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TSA Removes X-Ray Body Scanners From Major Airports, But Some Will Remain {Gadling}
Oct 19th 2012 7:44PM This is worse than the puffer scandal of 2005. In eleven years taxpayers have wasted $80 billion dollars on TSA only to get worse results than before.
The scanner program should be halted immediately and TSA forced to correct the rampant problems in the current scanner program. The x-ray units pose a potential health risk and research has shown that the x-ray scanners could prove harmful to women with BRCA gene and cause a significantly heightened risk of developing cancer.
It is unbelievable that Congress would allow this outrageous waste of taxpayer funds given the current budget crisis. Millions of dollars desperately needed elsewhere are being wasted on TSA and its gadgets without improving security or the pitiful quality of TSA workers.
TSA won’t finish installing the current series of scanners for another year but are now planning to replace yet undelivered scanners Despite their lie here, they are replacing all of the 244 backscatter x-ray units at a cost of $45 million many of which are less than two years old.
The current scanners have not been independently tested and lawsuits are still pending on questions regarding their safety. TSA has not taken comment on the deployment of the current scanners despite being ordered by a court to do so before the end of 2012.
The court recently granted an extension to March 31, 2013 so that issue will not be resolved until late in 2013. No additional scanners should be bought or installed until that process is complete.
The public has no confidence in the agency and its employees have become the object of derision and ridicule worldwide. TSA has become its own worst enemy by ignoring the reality and mindlessly repeating the same propaganda and excuses.
Federalizing airport security has only produced rampant waste and crime by TSA which is far worse than anything seen in the airlines funded private screeners prior to 9/11.
Does anyone really feel safer having people who will rub stranger’s genitals in public for $15 an hour in charge of security?
In 2008 no one would have believed that people would allow a stranger to view a naked image of their child or permit the equivalent of a mall cop to rub their child’s privates in the middle of an airport. There were no hijackings between 2002 and 2009 without these punitive measures and they aren’t necessary now.
TSA is beyond salvage and must be replaced. There is far too much public animosity and history of abuses, failures and crimes to ever make this agency reputable.
TSA Seeks Comment on 'Identity-Based' Screening {AOL Travel News}
Mar 21st 2011 7:46PM TSA states they pat down 2% of passengers. At 2 million flyers per day, that is 40,000, ten-minute pat downs every day. This means 14.5 million pat downs per year. Their indifference toward passenger privacy and safety is demonstrated in fact that with the time spent frisking 40,000 innocent passengers every day, they did not bother to commit even one day to checking the scanner safety data.
The only interest of this bloated and corrupt agency is growing the size of its budget. There have been ten TSA employees arrested or convicted for crimes ranging from theft from passengers to drug trafficking and attempted rape in the last four months and likely many others that were covered up. No doubt unionizing these criminals will improve safety, their safety from prosecution.
TSA nor Congress care if passengers die as the result of scanner radiation exposure so long as a portion the scanner profits are funneled back into the campaigns of the elected officials, both Democrat and Republican, who fund their bloated organization.
Things to get worse until there is a concerted effort demanding reform of TSA.
Alaska Democrat Heads to Washington to Fight TSA Pat-Downs {AOL Travel News}
Mar 13th 2011 2:36PM TSA is an arrogant and misguided agency whose only interest is self preservation.
There have been countless reports of similarly disgusting gropings, or as Rep Cissna puts it "feel ups", of everyday citizens. This includes those with disabilities, pregnant women, breast cancer survivors, celebrities, women wearing sanitary napkins and anyone who some screener decides to harass.
Aside from the strip searches and gropings, TSA has established an impressive resume of criminal conduct, failures, safety violations and other abuses. They steal from passengers, irradiate them with untested and unsafe equipment, traffic in drugs, let weapons through security and run afoul of real law enforcement when off duty.
In the past four weeks alone they have added ten new accomplishments to their already impressive record of crimes, failures and abuses.
Frisking of a 9 year-old and his family in Savannah after they got off a train
TSA’s failure to find a handgun five times at a DFW checkpoint
A Buffalo TSO arrested for drug trafficking,
Three box cutters that made it aboard an aircraft at JFK
An unticketed deranged passenger that made it through security despite not having a ticket
Twenty-seven screeners in HNL under investigation for failure to screen bags for four months
A Newark TSO arrested for impersonating a police officer
Another Newark TSO convicted of stealing $39,000 from passengers
A JFK TSO and Manger arrested for the theft of $160,000 from passengers baggage
The revelation of errors in 30% of scanner radiation reports that TSA hadn’t checked since they began using them on passengers in October
TSA Considering Major Airport Security Shakeup {AOL Travel News}
Mar 3rd 2011 7:03PM Pistole is absolutely shameless. He is an abject liar and responsible for this disaster posing as a security agency. He presides over criminals and perverts and yet has the gall to offer up self congratulation. He belongs in jail along with Napolitano and their accomplice Peter King.
When will someone in Congress act to get this agency under control? This situation has become so bad that States such as NH are resorting to local legislation to protect their citizens from this agency. It is imperative that TSA becomes focused on effective security and stop engaging in these absurd and unduly intrusive theatrics. This continued misdirection of resources are providing an open invitation for another 9/11 style tragedy.
The incessant reports of security lapses, crimes and abuses are a dire warning that there will be consequences for pursuing theater at the expense of security. There have been six reports of TSA failure and abuse in the past week alone!
• The Rep Cissna incident in Seattle where she refused to expose a breast prosthetic.
• The frisking of a 9 year-old and his family in Savannah after they got off of a train
• The TSA failure to find a handgun five times at a DFW checkpoint/
• The Buffalo TSO was arrested for drug trafficking,
• Three box cutters that made it aboard an aircraft at JFK this weekend.
• The 27 screeners under investigation in HNL (3% of staff) for failure to screen bags.
In the past four months one teen has died, there have been four arrests or convictions for TSO theft from passengers, thousands of groping and theft complaints and five incidents of weapons getting through security. What will TSA accomplish in twelve months?
When will Congress act to get this agency under control? The TSA situation has become so bad that States such as NH, NJ, and CA are resorting to local legislation to protect their citizens from this agency. It is distressing that State and local governments must resort to their own measures to protect passengers from abuses by the Federal government that is charged with protecting citizen civil and human rights.
It is imperative that TSA becomes focused on effective security and cease these absurd and unduly intrusive theatrics. These misguided policies and waste of resources are providing an open invitation for another 9/11 style tragedy. These reports are a dire warning that TSA is making us more vulnerable and are responsible for more crimes than they have prevented.
