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Another TSA Outrage (Mind-numbing bureaucratic stupidity alert)
Red State ^ | 11/18/2010 | Erick Erickson

Posted on 11/20/2010 5:41:00 AM PST by GVnana

-snip-

As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards.

Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That’s where the stupid started.

First, everyone was forced to get off the plane–even though the plane wasn’t refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.

It’s probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren’t loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs

(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: tsa; tsapervs
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Read on. It gets worse.

Hat tip: BigGovernment.com

1 posted on 11/20/2010 5:41:04 AM PST by GVnana
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To: GVnana

This is what happens when you treat security the same way you treat making hamburgers or building a car on an assembly line. Security personnel who have turned their brains off and mindlessly follow procedure are likely to miss real security threats and they are going to be the easiest to evade because their mindless adherence to procedure means that the bad guys can predict exactly what they’ll do every time.


2 posted on 11/20/2010 5:50:35 AM PST by Question_Assumptions
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To: GVnana

And these are the people we are instructed to obey.


3 posted on 11/20/2010 5:51:08 AM PST by Psalm 144 (Somewhere in France, 1788.)
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To: GVnana

Absolutely friggin’ pathetic... The level of stupidity surrounding this BS is simply mind boggling. I’m quickly coming to the conclusion that the progressives are, in fact, pushing the envelope...inching toward finding that point where sanity begins to push back.

We are there...

It’s time to take back the country. Dumping fruitless idiocy in travel safety inspections is a good place to start.


4 posted on 11/20/2010 5:53:06 AM PST by PubliusMM (RKBA; a matter of fact, not opinion. 01-20-2013: Change we can look forward to.)
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To: GVnana
The question is "how far up the political chain of command did this decision to harass the troops go?"

Did it come down from Big Sis...or did it come down from Obama?

5 posted on 11/20/2010 5:55:22 AM PST by SonOfDarkSkies (Raise taxes on the wealthy...kill the jobs they create!)
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To: GVnana

I can’t believe there wasn’t commandinng officer on that plane to rip those tsa pukes a new one. Sometimes you just gotta stand up to morons.


6 posted on 11/20/2010 5:58:25 AM PST by PilotDave (No, really, you just can't make this stuff up!!!)
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To: GVnana

I know for a fact that returning troops deplane when they come through Bangor, leave the secure area and reboard with no problems. They seem to have their shite together there.


7 posted on 11/20/2010 6:02:32 AM PST by saganite (What happens to taglines? Is there a termination date?)
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To: SonOfDarkSkies
Did it come down from Big Sis...
Well, it was only about a year ago she believed ... You think she's changed her mind?
8 posted on 11/20/2010 6:03:59 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: Question_Assumptions

Excellent points! And until something is done to rein in these people and restore some semblance of common sense to the whole airline security program it’s only to get worse. Anytime you have government employees sitting around all day with nothing to do but make it look like they are doing something important they will come up with new ways to inconvenience those they are charged to ‘serve and protect’. Their opportunity for causing trouble is practically unlimited.

And the saddest part of all is our enemy is laughing its ass off! Sure, they would love to bring down another airliner or two, or two dozen, but in the meantime if they can cost us billions of dollars and untold inconvenience they consider their mission accomplished. This whole new TSA flap is nothing more than the body blows in the fight with radical Islam. They don’t even have to try to sneak anything on board a plane. They just sit back and watch all the chaos and expense they’ve brought about, knowing full well it’s weakening us and making the next step easier.

I don’t know the answer. Many people think it’s the Israeli approach to security, but Tampa International Airport alone handles more travelers in a day than all of Israel.

As long as you insist on handling everyone the same, for the sake of PC, the problem is not going to go away.


9 posted on 11/20/2010 6:05:13 AM PST by jwparkerjr (It's the Constitution, Stupid!)
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To: PilotDave

Good point.


10 posted on 11/20/2010 6:08:01 AM PST by Humal
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To: Question_Assumptions

That is probably the most astute and succinct statement I have read in a long time.


11 posted on 11/20/2010 6:16:03 AM PST by fini
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To: GVnana
I have no idea if this is a true story or an urban legend.

And THAT is the real problem, in a sane world I'd know it was fake.

12 posted on 11/20/2010 6:19:14 AM PST by null and void (We are now in day 668 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: GVnana

The new GOP Congress could make themselves instant heroes by defunding the TSA and sending all these little Hitlers home.
Turn airline security over to the airlines. They certainly don’t want to have a plane loaded with customers blown out of the sky and would be more diligent than the TSA cretins are.
The cost would be worth it because airlines will lose millions as retired folks, who have the money and leisure to travel, will not submit to these disgraceful searches in order to fly.


13 posted on 11/20/2010 6:19:28 AM PST by kittymyrib
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To: GVnana

It’s hard to know whether to blame big sis or big imam in chief - they both hate the military.


14 posted on 11/20/2010 6:21:45 AM PST by Leftism is Mentally Deranged (Annoying liberals is my goal. I will not be silenced.)
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To: oh8eleven
I don't think she has changed her mind, but surely she and the administration know this TSA activity is turning sufficiently explosive that inspecting the troops might be the last straw.

I would think this might have come down from the VERY top.

The question I have is why do they keep pressing their luck? Are they trying to shutdown air travel altogether?

15 posted on 11/20/2010 6:25:16 AM PST by SonOfDarkSkies (Raise taxes on the wealthy...kill the jobs they create!)
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To: GVnana

OK, this gets the first official all time WTF award. TSA needs to be dismantled and we need to partner with Israel to teach us how to really run security


16 posted on 11/20/2010 6:35:35 AM PST by exbrit
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To: SonOfDarkSkies

330 soldiers with unloaded rifles and pistols just back from a tour of duty in some Holestan part of the world. You stand up and scream “stay where you are, I have a nail file and I am crashing this plane into Cincinnati.” Everyone would die laughing thinking it a joke


17 posted on 11/20/2010 6:36:24 AM PST by AndyJackson
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To: jwparkerjr

This can’t be completely blamed on the TSA. I had a similar thing happen when my NG unit returned from Korea back in the 1980s well before anyone ever thought of TSA.

We too were carrying weapons with us although we left them under guard on the a/c while we cleared customs. We were sent back through metal screeners too. And, they started confiscating all the pocket knives we were carrying even though we pointed out we had rifles, pistols, machine gun, and bayonets in the aircraft.

The only difference in my story and this is that Anchorage security turned the pocket knives over to the flight crew. The captain profusely apppologized assuring us the flight crew was compeletly comfortable with us having knives on board. During the beverage service, the flight crew gave us the knives back. Kind of funny really when the stewardess asked me: “Coffee, tea, pocket knife?”


18 posted on 11/20/2010 6:49:01 AM PST by DugwayDuke
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To: GVnana
ok.. now that everyone is thoroughly outraged, it is time to stop blaming the TSA and start blaming OBAMA!!!

OBAMA is in charge of the TSA, this is OBAMA’s mess!

19 posted on 11/20/2010 6:56:14 AM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama = Epic Fail)
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To: AndyJackson
It's as if this administration has a kind of counterintuitive or dyslexic relationship with common sense.

They reflexively come to the polar opposite conclusions from those dictated by logic and take those courses of action which are the mirror images (and opposite) of what should be done.

They are obiously aliens from a parallel universe (a demonic one)...one where up is down and left is right and good is bad!

Makes me wonder if Obama has to look in the mirror to tie his shoes? And does he see his reflection?

20 posted on 11/20/2010 6:58:28 AM PST by SonOfDarkSkies (Raise taxes on the wealthy...kill the jobs they create!)
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