Former DHS Official Blames Privacy Advocates For TSA's Aggressive Procedures 325
colinneagle writes with an interesting excerpt from Senate testimony offered yesterday, on the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, from Stewart Baker. Baker formerly served as DHS Assistant Secretary and NSA General Counsel, and gave his opinion on the source of the real problems within the TSA, opining: "Unlike border officials, though, TSA ended up taking more time to inspect everyone, treating all travelers as potential terrorists, and subjecting many to whole-body imaging and enhanced pat-downs. We can't blame TSA for this wrong turn, though. Privacy lobbies persuaded Congress that TSA couldn't be trusted with data about the travelers it was screening. With no information about travelers, TSA had no choice but to treat them all alike, sending us down a long blind alley that has inconvenienced billions."
bizaro universe (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, I was punching, kicking, and otherwise beating the crap out of this random person.
It was the fact they put their arms up to shield their face that resulted in such a horrible beating. I bare no fault what so ever for his actions which, despite being performed after I started the beating, are still somehow the reason for the beating.
Dear Mr/Mrs Member of Congress (Score:5, Funny)
Dear Mr/Mrs Member of Congress,
Anyone that impedes process of Authority by invoking their Constitutional Rights is an un-American terrorist sympathizer who should be locked up in one of our Secret Prisons under Secret laws to be tried at some future date in a Secret court.
The Constitution is the most Un-American thing about America and should be abolished. The TSA and DHS need swift, unquestioned Authority to protect us from those who would harm America and to speed up those long lines at Airport Security Checkpoints and the long lines we shall soon be seeing at Security Checkpoints at Shopping Centers, Train and Bus Terminals and many other major facilities across the Nation
Love,
Stewart Baker
Re:blame equality (Score:4, Funny)
If you do that any bad actors will simply use those who do not fit your profile. See how silly you are being?
I assure you that he won't see that. I checked his profile.
Re:Dear Mr/Mrs Member of Congress (Score:4, Funny)
We must protect the Constitution by any means necessary!
And by any means, I mean gathering up all copies and putting them in a cellar without lights or stairs, in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a "Beware of The Leopard" sign on the door.
Only then will we ensure our freedoms remain safe.
Re:Sounds like the lesser of two evils (Score:5, Funny)
If the TSA gets direct access to the NSA's data, your average TSA grunt will read his girlfriend's email and find out that yes, she has been cheating on him. He will then get out of his dead-end relationship, pick himself up and get out more, meet new people, and have more sex. Once his sexual frustration is gone, he won't have to take his frustration out on travellers by harassing them and thrashing their luggage.
The question we should be asking is, why does the EFF hate our luggage?
Re:Sounds like evil to me (Score:5, Funny)
Abdullah Hassan Al Aseery [wikipedia.org] and it failed because his body basically shielded the intended target from the blast. Kind of like a twisted version of throwing yourself on the grenade.
When the police were investigating the scene, the prudish officer asked a witness where the bomber hid the device...
He hid the Damn thing up his Ass, Officer!"
"Rectum, please, his rectum" The officer retorted
"Rectum Hell, it killed him!" the witness declared.