The TSA does not do what it takes to keep us safe. And true Americans are not going to put up with their pretense.
That was not my initial premise. My premise was that people believe the TSA keeps them safe. They also believe that having the streets swarming with cops, possessing wide discretionary powers and a code book so large that it can’t be fit into the back of a squad car keeps them safe.
So the premise is that Americans BELIEVE that tyranny can be tolerated if, (drum roll please) if keeps them safe.
See? That’s why it’s hard to get rid of the TSA. Polling still supports the TSA, and it’s strengthened standards. Because people want to be very very safe. If the government has to stick it’s finger up your kids butt so be it.
The other side of my argument is that this was started under the Bush administration. Most conservatives supported it because Bush was “their guy”.
It was short sighted to believe that.
No, but that was the premise by which it was founded and empowered.
People all over enthusiastically supported giving them the power to decide what hoops you had to jump through to get on the plane.
The clear lesson of history is that power granted will be abused, sooner or later, and that the sacrifice of liberty for security doesn't work long term.
Americans have traditionally cast their losses of liberty in the best light (otherwise those losses would not have been permitted) of the believed intent of the current Government without taking into account the potential for abuse of the power granted by other, later iterations of government.
There were people who pointed out the TSA was a farce when they started taking nail clippers.