If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
A former TSA administrator says two major changes would create better -- and less frustrating -- airport security.
An entire organization within the government is operating above the rule of law.
When it comes to the TSA, you may know less than you think.
Big changes could be coming to America's least favorite federal agency.
When you're on probation, you steer clear of trouble. You try to to avoid any appearance of impropriety and you're on your best behavior. Not the Transportation Security Administration.
As the TSA moves toward what it calls an "intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to security," maybe it's worth asking how intelligent some of its new systems really are.
No matter how often you travel, even if you are a professional like me, it's important to cover your bases before heading to the airport.
A mother has to stand and watch as her 5th grader is marched through the terminal by armed guards, put in a private examination room, then poked and prodded around his groin.
Well, they're the perfect item to plunder. They're relatively compact, they're sought-after and there's a robust, no-questions-asked market for used iPads online. Oh, and they're pretty easy to steal.
For those of you reading this who say it's unpatriotic to question the actions of an agency that stands guard against terrorism, let me ask you the following question: What if a real law enforcement agency or a branch of the military treated the civilian population like this?
Like Alan Rickman in "Die Hard" or Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men," the fine men and women of the TSA -- mostly the men, actually -- are really good at being bad.
Before 9/11, American airport screeners had a reputation for being poorly-educated and incompetent, but otherwise harmless. Now they have a reputation for being poorly-educated and incompetent, but they wear badges and call themselves "officers" and they aren't so harmless anymore.
Maybe instead of a foolish process of elimination, which still leaves a small but not insignificant risk, the government should reverse its approach. Instead of thinking of air travelers as guilty of terrorism until proven innocent, why not think of us as innocent until proven guilty?
When the agency charged with protecting America's transportation systems unplugs the last scanner and wheels it out of the airport terminal, TSA will have to answer to the American taxpayers about its latest failure.
Amy Strand's little breast pump problem is just the latest in a long line of gaffes by the men and women of the TSA. But mostly, the men.
