Denver TSA Screeners Manipulated System In Order To Grope Men's Genitals 294
McGruber writes: The CBS affiliate in Denver reports: "Two Transportation Security Administration screeners at Denver International Airport have been fired after they were discovered manipulating passenger screening systems to allow a male TSA employee to fondle the genital areas of attractive male passengers." According to law enforcement reports obtained during the CBS4 investigation, a male TSA screener told a female colleague in 2014 that he "gropes" male passengers who come through the screening area at DIA. "He related that when a male he finds attractive comes to be screened by the scanning machine he will alert another TSA screener to indicate to the scanning computer that the party being screened is a female. When the screener does this, the scanning machine will indicate an anomaly in the genital area and this allows (the male TSA screener) to conduct a pat-down search of that area." Although the TSA learned of the accusation on Nov. 18, 2014 via an anonymous tip from one of the agency's own employees, reports show that it would be nearly three months before anything was done."
I'll take it (Score:5, Funny)
Honestly, I wouldn't have any problem with the TSA if I knew for certain that I would have my penis vigorously groped every time I travel...
It's the uncertainty that kills me.. Will I have to rub one out in the bathroom, or can I get a head start as I pass through security??
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For the dude doing it...what's the penalty again for punching out a TSA idiot?
Re:I'll take it (Score:4, Funny)
Well, if it was a chick doing this groping to me, fine.
For the dude doing it...what's the penalty again for punching out a TSA idiot?
Guantanamo.
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For some dude fondling my junk....might be worth it.
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It has nothing to do with insecurity, I"m quite happy with my heterosexuality. And frankly I don't care what consenting adults do on their own behind closed doors.
But if a homosexual makes a pass at me or gropes me, I have no problem decking them. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. You can do what you want to do amongst yourselves, but leave me out of it. Period.
Re:I'll take it (Score:5, Insightful)
>> For the dude doing it...what's the penalty again for punching out a TSA idiot?
Gitmo?
Seriously folks - you may have a lovely country, but this sh!t keeps my tourist dollar in my bank and unspent.
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Well, if it was a chick doing this groping to me, fine.
For the dude doing it...what's the penalty again for punching out a TSA idiot?
Just close your eyes and think "My what large hands she has".
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Probably a bullet since it's paranoia central.
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I would agree, EXCEPT that its the ones I'm least attracted to.. so it feels a little more like rape, than a frisk, which is certainly not fun. Upside, given how much they seem to be interested in my "package", I should just give them a washcloth so I can get some useful benefit out of the deal.
GOP Flash Cards (Score:5, Insightful)
If we spin this as the TSA allowing for homosexual acts (especially on God-fearing straight folk!), could we use this to convince the GOP to support shutting it down? Toss in some terms like "limited government" if necessary.
Re:GOP Flash Cards (Score:4, Insightful)
Unfortunately, even if the gropers were french muslim abortion doctors with middle eastern ties and we spin it as a full infiltration, they wouldn't dare shut down their security theater. Just replace the actors from the middle down and parade it as a victory against terrorism.
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The conservative base is actually very anti-TSA (or, at least, those active online are). It's such a clear sign of government overreach (literally, in this case), disrespect for the constitution, and so on. Heck, half this crowd thinks the right answer is just to issue all passengers guns. Not that the current GOP gives a shit what the voters want.
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Exactly, the peons on all sides hate the TSA. But like a community theater writer/director/producer/star it is the GOP's vision and any criticism is just ignorance in their eyes.
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If they're fondling my crotch, wouldn't that be *under*-reach? Ba-dum-tshhh.
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Low priority problem unfortunately (Score:3)
What is happening in this incid
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Yes, that distinction is everything. I think America would benefit hugely from an actual conservative party - in fact, it may be the only thing that can save us from some serious problems we face. I don't know that I'd necessarily vote for such a party - maybe. But we'd be having the right debates, and issues like this and Net Neutrality might actually get some airtime on the actual issues and content of the law, instead of everything being about earmarks and favors owed.
Re:GOP Flash Cards (Score:5, Insightful)
If we spin this as the TSA allowing for homosexual acts (especially on God-fearing straight folk!), could we use this to convince the GOP to support shutting it down? Toss in some terms like "limited government" if necessary.
Sadly, no.
Cognitive dissonance is very powerful and this sounds like a textbook case of "no true scotsman".
