TSA - Necessary or Nuisance?

From my archives 04/13/2013

TSA Necessary or Nuisance?

            In the past couple of years there has been no shortage of passenger complaints as well as arrests and convictions of quite a few Transportation Security Administration agents. I personally have avoided the headache of flying for the last couple of years and ended up having to fly home for a family emergency recently. I’m not fond of flying just due to not being in control of the situation, but I’m not afraid of it and I am a pleasant passenger as well as I try to be as courteous to others whether they impart the same social etiquette or not. My apprehensions were not assuaged and the flight I took part in was uncomfortable and not like past flights before the TSA or before the ambiance of airports changed to a more skittish atmosphere.

            During my excursion into saying goodbye to terra firma for a jaunt to the east, I was not pleased with the feeling that I did something wrong before I was prosecuted. I've still never come to the point where I can abide people feeling on my body without due cause. This is the only choice presented if I'm avoiding my fears of radiation from being subjected to their scanning devices. I thought the TSA did a fairly efficient job with processing me through this maze of political correctness despite the feelings of antipathy I had for being in such a subservient position.

            Although my trip home wasn't some cliché from a thriller, and I really had no altercation that I could not recover from, my observations have lead me to believe there is not the same carefree feeling at the airports as there has been in the past. People look as if it is a place where they don't want to be seen and need to flee. A door that used to be opened out of courtesy is rushed through and people are hurried by their impulses. With my recent foray into flying and the complete inconvenience of it, I do predict my flight schedule to be very limited in the future until other methods of security are initiated.

            Having my curiosity stimulated from my trip, I commenced to doing some research on the TSA when I arrived at home. The first story that surfaced happened to be Miss USA 2003, Susie Castillo. Ms. Castillo stated in her youtube video that a TSA screener fondled her vagina during a pat down. Being the champion of four older sisters inculcated within me a sensitivity toward the opposite sex and this in the least had piqued my interest enough to peruse further details of the incident.

            When I first saw parts of that video I immediately thought "drama queen" and conveniently filed it to the back of my mind. It was only when similar stories as well as an assorted amount of different types of crimes revealed themselves that it started to make sense and lent validation to the incident. I took an Army exam back in 1985, and even though I don't feel I was violated and was ready to do any invasive exam for my country, I'm not convinced the citizenry needs the same exam to fly home for the holidays.

            As I searched deeper for TSA invasive searches the stories kept popping up: a child in a wheelchair (youtube.com), a grandmother that can barely walk (New York Daily News), and a pregnant woman strip-searched (Huffington Post). Youtube has a multitude of videos from disgruntled passengers. I went through so many stories that I really can't believe the local stories aren't compiled into a more national narrative so people realize the gravity of the situation. Mainstream media has stories aplenty of TSA crimes and convictions upon a basic search in a web browser, so these are considered credible sources.

            There have been arrests and convictions for stealing and other criminal acts.  Some of the thefts were no paltry sum, as well as other crimes that were more heinous than simple theft. It was hard to believe the agents would steal from passengers and not have the intelligence to realize it will come back on them. Airports still have so many cameras and checkpoints as well as passengers usually having an accurate inventory of their possessions during a trip. That begs the question on where do they find their workers and what real qualifications do they possess to be worthy of a job requiring some intelligence?

            As the search of more data on this subject continued, I happened upon the website www.onlinecriminaljusticedegree.com and they had a comprehensive graph showing statistics that the TSA may not want people to see. I suggest anyone interested to visit their site to gain insight into the timeline of events concerning this topic.

            The thoughts and questions concerning this bombard me with no compensation. Answers evade politicians of the highest level, who am I to be privy of demographics not taken due to political expediency? I see the conflict concerning this government entity and I reflect on what we have given up for security. I question, “Are we more secure?” There are reports of some weapons passing security regardless of the inconvenience pressed upon travelers. I’m reminded of a quote from Ben Franklin: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

            In closing I can only wonder if emotion governs our actions in contemporary society or if logic is applied. When legislation is implemented into society it is always through political grand standing of extremes from all sides compared to any past legislation metered out with prudence and rationality. The TSA seems to have its integrity compromised because of this.

http://news.yahoo.com/nyc-agent-arrested-latest-tsa-theft-allegation-204107629.html http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505124_162-57523230/beware-your-gadgets-at-risk-of-theft-from-tsa/
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/24/news/la-trb-tsa-luggage-thefts-20110624