TSA chief faces lawmakers on pat-downs, body scans

[Whoa_Nelly]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The head of the Transportation Security Administration defended his agency's security procedures Wednesday, telling lawmakers it is "using technology and protocols to stay ahead of the threat and keep you safe."

John Pistole's testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation follows a controversy that broke out over the past week about the agency's full body scans and pat-downs.

"We've adjusted our pat-down policy that is informed by the latest intelligence," Pistole told lawmakers, acknowledging that the procedures "may challenge our social norms."

<snip>
The Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties organization aligned with the Christian right, has filed suit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Pistole on behalf of two pilots who refused both a full body scan and the pat-down.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/17/airport.security/index.html

---

Much longer story at link, including responses by people who have felt violated by pat-downs.
Also, there's a video of the TSA Chief defending the agency's position

[Posteritatis]

1. Heh, "stay ahead of the threat"...

Every - every - new rule imposed on air passengers in the last nine years has been a very specific reaction to whatever the latest news freakout of the day was. Guy has bomblike object in shoes? Everyone has to take their shoes off from now on. Guy pretends to have gel-based explosives? Liquids and gels are banned except for deeply nonstandard containers, the point of which is to get people not to bother. Guy was trying to cover his lap while setting something off? Passengers aren't allowed to read on flights for awhile. PETN in printer cartridges? Printer cartridges get specifically banned from flights.

Their entire policy is about keeping one step behind any supposed threats. It's gotta be the single most reactive set of policies in the US these days.

[Populist_Prole]

4. Absolute buuls-eye. I always thought the same thing.

The idiotic reactive nature of the paranoia caught my attention years ago. Nothing proactive, let alone cerebrally systematic. My favorite metaphor I always joked about was that if a search found a knife at seat 12A, then they would single out people ticketed for seats on the left hand side of the plane.

[Posteritatis]

5. Nah, they'd just ban people whose ticket said 12A from flying.

I wonder what would happen if someone had a bomb concealed in a glass right eye. Would they ban right eyes from flights?

[HopeHoops]

2. Didn't Hitler say something about "challenging social norms"?

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Not sure about that, but did find these two quotes by Hitler

All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach
Adolf Hitler

By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise.
Adolf Hitler

Pretty much sums up the allowances by our government in giving free reign and +/- zero oversight to agencies such as the TSA.

[HopeHoops]

16. Hell, those quotes could be corporate policy at NewsCorp.

[Whoa_Nelly]

20. +1

[saigon68]

31. K & R

[saigon68]

25. Thuggish sub human sexual perverts in the TSA

[ProudDad]

6. I heard this asshole on National Propaganda Radio yesterday...

Typical waver of the shrunken heads!!! Booogida-boogida-boogida...

You'll get blown up unless we get nudie photos of your ass to put out on the interweb tubes...

What a clueless fuck...just like his boss...

[saigon68]

27. He is a subhuman thug--kind of like the guys who ran Aushwitz

[dwilso40641]

7. It would help a lot

if these administrators would submit to a full body scan or an enhanced pat down every morning when they enter the building. Maybe then they would understand.

[Bill McBlueState]

15. that might not help

The security guards are always all buddy-buddy with quasi-powerful people who work in their building. They need some douchebag yelling at them as though they're criminals to really understand what it's like.

[LibDemAlways]

8. The only thing that will restore sanity to airport security

is when enough people stop flying and the airlines' bottom line starts being seriously affected.

Pistole and Napolitano are bureaucrats who don't give a shit what the public thinks. The CEOs of the airlines have to make money for the stockholders. They do care when their profits are being "violated" and will squeal to the lawmakers. That's our only recourse folks. Opt out of flying whenever possible.

[backtomn]

12. One other (related) possibility.....

.....The law that formed the TSA allows airports to opt-out of using TSA for security.....returning to private security.....after 2 years (the law was passed in 2001). There was some word today that the Minneapolis-St.Paul airport might look at changing. Let's see if things change after the first airport opts-out.

Of course, it will be the airlines that cause this change.....but, so be it. We are not safer by patting down 80 year old grandmothers, 3 year old children, pilots and flight attendants (that have already gone through Federal background checks), and more. Did Congress ever approve this increased scrutiny of passengers?.....or does Homeland Security get to do whatever it wants........responding to the next problem of the day??

The "panty-bomber" on watch lists and his father told us that he intended to commit a terrorist act. So now, we need to be strip-searched. Yikes.

[saigon68]

26. Perverts in Quasi military make believe uniforms

Show up at work and feel old ladies privates and vaginas---Ya that's exciting !!!!!

[TorchTheWitch]

32. private security still has to comply with TSA rules

The only difference is the stripping and groping will be down by less trained, less background checked and more poorly paid agents.

[sally cat]

9. Pretty quick response by the Senate to complaints. Good for them.

[LibDemAlways]

11. Hutchinson has three major airlines headquartered in

her state. She's no doubt heard an earful from the public about how they are going to avoid flying - which has to be bad for business.