He wasn't a TSA agent, the brave defenders of 'Murica because no true TSA agent would do such a thing.
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It sounds like you would like a world where the manufacturer of any tool that could be used as a weapon is liable for all such uses by criminals?
Enjoy your $200,000 automobile (mostly liability insurance for the manufacturer) with a top speed of 10 MPH and sensors all around that prevent it from hitting anything at any angle and that refuses to go into an a
Re:no need (Score:4, Insightful)
All this TSA business was instituted primarily to make Michael Chertoff rich. And it worked marvelously.
The enhanced pat downs were instituted largely as a punishment for people opting out. This was necessary, since too many opt-outs would result in fewer purchases of the body scanners (which is where Chertoff makes his money).
There was a natural alliance between this and the enhanced intelligence gathering and tracking that the government wants to do on everyone anyway, so that just worked out as a side benefit.
Incidentally, the people who benefit most from this don't have to put up with it themselves, so it will require a hell of a lot of public outrage to ever get it shut down.
GOP senate: TSA is "lost and bloated". Obama defen (Score:2, Troll)
Actually you might want to read a news site sometime. (Comedy Central isn't actually news). GOP leaders, such as Republican senators, describe the TSA as "lost and bloated" and even "out of control". The (Democrat) Obama administration has been defending the TSA.
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Security was decentralized on 9/11. After 9/11, the security was centralized, i.e. taken from airlines and private companies, to the federal government. Congress had to be seen doing something.
Had this been the state on 9/11, it would have been decentralized. Dilbert covered this management back and forth flip flop fraud in a more generic sense even earlier.
Re:no need (Score:5, Funny)
I think on this issue you'll find that high level GOP officials have an unusually wide stance and are willing to reach around the aisle, pointing fingers when necessary in order to come to a consensus. Many are even willing to bend over backwards to be more accommodating.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig_scandal/ [wikipedia.org]
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TSA Pre Check allows members of both parties to skip on by quite easily: https://tsatoday.wordpress.com... [wordpress.com]
Of course, we do have one noted case of an elected official being illegally detained (per Article I Section 6) by the TSA: http://www.politico.com/news/s... [politico.com]
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Then may I quote the Constitution:
"Article I, Section 9, Clause 8:
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States..."
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"POTUS flies on public transport regularly"
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Are you saying that anyone in the general public can buy a ticket and board a flight on AF1?
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Comfort (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not at all comfortable with the current screening procedure madness, but I'm far more comfortable when the TSA agent groping me is just as uncomfortable with the situation as I am. When they're taking pleasure in it, it's a good indication that the system has let us down.
Re:Comfort (Score:4, Insightful)
Pedophiles go into the priesthood for access to young boys. Gropers go into TSA for similar reasons. I can't really think of any quality reason anyone would choose TSA screening as a career.
Re:Comfort (Score:5, Insightful)
Paycheck?
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Paycheck?
Doesn't Wal-Mart or McDonalds pay better, though?
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Doesn't Wal-Mart or McDonalds pay better, though?
Do you think a Wal-Mart greeter would ever find anyone entering the store attractive enough to grope?
Re:Comfort (Score:4, Insightful)
with how mcdonalds and its franchisees promote from within, he must have been a pretty shitty employee to not have worked up to a store manager, or at least assistant manager, in 9 years.. he should be thankful they let him keep flipping burgers that long.
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I can't really think of any quality reason anyone would choose TSA screening as a career.
Consider the fact that some TSA employees take career advice from a pizza box [consumerist.com].
3 months? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Yes. And I also find comfort in the fact, that the homosexual employee was neither bullied by nor discriminated against by his (presumably straight) colleagues. Some silver lining, heh?
A perfect coexistence story, actually, if it weren't for that disgusting anonymous squealer, who reported it. What a hater...
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I'm betting he identifies as straight.
Re:3 months? (Score:5, Insightful)
But he was fired, not put in jail... shouldn't he be charged?
If I grope an unwilling party's genitals I get charged... someone abusing the power given by the government to do it is worse.
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But he was fired, not put in jail... shouldn't he be charged?
TFA explains that even the have the passangers on tape, they "couldn't" identify any of them. Apparently without the victims presenting charges there cannot be a trial.
