TSA Follies

The following Letter to the Editor appeared in the Sunday, December 3,
2006 COLUMBUS DISPATCH. It relates to procedures at the Port Columbus
International Airport in Columbus Ohio (KCMH)

Agency doesn’t make air travelers feel safer
Sunday, December 03, 2006

During the Thanksgiving weekend travel rush, airline passengers were
forbidden to carry pies in their hand luggage. Transportation Security
Administration officers confiscated the pies from passengers and
distributed them to troops traveling during the holiday weekend.

If the pies were considered too dangerous to bring aboard airline
flights, how could it have been safe to distribute the pies to our armed
forces?

The TSA’s pie-redistribution plan showcases the often-absurd and
arbitrary rules that the flying public faces.

Now the fodder for Saturday Night Live sketches, the TSA’s baffling
rules and its inconsistent enforcement actually undermine the public’s
confidence in its effectiveness. If the agency is focusing on items,
like pie, that it tacitly admits are harmless, it could easily be
distracted from more-serious threats.

The pie incident does little to enhance the agency’s tarnished
reputation. Absurd rules about plastic bags, TSA officers barking
orders, needless and humiliating "secondary searches" and mishandled
bags have become commonplace hassles.

Although the agency often says that it cannot discuss its rules or
procedures for security reasons, we all need to challenge the TSA to a
closer, more-public review of its rules, procedures and the behavior of
its employees.

On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 16:41:35 GMT, john smith wrote in
:

Transportation Security
Administration officers confiscated the pies from passengers and
distributed them to troops traveling during the holiday weekend.

If the pies were considered too dangerous to bring aboard airline
flights, how could it have been safe to distribute the pies to our armed
forces?

The armed forces have publicly demonstrated their disregard for human
life, even there own.

Which president was it who marched troops through ground zero
immediately subsequent to a nuclear detonation in Utah?

It's pretty clear that our government has little regard for the
personal safety of its soldiers; what did it take to get their vehicle
and body armor in Iraq?

But seriously, there is little question that the TSA has an impossible
task, and is apparently lead by a maniacal imbecile who would further
Osoma's cause at the expense of the comfort of the flying public.

Aren't they the same ones who established a line on a chart to stop
terror attacks on the White House?

The TSA is the tangible embodiment of two-digit IQs in charge of our
safety. Apparently anyone with a higher intelligence quotient does
not choose security or law enforcement as an occupation. It takes a
certain cognizance of one's inferiority to motivate them to seek a
life of controlling others in the vain attempt to validate their self
delusion superiority.

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 16:41:35 GMT, john smith wrote in
:

Transportation Security
Administration officers confiscated the pies from passengers and
distributed them to troops traveling during the holiday weekend.

If the pies were considered too dangerous to bring aboard airline
flights, how could it have been safe to distribute the pies to our armed
forces?

The armed forces have publicly demonstrated their disregard for human
life, even there own.

Larry,

This is one of the most crass, ignorant and unbelieveably stupid comments I
think I've ever read here. This even surpasses our little buddy Mx.

There has never been a military in the entire history of this planet which
has had more destructive power and shown more of a desire to NOT use it than
the military forces of the United States.

*PLONK*

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

Jay Beckman wrote:
"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...

The armed forces have publicly demonstrated their disregard for human
life, even their own.

There has never been a military in the entire history of this planet which
has had more destructive power and shown more of a desire to NOT use it than
the military forces of the United States.

Good point. Still, to be fair to Larry, but not to put words in his
mouth, I think he just meant that people in power have demonstrated
their disregard for our military. Certainly our own military leaders
do what they can to avoid unnecessary warfare or experiments. It's
usually the civilian leaders who have less regard for (knowledge of?)
the consequences.

Regards, Kev

Kev writes:

... I think he just meant that people in power have demonstrated
their disregard for our military.

Particularly at the very top.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

On Wed, 6 Dec 2006 10:36:24 -0700, "Jay Beckman"
wrote in :


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 16:41:35 GMT, john smith wrote in
:

Transportation Security
Administration officers confiscated the pies from passengers and
distributed them to troops traveling during the holiday weekend.

If the pies were considered too dangerous to bring aboard airline
flights, how could it have been safe to distribute the pies to our armed
forces?

The armed forces have publicly demonstrated their disregard for human
life, even there own.

Larry,

This is one of the most crass, ignorant and unbelieveably stupid comments I
think I've ever read here.

You left out the adjective 'truthful.'

Does not one who enlists in the military demonstrate his disregard for
his own life and those whom he intends to kill?

This even surpasses our little buddy Mx.

Not that is a low blow. :-)

There has never been a military in the entire history of this planet which
has had more destructive power and shown more of a desire to NOT use it than
the military forces of the United States.

That may or may not be true, but it has nothing to do with what I
stated.

*PLONK*

I suppose that means that you prefer to stick your head in the ground
rather than discuss the topic.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ

Larry Dighera wrote:


*PLONK*


I suppose that means that you prefer to stick your head in the ground
rather than discuss the topic.


Jay is right, you are off the deep end.

Larry Dighera wrote:
Does not one who enlists in the military demonstrate his disregard for
his own life and those whom he intends to kill?

No. That's the perspective of a civilian who's never served, and thus
has no idea who the (U.S.) military is really composed of. They're
just ordinary people, and no, they have no desire to kill anyone, or to
die themselves, any more than someone who gets a driver's license
demonstrates such thoughts.

Those who enlist demonstrate their willingness to suffer hardship in
return for the greater good. This could be a desire to do something
good for themselves, their country, and/or the world in general.

Kev

"Kev" wrote in message
ps.com...

Larry Dighera wrote:
Does not one who enlists in the military demonstrate his disregard for
his own life and those whom he intends to kill?

No. That's the perspective of a civilian who's never served, and thus
has no idea who the (U.S.) military is really composed of.

But I just installed 'Call to Duty 3'. It's just like the real thing!!!!

Kev writes:

No. That's the perspective of a civilian who's never served, and thus
has no idea who the (U.S.) military is really composed of. They're
just ordinary people, and no, they have no desire to kill anyone, or to
die themselves, any more than someone who gets a driver's license
demonstrates such thoughts.

Different people enlist for different reasons. Some of them do indeed
have a desire to kill, but certainly not all.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.