The Greatest Failure
The Greatest Failure of the Bush Administration isn't the War in Iraq, or the NSA phonetaps, or the Economic Difficulties.
It's the <expletive> TSA.
These guys single handedly suck any of the remaining tolerability out of flying. Instead of behaving like an agency that understand the tenets of security, and how to deal with threats, it behaves in a static fashion, still forcing each person to remove their shoes as they go through the terminal metal detectors. They're not supposed to, of course, but they still do it, primarily because they're staffed by former high school jocks who were unable to parlay their football skills into a high paying career with the NFL, or even complete college which might have taught them the skills necessary to work at McDonalds.
These guys do more to harm civil liberties than any other change made by the post 9/11 Bush White House. They train us to be subservient to the government, to do nonsensical things to make their, not our, lives easier. When Tiffany and I flew home from London in 2004, I was surprised with the swift efficiency of the Heathrow Security. I walked through a metal detector, my bag went through an X-Ray machine, laptop and all. Clearly, something is broken here if the Brits, who endured over a decade of security threats from the IRA, are less paranoid about carry-on bags than we are.
I'm hopeful that whomever inherits the house at 1600 Penn Ave next will be a little bit more forward thinking and reform the TSA into an organization that can effective secure the airports without forcing me to take my damn shoes off.
Comments:
Shoes???!!!? It's not just shoes buddy. Just today, I flew from Santa Barbara to Salt Lake City and off go the shoes, my belt, my watch, the laptop comes out of the bag, the cameras come out of the bag, sunglasses off my head! You then have to dress completely at the end of a line where there is some little old lady trying to put her shoes back on without even a chair to sit in. And is anybody from TSA helping her out? No. I had to help her keep her balance while she put her shoes back on. Bizarre.
Posted by BWJones on January 27, 2006 — 12:48 AM
I just had the pleasure to spend the week in For Walton Beach, FL for the week. (Yes, the "Red-neck Riviera")
I checked one bag, and carried on my laptop and my Osprey Eclipse pack *jammed* with electronics.
Neither leaving Colorado Springs or Fort Walton Beach was I asked to strip anything more than my slip-on Merrels.
In the pack was 2 Handheld GPS receivers w/all associated cables, two ruggedized recievers w/modems and RF recievers, 1 Canon Digital Rebel w/ 18-55mm lens and all associated cables and charger, 1 Sigma 85mm-300mm Lens, 1 Canon powershot A300 w/associated cables, 1 ipod w/ cables, 1 cell phone charger, 1 cf card data-storage device, and some outdoor wear.
Standard procedure: Laptop out and placed in tray, shoes in another tray w/wallet sunglasses, and cell phone - and away I go.
Are you guys being profiled or something?
Posted by JR on January 27, 2006 — 12:24 PM