Been through Denver (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Been through Denver (Score:5, Funny)
Don't sweat it. Denver can be a cold place.
Re:Been through Denver (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Been through Denver (Score:5, Insightful)
I wish - and I know this would never 'fly' - that we would make their lives as uncomfortable as ours - or even more so. they are really offended when their women are even looked at by westerners. what I would love to see is that we go OUT OF OUR WAY to fondle and embarass all the muslim women - ALL OF THEM - that enter or leave any western country. yes, its payback and its meant to inflict a return feeling for all that have 'done' for us.
WHAAA???!? This is modded "insightful"?
the fact that we let them ruin our way of life - and they got away with it - means that they are boldened to keep doing this crap to us.
What the heck? Who is doing this to whom? We are doing it to ourselves. Who does the TSA work for? Our government.
We did this to ourselves, and for nothing. Is there any evidence whatsoever that the TSA has prevented ANY terrorist attacks since it was instituted? NO.
There are countries that have experienced REAL terrorism. Places where random buses get blown up periodically, or random bombs go off in the downtown area of a city -- from a coordinated effort of terrorists. (See, for example, situations in Israel/Palestine, or England when the IRA was particularly active.)
We have NOTHING like that. If there were any significant number of Muslim terrorists out there just dying to "ruin our way of life," they could easily do so -- bomb some malls, bomb public transport, heck -- shoot up an area right outside the security zone at an airport. Remember after 9/11 when people were actually freaked out about such things? I remember people afraid to go to malls -- afraid that someone would put some chemicals or poison into the water supply, etc., etc.
How much of that happened? Nothing really. We just forgot about it. We didn't really make "security" around any of these things any better. Hell, we can't even keep our weapons-grade uranium safe [newyorker.com] with any real security.
We're doing nothing for any number of major terrorist targets, and the terrorists are doing nothing to attack them. Therefore, the only reasonable conclusion is there aren't a significant number of real terrorists. (Well, except for the retirees that the FBI entraps [esquire.com] by hanging out with them at Waffle House for months and convincing them they should attempt a terrorist act...)
So, given that it's clear we've done this whole TSA thing TO OURSELVES, why exactly is it that you want to lash out at Muslims everywhere, as if they were ALL represented by a handful of folks who plotted 9/11??
if we do a tit-for-tat (as childish as that might initially seem) then maybe the escalations and wars would come to a stand-still.
"Tit-for-tat" implies that there's some sort of actual targeting of people who did something. If a red-headed guy goes on a murder spree in a subway, and afterward the police start just randomly searching and beating the crap out of people on the subway to instill fear and dissuade anyone from attempting a similar act, your response is, "Let's go and starting beating the crap out of all redheads everywhere! That's tit-for-tat, and it will show them!"
(Don't get me wrong here -- I know the analogy is not exact, and there are militant Muslim extremist groups, whereas I don't know if there are militant redhead groups... but hopefully my point is clear. The ones doing the bad stuff at the TSA are our own fault, and saying we should use them to harass others because we allow them to harass us is one of the stupidest things I've seen modded up on Slashdot, and that's saying something....)
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So what you're saying is that there was shrinkage [pinimg.com]?
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[...] sadly I've got other, more important things to do.
Seriously? What's more important than getting a "Score: 5, Funny"? It means you've made at least five people smile. Isn't giving others that joy more important than whatever code slogging you're doing instead?
Really. You need to work on your priorities.
Does it work in reverse? (Score:2)
I wonder if anyone tried designating attractive female passengers as male...
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you'll please need to step behind this screen and remove your blouse..."
Re:Does it work in reverse? (Score:5, Insightful)
Not that, but my wife once had an undergarment trigger the TSA sensors as an "anomaly" and had to be subjected to the full pat down routine. By a female employee who, I hope, wasn't just doing this because she found my wife attractive. This likely wouldn't let a male TSA agent pat down a female in the line as I believe they have rules in place that only the same-sex individual must do the pat down. Then again, this IS the TSA we're talking about, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was abused as well. They have been caught sending attractive females through the "naked scanner" and ogling the resulting images.
The TSA: Protecting Us Against Imaginary Terrorists*
* But Not Real Ones**
** Also, who protects us against the TSA?
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I'm not so sure about that... I opted out of the millimeter scan once, only to have the agent performing the pat-down tell me "next time you should ask for a female agent to pat you down"... I replied that I wanted him to be as uncomfortable as I was... reflecting on that moment, I'm no longer sure that was a witty thing to say.
