|
|
Post by doctork on May 21, 2011 10:25:20 GMT -5
I thought maybe I would start an exclusive TSA thread, so you can identify it in advance in case you don't want to read about it. Now TSA is overseeing high school proms! www.kob.com/article/stories/S2122102.shtml?cat=504Where are the parents of these students? Why aren't they objecting to government goons feeling up their children? One girl was forced to show the goon her bra and remove the underwire in order to prove it was not explosive or containing alcohol. I had heard about this from one of my colleagues at work (but I didn't believe it until I saw the newspaper story), as she lives in New Mexico and was aware that the TSA has now begun supervising waaaayyyy outside their transportation mandate, which is to prevent WEI (weapons, explosives, incendiaries) from being brought aboard commercial aircraft. Most Americans think TSA is not a problem for them because they don't fly. Well, TSA is showing up regularly at bus stations, train stations, subways, interstate truck stops, the Super Bowl, and now high school proms. I may have to refresh my research on what other country I can live in, as I do not care for The Police State we are becoming. Or maybe if I do the "Tiny House Thing," I can live off the grid and drop below the feds' radar screen. I'd have to quit flying though, not sure that is possible. Well of course it is so long as I do not fly to, from or within the US. BTW - the conversation Pat and I were having about TSA was concerning the fact that the TSA had refused to accept her US Passport Card as the required "government issued picture ID." I have had a TSO refuse my US Passport Book as inadequate ID, demanding instead to see my Washington State driver license (which is not "real ID" according to AZ). Pat's episode was at PHX, mine at SEA - I swear some of these TSA employees are dumber than rocks if they do not know that a US passport is a government issued ID. Sadly I expected more, even though I do not approve of the TSA. If we are going to endure them, could they at least be trained to find more than 20% of WEI headed for airplanes before they start checking "junk" at high school proms? I am the person on the plane - I really don't want it to be blown up. |
|
|
|
Post by joew on May 21, 2011 14:34:53 GMT -5
Just when you thought it couldn't get any more ridiculous!
|
|
|
|
Post by BoatBabe on May 21, 2011 15:32:25 GMT -5
Good luck in finding a country that is less of a "Police State."
|
|
|
|
Post by gailkate on May 22, 2011 10:01:36 GMT -5
Am I missing something? I think that, in response to the girls' suit, the TSA is being called in to oversee the searches so that they will be professional and less intrusive. We all know that TSA searches aren't the model of thoughtful propriety, but apparently the amateurs are worse. What strikes me is that high schools think they have to search their students before letting them into the prom. Good grief, is that what it's like out there these days? I know I'm naive, but do we really have to fear a suicide bomber at every school dance? And do the kids carry weapons to fight among themselves?  The hip flask at dances goes back at least as far as the '20s, and I wouldn't do more than cursory searching for those. As long as the driving home part is covered, underage drinking is a rite of passage. It'll happen, some kids will regret their behavior, such is growing up. We should worry more about whether they can pass a simple American history test or find China on a map. |
|
|
|
Post by joew on May 22, 2011 11:23:16 GMT -5
Gailkate, you read the newspaper more carefully than I did. I agree with you that the the searches are excessive, no matter who's doing them, and I also think it goes beyond the authority of the TSA to become involved in this sort of thing.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on May 22, 2011 12:04:37 GMT -5
I think these searches are too invasive anywhere, for any reason - with the exception of searches of prisoners, or suspects who are arrested by law enforcement with probable cause, before they are admitted to the prison/jail environment. That makes sense to me. Searching every teen who wants to go to prom, or every airline passenger who wants/needs to travel by air, by either examining nude photographs or feeling up of breasts/groin/genitalia, does not make sense, and IMHO is a violation of our constitutional rights.
Where do suppose the searches the girl objects to got their idea about rubdowns that are supposed to involve using the back of the hand to sweep the above mentioned "bad touch" areas? It sounds to me as though it came straight from the TSA handbook. TSA is creating the mindset that such searches prior to any everyday activity in order "to be sure you/we are safe" are acceptable, and we citizens should cooperate.
There is never a way to insure we are safe, and even if these brain-dead parents, students, and high school authorities have a belief or wish "to ensure safety," hiring of TSA employees is way out of line. The TSA charter is to (attempt to) prevent WEI from reaching the airport's sterile area; they have no business at a high school prom.
