I’m reading the Constitution and I do not see a “Grope or Scan” clause. The TSA is unconstitutional. Let’s eliminate the TSA. Posted on 10/22/2012 4:26:48 AM PDT by Kaslin
I’m reading the Constitution and I do not see a “Grope or Scan” clause. The TSA is unconstitutional. Let’s eliminate the TSA.
If you read my columns regularly, you know that I consider the TSA to be a carcinogenic petting zoo. I nearly always opt out. I object to the scanners on principle of their unconstitutionality. And I am concerned about the possibility of a scanner malfunction (thousands of service calls have been made to the backscatter X-ray machines)—which medical experts warn can result in extremely high radiation exposure.
Last week, I was traveling to New Jersey to speak at Americans for Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream Summit. I nearly missed my flight. And it was not because I overslept.
I arrived early to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and already had my boarding pass. I’m thinking, “I’m golden. I have some extra time to grab breakfast and then relax before my flight.” No such luck.
After placing my luggage on the conveyer belt, I informed the TSA agent (a female) that I would be opting out. She said: “OK, well, you’re going to have to wait a while. Step over there and wait.”
I waited approximately 10 minutes and she never called for an agent. I reminded her that I needed to opt out. Her supervisor came over to her and said: “We are short on female staffers. I need you to do the pat-down and I’ll have another agent take your place up here.” She responded: “No. I don’t want to. I want to stay up here. Can’t you get another female agent to do it?”
He did not reprimand her for refusing to do her job. (This is not the private sector.) Instead, he made me wait until a different female staffer became available, further delaying me.
After my pat-down, the agent’s gloves set off the alarm. So, she did a second, more invasive pat-down in a back room. Her gloves still set off the alarm, so she said they needed to take apart my luggage and individually re-send everything through the X-ray machine.
Two TSA agents and four supervisors (it takes a village) unfolded all my clothes and even tore through my undergarments. They slowly sent small piles of my things through the X-ray machine, using about 15 bins, even though I only had a carry-on suitcase, a purse and a laptop. This process took about 45 minutes and I kept looking up at the clock, thinking: “I’m going to miss my flight!” I asked a TSA agent: “So what happens if I miss my flight?” He said, “You’ll have to work that out with your airline.”
I asked a TSA supervisor to call my airline and let them know I was on my way and see if they could hold the plane a few minutes for me. He said, “They are a separate company and we don’t know their phone number and cannot call them.” I said: “So you’re in the same building and you don’t know their number? And you can’t find their number on Google?” His eyes bulged, like a child caught lying.
I literally had only five minutes to catch my flight when the TSA agents finished scanning my luggage. I threw everything into my suitcase, wrinkling my suit. Then I tossed my laptop and cell phone cables into my purse and started running full speed for my gate.
Clothes were peaking out of my half-zipped suitcase and cables were flying out of my purse. Everyone was staring at me. I don’t blame them; I’m sure I looked like a riot.
The only reason I made my flight was because I spotted a courtesy transport (they look like golf carts) and begged the driver for a lift to my gate. He saved my day.
I now know that “opting out” is only an “option” if you arrive insanely early to the airport or you enjoy tossing cash into the gutter.
If you are a businessperson rushing to make a meeting; a bride and groom heading to a destination ceremony; a parent with unruly young children or a caretaker traveling with an Alzheimer's patient, you cannot endure the hassle and delay of opting out.
And the TSA apparently does not take responsibility for re-booking flights missed due to its security delays. So, opting out could mean paying $500-plus out-of-pocket to rebook if the TSA delays you.
My story is just one among many. I’m sharing my experience in hopes that doing so encourages more Americans to publicly voice their own incidents. The squeaky wheel gets the grease; we all need to express our outrage at the unconstitutional and unhealthy treatment we endure from the TSA.
TSA flunkies are the people who read about the Stanford Prison Experiment in a psychology or history class and considered it an inspirational tale.
It's really a statement on the lack of both.
They’re here already. See post #10.
