Right-thinking individuals already knew this. It’s not in any form news of an actual kind.
The article, here from the New York Post, does — however — affirm what we already knew about the TSA: it’s all “style” (and I utilize that word so rather loosely) over substance because the TSA is completely style and class-less.
Salient snippets include:
A LOT of what we do is make-believe.
But since most TSA supervisors are too daft to actually supervise, bending the rules is easy to do.
[I like this guy already; I enjoy utilizing the word “daft” as well. -BZ]
Did you know you don’t need a high-school diploma or GED to work as a security screener? These are the same screeners that TSA chief John Pistole and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano refer to as a first-class first line of defense in the war on terror.
These are the employees who could never keep a job in the private sector. I wouldn’t trust them to walk my dog.
Most TSA screeners know their job is a complete joke. Their goal is to use this as a stepping stone to another government agency.
We work in a culture where common sense has no place. All but a very few TSA personnel know they’re employed by a bottom-of-the-barrel agency.
Every time you read about a TSA horror story, it’s usually about a screener doing what he or she is instructed to do.
Supervisors play absolutely no role in day-to-day functions except to tell you not to chew gum. Gum chewing is a huge issue with management. I once saw a supervisor make an officer open his mouth to prove he had a mint and not a piece of gum.
One screener didn’t come to work for four weeks. When he finally reappeared, he asked for another week off. The answer was no. So what did this brainiac decide to do? He took another week off — and didn’t get terminated.
People have been caught falling asleep on the job. They get written up, it’s put in their file, and that’s it.
New hires see how bad it is working there, and, believe it or not, TSA does manage to hire some pretty decent people. They just don’t last because they can get a normal job.
Best line of the entire article?
Anyone boarding an aircraft should feel maybe only a teeny tiny bit safer than if there were no TSA at all.
There! Now, ladies and gentlemen, don’t you feel absolutely buoyed by the incredibly diligent, pertinent, logical and safe application of the TSA authorities as applied to the screening of American citizens on aircraft throughout the United States?
Anyone need a colonoscopy? I know where you can get them, cheap.
Muslims, al Qaeda, Pakistanis, young Middle Eastern men with a terrorist history need not apply.
BZ
P.S.
— TSA scanner fraud here.
— The TSA itself is a fraud.
— General TSA fraud.
— TSA incompetence on video.
— Searching grandma; finding nothing.
The list is endless.
Another example of the end product of, “We have to do SOMETHING mentality”.
For this I blame Bush, for starting Homeland Security — when every other piece was in position. All we had to do is have the agencies ALREADY IN EXISTENCE communicate with each other!
BZ
A massive waste of time and money… The TSA needs to be SO gone…
But wait — everyone insists that MORE government is simply BETTER!
BZ
TSA is useless and takes up to much time. Sadly, I hadn’t flown in years, but I had to fly down see my dad after he had a heart attack.
And guess who got pulled aside, yep! Me! This woman actually went through my hair and asked if I had, “extensions?” I was like, “No, it’s my real hair.” Duh! I forgot to take off my metal watch and I was frisked from top to bottom because of it. Yeah, I sure looked like a terrorist in a green sweat pants outfit. Whatever!
You know, you could theoretically take those “extensions” off and potentially CLOG A TOILET. And then you WOULD be a terrorist! A Toilet Terrorist!
Darn you!
BZ
So glad you posted this since you are in law enforcement and if TSA was any good you probably would have their back. I so dislike TSA that I am never going to fly again once I move out of Hawaii. I don’t like people going through my belongings or touching me without my permission. I distrust TSA enough that when I travel to grizzly country and would like to be armed in the back country I leave my handgun here as they might steal it.
Many of the TSA agents, don’t get me wrong, are “nice people.” But they recognize they’re doing a job no one — NOW — wants to do (i.e., physically pat people down). It doesn’t pay particularly well and some of them have, clearly, let a little power go to their heads.
Still and all, TSA does, yes, need to vanish into thin air.
BZ
I have to deal with them a couple of times a month… NOT fun…
I quit flying after I went to Florida. They insisted my camera was a dangerous weapon, in spite of it clearly being a camera. My phone had to be disassembled to clear TSA.
In the other lane, muslims with full burqas were getting wave arounds, because we certainly don’t want to offend their sensibilities.
I drive wherever I need to go now, and if I don’t have the time, then I don’t go.
I’m with you, cary.
I’ve flown once since 9-11 and only because it was a family emergency. I too have made a vow not to fly if at all possible.
I have a titanium plate in my right arm and during that last trip I tripped the alarms. After all the frisking, despite my having told them what it was tripping the alarm, the last thing they did was wand me again. After pointing out where that plate was, they wanded every place on me accept the area I pointed out to them…..After that they finally let me go. I almost missed my flight.
I’m done. But then a part of me thinks that exactly what they want.