Re:Does it work in reverse? (Score:5, Insightful)
You gotta love the cognitive dissonance. We are perfectly 'okay' (societally) with same gender patdowns because you know that can't be 'sexual' or exploitative, yet we no longer consider homosexuality to be deviant behavior to the point we largely support marriage equality.
My take on its government should not be allowed to have it both ways. You either don't believe in homosexuality as a normal state, or you can't support TSA patdowns. Sexual assault is sexual assault no matter what gender or sex the other persona happens to be unless its invited. And the TSA procedure meets every definition for assault. Do you feel free to turn around and leave if you are selected for an enhanced search? I don't I'd be considerably afraid that if I they suggested they needed to do a patdown and I responded "no thanks I'll just head back to my car" that I would find myself detained shortly their after.
Re:Does it work in reverse? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Does it work in reverse? (Score:4, Interesting)
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Obvious solution is to neuter all TSA agents.
Eunuchs admins?
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How about they just hire eunuchs? Problem solved.
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"** Also, who protects us against the TSA?"
Obviously, we need the TSASA (TSA Security Administration)!!
So the system is manual? (Score:2)
The software doesn't know by itself which gender it is scanning, so someone has to enter either male or female? What if an on-process trans-gender is walking though, what would happen? Doesn't sound like a good system in general...
“He related that when a male he finds attractive comes to be screened by the scanning machine he will alert another TSA screener to indicate to the scanning computer that the party being screened is a female. When the screener does this, the scanning machine will indicate an anomaly in the genital area and this allows (the male TSA screener) to conduct a pat-down search of that area.”
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Actually, the system is effectively sexing people. And the system's determination of sex, disagreed with the manual input - hence the flag for screening.
I've learned something new today. The TSA has machines that are discriminating passengers based on gender :)
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How would you propose the scanner automatically determine the gender of the person being scanned?
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The whole reason why the gender needs to be specified is that lumps that are supposed to be there apparently can't be distinguished from lumps of explosives.
I, for one, am shocked. (Score:5, Insightful)
Giving people legal authority to see and touch both men and women's private areas attracts creeps to the job? Never would have guessed.
Why no charges? (Score:5, Interesting)
Seems like it is sexual assault.
If I am hired to set up a security checkpoint in front of a bar, I could do security pat downs without it being sexual. If, on the other hand, I intentionally manipulated the system to pat down attractive bar patrons for my own gratification, I'm pretty sure I would be arrested and end up on some sort of sex offender list.
Why didn't the TSA refer this to law enforcement?
Because government (Score:4, Insightful)
Seems like it is sexual assault.
It is. Unambiguously.
Why didn't the TSA refer this to law enforcement?
Because TSA is law enforcement or at least thinks they are.
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Why didn't the TSA refer this to law enforcement?
Nobody wronged the TSA, so the TSA can't call the police. They didn't even witness the crime, they only heard about it afterwards. What needs to happen is for the thousands of men who were sexually assaulted need to bring up criminal charges against the TSA employees and civil charges against the TSA for allowing, enabling and encouraging the sexual assault.
Par for the course.... (Score:3)
Nothing about this group of idiots surprises me. Typical federal government cluster-fuck.
So now that the ball gropers have been let go (3 months later, but probably pretty fast by Fed standards) I would presume that the "gropees" are lining up the lawsuits. This is going to be hilarious. Watch how the surveillance tapes and emails disappear when asked to produce them.
Pretty safe bet this happens everywhere. (Score:5, Interesting)
We've seen a number of stories involving TSA agents being arrested for any number of crimes. Everything from assault, to child pornography, to murder. This shouldn't be a surprise at all. Which is not to say that all TSA agents ARE the scum that they tend to be made out to be. But it's a worrying program.
In terms of this kind of activities detailed in this story... well hell. I know from talking with a former TSA employee that this sort of thing is VERY common. I've even meet a former TSA agent that not only admits doing this at an airport in California. But he did it aallll the time. And he wasn't the only one doing it.
Re:Pretty safe bet this happens everywhere. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Pretty safe bet this happens everywhere. (Score:5, Insightful)
Perhaps the fact that the victim can't be certain how the standard procedure differs from an unlawful sexual assault should tell us something...
