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They both have to deal with obnoxious, entitled malcontents who treat them like crap for no good reason. Frankly, with some of the tapes I've seen of you people, I would be tempted to grab the taser from the TSA agent and "tase" your mouths until they were unable to operate in perpetuity. I'm going to reverse my previous position and state that we should be arming all TSA agents, McDonald's employees and most other retail workers and granting them a license to kill on sight every obnoxious customer who causes the scenes I have witnessed during my lifetime.
Well I'll tell you, I have much more respect for McDonalds Employee's. I pay them a price, and they provide me with whatever I ordered (or on occasion something I didn't order, or missed something off my order, or provided more than I ordered), however they do provide a service.
The TSA however provide me with nothing, they have never prevented any attacks on air travel, I mean given the actual procedures they have wouldn't you think that they could have caught one measly terrorist? But no, they have not. All attacks that have been thwarted have been prevented by other TLA (three letter acronym) security departments and not the TSA, or even close to the TSA, and I suspect that if the TSA wanted to get involved in those actions the TLA Department would tell 'em to go sit quietly in the corner and try not to break anything, or trip over their own size 11's.
So in effect what we have is a government department who have failed epically to provide the very thing that they're supposed to prevent, who cost us a not insignificant sum of money, who have the right to invade privacy to the point that only spouses or doctors normally have permission to and as I said have achieved nothing. If they had achieved even ONE thing that could be pointed to as a success, then maybe I would not be so eager to heap as much ridicule and scorn on that department as I am. However I'm pretty sure (to tie back in) if we put Ronald McDonald in as a screener he'd be at least as effective as these Bozo's, and he's completely immobile being a statue and all.
So you may believe whatever you wish, but bear in mind that the TSA costs the taxpayer money and has not provided any real additional security. It's not even really being window dressed security, because the only thing you ever read about the TSA is negative reports, and it's not like government departments don't know how to spin something even vaguely neutral into a positive report.
Your last paragraph is one of the reasons I turned away from libertarianism. While I'm not enamored of the current system, I accept that there is a balance between what I want and the common good. Frankly, I've grown tired of the folks in society whose constant refrain seems to be, "I want it my way!" Guess what, I'm a very private person. I hate having most anyone invading my space, but we live in a goddam*ned society where I don't always get what I want. I don't get to demand that everyone else bow to what I want, particularly when the common good of everyone might be at stake. If it's so goddam*ed offensive to you, then don't fly. Take the train. Drive. If you want to go overseas, take a boat, I guess.
Now, if you've got a better solution, as you imply with your last sentence, let's hear it. I'll bet it doesn't require any sacrifices from you. Probably someone else, but not you.
I totally agree with you in that I know we can't always have our way, in the name of the greater good. I just think that TSA isn't the most effective system to begin with. As a blind traveler they often don't suspect me, which I think is stupid. Any terrorist could get a white cane, or a terrorist group could even recruit a real blind person, and take advantage of the fact that TSA often overlooks blind travelers as potential suspects. That's when I realize that TSA officers are only human and subject to their own human biases. I'm not blaming the TSA officers as individuals. They're only human and put in the same place, you and I would probably make the same mistakes. For me it's not about the TSA officers themselves, but the institution. I think that security systems will have to be more computerized in order to override human bias. I don't know the details of a better system but there are people who specialize in the necessary fields who could come up with an idea much better than any CD'er could. I'm just a layman here, but there are people with the mind power to come up with something better than what we currently have, and the government has access to those kinds of people, so they should be using their resources more effectively IMO.
Last edited by nimchimpsky; 08-09-2012 at 08:52 PM..
They both have to deal with obnoxious, entitled malcontents who treat them like crap for no good reason. Frankly, with some of the tapes I've seen of you people, I would be tempted to grab the taser from the TSA agent and "tase" your mouths until they were unable to operate in perpetuity. I'm going to reverse my previous position and state that we should be arming all TSA agents, McDonald's employees and most other retail workers and granting them a license to kill on sight every obnoxious customer who causes the scenes I have witnessed during my lifetime.
It's not really fair to assume that people who hate TSA are all rude. I hate the system but I'm always polite to the individual officers, because I know they're just doing their jobs. I also know that being rude serves no one, and could make my life much more difficult, and would hold up people behind me. It's possible to disagree with something on principle but still remain civilized in the situation.
I don't mean to be crude, but MAYBE, they should have found a different way to travel. If you are an adult in the U.S. you have heard about the TSA, and some of the things that have happened. Since there is always A CHANCE you could be selected for a pat down, or scanner, then look at possibly a train, or charter a plane.
There is some shared responsibility for what took place.
I know, and I agree. It does sound to me like in this case the woman had no choice but to travel by airplane since she made last-minute plans to attend a funeral, though.
So now US citizens who have been raped in the past are expected to avoid the TSA? Gimme a break. What the hell is wrong with people in this country? When will enough be enough? I guess when a tank parks in your driveway and points the barrel at you but by then it will be too late.
So now US citizens who have been raped in the past are expected to avoid the TSA? Gimme a break. What the hell is wrong with people in this country? When will enough be enough? I guess when a tank parks in your driveway and points the barrel at you but by then it will be too late.
Right. I can understand excusing a pat down on the limbs, but not frisking genitals. That is totally crossing a line, IMO.
Talk about hysterical reactions. I got a patdown two years ago. It was nothing. Now, I think this whole system is terribly inefficient and misguided, but I also realize the first people who would cry to the heavens if we scrapped it and a terrorist successfully blew up a plane would be the drama queens who use terms like "violated" and "assaulted" over a freaking patdown.
I want to see documentation of TSA agents reaching down the pants of infants or grown women being sexually assaulted. Where is it?
If you haven't been the victim of rape then you literally have no idea how traumatic things like a TSA pat down can be. This ain't the first time a rape victim has had mental flashbacks because of these ****ing rent-a-cops.
**** the TSA, but more importantly, **** the 54% of American traitors who think the TSA is doing a good job
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