I certainly agree that high schools should pay more attention to history and geography, and less attention to checking breasts and genitalia of those students attending prom. And TSA should focus on finding WEI before they are placed on commercial aircraft; right now they are as high as 80% - 100% failures. After securing aircraft, they may consider "advancing" to trains, buses, subways and truck stops if we permit that (I hope we don't), as those are indeed "transportation." Unless the prom is held on an airplane inside the airport secure area, it is not "transportation" related.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Jun 21, 2011 23:40:18 GMT -5
So much for "If you don't like it, don't fly." This is from the liberal/left-wing "Mother Jones" but note that is is linked to more conservative/right-wing "Drudge Report": motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/...systems-yearlyAlthough the TSA cannot detect more than 20 - 30% of weapons being brought onto airplanes by passengers, they have asked for more money and more personnel so they can expand their existing operations that include searching subways, buses, trucks, trains, ferries and even private passenger vehicles. You all notice I am not posting from Gitmo, so you can deduce I was not arrested two weekends ago when I traveled by air to CLT. I was threatened with arrest for stating that I thought in the US we still have the First Amendment which allows for free speech. Nothing incendiary or rude - I just asked when she used euphemisms such as "touching sensitive areas until meeting resistance" if she meant she would be rubbing my breasts and touching my labia through my clothing. She was upset that I used accurate anatomical terminology, called a supervisor, who said she was going to call a police officer because I was "obstructing the screening process." I said, please do call a police officer, as I was willing to cooperate with the screening process, but I would like to be informed what would happen (which is allegedly the TSA SOP), so I would be fine with having a policeman observe the exam. At that point they caved, no peace officer was called, and the TSO did a very cursory pat down, then let me enter the "secure area." I would not look forward to enduring this every time I board a train or subway or city bus each day to go to work. And surely big rig truckers would not appreciate such delays when they have rigorous time deadlines to meet. |
|
|
|
Post by joew on Jun 22, 2011 21:02:26 GMT -5
One can dream that attempting to search subways, buses, trucks, trains, ferries and even private passenger vehicle will prove to be so impracticable, except on a random and exceptional basis that people will finally decide that the system is ineffective. I mean, if they try to be as thorough with train and subway travelers or cars on highways as they are at airports, the outcry from the public will force Congress to rein them in. So all they'll be able to do is make useless security theater with worthless spot checks.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Jun 23, 2011 9:06:36 GMT -5
My new hero: Rand Paul!! Who'd a thunk it?
But yesterday when the Senate hearing took testimony from John Pistole (head of TSA), Paul said to Pissy: You're clueless.
Sadly Joe, it's all security theater. TSA has not caught a single terrorist, though it has missed most pax with weapons who could be terrorists. Good news - either they were not terrorists, or the passengers and crew stopped them from their crimes.
Imagine what we could do if the $10 billion wasted yearly on TSA was spent on real security - arrest the bad guys before they get to the airport, inspect all cargo for explosives, check all the airport employees who have free access to the secure area to be sure they are not smuggling weapons or drugs, and stealing pax' possessions.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheDude on Jun 23, 2011 12:04:56 GMT -5
Really, now, Doctork . . .
(First of all, thank you for not making this "exclusive" TSA thread so "exclusive" that I can't feel good about posting the words that follow . . .)
So . . .
(Now that we agree on that) . . .
Isn't all of this "TSA [stuff][alt. spelling shit]" simply a viable, minimally intrusive, sample of the CCC/WPA for The New Millenium (with Twitter and Facebook and Ipads, etc.)?
Isn't the entire [TSA Experiment/Public Response, to] a just and simple way for "The Government" to "create jobs"?
(While simultaneously cutting the unemployment rate of the "rub up against people on the subway" demographic in anticipation of the temporary troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq)?
Isn't The Economy--especially the "stimulating, thereof" part--more important--in a Social Planning Context--than the out-dated, prudish, puritanical, personal boundaries of one's own (selfish) person's body?
I look forward to that glorious day--perhaps only a couple of years down the road!--when all of us will be feeling each other up for a Government Paycheck and making sure that my/our/your "Work Partner" isn't a "Terrorist" . . . =)
Why . . .
Any right-thinking--or even Left-Thinking, if you stop to think about it--person has to agree. Really: It's not "optional". Get used to it.
Why . . .
