and many of them are talking about quitting now."

Andrea McCarren on-set:
SO, WHO INVESTIGATES COMPLAINTS ABOUT TSA SCREENINGS? WELL, THE TSA DOES! THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, WE'VE REQUESTED ALL OF THE PASSENGER COMPLAINTS ABOUT SCREENINGS AT NATIONAL AIRPORT AND WILL REPORT BACK ONCE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

REPORTING LIVE FOR THE I-TEAM, ANDREA MCCARREN, ABC7 NEWS

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Kennedy 0]

one more:

http://www.armedfemalesofamerica.com/armedpilots/bullies.htm

Quote

If you traveled by air last week for the Thanksgiving holiday, you undoubtedly witnessed Transportation Security Administration agents conducting aggressive searches of some passengers. A new TSA policy begun in September calls for invasive and humiliating searches of random passengers; in some instances crude pat-downs have taken place in full public view. Some female travelers quite understandably have burst into tears upon being groped, and one can only imagine the lawsuits if TSA were a private company. But TSA is not private, TSA is a federal agency-- and therefore totally unaccountable to the American people.

TSA was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Although the National Guard, DOD, FBI, CIA, NSA, and FAA utterly failed to protect American citizens on that tragic day, federal legislators immediately proposed creating yet another government agency. But the commercial flying community did not want airport security federalized, and my office was inundated with messages from airline pilots opposing the creation of TSA. One pilot stated, "I don't want the same people who bring me the IRS and ATF to be in charge of airport security." But Congress didn't listen to the men and women who spend their working lives flying, so it created another agency that costs billions of dollars, employs thousands of unionized federal workers, and produces poor results.

Problems within TSA are legion. In the rush to hire a new workforce, 28,000 screeners were put to work without background checks. Some of them were convicted felons. Many were very young, uneducated, with little job experience. At Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York, police arrested dozens of TSA employees who were simply stealing valuables from the luggage they were assigned to inspect. Of course TSA has banned locks on checked luggage, leaving passengers with checked bags totally at the mercy of screeners working behind closed doors. None of this is surprising for a government agency of any size, but we must understand the reality of TSA: its employees have no special training, wisdom, intelligence, or experience whatsoever that qualifies them to have any authority over you. They certainly have no better idea than you do how to prevent terrorism. TSA is about new bureaucratic turf and lucrative union makework, not terrorism.

TSA has created an atmosphere of fear and meek subservience in our airports that smacks of Soviet bureaucratic bullying. TSA policies are subject to change at any moment, they differ from airport to airport, and they need not be in writing. One former member of Congress demanded to see the written regulation authorizing a search of her person. TSA flatly told her, "We don't have to show it to anyone." Think you have a right to know the laws and regulations you are expected to obey? Too bad. Get in line and stay quiet, or we'll make life very hard for you. This is the attitude of TSA personnel.

Passengers, of course, have caught on quickly. They have learned to stay quiet and not ask any questions, no matter how ludicrous or undignified the command. It's bad enough to see ordinary Americans bossed around in their stocking feet by newly-minted TSA agents, but it's downright disgraceful to see older Americans and children treated so imperiously. But any objection, however rational and reasonable, risks immediate scrutiny. At best, complainers will be taken aside and might miss their flight. If they don't submit quickly and attempt to assert any rights, they will end up detained, put on a TSA list that guarantees them hostile treatment at every airport, and possibly arrested or fined for their "attitude."

Airlines should be using every last ounce of their lobbying and public relations power to stop TSA from harassing, delaying, humiliating, and otherwise mistreating their paying passengers. They should be protecting their employees, passengers, and aircraft using private security and guns in the cockpit. After all, who has more incentive to create safe skies than the airlines themselves? Many security-intensive industries, including nuclear power plants, oil refineries, and armored money transports, employ private security forces with excellent results. Yet the airlines prefer to relinquish all responsibility for security to the government, so they cannot be held accountable if another disaster occurs. But airlines are finding out the hard way that millions of Americans simply won't put up with TSA's abuse. Wealthy Americans are using private planes via increasingly popular fractional ownership plans, while ordinary Americans are choosing to drive to their destinations and vacation closer to home. Even business travelers are finding ways to consolidate trips and teleconference. Who can blame anyone for avoiding airports altogether?

