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I have never, ever witnessed in my adult lifetime a more arrogant, intransigent, and abusive head of a government agency as TSA head John Pistole has behaved in recent days.

The "shut up and like it" approach will not stand.

Govt thugs usually even throw a bone to the public to get them off of the trail.

The TSA has behaved like the Sturmabteilung, which is probably appropriate, because that is what they and their 67,000 "employees" are.

There is a rider in the 2002 law that allows airports to opt out of the TSA after two years on an individual airport basis.

I expect Republicans to lead the charge to entice airports to do just that, and stab TSA right where they live.

The last time I flew was shortly after 9/11, to my father’s funeral, and I have not flown since, and will not ever fly again unless it is truly a matter of life and death. I have no confidence that even with these offensive screenings they can keep passengers safe. Passengers are disarmed and not allowed to be prepared to defend themselves. And now they have these Nazi officials pawing them. Not for me.

The TSA has not realized it yet, but GropeGate has inflamed (and unified) the American public to a degree that has not been seen since 911 or Pearl Harbor. This time, they are not furious with Osama Bin Laden or Japan, but the US Government.

BJ Clinton, for all his faults, was a masterful politician. He would have exploited public anger to HIS advantage by now.

The Community Organizer has zero political skills. All he ever had was a lapdog media and a cult of personality among the stupid.

This scandal (and it is a scandal) will start filling the waters of the White House basement if Dumbo doesn't get it together, and quick.

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Since the TSA molested my family, why doesn’t Obama volunteer to subject his family to the same security procedures? By: Mark Hemingway Commentary Staff Writer 11/16/10 3:05 PM EST Two weeks ago, my wife flew alone out to Colorado with our two young children. Unaware that the TSA had instituted new and incredibly invasive new security procedures, my wife called me distressed after getting frisked by the TSA. Or as my wife put it, “in some cultures I would be married to my screener by now.” She was joking, but make no mistake — my wife was incredibly disturbed by how intimate a security pat down she received. So here’s my not-so-modest proposal: If the President’s Homeland Security department is so adamant that this is the absolute best way to prevent terrorism, I think the President and his family should voluntarily submit to one of the new invasive pat down procedures. I know the Obamas don’t fly commercial at all these days, so they should probably get a pretty good idea what the rest of us are putting up with. The President and his family — preferably with DHS Secretary Janet “The system worked” Napolitano — should show up at Dulles or Reagan airport on a weekday with a camera crew in tow, as airport pat downs are typically done in full view of hundreds of travelers. All of America will to see the TSA handling the President’s crown jewels. Then a rubber-gloved federal agent will run his hands all over his wife and daughter’s privates while he watches. Then I want him to turn to the camera and tell all of America that this is no big deal and we should all be good citizens and comply with the necessary security procedures. It only seems fair

Much as I respect Sully, every time I hear “efficiency” cited as a virtue, I get nervous.
When you can say something is unjust, invasive, uncivilized, disgusting, abusive...or just plain WRONG...say that.
“Inefficient” should be for things morally neutral. You use that word, you sound morally neutral.

I have no more words to describe the outrage I am feeling about this assault on private citizens.

This matter, IMO, is the first real test for the new Congress. They need to get some stones and put a halt to this now. And Pistole needs to go...

Actually, I want them to set up one of those xray machines at the inquiry, with the display available for all to see, and have each member of Congress and the Senate to walk through it.

The abuses will end ONLY when a Muslim woman refuses to allow to be fondled by the TSA. The TSA will claim they could not allow the “Arab Street” to see Muslim women being disgraced in such a fashion. You just watch.

Vote with your feet, Do Not Fly.

Another way to protest these “pat downs” would be to insist that Pat Downer dons a clean pair of gloves prior to the frisking. Also a family member of mine has a latex allergy and requires latex free gloves.

This is the face of the lifelong bureaucrat ("law enforcement" background notwithstanding) who cannot fathom that there may objections to decisions made in the DC vacuum and which have nothing to do with security and everything to do with staging a power play.

This is the look of surprise when a bureaucrat is called upon to construct a logical case for the policies implemented willy-nilly by an indolent, undereducated lot whose snappy periwinkle uniforms can't disguise the fact that they had dim employment prospects elsewhere.

There is a rider in the 2002 law that allows airports to opt out of the TSA after two years on an individual airport basis.

Does that law require that airports replace TSA with a similar organization? If so, what would their hiring standards be?

There's no sense in it if the abuse will just continue with the same employees under the moniker of another alphabet-soup organization.

Pete King said something interesting about the x-ray scanners too — that they could pick up bombs inserted in body cavities — but then that means, imo, either that they are higher power than has been said officially, or that the operators can dial up the power. Neither situation is acceptable to me, nor should it be to anyone.

I seem to remember reading recent anecdotal reports from people wearing rad badges who said they dosages the badges show is higher than expected. Here’s who you do a basic test — take a penny and tape it to an unexposed z-ray film, and carry it with you through the scanner.

Mr. Pistole is just following orders from "Pat" Napolitano:

That is not a current photo. TSA doesn’t wear that uniform anynmore.

Well, as the bionic man, I have a different little problem. I have a new knee ... solid steel I’m told ... cool. So I go up to the scanner and guess what they see ...YIKES! a bionic knee. YOU MUST NOW BE PATTED DOWN ... and so I get “both” treatments. There is no way they’ll let me through that scanner with my iron knee and I’ll be forced to the pat down. I’d rather do the scanner ... no choice for me.

I too refuse to fly: These body searches and child porn
images are violations of the Fourth Amendment! Consider
that plastic and ceramic knives would pass through such
invasive screening.

“you can’t professionalize if you don’t federalize.” -Tom Dash-hole

look for a bunch more gubbamint union members to be created.

thanks, W.