It may even be possible that washing each others' shirts could be thrown in for good measure! (Not actually for the purpose of cleaning the other person's clothes, but to surreptitiously check for bombs and weapons and stuff like that there . . .)
If we don't have Jobs Creation Programs like this, how are we possibly going to keep up the interest payments to China?
(After all, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Etc. and so forth can only do so much in this regard . . . The American People need to buy into the concept of The War on Foreign Forclosure and it begins with the TSA. Well . . . Doesn't it?)
Why . . ?
"Because We Love You." (c/o Walt D)
([and]...we are from "The Government"--Janet Reno =)
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Jun 23, 2011 22:11:02 GMT -5
It is indeed a jobs creation program, but not such a great one - it's only 65,000 jobs, though 5,000 of them are "managerial jobs" paying more than $100,000 per year.
It is also a wonderful job opportunity for thieves, sex offenders, and child molesters - where else can they be paid handsomely to ply their trades without even a GED? Most other employers discriminate against them once their criminal background is discovered. (Oh wait, TSA doesn't actually discover their criminal backgrounds, despite the alleged thorough checks)
The main job benefit goes to Michael Chertoff (former head of DHS) who now makes millions pushing the worthless Nude-O-Scope machines. And Nappy and Pissy who have been promoted way beyond their level of competence.
I hope there are adults in there somewhere who are doing real security.
|
|
|
|
Post by joew on Jun 29, 2011 13:53:15 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Jun 29, 2011 21:52:07 GMT -5
Good for Jonah for speaking out! This is not really a right-left, or conservative-liberal issue, and many on all sides of the political spectrum are offended by this TSA travesty. And all should be offended by the repeated lies told by the TSA, including its head, John Pistole. I am astounded that a law enforcement professional (he is former FBI) lies under oath with impunity before Congress. I did not observe the strip search of the 95 year old leukemia patient, but I have read enough by those who either were there, or who have had similar experiences, to believe that the woman's diaper was indeed removed, despite the official story to the contrary. This is the reason the TSA wants to do the searches in a private room - no one else is there to monitor or limit the nature of the search, or prevent such abuses. And no cameras - so it won't wind up on YouTube for all to see. |
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Jul 2, 2011 10:28:48 GMT -5
I have difficulty with 1) keeping up with all the TSA abuses, and 2) posting links (an issue with my laptop), but I'll give this a try. Fisher 1949 and Lisa Simeone are keeping track:
Travel Underground: Safety & Security has a thread "Master Lists of of TSA Abuses and Crimes"
Maybe one of you can post a direct link. You may note a familiar story on Lisa's list; she mentions that SkiAdcock talked to "someone" at SMD2 who related how the TSA checkpoint "security" agent had checked inside her underwear both front and back. That TSA idiot (is that redundant? No, I have met a couple of nice TSO's) just had to be certain there were no explosives hidden in my butt crack or pubic hair!
Now is the perfect time for some GK fart humor. I need to learn to fart on command for these "inspections." I should probably feast on bean burritos shortly before any air travel. Nah, that would be unfair to my seatmates on the plane...
And that brings to mind Dana Lyons' "Cows well hung" who pissed in the cops' eyes. That is for the other gender however.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Jul 28, 2011 22:04:57 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by gailkate on Aug 2, 2011 9:20:28 GMT -5
It continues to be a truly confounding problem. However, I don't think personal attacks via bodily functions can be justified or do the cause any good.  The essay by the Cato Institute guy is more troubling. Libertarian arguments have become more and more suspect to me - their defense of personal liberty tends to mean their own freedom to do whatever the hell they want. (One of its founders was the Koch of Koch Industries, exploiter extraordinaire.) How do we balance the good of the whole against the rights of individuals? For example, the argument that the underwear bomber couldn't really have done crippling damage to the airliner over Detroit only means his expertise was crude. The point is that he got the makings of a bomb past security. Further, the people in adjoining seats might not accept being seriously/fatally burned as a normal flight risk. It's ok if a few people are burned or maimed or die of heart attacks so long as the plane lands in one piece? I'll be curious to see how the supposedly improved scanners perform. |
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Aug 2, 2011 10:56:51 GMT -5
The scanners aren't really improved at all - just the images are converted into a cartoon figure with a mark at any suspect spots (the actual nude picture remains in the machine). Undecided is whether only the suspect areas will be "resolved" (that means groped), or whether the pax will get the full monty. Or whether all US citizens should be subject to nude X-ray images or groping of breasts and genitalia in order to board a flight.
