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The TSA exists so most people feel safe to fly rather than dealing with the reality that they are smoke and mirrors to give off the illusion of it. For the TSA to be efficient then military training is needed for them. Outside the US the security in military or leo.
I heavily travel in the Middle East so I know what to expect there. I didn't expect stupidity when I traveled in the US. Live and learn.
Sorry, I don't do sarcasm.
Perfect. You nailed my point better than I have. I'm repping this post.
This post is occasioned by innocuous events of the last several weeks that points to some glaring problems, all involving over-regulation. These rules and procedures are costly, inefficient and provide few benefits.
Security desks and entrance regulations at schools - (After describing a "security" check at the entrance to a high school) I pointed out that back in the day I visited my high school alma mater and went right to teachers' offices, and to my old club offices. Now that would be impossible. ..... We went centuries before Sandy Hook without such rules; are there suddenly hundreds of monsters out there that would kill children? Remember most such tragedies, such as Columbine, involve current students, not outsiders.
Cell phone and texting restrictions while driving - I get that people can be distracted by such activities. But wouldn't it be better if people could alert their destination that they were running late rather than speeding?
Security at office buildings - Right after 9/11 we began seeing almost all office buildings having restricted access for "security" reasons. Any reason a terrorist bent on making a statement couldn't just blow himself up anywhere he sees a line, such as a theater entrance or subway station? We have made it impossible for people such as myself, for example, who are looking for jobs to simply show up, hand in a CV and demonstrate motivation and drive. Or for spouses to surprise each other at work? Or close friends similarly? How many terror attacks are really prevented this way?
Security at airports - We have made air travel cumbersome. Thus, for example, I am planning to travel to Washington, DC a few weeks from now from the New York City area. Train travel is ridiculously expensive for a trip of about 5 hours. If I take a plane, back in the day it was a shuttle that was about a one hour flight. Now, adding security time at airport, it's 3 hours....It would make far more sense to do spot checking, behavioral profiling, and the random use of sky marshals. But hey, it's racist to target people at war with us.
Low speed limits - See this thread (link). Low and arbitrary limits are only selectively enforced on a "shooting fish in a barrel" basis. They contribute nothing to safety since in general traffic flows at around 70 on highways, and 40 or 45 on most secondary roads.
All of these rules, and more that other think of, are annoying at best. At worst, they detract from productivity and waste valuable time and resources.
The point here is that most security is "smoke and mirrors," designed to both make us feel safe and feel virtuous by refraining from targeting people obviously at war with us. How else do we wind up with a fight between a very sick girl in a wheelchair and a TSA agent?
Perfect. You nailed my point better than I have. I'm repping this post.
Real security would have no interest in an obviously seriously handicapped person. I have started a few threads on the theme of pretend security and refusing to target likely terrorists.
The point here is that most security is "smoke and mirrors," designed to both make us feel safe and feel virtuous by refraining from targeting people obviously at war with us. How else do we wind up with a fight between a very sick girl in a wheelchair and a TSA agent?
I agree that we need to profile potential terrorists. Those who fit the profile who are not terrorists will just need to deal with it. I know a man who is from the Middle East (and looks like it) who just wears sandals, shorts, and a T shirt when he flies because it makes getting through security easier.
The girl in the OP does not use a wheelchair. Wheelchairs were brought up as an example that not everyone with a handicap calls ahead to arrange for special handling at the security point, including those in wheelchairs.
The girl in the OP has had no problems flying to and from Memphis for years. The TSA agents refused to listen to her mother. If they had, the whole incident could have been prevented.
There need to be protocols in place to deal with unruly people at security checkpoints, but there also needs to be leeway to look at an overall situation and modify the protocol if necessary.
The point here is that most security is "smoke and mirrors," designed to both make us feel safe and feel virtuous by refraining from targeting people obviously at war with us. How else do we wind up with a fight between a very sick girl in a wheelchair and a TSA agent?
How many hijackings have we had since TSA compared to before its creation? The American public either has a very short memory span or they are media driven lemmings.
How many hijackings have we had since TSA compared to before its creation? The American public either has a very short memory span or they are media driven lemmings.
To answer your question...BOTH. The thing that get's away with me on this situation, is that the girl and her mother have traveled this route for 17 YEARS and all of a sudden the young girl freaks out and has to be subdued? Something doesn't sound "kosher" in this story!!
