Comments on: TSA is secretly watching you

By: ashley

ashley — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:13:34 +0000

What would you do if they were watching

By: ashley

ashley — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:12:18 +0000

sometimes there are people watching and you dont know yet but then you will see the some person every day but you that hey are not watching when they are.

By: Sandra Kunz

Sandra Kunz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:18:25 +0000

I think that behavioral profiling is a much better way to detect problems rather that the mindless screening that goes on. I think that behavioral profiling is much more effective and less prejudicial than racial profiling. I’ve seen old ladies in wheelchairs and mothers with babies and toddlers being harassed by less than smart TSA agents, as well as anyone who looks slightly Middle Eastern. That sort of thing does not make us safer. If you have nothing to hide, what is your problem with behavior profiling? The Israelis have used it successfully for years. Someone profiled Richard Reid,”the shoe bomber” but was ignored by the airlines. That could have ended in disaster. I personally feel much safer with profilers who can target certain behaviors……. or do you think that removing our shoes ensures our safety?

By: Nancy Miller

Nancy Miller — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:38:45 +0000

like Marilyn, a self-described “caucasion senior overweight grandmother with mobility problems”, i’ve been “special-searched” a number of times – for a while there it seemed that i was always chosen ‘randomly’ for the tardis-like puffer booth – i thought it was because i am so patently NOT your cliche terrorist (white-haired caucasian lady dressed fairly conservatively and well-traveled enough to know the drill blindfolded) that they chose me out of reverse discrimination

i’m very troubled by the results reported in the article – people arrested for every conceivable reason except the one that caused the TSA to be created – unbelievable that Fourth Amendment rights protecting us from unreasonable searches and seizures can be trampled without much of a whimper – Big Brother is indeed watching!

By: Ituri

Ituri — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:23:53 +0000

I find it difficult to fly. I would drive across the country to see my family if I could get enough time for the 7-8 days necessary on the road, plus the visit. Why? Because flying is STRESSFUL.

Don’t whine at me that flying is fun, or easy, or safer than driving, or any of that. Many, many people find it incredibly stressful and overbearing, and yes, we know that a good deal of the security is for show and that it can and does go on power trips.

I’ve a minor neurological disorder that produces nervous symptoms and makes it so that I can’t process adreneline well, which only enhances those symptoms. I get stressed, my nerves fray, and there is squat I can do to stop it. So what happens when I fly? Of course, like clockwork, I’m chosen for more “screening.” I’ve been asked to partially strip so many times I’ve lost count. Can’t tell you how stressful that all is, especially anticipating it all, all while wondering “Will they be nice this time or will they be cruel and insensitive? If they drop me from the flight, will I be able to get a refund this time?”

Not once have they ever found contraband, I always try to follow their ‘orders’, and I’ve even tried to explain my neurological disorder to them. I get empty stares because the name is not well known, and I’ve been told more than once that I’m “making it up.”

I’m not ranting for no reason, I’m trying to make the point that people do not always act nervous or jumpy because they are hiding something. I get the point of airport security, but its gotten to the point where I simply can’t fly, and I know I’m not the only person around with issues that do NOT equate to “I’m a drug trafficking terrorist.”

With all the efforts being JUSTIFIED (yes, justified) to “catch terrorists,” I wonder how many people have given up on flying altogether? How long will we justify punishing innocent travelers in the search for “terrorists?” Since when did we allow private companies to decide which of our rights are appliable to them? Should I have to bring a doctors note concerning my private medical issues to convince people on a power trip that I’m NOT a terrorist or hiding something?

Sorry for the length…

By: Nobody

Nobody — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:42:41 +0000

So, would an Army major from Fort Hood ever get secondary screening?

Here lie 14
From an avowed traitor
Who exhibited all the signs
But to the wrong bureaucracy
RIP
Nobody was Faster

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:47:22 +0000

I worked a flight to Belfast in the early 80′s. Talk about thorough security procedures. As a crewmember I was taken into an area and frisked physically. And, worked a flight into Tel Aviv as well. Many, many layers of security there. Within the terminal and on the ramp. Had to be there HOURS before departure.
I believe El-Al is the only carrier that has missile avoidance techonology on it’s aircraft as well.

By: TSA faces new limits on screening “unrelated to transportation security”

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:17:18 +0000

[...] I mentioned in an earlier post TSA is discovering illegal goods, weapons, stashed bottles of liquids, corkscrews, drugs, folk [...]

By: Patricia

Patricia — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:53:15 +0000

I have flown on El-Al, the Israeli airline, several times and felt so very secure. They actually board their own planes here in the States with armed guards right there. Before you board, you are asked all kinds of questions, like: Where are you going in Israel? Who do you know there? What are you going to do there? Etc. When you come back, they grill you on the other end. with: Who have you talked to here? Did you visit anyone in their home? Did you buy anything? What did you buy? What did you do yesterday morning? When are you coming back? Who are you traveling with? Where are you going in the US? Do you have relatives here in Israel? … and more….

They made me nervous but we had been told by the tour agency that we should just answer the questions and let it be. The first time I went, my husband stayed here, and when we landed, I got a bad asthma attack. They took me to the back and gave me a breathing treatment with a nebulizer. They were totally so nice to me and made me feel very welcome in their country.

By: Max

Max — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:22:08 +0000

@Catherine: “wondered what kind of observation I would get if I went through security in regular clothes and then disappeared into the rest room to put on my full length hijab and face veil … want to bet that I would be suddenly profiled?”

Actually, Catherine, IMHO, no one would probably notice. If they did,
you would esentially be forced to admit you staged a scene in order to create the impression of religious profiling where one didn’t exist. Anyone who shows up in one pair of clothing at the airport and then changes into a totally new outfit in the bathroom, should be suspect.
I don’t want to hear the excuses about buisness suites either. Normal people show up in the same clothes they plan to travel in. Those trying to cause a scene don’t.Your thought exercise proves nothing to me other than you’re uncomfortable with the fact that suspicous behavior warrants investigation, and are potentially paranoid about your being profiled based on your religion. Perhaps you should take issue with the terrorists who highjacked Islam, not the majority of people trying to protect you and do their jobs.