The ATR scanners (ones with cartoon figures) have been in use in Europe for years. At Amsterdam's Schipol Airport they are used mainly for US-bound flights or for other flights where there is reasonable suspicion or probable cause about a particular passenger. Germany has abandoned the scanners as worthless, too many false positives. Canada bans them for children under 12 because the images are deemed child pornography. Israel doesn't use them at all, and their security experts think our TSA management are fools.
The GAO in its technology review has stated that the Nude-O-Scope probably would not have caught the "underwear bomber." Testers routinely carry guns through the AIT scanners without being caught; these are guns that would have been caught with the metal detector. It is also easy for a suicide bomber to hide an explosive inside a body cavity. I personally am not ready for pelvic and rectal exams prior to boarding, and I suspect most other Americans also are opposed.
As for bodily functions, there are many Americans who cannot control these - babies in diapers, elderly or neurologically ailing Americans with loss of control, people with ostomies. BTW - Tom Sawyer, whose ostomy bag was deliberately damaged by TSA a few few months ago, requiring him to board his flight soaked in urine, had to endure the exact same thing again last week. This was at the same airport, same TSA crew, and after John Pistole had called him personally and assured him that the TSA staff would be "re-trained" so as not to violate ostomy patients. The TSA simply begs for these incidents.
I think that the terrorists should not be getting to the airport in the first place (thanks to police, CIA, FBI, etc). The underwear bomber and the shoe bomber were both identified as threats long before their failed attempts, but they were allowed on the planes anyway. In the case of the underwear bomber, it appears that he was enabled by US government agents to board without proper documents.
I won't discard all Libertarian (or Republican or Democratic or Constitutional) principles just because one, or some, individuals who espouse them are suspect. Our constitution still contains the statement that a black man (slave) is equal to 3/5 of a white man, and women don't count at all.
In a free society there can be no guarantee of safety. Just read the newspaper. Our obsessive fixation with aircraft security from "bad guy" pax (which security has already been greatly increased by reinforced cockpit doors and better awareness of crew and pax) deflects our attention from many other greater risks.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Aug 5, 2011 20:28:53 GMT -5
This one is truly a criminal act, confiscating a pregnant woman's insulin. Removing insulin from a pregnant patient can be lethal to both mother and especially the baby. And if not lethal, it can readily cause permanent damage to the fetus. www.thedenverchannel.com/news...12/detail.htmlHere's the AOL version of the report, and at this point there are 246 comments, about 90% against the TSA. The "anything for security" crowd is slowly getting outnumbered. We all want to be secure in the air, but even the TSA website specifically notes that insulin and syringes are allowed, as are all other medications, in any amount/quantity. TSA Agents Confiscate Pregnant Woman's Insulin by AOL Travel Staff Subscribe to AOL Travel Staff's postsPosted Aug 5th 2011 04:00 PM 246 comments TSA Agents Confiscate Pregnant Woman's Insulin TSA agents confiscated a pregnant woman's insulin at Denver International Airport, prompting her and her husband to file a formal complaint with the agency, reports ABC 7 News. The woman, who asked to remain nameless, was headed to Phoenix for her baby shower on Thursday when she was stopped by airport security. "He's like, 'Well, you're a risk.' I'm like, 'Excuse me?' And he's like, 'This is a risk ... I can't tell you why again. But this is at risk for explosives,'" she told ABC 7 – this despite the fact she had a doctor's note and had correctly labeled the medication. She was, however, able to get through security with a bottle of nail polish, hair spray bottles and syringes. Her husband, Aaron Nieman, talked to ABC 7 and said, "It made me feel upset and made me feel somewhat helpless." The unnamed woman has since arranged for additional insulin to be delivered to her in Arizona. The TSA would not comment on this specific case. According to the TSA website, passengers "may bring all prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including petroleum jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes." There is no limit on the amount of these materials that may be carried on, but quantities over three ounces must be declared to a TSA official. Additionally, insulin is specifically listed on the website as being allowed through security. The TSA has been in hot water lately for its handling of passengers with medical concerns. In July, TSA agents soaked a man in his own urine – for the second time. And, in June, screeners forced a 95-year-old woman to remove her adult diaper. |
|
|
|
Post by joew on Aug 9, 2011 12:22:05 GMT -5
One problem may be that the agents are unable to admit that they have made a mistake. Once they have said something, no amount of reasoning and explanation will get them to change their decree. I think this is how it is with many front line police officers as well. No matter how well founded, any attempt to suggest that they should handle a situation differently is perceived as a threat to their authority.