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As for "nobody else has complained"
You CAN'T complain or you will be thrown in Guantanamo.
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Everything from assault, to child pornography, to murder.
Hey, you know who else commits those crimes? Human beings!
In terms of this kind of activities detailed in this story...
Well, yes, that is obviously reprehensible and my comment above should in no way be taken to be trivialising such a disgusting abuse of power.
Someone needs to develop the Robogroper(tm).
Over 381 TSA Officers Fired for Theft (Score:2)
October, 2012
1. Miami International Airport (29)
2. JFK International Airport (27)
3. Los Angeles International Airport (24)
4. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (17)
5. Las Vegas-McCarren International Airport (15)
6. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and New York-Laguardia Airport (14 each)
8. Newark Liberty, Philadelphia International, and Seattle-Tacoma International airports (12 each)
11. Orlando Internati
Let's be fair -- good things about Denver airport (Score:2)
At least they never bust anybody trying to bring back pot.
http://www.denverpost.com/news... [denverpost.com]
Male sexual assualt is real (Score:2, Insightful)
Kate Upton (Score:2)
I wouldn't mind if the agent doing the pat down was Kate Upton.
Happened to me at EWR (Score:2, Interesting)
This is probably more common than people realize. I was groped by a TSA screener at EWR a few months ago.
I usually get TSA Pre and don't have to go through the nude-o-scope, but occasionally when TSA Pre does not work - I opt out of the machine and choose the "pat down". Usually it's a fairly benign experience - screeners make a point to say that they will "stop just short of the private areas" and "use the back of their hand", and normally do so. I go through a dozen of these a year and it's normally a non
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You are under pressure. Running out of time. In danger of missing your flight and blowing up the subsequent schedule ... in another words: you hold the short end of the stick. It obviously works as designed.
The milli-wave scan always alarms on my ... (Score:2)
that's a fun call (Score:3)
Wear a Speedo and Opt-Out of the Machine Screening (Score:2)
Oblig (Score:5, Funny)
xkcd [xkcd.com]
they were right all along (Score:2)
Now you tell me... (Score:2)
It seemed like he was enjoying his job a little too much.
So let's be clear here... (Score:2)
When people are randomly selected for groping it's ok, but when someone is actually choosing who gets groped it's not ok and that person needs to be fired? What if the groping was equal to standard gropings? Could we use a pseudorandom number generator for extra screening or must it be truly random?
Someone should teach these guys it's not the selection process that makes it sexual assault.
Re:It is unclear... (Score:5, Insightful)
What is unclear is why the TSA still exist.
Because, in the unlikely event of another terrorist attack on a plane, any politicians voted to eliminate the TSA will be blamed. Modern politicians spend all this time and effort trying to get elected, then they're too scared to do anything where they can't pass the buck.
Re:It is unclear... (Score:5, Insightful)
Or because as long as people are OK with that bit of intrusiveness every time they travel, they'll be more accepting of other restrictions on their freedom as well.
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You'd think that... but it doesn't explain why I still get molested every time I fly.
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Oh, you can find someone with a "thing" for anyone.
Just Google chubby chaser sometime.
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Many, MANY years ago, since you type "oh" for "zero". In both the subject, and (the different) body.
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It is a much different world after 9/11 for Americans, especially with flying. There were hijackings and all before, but nothing like 9/11. I could believe in the 1990's someone would still be complaining about rather light security.
Today, you are lucky to just be asked a few questions, and whatever you are faced with, you shut up and deal with it or you have somebody in a room groping your genitals.
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With regards to flying in the US, everything changed in late 2001.
Flying in America was awesome back in the 1990s. In 1998, I flew to my honeymoon without ID (left it in the car) and we were able to catch an earlier flight at the overlay point. I was even allowed to go back on the first plane to find my ticket voucher which had dropped between the seats. And they asked two basic questions (Did you pack your bags? Did you accept items from strangers?).
I hate flying now. I imagine it's a lot like being p
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Re:Keeping score (Score:5, Interesting)
It's highly likely that more people have died due to the response to terrorism than from actual terrorism in the US.
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Oh, absolutely. By the way, citizen...
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Really?!?! It's health insurance you pick as the dangerous area? No mention of them being in charge of our military, or all the interstate bridges?