While millions of Americans undoubtedly welcome any TSA indignity under the guise of "preventing terrorism," millions more are not willing to give blind obedience to arbitrary authority. TSA creates only a false sense of security, at great cost not only financially but also in terms of our dignity. How we as Americans react to authoritarian agencies like TSA is an indicator of how much we still value freedom over our persons and effects.

Dr. Ron Paul is a US Congressman from Texas.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[MC208B 0]

yeah, these crack squads of anti-terrorism experts are really something!

I'm not sure why but in all but one trip I have taken on the airlines since the TSA, I have been taken aside for extra scrutiny. Last time was patted down while I was wearing a T shirt, short and flip flops. Go figure

I can see why the women dread these patdowns. I watched while a few had their tits grooped a bit. Might be a .45 in that bra I guess

Just another government agency run amok.

[MC208B 0]

PS, I watched on the O Rieley factor ( I think ) one of the TSA muckity mucks explain why after the stocking feet metal screenings some pax are selected for patdowns. PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES!!! Yikes!!! The host of the show told the TSA geek that some woman somewhere was going to slap some TSA person somewhere. His reply "then she will go to jail"

What a bunch of assholes!

[Gravitymaster 0]

I can't speak to the disturbing stories contained in these 2 reports, but I just returned from a vacation and went through security at Dulles.

We were apparently selected by United Airlines for additional security screening. This was indicated on our boarding pass by SSSS in the upper right hand corner. We were asked to step to the side of the X-ray machine by TSA. We were then asked to remove our shoes and coats and were "wanded." Our carry on luggage was searched and our hands and luggage were tested for explosives residue.

At no time were we treated disrespectfully. The TSA agents were very courteous, apologetic for having to put us through this extra security, and they wished us a good vacation. At no time did I see anything that resembles the allegations contained in the articles.

[PhreeZone 20]

Yep, you need to pat the women down to tell the difference between plastic explosives and plastic implants.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[kallend 2,148]

Another step down the slippery slope.

Big Brother not only watches you, but feels you up too!

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[kallend 2,148]

Quote

I can't speak to the disturbing stories contained in these 2 reports, but I just returned from a vacation and went through security at Dulles.

We were apparently selected by United Airlines for additional security screening. This was indicated on our boarding pass by SSSS in the upper right hand corner. We were asked to step to the side of the X-ray machine by TSA. We were then asked to remove our shoes and coats and were "wanded." Our carry on luggage was searched and our hands and luggage were tested for explosives residue.

At no time were we treated disrespectfully. The TSA agents were very courteous, apologetic for having to put us through this extra security, and they wished us a good vacation. At no time did I see anything that resembles the allegations contained in the articles.

Yes, well, Congressmens' wives go through Dulles. Best behavior, and all that.

Besides, I doubt your boobs would interest the TSA screeners too much.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Kennedy 0]

Well, I haven't flown Dulles recently, but on my last trip through BWI, I saw a pre-teen in a Brittany Spears shirt get wand-raped until she was crying.

I think the retard in the red jacket is lucky his supervisor showed up, because the father had murder in his eyes.

---
I've found the most effective way to deal with bureaucrats and rent-a-cops is to very calmly say "No."

When they tell you "OK, well you're not getting on/doing whatever," simply demand that you have their name and their supervisor's name and signature on a piece of paper stating that you were denied access, etc. No blame on the paper, just a statement of facts.

Make a scene until they either put down their John Hancock or back down. I've yet to have piece of paper signed.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Yes, well, Congressmens' wives go through Dulles. Best behavior, and all that.

Wrong, most go through Reagan Nat'l. Did you know they even have a private parking lot there? Same for Supreme Court Justices.

Quote

Besides, I doubt your boobs would interest the TSA screeners too much.

You are assuming they are all hetrosexual.

[kallend 2,148]

Quote

Quote

Yes, well, Congressmens' wives go through Dulles. Best behavior, and all that.

Wrong, most go through Reagan Nat'l. Did you know they even have a private parking lot there? Same for Supreme Court Justices.

Well, here we have one of those statistical syllogism logical fallacies mentioned in another thread. Most does not mean all.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[migliore 0]

Last time I was in PBI, I went through security wearing a t-shirt, cotton shorts, and sandals. That's it. After going through the metal detector, I was asked to sit down and take off my sandals. The savvy TSA guy then wanded my bare legs for about 15 sec! Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up. Did he think I was hiding some contraband in my leg hair?

