April 2012 was a pretty bad month for Americans under the tyrannical Transportation Security Administration. I believe we need to focus as much attention as possible on these abuses, not because I want to make you feel outraged or depressed, but because I believe everyone needs to be aware that the TSA is one of the greatest present dangers to the everyday freedoms of Americans, and things are only getting worse.
Let’s start with the latest outrageous assault stories which have, sadly, ceased to be surprising:
1. Jacob Wisnik, 10-year-old with a diabetes pump, set off the alarms and was subjected to a private prodding of his genital area.
2. Dina Frank, 7-year-old with cerebral palsy, was subjected to “aggressive” screening that involved being sent back through security after being previously approved, causing the family to miss their flight.
3. Isabella Brademeyer, 4-year-old, was forced to undergo a patdown after hugging her grandmother during a security screening.
4. Atlantic author Jeffrey Goldberg’s 79-year-old mother-in-law was asked if she was wearing a sanitary napkin after the scanner detected an “anomaly” in her “crotch area.” To avoid a patdown, she went through the scanner again, and this time the scanner mysteriously detected nothing.
5. Omar Petti and Madge Woodward, respectively 95 and 85 years old, were subjected to extreme pat-downs and lost $300 during a recent TSA screening.
Despite the complete lack of terrorist activity tied to children or the elderly, they are continually being harassed by the TSA, especially those with disabilities. But it’s not just the old and the young who were bothered by the TSA last month. Congressman Francisco Canseco had to go through a patdown that he said “hurt my privates.” We can only hope that he will share his experience with his colleagues in Congress.
When you are at the airport, the TSA has complete authority over you. If they say your child needs a patdown, you must allow them to touch your child all over – regardless of what you’ve taught them about strangers. If they tell you to take something off, you have to take it off. They can ask you any questions they want. They can view unsettling images of you through a scanner, and if they don’t like what they see, they can make you go through it again or go through a patdown with no regard to any disabilities you have and any embarrassment or pain they might cause you. And even when you’ve finally gotten past the whole thing, they can make you go back and endure it all over again.
But Wait, There’s More…
Last month, we also learned about TSA screeners who have been arrested and charged with accepting bribes to let drugs get through the checkpoints. (As if it wasn’t corrupt enough that Department of Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff had a connection to the scanner company Rapiscan – you can’t make this stuff up – or that the TSA blocked TSA-hating security expert Bruce Schneier from testifying against them.)
But just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, we also heard an Obama administration official declare that “the war on terror is over.” Woohoo! That means we can finally start scaling back the TSA and shut this whole thing down, right?
Wrong.
It used to be that only American flyers had to play TSA roulette. Remember last year when they started showing up at the interstate? Well, it’s still getting worse. Last month we learned more about the TSA mission creep that has them creating random checkpoints at buses, trains, tunnels, and more, despite the complete lack of credible threats regarding any other modes of transportation. But, hey, the agency exists, and they have money, so why not start harassing Americans all over!
Nevermind that since 9/11 the only wannabe-terrorists who made it to the airport slipped past the TSA and were stopped by passengers. Nevermind that the “nude” body scanners have been proven less useful than metal detectors, as this damning video shows just how easy it is to get things past them. Nope, the TSA gets to keep doing what they’re doing, forcing Americans to do whatever they choose regarding whatever forms of transportation they feel like getting involved in. I think we need to start pressuring Congress to stop this dangerous executive overreach they created eleven years ago. (I feel like “End the TSA” could be a much more effective and successful campaign for libertarians and anti-government types than “End the Fed.”)
If you want to keep up with more of the crazy things the TSA is doing, I suggest checking out TSA Out Of Our Pants or subscribing to /r/tsa.
I think you’re right to focus on ending the TSA. These kind of outrages aren’t tyrannical overreaches, they are the logically necessary outcome of screening-based security. If you rely on screenings and checkpoints for security, but you allow grandmas and four-year-olds through without screening, guess who the terrorists are going to use?
I actually don’t think terrorists would use grandmas and four-year-olds, especially if everyone went through a good ol metal detector. But not only are we screening people who don’t look like terrorists, and not only are we doing it in personally harmful ways, but the screenings themselves aren’t even effective or consistent, which literally makes them invasions of privacy for no reason.
While I’ve never personally endured any over zealous TSA agents or tactics, I do agree there seems to be mission creep. At the same time I have to think about what if the TSA pulls back and there is another attack. You think it’s bad now, just imagine the craziness that would come out of that scenario. Bottom line, we need safeguards and while it’s a pain in the ass, I haven’t heard many viable alternatives.
While I’ve never personally endured any over zealous TSA agents or tactics, I do agree there seems to be mission creep. At the same time I have to think about what if the TSA pulls back and there is another attack. You think it’s bad now, just imagine the craziness that would come out of that scenario. Bottom line, we need safeguards and while it’s a pain in the ass, I haven’t heard many viable alternatives.
I think you’re right to focus on ending the TSA. These kind of outrages aren’t tyrannical overreaches, they are the logically necessary outcome of screening-based security. If you rely on screenings and checkpoints for security, but you allow grandmas and four-year-olds through without screening, guess who the terrorists are going to use?
I actually don’t think terrorists would use grandmas and four-year-olds, especially if everyone went through a good ol metal detector. But not only are we screening people who don’t look like terrorists, and not only are we doing it in personally harmful ways, but the screenings themselves aren’t even effective or consistent, which literally makes them invasions of privacy for no reason.