How Many TSA Agents Does It Take...
By Mary Theroux • Monday June 25, 2012 3:42 PM PDT • 12 Comments
...to realize the metal detector isn’t plugged in?
No one knows how long it took for the light to dawn yesterday morning for one TSA agent at New York’s busy JFK International Terminal that his metal detector had been unplugged—apparently for hours:
Amazingly, he failed to realize that alert lights never flashed once as streams of passengers filed through the dead detector.
As a result, the entire terminal was shut down, and two planes already on the runway ordered to return to the terminal, in order that passengers be rescreened—with no certainty that others had not been missed.
While the dearth of alert lights ought to have seemed out of the ordinary—given their proclivity for alerting to the “dangers” of passengers with underwire bras, joint replacements, etc.—one might have thought there being no green “ready” light might have provided the first clue.
One more time: abolish this useless and demeaning agency.
Tags: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Defense, Liberty, Peace, Personal Liberty, Privacy, Safety, Surveillance, Terrorism, Transportation 
Hey, Moe, Larry, and Curly have a “right to jobs” too!
Henry Bowman | Jun 25, 2012 | Reply
Just think of the implications. If a terrorist were to simply disable enough metal detectors, the TSA would strangle the flight industry. Of course, it’s already strangling the industry, but you get the point.
DW | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
I worked for 3 months at Flight Terminal Security–a private security firm employed by the Seattle-Tacoma Airport–where we routinely tested our equipment to insure its accuracy.
Contrary to D.C. thought, the replacement of private security firms by the TSA was a deliberate downgrade in security standards.
William Cole | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
Too much “low frequency radiation can cause cancer”. We don’t need to be radiated just to ride a plane. So TSA stop it now.
!!!
Carla Childs | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
One more thing TSA and all others behind you keep your lecherous paws off us. This whole thing is intended to degrade and embarrass us Americans especially, but don’t care who it is because the control freaks just have to have control...even little children does not escape their scourg/punishment!
Carla Childs | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
Yeah, if there was a bomber that got through they wouldn’t have left it on the plane stuffed inn a seat or in the barf bag pouch.
They haven’t caught anyone with their “screening” and they admit the easiest way to get a bomb on board id through the resupply trucks, which they haven’t tightened the screening of employees. It’s just a show “We care about your safety.” and control of the masses. Getting you used to illegal searches which will be cominng to a street near you very soon.
Dau Tieng 59 | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
We made a choice; threat of being blown up or massive security checks. Personally, I prefer the threat, but that’s just me. I think we went into overkill mode (sorry about the bad pun) after the twin towers.
Steve Yocum | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
Why don’t they replace the TSA employess w/ monkeys and they’ll increase the intelligence level by at least 100%. Might even be cheaper too.
Harold | Jun 26, 2012 | Reply
Yes, Steve, precisely.
The reaction to 9/11 could have been a case study from Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, which documents the growth of government’s powers in the midst of crises, real or inflated. Thus, the federalization of airport security; invasive, pre-emptive wars against countries having nothing to do with 9/11; passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, unread; and the myriad powers vested in the executive such that the president now has the independent, unchecked power to indefinitely detain US citizens, at-will.
The Independent Institute warned against this happening. Published on our homepage on Sept. 11, 2011, and released as a public statement a few days later, our “Statement on the Terrorist Attacks” urged the use of the Constitutionally-provided powers for dealing with such threats. Panicky Americans, exploited by politicians who thought they knew better than the Founders, abdicated their God-given rights. Until an understanding of the sanctity of those rights is again respected, expect to see individuals treated increasingly as the frightened children they act.
Meanwhile, we’ll keep working towards an appreciation for and restoration of our rights.
With best wishes,
Mary
Mary Theroux | Jun 27, 2012 | Reply