Air marshal program in disarray, insiders say Dozens of top agents have quit the service

USA Today ^ | 8/15/02 | Blake Morrison

[jriemer]

For years, the government touted federal air marshals as the best of the best -- an ''elite corps'' of undercover officers trained to stop hijackings on commercial flights.

But today, after rushing to hire thousands of new marshals, the program is so beset with problems that sources say at least 80 marshals have quit, and other marshals say they are considering a class-action lawsuit over working conditions that they fear put travelers at risk.

[Sungirl]

officials have implemented a dress code that marshals worry identifies them

Of course it does! Who thought this up...Democrats?

Well..at least we have well qualified screeners and that seems to be going very well

[Sungirl]

FYI: That last sentence was sarcasm.

[jriemer]

ping

[jriemer]

Sungirl,

Personally, I'm more concerned about Air Marshals that leave their pistols in the John...

Yikes! jriemer

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Musket]

How long will we stay stupid?

[Musket]

All the more reason to arm the pilots. The pilots want it, they're accustomed to being up there and it would provide 100% coverage. And no more expense than the guns and a brief training course. This is such a no brainer.

How long will we stay stupid?

[Musket]

Sorry bout that. My browser hiccuped.

[LenS]

Clearly your browser has a drinking problem. It should seek counseling.

*g*

[JustAnAmerican]

"All the more reason to arm the pilots."

And also more the reason to "Fire/Kick out/Banish" THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION. Norman Y. Mineta. Talk about an Incompetant government official

[Paleo Conservative]

officials have implemented a dress code that marshals worry identifies them

Of course it does! Who thought this up...Democrats?

It's more likely a Republican. How many DemocRATS do you know would require conservative dress?

[jriemer]

Paleo,

I agree with your assessment on Democrat vs. Republican fashion sense.

Remember it was the Clinton WH actually had to put out a memo to the female employees stating that they were required to wear underwear while on duty. God only knows how far the dress code standards fell from the three-piece suit days of Eisenhower to require that memo...

jriemer

(1)

[MarshMan]

The problem is that most of the upper management is former U.S. Secret Service, an agency that historically demands more out of their agents than most can handle. It was not unusual to work 80 to 100 weeks (yes, that's ONE week), and only get paid for your normal 50 hour week. They need to realize that younger agents won't put up with the BS anymore.

[SteamshipTime]

From the article: "...an 'elite corps' of under-employed security guards, trained to make ordinary citizens cower in their seats if they get up to go to the bathroom."

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

80 complaints out of thousands of new recruits...pretty good for today's America. The ad campaign for military jobs is still "I feel your pain."

One morning at the nub end of Bill Clinton's presidency, Clinton chief of staff John Podesta walked into a senior staff meeting in the Roosevelt Room waving a copy of USA Today. Holding the paper aloft, Podesta read the headline out loud, "Clinton actions annoy Bush." The article detailed the new rules and Executive Orders the outgoing President was issuing in his final days, actions aimed in equal measure at locking in Clinton's legacy (in areas like environmental protection) and bedeviling his successor. "What's Bush so annoyed about?" Podesta asked with a devilish smile. "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done."
Link.

"We laid a few traps," chirps a happy Clinton aide.....

[Liberty Ship]

"Well..at least we have well qualified screeners and that seems to be going very well"


Right, here is one screener who will be looking for work when he gets out of jail. Maybe he can be an Air Marshal. He seems to know how to shoot, even if he can't hit anything:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/733369/posts

[Texas Mom]

A simple solution would be to arm the pilots. It could be done in much less time with much less hassel.

[fogarty]

Well..at least we have well qualified screeners and that seems to be going very well

Bwahahah! LOL that was the nicest bit of sarcasm I've seen all day. I need to get some lessons from you - with some of the morons I deal with I need it.

[chemainus]

We all worked like hell for Bush... but admit it...this whole administration has been a gigantic FxxKUP ...Bush had the chance to 1) tell it like it is about Clinton; he sat prim like a choir boy 2) rant that the economy was Clinton's ; he sat there prim like a choir boy 3) clean out the FBI; hell they tell him what to do 4) tell the truth about the Clinton connection to the Corporate Scandals ( Brown, remember?) ; he sat there prim like a choir boy 5) kick shit out of the REAL Arab terrorists; he sat there prim like a choir boy and let the Army do WWII operations 6) institute some REAL Homeland Security; he pandered to every group he could find and totally Fxxked up any chance to make the country safe 7) despite our anger, China SPIT IN HIS FACE ; he sat there prim like a choir boy 8) Bush supports ILLEGAL MEXICANS (and many others too) OVER UNITED STATES CITIZENS and makes US PAY FOR THEM 9) His buddy Vincente ( my boots cost $10,000 more than your boots) FOX just SPIT IN HIS FACE and he sat there prim like a choir boy 10) BUSH , not Clintoonia but BUSH, signed the order making your and your wife's most private and personal medical records open for any jackleg insurance salesman or fly-by-night company to pick and poke through WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION 11) Bush had a chance for a real stimulus package that would have prevented this "right before the election" pain Daschle and Greenspan laid out for us...but as usual he backed down, he is so rich he doesn't hurt, he backed down to enhance his "bipartisan image" and let the Democrats SCREW US and REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES !!! Shall I continue? OUR FREEDOMS HAVE BEEN TRAMPLED and ILLEGALS GIVEN MORE!! The list is extensive. Oh, Iraq? Iraq is about fifth on the list of countries set to do us harm....first is China, second is North Korea, third is Iran, fourth is Saudi Arabia ; Iraq may or may not even be fifth...he ignores the real dangers like China but Daddy will give him a head pat for mean old Sadaam, despot yes, but the ONLY NON-RADICAL RELIGIOUS MUSLIM REGIME IN THE WHOLE MIDDLE EAST ! and how about Russia ?? We demand they help us in the "fight against terror" ( jingo already) and they did, but when Georgia harbors, supplies and encourages Checnynan Al Quaeda and Russia tells them NO, Bush jumps all over Russia ...for votes of course, lots of Georgians here, libs in the Universities,...what hypocrisy.... I for one am totally DISGUSTED... now FLAME ON !