BTW, I think the Israeli security people are unionized.
you imply there are only 2 choices in this argument-
this flawed security screening system
or no security screening system
false dilemma, logic error, commonly used to try to shut down debate rather than explore alternatives
look it up
Then by all means outline the third choice. You do away with the TSA and the screenings, then what do you replace them with?
Keep the bombs and fire hazards off, let passengers take care of the rest.
Bush started this madness. Do you honestly think Romney will shut it down?
All this TSA nonsense is because the leaders of this nation do not have the testicular fortitude to call the enemy, the enemy.
Everyone knows who is responsible for the heightened security we all have to deal with in our airports, train stations, and soon to be every damn place. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visible_Intermodal_Prevention_and_Response_team)
Pssst....it ain’t Christians and Jews, kiddos.
But no, most of the US will go shuffling through the TSA lines in preparation for the coming muslim abattoirs.
Then by all means outline the third choice. You do away with the TSA and the screenings, then what do you replace them with?
....since they haven’t caught a SINGLE terrorist, but have been caught stealing $$$ and expensive items, why replace them with anything? Train a few random inspectors to profile nervous types and give them the Isreali review... Nothing else needed. If you think it’s unsafe to fly, w/o TSA...drive.
ymmv
I am sure not all TSA agents are morons, and your daughter is not one of them
Your reply makes no sense....
please reread what I wrote..
I did offer solutions to the problem that would work if not for politically correct morons in washington..
de-unionization is just one of the things I offered, but you seem to have jumped right onto that..
are you a tsa or union troll?
I see you are a recent sign up..
No you didn't, not really. The Israeli way of profiling, using dogs? Just who would you have doing the profiling? The TSA?
Israel has an efficient system. Israel also has, what? Three international airports and a tiny domestic airline system? The U.S. has dozens of international airports, hundreds of domestic airports, and thousands of daily flights. How do you staff up to do Israel-level security on all of that?
are you a tsa or union troll?
Nope. de-unionization is just one of the things I offered, but you seem to have jumped right onto that.
Unionization was what you identified as the problem.
Screen for terrorists not devices, which is what the TSA does so ham-handedly. But we cannot have anyone screaming Profiling!.
You do realize the TSA has never caught a single terrorist, right? You do understand that they are often very poorly educated. Many are guilty of theft and some are even sex offenders.
Just a few weeks ago a perfectly nice lady, not trying to hide anything accidentally boarded a plane with a gun. And the TSA fails every single “find the weapon” exercise it is given.
The fact remains that unless we begin submitting to gynecology / proctology exams, full body x-rays, and luggage searches there is no possible way to find all possible weapons.
However all this logic does not keep these mall cops with God complexes from forcing people to expose colostomy bags or mastectomy implants. They fondle children. They expect elderly in wheelchairs to get up and walk through scanners with no support.
And lets be very clear on this. A TSA agent will demand sharply that you give up your drink, your shampoo bottle, your lotion and any other item you have on their list. They then throw those “potentially dangerous” items into a large trash can less than 2 foot from them. What does this tell you? It tells you that the people that wrote the procedures knew they were accomplishing nothing and the people that enforce them know it to.
So, what is the solution? Private Companies. Why? Because the Gestapo like attitudes would not be tolerated. Employees would be better screened and trained. Standard Operating Procedures would need to serve an actual purpose or service. Like any private company, they would strive for excellence in their field and they would want to build customer trust.
I fly several times a month. There are some good people working for the TSA, there are also some boneheads.
The system is run by boneheads who encourage big brother tactics on Americans. The system is broken and needs to be replaced.
“The fact remains that unless we begin submitting to gynecology / proctology exams, full body x-rays, and luggage searches there is no possible way to find all possible weapons”
There are reports of body cavity searches being proposed.
yep letting the public sector handle this is a step in the right direction.
lots of other goobermint jobs could also be privatized. when Romney does this I will take notice.
The gov’t is interested in your security. That’s why they keep the borders open, take naked body scans at airports and touch your child’s privates. It all makes perfect sense. After the next false flag, you’ll be looking back at these times as the good old days. Ordo ab chao.
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