TSA facing death by a thousand cuts

[Flashback]

TSA Facing Death By a Thousand Cuts - Slashdot

"The Transportation Security Administration is getting a lot of negative attention, much of it from the U.S. government itself. A recent congressional report blasted the TSA for being incompetent and ineffective (PDF). A bill to force the TSA to reduce its screening of active duty U.S. military members and their families was approved unanimously by the House of Representatives. After a TSA employee was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman while in uniform, a bill has been introduced to prevent TSA agents from wearing police-style uniforms and badges or using the title 'officer.' The bill's sponsor calls these practices 'an insult to real cops.' The FBI is getting involved by changing its definition of rape in a way that might expose the TSA's 'enhanced pat-down' screeners to prosecution. Lastly, public support for the TSA's use of X-ray body scanners drops dramatically when people realize there is a cancer risk."

TSA incompetent..? OK, this is not news

 

[harvyk]

Couldn't happen to a nicer agency...
"Guilty until proven innocent, and even then your probably guilty so we'll treat you as such" springs to mind with the TSA.

To me it comes down to the fact they typically get officers whos number one love is ordering people around. They then have draconian rules in which to enforce, and each officer has had pretty much their entire decision making ability taken off them, so the officers who can put 2 and 2 together are still forced to come up with 5 as the answer.

 

[anat0l]

Not sure if these actions will really do anything to the TSA, particularly if the Republicans really have anything to say about it.

It's a real shame in a way - the whole premise in the beginning was alright, but the execution has been very, very poor and demeaning. And in the middle, you have to consider (most, not all) of the TSA officers. There are some who are simply part of a faulty system but are otherwise good human beings just like many others, but all of them cop abuse all the same (they would basically be walking spittoons if it wasn't illegal to spit on them, because people would).

 

[Sprucegoose]

TSA reflects the paranoia of the LOTFAB.

 

[codash1099]

While I don't rank TSA amongst my loved ones, those US Congress guys make our politicians look positively amazing.

Do you really need an act of Congress to prescribe the uniform someone will wear?

 

[SeaWolf]

Not sure if these actions will really do anything to the TSA, particularly if the Republicans really have anything to say about it.

Surprisingly it seems to be Republicans that are spearheading a lot of these calls to gain some measure of control over the TSA:
Overhead Bin - Congressional report calls for drastic changes at TSA
[url]http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70185.html
[/URL]

 

[thewinchester]

I was watching a TV news article related to this subject recently, and it pretty much summed up how much of a mess the US DHS (and TSA as a subordinate agency of DHS) is.

There are at least 100 committees within the US Senate and Congress with oversight over the TSA. (HuffPo article - diagram from the Centre for Public Integrity)

Now is that a case of too many fingers in the pie or what!

 

[Sprucegoose]

I was watching a TV news article related to this subject recently, and it pretty much summed up how much of a mess the US DHS (and TSA as a subordinate agency of DHS) is.

There are at least 100 committees within the US Senate and Congress with oversight over the TSA. (HuffPo article - diagram from the Centre for Public Integrity)

Now is that a case of too many fingers in the pie or what!

thanks for that. The performance reflects the leadership, as it does with everything.

Do you believe there was a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 that created this?

 

[thewinchester]

Do you believe there was a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 that created this?

I think it's more to do with how the US parliament is run more than anything else.

Seriously, why do they need so many committees to oversee the functions of Government agencies. Here's a list of Australia's House of Reps and Senate committees. Simple structure, little overlap.

And let's not also forget that US DHS has operations which overlap across a number of areas and functions, from law of the sea, drug enforcement, quarantine etc - which in part has lead to the mess of excess government oversight.

While DHS was created to enhance cooperation and unify border protection resources, it has created an even bigger mess. Plus I can't think of any other jurisdiction in the world where the range of agencies like those in DHS are consolidated into a single super-agency.

Plus how do those at the very top exercise adequate oversight and control of everyone under their command? It's almost impossible IMHO.

 

[browski]

Not sure if these actions will really do anything to the TSA, particularly if the Republicans really have anything to say about it.

It's a real shame in a way - the whole premise in the beginning was alright

I thought this was how all Republicans thought as well...... until I was introduced to the work of Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul. Who'd have thought that an American politician was capable of complex thought.

FWIW, I didn't believe that the premise in the beginning was valid. It's a cliche but as BJ said "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.