Another may be that they have bought into the nonsense that anybody could be a terrorist and everybody is equally likely to be one.
A third may be that some of them are sadists.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Aug 9, 2011 20:45:09 GMT -5
I think you are correct on all counts joew, plus I'd add that in addition to sadists, a disproportionate share of TSO's are perverts or pedophiles. Not all of them of course, but quite a few.
Certainly some police officers are also of the mentality that they make no mistakes (or at least don't admit them). But they are held accountable, either by their bosses or in a court of law, while the TSA has so far evaded most court challenges.
Police officers are not allowed to do the sort of examinations that TSA does hundreds of thousands of times daily - taking nude photos, or feeling breasts and labia/testicles/penises, looking & feeling inside peoples' underwear. The only time police do that is when a person is already arrested for a crime and is being booked into jail; at that point there is plenty of "probable cause" or reasonable suspicion of a crime more serious than buying an airline ticket.
Law enforcement officers have generally earned their badges the hard way, and many put their lives on the line daily. I respect that, even on those occasions when I suspect they might be looking for "contempt of cop" as an excuse to harass some citizen. I do not respect TSA bullies and ignorami.
|
|
|
|
Post by liriodendron on Oct 26, 2011 19:52:42 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Oct 26, 2011 22:03:59 GMT -5
Who was it that said of the TSA, "If you want to professionalize, you have to federalize"?
Highly professional to leave smart-ass notes in the baggage, huh? If I were that woman, I'd toss the item after finding the note - who knows what the sleazy TSO has done with it. Of course, you have to wonder about a "professional who wants to handle someone else's vibrator in the first place...
I thought most of those TSO's work the baggage X-ray in order to identify the "good stuff" that they want to steal and then fence. This one is too stoopid to steal!
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Oct 29, 2011 14:51:19 GMT -5
In a surprising move, TSA has identified the "officer" who searched attorney Filipovic's checked bag and placed the inappropriate note, and has initiated action necessary to fire the employee, which is not an easy task in federal service ranks.
I suspect this has something to do with the recipient of the note being an attorney, and the fact that Presidential candidate Ron Paul, and Representative John Mica (R-FL) having recently highly publicized their dissatisfaction with TSA and its incompetency.
Interestingly, Jill Flipovic comments:
"The note was inappropriate, the agent in question acted unprofessionally when s/he put in my bag, there should be consequences and I'm glad the TSA takes these things seriously. But I get no satisfaction in hearing that someone may be in danger of losing their job over this. I would much prefer a look at why 'security' has been used to justify so many intrusions on our civil liberties, rather than fire a person who made a mistake."
Amen, sister! The employee was wrong, but the problem is much larger than one unprofessional employee
|
|
|
|
Post by joew on Oct 29, 2011 16:07:58 GMT -5
… Interestingly, Jill Flipovic comments: "The note was inappropriate, the agent in question acted unprofessionally when s/he put in my bag, there should be consequences and I'm glad the TSA takes these things seriously. But I get no satisfaction in hearing that someone may be in danger of losing their job over this. I would much prefer a look at why 'security' has been used to justify so many intrusions on our civil liberties, rather than fire a person who made a mistake." Amen, sister! The employee was wrong, but the problem is much larger than one unprofessional employee Perhaps some good will come from a firing if it gets TSA employees worrying about possible consequences for doing things they shouldn't while they inspect passengers' luggage. |
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Oct 29, 2011 17:16:58 GMT -5
I hope something good will come of this, but I am dubious. After all, TSA officials initially tried to claim the incident was a fabrication on Monday, and only admitted there might be some validity when the story hit the worldwide headlines (yes, it was in newspapers in Australia and the UK, as well as Canada), the incriminating TSA "Advice of Inspection" notice surfaced, and either the videocam or a coworker proved who done it.
Most of the time, these (very common) events are denied, or if undeniable, then the offender is "retrained." The TSO who illegally carried a loaded gun to work, the TSO in Buffalo who was bribed to carry drugs past the checkpoint for drug dealers, the 36 screeners in Honolulu who did no screening for 3 months while "at work" - all were not disciplined at all or were re-instated after filing appeals.