The TSA, like most govt. agencies, have no competition and therefore have no market incentive to improve their service. The TSA will continue to provide less-than-mediocre service with large numbers of under-trained, under-educated personnel because they can. I agree with an earlier post that said the airlines must collectively take a stand against this agency before it gets even more out-of-hand.

Long live govt. jobs programs!

Shane

[RoadRash 0]

Quote

Yep, you need to pat the women down to tell the difference between plastic explosives and plastic implants.

Ok, that's funny......BUT...in my experience, I haven't had any kind of problems with the TSA...except for when there were 5 people checking my luggage for my return trip from Utah and wouldn't let me watch while they rifled through my belongings (which were five feet away from me)......

I'm really curious as to whether there is some sort of video evidence or whatnot that would prove these stories...

I have never had any problems...however...I have been lucky and only had females wand me...I wouldn't put it past some sicko TSA agents to abuse their power and humiliate women or men for that matter.


~R+R...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fly the friendly skies...^_^...})ii({...^_~...

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Yes, well, Congressmens' wives go through Dulles. Best behavior, and all that.

Wrong, most go through Reagan Nat'l. Did you know they even have a private parking lot there? Same for Supreme Court Justices.

Well, here we have one of those statistical syllogism logical fallacies mentioned in another thread. Most does not mean all.

No here we have an attempt to dodge an incorrect statement. If you meant only some Congressmens' wives, why didn't you say so? Since you didn't say all or most Congressmens wives, the reader is left with no choice but to understand that you must mean some Congressmens wives but not most Congressmens wives. Therefore my statement that most go through Reagan Nat'l is a valid correction to your unspecific statement.

[kallend 2,148]

Quote

Last time I was in PBI, I went through security wearing a t-shirt, cotton shorts, and sandals. That's it. After going through the metal detector, I was asked to sit down and take off my sandals. The savvy TSA guy then wanded my bare legs for about 15 sec! Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up. Did he think I was hiding some contraband in my leg hair?

The TSA, like most govt. agencies, have no competition and therefore have no market incentive to improve their service. The TSA will continue to provide less-than-mediocre service with large numbers of under-trained, under-educated personnel because they can. I agree with an earlier post that said the airlines must collectively take a stand against this agency before it gets even more out-of-hand.

Long live govt. jobs programs!

Ah yes, the government, the same folks we expect to administer the criminal justice system so flawlessly that innocent people never get executed.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Quote

Last time I was in PBI, I went through security wearing a t-shirt, cotton shorts, and sandals. That's it. After going through the metal detector, I was asked to sit down and take off my sandals. The savvy TSA guy then wanded my bare legs for about 15 sec! Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up. Did he think I was hiding some contraband in my leg hair?

The TSA, like most govt. agencies, have no competition and therefore have no market incentive to improve their service. The TSA will continue to provide less-than-mediocre service with large numbers of under-trained, under-educated personnel because they can. I agree with an earlier post that said the airlines must collectively take a stand against this agency before it gets even more out-of-hand.

Long live govt. jobs programs!

Ah yes, the government, the same folks we expect to administer the criminal justice system so flawlessly that innocent people never get executed.

Funny, I seem to remember most of the Libs screaming for Airport Security to be done by the government after 9/11 because of the incompetence of companies like Argenbright. Now you guys want to go back to private contractors? Make up your minds. Government or not.

[mattsplat 0]

Just found a pic of the TSA agent on the other end of the medal detector

[migliore 0]

Quote

Ah yes, the government, the same folks we expect to administer the criminal justice system so flawlessly that innocent people never get executed.

Hey, I can do that too..

Ah yes, the government, the same folks that millions of Americans want to administer the healthcare system. That way it will function so flawlessly that all Americans (and illegal immigrants, of course) would get top-notch healthcare services whenever they want for almost nothing.

The point is twisting the argument to point to a deficit you find politically advantageous avoids the issue at hand and just causes another far left vs. far right argument.

Shane

[Guest]

As I recall, part of the reason airport security was federalized was because the private security was usually staffed by minimum-wage, third-world, Anglophonically-challenged rent-a-cops who were the rock-bottom the airlines were willing to hire.

mh

.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Quote

Ah yes, the government, the same folks we expect to administer the criminal justice system so flawlessly that innocent people never get executed.

Hey, I can do that too..

Ah yes, the government, the same folks that millions of Americans want to administer the healthcare system. That way it will function so flawlessly that all Americans (and illegal immigrants, of course) would get top-notch healthcare services whenever they want for almost nothing.