I agree that we need to profile potential terrorists. Those who fit the profile who are not terrorists will just need to deal with it. I know a man who is from the Middle East (and looks like it) who just wears sandals, shorts, and a T shirt when he flies because it makes getting through security easier.
The girl in the OP does not use a wheelchair. Wheelchairs were brought up as an example that not everyone with a handicap calls ahead to arrange for special handling at the security point, including those in wheelchairs.
The girl in the OP has had no problems flying to and from Memphis for years. The TSA agents refused to listen to her mother. If they had, the whole incident could have been prevented.
There need to be protocols in place to deal with unruly people at security checkpoints, but there also needs to be leeway to look at an overall situation and modify the protocol if necessary.
There are protocols in place and the TSA followed them. All the daughter had to do was walk to another location with the officers and be hand wanded (as I was when I mentioned it earlier in this thread). She didn't and went into fight mode and became emotional. At that point what the mother tried to tell them was secondary to the area being made safe and secure for all the other passengers in order for their flow to continue.
If this was really the way the mother said it was, it would have hit the media a year ago. Instead they waited a year hoping every official involved would have little memory of it, created a lawsuit and sent information to the media where it went international and was treated as if it happened last week.
In reality we would have had something like this: 'TERRORIST' BLUNDER Armed cops arrest innocent Arab wearing traditional headscarf who they mistakenly believed was an ISIS fanatic
There are protocols in place and the TSA followed them. All the daughter had to do was walk to another location with the officers and be hand wanded (as I was when I mentioned it earlier in this thread). She didn't and went into fight mode and became emotional. At that point what the mother tried to tell them was secondary to the area being made safe and secure for all the other passengers in order for their flow to continue.
If this was really the way the mother said it was, it would have hit the media a year ago. Instead they waited a year hoping every official involved would have little memory of it, created a lawsuit and sent information to the media where it went international and was treated as if it happened last week.
The girl only went into "fight mode" after she was grabbed. The officers involved would not even let her mother talk to her and explain what needed to be done.
We have heard from others here who have had bad experiences with TSA and did not post them on the internet. You had one; why did you not put it up on the internet?
What makes you think the lawyers have not been interviewing witnesses in preparation for filing the suit? That's generally what they do.
(1) The girl only went into "fight mode" after she was grabbed. The officers involved would not even let her mother talk to her and explain what needed to be done.
(2) We have heard from others here who have had bad experiences with TSA and did not post them on the internet. You had one; why did you not put it up on the internet?
(3) What makes you think the lawyers have not been interviewing witnesses in preparation for filing the suit? That's generally what they do.
(1) The mother states grabbed. The TSA will state escorted and only grabbed her after she went into fight mode.
(2) Yes many people have. I had more than one dealing with situations with the TSA. I've also had problems with US based airlines. I've come to the point where I hope for the best but expect the worst. Once I connect to a international airline and go through international security, it's a happy situation compared to the US. I dress similar to the guy you mentioned: Polo shirt, shorts and a pair of sneakers without socks.
When I fly out of the US, I go through a much more intense TSA compared to ~98% percent of the general public when I'm flying to certain destinations. For instance I go through the normal one everyone goes through then I go through a second one at the gate. The gate inspection includes; wanding, sniffers, x-rays, hand searches and German Shepard's. When I do this flight in reverse I deal with profiling and rarely get x-ray'd. Never had a problem in reverse with security or the airline.
How many hijackings have we had since TSA compared to before its creation? The American public either has a very short memory span or they are media driven lemmings.
What happened in the field in Pennsylvania may have had more to do with that than anything. Would-be hijackers nave, since midway through that horrible day, had to deal with the reality of heroic passengers rather than sheople. I really don't think many jihadis have been caught in TSA lines.
What happened in the field in Pennsylvania may have had more to do with that than anything. Would-be hijackers nave, since midway through that horrible day, had to deal with the reality of heroic passengers rather than sheople. I really don't think many jihadis have been caught in TSA lines.
The multi layers of your so call smoke and mirrors security or security theater couldn't possibly have anything to do with it? Prior to the creation of TSA, private security companies had a not so stellar track record in dealing with hijackers. Now suddenly domestic commercial hijackings have stopped. I know it isn't possible that just maybe TSA is doing something right.
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