The Ron Paul 2012 web site is buzzing with even more pro-liberty/anti-tsa content than usual after future president Rand Paul was detained by the TSA today.
They cite an article at Human Events where John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation Committee said “They need to get out of the screening business and back into security. Most of the screening they do should be abandoned”.
The wildly unconstitutional TSA continue to suck out loud.
On the other hand, getting rid of 28 TSA Agents is a great start. How about a couple thousand more?
The reason they were “let go” is because they weren’t screening bags – bags were sent onto planes without being checked. Instead of playing the “If I were a terrorist” game, play the “I’m not an idiot” game and understand how important the implication is: Even the rotten TSA Agents understood that their jobs are pointless.
There is no reason to search law abiding citizens.
(CNN) — The Transportation Security Administration fired 28 of its employees — in addition to three who resigned or retired — following a probe that revealed bags were allowed onto planes at Hawaii’s Honolulu International Airport without being properly screened, the agency said Sunday.
Another 15 people were suspended, the TSA reported in a statement.
The moves come after the agency “completed the adjudication process” it had announced in June, months after the allegations first surfaced. All those terminated or suspended “have the right to appeal the decision,” according to the TSA.
The firing is believed to be one of, if not the biggest, such action in the agency’s history, with officials previously stating that it underscores they will not tolerate employees who compromise security.
In March, Honolulu’s KITV 4 News reported that TSA officers assigned to a morning shift regularly allowed checked bags to be loaded onto flights on nine daily departures without being screened for explosives. Sources told the TV station that such lapses occurred for as long as four months and involved thousands of checked bags. CNN confirmed the investigation.
TSA officers are required to screen 100% of all checked bags before they are stored in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft.
In June, agency officials said they did not know exactly how many bags were allowed onto flights without being inspected but said the lapse took place during the last four months of 2010. The TSA said after it became aware of the problem, it took steps to ensure that every bag is properly screened at the airport.
A TSA official said in June that in addition to rank-and-file screeners and some supervisors, the airport’s federal security director and assistant federal security director for screening had also received letters proposing that they lose their jobs.
“TSA holds its workforce to the highest ethical standards, and we will not tolerate employees who in any way compromise the security of the traveling public,” TSA Administrator John Pistole said then in a statement.
The TSA said it uses closed-circuit TV, random inspections, covert tests and peer and management oversight to check on the integrity of the system.
I was detained last night by federal authorities at San Francisco International Airport for refusing to answer questions about why I had travelled outside the United States.
The end result is that, after waiting for about half an hour and refusing to answer further questions, I was released – because U.S. citizens who have produced proof of citizenship and a written customs declaration are not obligated to answer questions.
* * *
“Why were you in China?” asked the passport control officer, a woman with the appearance and disposition of a prison matron.
“None of your business,” I said.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“I’m not going to be interrogated as a pre-condition of re-entering my own country,” I said.
This did not go over well. She asked a series of questions, such as how long I had been in China, whether I was there on personal business or commercial business, etc. I stood silently. She said that her questions were mandated by Congress and that I should complain to Congress instead of refusing to cooperate with her.
I have friends who say “That effing movie was awesome!!!” thinking that they’re protecting someone from a “dirty” word. It’s insanity. One immediately thinks “he means fucking”. It’s baby talk.
The biggest sin committed when saying “effing” is destroying the value of the Electronic Frontier Foundation aka The EFF. Although saying, “EFF the TSA” does actually make sense, it doesn’t mean “Fuck the TSA”, it means “Visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation online and learn how rights are being destroyed by the TSA.”
Of course, they do other awesome things such as… BRANDING THEIR OWN VERSION OF THESE HERE SECURITY EDITION CARDS!!!! YES!!!
I’ve had a few branches of the most excellent ACLU brand some cards, as well. It’s really flattering.
Funny aside… a guy I used to know got really upset with me for adding “All Criminals Love Us” as the alt tag over my ACLU link. Some peeps don’t have a sense of humor. I happen to know that several big shots in the ACLU think “All Criminals Love Us” is hilarious. You know why? Because it is.
Every religion has a place in the US. Personally, I think they are all dangerous, racist, misogynistic and utterly awful, but if you get some sort of solace out of that stuff, go hog wild.
http://myfellowamerican.us/ wants you to understand that they are just as American as any other nutty group of people who believe weird stuff.
After the WTC attacks, there were people who thought that EVERYONE who subscribes to this particular group of wackadoodles were responsible for listening to their all-powerful being in the sky and flying the planes into the buildings.
That’s like saying all atheists are as awesome as Christopher Hitchens or all Catholics are pederasts.
Don’t make that mistake. There are a few Catholics who aren’t.
John “Don’t Touch My Junk” Tyner, gets Penn Jillette and host Lawrence O’Donnell discussing Security Edition on Lawrence O’Donnel’s MSNBC show “The Last Word.”
A huge thanks to Lawrence O’Donnell & Penn Jillette for the “superpimp” of my cards. More importantly, the fact that the “Don’t Touch My Junk” guy already has a card, rules so much, I can’t think.
I’d also like to thank all of you 12 year olds out there with computers for hammering on WordPress and loading all sorts of fake virus warnings.
Though one can never be 100% sure, the site is safe. All is well. I scanned the site naked. I know.
I don’t know how or why, but the fine folks at Daring Fireball have linked me and it looks as if I may run out of cards. If I do, there will most definitely be a discounted rate.