The point is twisting the argument to point to a deficit you find politically advantageous avoids the issue at hand and just causes another far left vs. far right argument.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZing.................Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

Quote

As I recall, part of the reason airport security was federalized was because the private security was usually staffed by minimum-wage, third-world, Anglophonically-challenged rent-a-cops who were the rock-bottom the airlines were willing to hire.

Sounds like nothing much has changed then

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Quote

As I recall, part of the reason airport security was federalized was because the private security was usually staffed by minimum-wage, third-world, Anglophonically-challenged rent-a-cops who were the rock-bottom the airlines were willing to hire.

Sounds like nothing much has changed then

A lot has changed and security has gotten better. The evidence is that no incident has occured involving an airliner since 9/11. There are reports of failed attempts. Providing good airport security is a process and does not begin and end with the TSA agent at the airport.

Many were against the Govt. taking over airport security, preferring to set higher standards, inspections, and provide more funding to private companies. But the shrillness and fear from the left won out and we are left without the best security available. I also blame Bush for caving into the constant whining about security being best provided by govt. Just remember this the next time govt. provided healthcare is discussed.

[akarunway 1]

Just food for thought

Travellers choose Canada to avoid US visa controls
By Bernard Simon in Toronto
Published: December 12 2004 21:41 | Last updated: December 12 2004 21:41

Air Canada is seeing an upsurge in business as passengers opt to fly via Canada rather than brave the tighter visa and security regime facing transit passengers at US airports.


The company says a growing number of international passengers are choosing to travel via Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal rather than US cities.

Ben Smith, Air Canada's vice-president of planning, said the airline's traffic destined for Latin America originating outside Canada had trebled in the first 11 months of this year, compared with January to November 2003. Passengers flying between Brazil and Japan made up a sizeable part of the extra traffic.

US visa restrictions and airport congestion have “certainly been a positive for us”, he added. “Because of 9/11, we have got this extra traffic, which we weren't originally counting on.”

The Air Transport Association in Washington, which speaks for US airlines, acknowledged that “several of our carriers have been impacted” by the new visa rules. However, one airline said: “We haven't seen as big a drop-off as we expected.”

The US suspended its transit-without-visa programme in August 2003 as part of its intensified security since the September 2001 terror attacks.

Passengers from many more countries, including Brazil, the Philippines and South Korea, now require transit visas. In addition, passengers passing through US airports face more stringent security checks and longer delays at immigration counters.

Air Canada has greatly expanded its Latin American services over the past year, with the pace accelerating since it emerged from bankruptcy protection at the end of September.

The airline began a daily service between Toronto and São Paulo on December 1. It has also launched flights over the past year to Peru, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Colombia, as well as expanding services to Cuba.

Air Canada's investment in Latin American routes means it is well placed to cash in at the expense of its US counterparts on the region's burgeoning trade and business ties with Asia, which were underlined by a string of recent trade pacts.

Citing British Airways' decision to halt direct flights to Bogotá and Caracas next February, Mr Smith said Air Canada also aimed to carry more passengers between Heathrow and Latin America, changing planes in Canada.

The new US visa requirements have also benefited Canada in other ways. Several Canadian universities are seeking to attract foreign students and researchers who might otherwise have attended US institutions.

Canada has also become a base for some offshore outsourcing companies to serve US customers without their employees needing to enter the US.

Nevertheless, many other Canadian companies, are concerned that tighter border security could severely jeopardise their business in the US.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[kallend 2,148]

Quote

Quote

Ah yes, the government, the same folks we expect to administer the criminal justice system so flawlessly that innocent people never get executed.

Hey, I can do that too..

Ah yes, the government, the same folks that millions of Americans want to administer the healthcare system. That way it will function so flawlessly that all Americans (and illegal immigrants, of course) would get top-notch healthcare services whenever they want for almost nothing.

The point is twisting the argument to point to a deficit you find politically advantageous avoids the issue at hand and just causes another far left vs. far right argument.

So you agree with me then - capital punishment should be privatized.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[migliore 0]

Quote

So you agree with me then - capital punishment should be privatized.

Ummm...if I assume you are actually being serious, then my answer is, "I have no idea." I have seen no data nor any studies to support or oppose your view. Also, since none of my statements supported or opposed your view, I don't think they showed agreement. If you are serious, I do think that your view would make an interesting new thread.

Edited for grammar

Shane