In general the TSA culture fosters this behavior, and management is so poor from the top to the bottom that there is no accountability whatsoever.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Nov 2, 2011 9:33:43 GMT -5
Another TSA employee found with child pornography. I am still having trouble with my computer copying address links, but the summary by Fisher1949 is probably enough on its own for you to find the source if you really want to. I find this very disturbing - 10 child pornographers at TSA so far this year, despite the alleged "thorough background checks" done prior to hire. (It's reported that TSA hires the people - often from ads on pizza boxes - and checks their backgrounds when they get around to it, often as long as a year later.) And note two of the incidents have been at the Orlando airport, home of DisneyWorld, and which airport has a very high proportion of kids traveling. I can imagine the ads in the child porn mags and newspapers, and articles in the NAMBLA publications: "Dream Job for Men Who Love Boys." The TSA has been trumpeting of alleged modifications for "pat downs" of children under 12, but reports from the field indicates they have not changed at all, other than at some airports children do not have to take off their shoes. TSA perverts can still feel up the kids' crotches, buttocks and breasts. //Another TSA employee faces child porn charges Former OIA (MCO) TSA employee faces child porn charges www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,7575799.story It is curious that the crimes occurred while he was working as a screener for TSA but he was terminated prior to his arrest. It appears that TSA may have known about the crimes but failed to notify police.This is the tenth screener arrested this year for child sex crimes and the second one from MCO. This is particularly disturbing since MCO serves Disney World and there is higher percentage of children passing through that airport than most others. The complete list is below. Former OIA (MCO) TSA employee faces child porn charges An Orange County man faces child porn charges, records show, stemming from images authorities say he possessed while working as a TSA employee at Orlando International Airport. A Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said that Paul David Rains, 62, no longer works for the agency, as of Monday. He was arrested at his home on Havasu Drive about 1:30 p.m. Records show a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent investigating suspected child-porn distribution in Orange County served a search warrant at Rains' home on Aug. 3. www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,7575799.story Md. TSA Agent Charged With Child Porn A Transportation Security Administration security officer is out on bail after he was arrested and charged with child pornography. Michael Scott Wilson, 41, has been suspended from his job following the arrest. Wilson was charged Monday with possession and distribution of child pornography after agents searched his Perry Hall home. www.wbaltv.com/news/29447697/detail.htmlTSA Agent Charged With Statutory Rape A TSA agent has been arrested in Rutherford County on charges of statutory rape. Clifton Lyles was arrested by U.S. Marshals Tuesday night, following a grand jury indictment. Lyles worked at Nashville International Airport. Details about what led to his arrest were not released. His bond was set at $10,000. www.wtvf.com/story/15510568/t...statutory-rapeFormer TSA employee faces child pornography charge A Beverly man and former TSA employee arrested on child pornography charges appeared in federal court on Friday. Andrew W. Cheever, 33, appeared before on a complaint charging him with possession of child pornography. www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/...harge-20110902DA charges Spring Creek TSA Screener with Lewdness & Child Molestation The Elko County Sheriff’s Office was notified in July of possible sexual contact between David Ralph Anderson, 61, and a girl younger than 14. Anderson allegedly taught the victim about various sexual acts and had sexual contact in the form of touching each other’s genitals. Anderson, who is a TSA employee according to Elko County Jail records, is being held on $250,000 bail. elkodaily.com/news/local/arti...#ixzz1WFsKaz7Celkodaily.com/news/local/arti...cc4c002e0.htmlTSA employee accused of kidnap, assault A TSA employee remained hospitalized today after being accused of kidnapping a young female in Atlanta, then taking her to his Hogansville residence and sexually assaulting her. Randall Scott King, whose age and street address were not given, abducted the woman Wednesday evening from a MARTA parking lot in southwest Atlanta, police said. lagrangenews.com/view/full_st...idnap--assaultPHL TSA Screener Charged with Child Pornography A passenger screener at Philadelphia International Airport is facing charges that he distributed more than 100 images of child pornography via Facebook, records show. Federal agents also allege that Transportation Safety Administration Officer Thomas Gordon Jr. of Philadelphia, who routinely searched airline passengers, uploaded explicit pictures of young girls to an Internet site on which he also posted a photograph of himself in his TSA uniform. nation.foxnews.com/tsa/2011/0...