As this shit continues and more and more people choose not to fly, those same airlines are going to be looking to her to do something. Good.

[happygoluckytoyou]

10. i usually have to pay people to touch my junk... AT LEAST I SHOULD LEAVE A TIP ?

[Moonwalk]

13. Honestly, I feel very sorry for this guy. And I'm shaking my head--

--not necessarily at anyone here, but at at how many people, lawmakers included, are upset about this, and scapegoating this guy because of it.

Yes. Scapegoating. Everyone seems to think this is TSA going all Hitler and shit. It's not. This is TSA being scared for their asses. Because anytime anything happens, anything at all, they get shit for it. If they stopped the scans and tomorrow something happened on a plane, however small, Americans would scream at them, "Why did you let this happen!? What's the matter with you? You're suppose to keep this from happening!"

So. That's what they're scrambling to do. And now people whine and weep, "Body scans? Noooo! You meanies!'

Anyone, lawmakers included, who ever shouted at the airlines and government about doing something to keep people safe from terrorism is to blame for this situation. So far as I can see, we're yelling at the guy who just gave the screamers what they wanted. Now those screamers are screaming, "but it's so hard on us!"

What a bunch of wusses we are. And how very American. Like when Janet Jackson flashed her nipple. The minute we think there's going to be exposure, we freak.

Now some of us have always pointed out that no one can ever guarantee safety, even keeping us safe from each other. And some of us have decried this sort of inconvenience as an inconvenience, as well as a way of racially profiling, etc. And yes, it certainly goes with the propaganda of fear--but given the last election, that's nothing new, is it? My point is, TSA is a symptom, not a problem. And complaining about them is like complaining about getting a rash when you've got a venereal disease. The rash isn't your problem. I'd feel better if those lawmakers were seeing this "rash" and examining themselves and most of America for a venereal disease. It's pointless to rake the poor schlub trying to keep a paranoid nation happy and unafraid over the coals for going too far. Not when the paranoid nation will rake him over the coals if he doesn't go far enough.

[Iowa]

17. Bullshit...

The guy is an idiot. The Israelis know how to handle airport security; they don't do any of this stupid crap. This turkey is incompetent. And when you are incompetent, you deserve to have your sorry ass raked over the coals. Stop defending bureaucratic boobs. If we toss a few of these morons to the wolves, things will improve. The "wusses" (to use your words) are the people who make excuses for incompetent performance.

[Moonwalk]

22. Bullshit yourself. I didn't say he was competent or smart--

--I said that our lawmakers and most of America is incompetent and stupid because we react to what happens with knee-jerk responses (i.e. a bomb on a plane is found and we shout at TSA to do whatever needs be done to stop it), rather than trying to work out these things before implementing them. I guarantee you, if this had been put in place right after 9/11, those same lawmakers would be shouting down those who didn't want it with screams of "Traitor" and "Anti-American!"

I see hypocrisy in this roasting of TSA. I see it because those same lawmakers put TSA in control and have been happy to let them do what they wanted up till now. The mood changes and suddenly they're screaming. TSA isn't the disease. It's the symptom. We can treat it, but the disease (our fear of everyone and everything) will remain.

[Iowa]

24. You continue to make excuses for the incompetence at TSA...

The Israelis know how to handle airport security without doing any of this nonsense.

The TSA should be raked over the coals. They're not only thugs, they're stupid thugs.

[saigon68]

30. Double Digit IQ Morans

[rexcat]

18. Pistole told at least two lies...

The Johns Hopkins University Physics group and the FDA did not evaluate the backscatter x-ray machines for safety!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Physics group came out today or yesterday and refuted Pistole's statement. I have personal communications from the FDA and it is clear in those communications that the FDA did not do any evaluations. In fact, according to the person at the FDA who responded to my questions, stated that the machines did not have to go through any approval process.

I don't know where you are coming from when you say this guy is being made the scapegoat. He is a part of the problem. At least I am making my arguments based on facts, how about you?

[Moonwalk]

21. Last I looked, our paranoia was a fact and part of the problem...

Are you saying I'm wrong that we're not a paranoid nation voting things into being on fear and making our Lawmakers do the same? That's not a fact?

[rexcat]

23. Your opening line of feeling sorry for him...

kind of made the rest of your comments less relevant. I was responding more to your feeling sorry for him.

I agree with you on the paranoia thing. I get that but to feel sorry for him was beyond the pale for me. I don't particularly like being lied to and he just keeps stating the Obama line on airport security. He was featured in a USA Today article yesterday and it was one lie after another. The man has no shame.

[saigon68]

29. Every CROTCH GROPED one less vote for Obama

[Mayflower1]

14. Police State?

Does anyone else feel like we're living in a police state? This is some strange shiit.

[rexcat]

19. Sadly we have for some time now. nt

[saigon68]

28. Got that right