#ixzz1WFtnfBewnation.foxnews.com/tsa/2011/0...ld-pornographyOrlando TSA agent arrested for molestation A TSA agent has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor after police say he tried to keep a girl as a sex slave. Police arrested 57-year-old Charles Bennett of Winter Garden on Friday. A 15-year-old girl was the one who reported him to police. According to reports from the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Orange County Jail, the 15-year-old victim confided in her caregivers that Bennett had touched her inappropriately three years ago when she was 12. She says he also asked the young girl to be his "sex slave," an accusation investigators say Bennett admitted to in a written statement to police. www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news...r_molestation-www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfhJJdmRXkQTSA Agent Arrested for Rape in Londonderry NH A TSA employee who worked at Manchester Boston Regional Airport has been arrested on five counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, according to police. Police arrested Dwayne Valerio, 44, at his 192 Rockingham Road home on Friday, March 18, according to Lt. Robert Michaud. Police released few details on what led to his arrest, citing the alleged victim's age. "The victim is a juvenile," he said. www.eagletribune.com/latestne...th-sex-assaultwww.eagletribune.com/newhamps...325/Police-LogLogan employee accused of raping 14-year-old girl A Transportation Security Administration worker at Logan International Airport is accused of assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Sean Shanahan, 45, of Winthrop is being held on $50,000 cash bail following his arraignment in East Boston District Court. He is charged with statutory rape, enticement of a child and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. www1.whdh.com/news/articles/l...ston/BO137343/www1.whdh.com/news/articles/l...#ixzz1WFwSlFDqwww.youtube.com/watch?v=rAZaYO2Zz1E//__________________ Master List of TSA Abuses, Failures, Lies, Lawsuits, etc. |
|
|
|
Post by gailkate on Nov 2, 2011 23:38:29 GMT -5
I have no way of knowing how many people with histories of sex crimes are employed in other kinds of jobs. This is anecdotal data, and the rate may be quite "normal." What appalls me is that there was apparently no system of criminal background checks before they started work. When I left state employement in 2000, no one was hired - not even a part-time clerk - without appearing at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and being entered into the system. Maybe some criminals were missed, but computers have made background checks pretty simple - and fast.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Nov 3, 2011 20:03:57 GMT -5
I think TSA should employ NO known criminals, especially sex criminals, particularly pedophiles, and particularly when the Director has chosen to require strip searches and physical body searches for every single passenger, without a shred of reasonable suspicion or probable cause. Because they are in a unique position of trust, given free access to stealing from pax' baggage and feeling breasts/vaginas/testicles/buttocks of both adults and children at will, the standard should be higher than the "normal" employed population.
A good question - why doesn't TSA conduct a thorough background check on every employee before hire, and why are criminal employees not dismissed? Why doesn't TSA post its proposed regulatory changes for public scrutiny and comment before implementation, as every other federal agency is required to do? Why are TSO's allowed to dress in costumes that impersonate a law enforcement officer (a crime in any other jurisdiction), and do body gropings that are far more invasive than any real police officer would be allowed to do?
Government gone crazy in its invasiveness.
|
|
|
|
Post by doctork on Nov 3, 2011 21:40:13 GMT -5
There is growing publicity about TSA's "Chat-downs" in which the TSO pretends to be an Israeli security operative (not possible because Israelis employ educated, highly trained professionals with at least 3 years experience) and asks questions like this:
"Where are you going?"
"What's your purpose in going there?"
"Where will you be staying?"
"Do you have your return ticket purchased?"
As a single woman traveler I am sure I am not the only one who objects to giving this information to people proven to have a number of criminals in their midst. The TSO is supposed to be able to read English, so they should be able to read boarding pass; what I am doing at my destination is none of their business, and might even be confidential; telling them and everyone within earshot where I am staying is an invitation to a crime; and whether I have a return ticket is irrelevant.
So far this experiment is only in BOS and DTW, which I avoid anyway, but the practice will no doubt spread, as with air travel falling, the TSA needs more make-work programs lest they have to reduce their numbers and consequently their budget - a sure sign of failure inside the beltway.
|
|
|
|
Post by joew on Nov 3, 2011 23:10:09 GMT -5
I had hoped that body language and vocal mannerisms during the "chat-downs" would be what would trigger a decision to initiate further screening, or not. So it had struck me as preferable to universal nudoscopy or gropes.
|
|
Dopey Member
