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Op Ed by By Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Believe it or not, only 7 years ago, TSO’s went by a more deserving title, “airport security screeners.” At the time, their title and on the job appearance consisted of a white shirt and black pants. This was fitting because airport security screening is exactly what’s required of the position. However, this is no longer the case.

In the dead of night, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administratively reclassified airport security screeners as Transportation Security Officers. The TSA then moved to administratively upgrade TSO’s uniforms to resemble those of a federal law enforcement officer. They further completed the makeover with metal law enforcement badges. Not surprisingly, government bureaucrats at the TSA left out one crucial component during the artificial makeover – actual federal law enforcement training as is required of Federal Air Marshalls.

While TSO’s may have the appearance of a federal law enforcement officer they have neither the authority nor the power. If a passenger brings a loaded gun or an explosive device into an airport screening area there is nothing a TSO can do until the local police step in to save the day.

{snip}

In order to help rein in the TSA I introduced H.R. 3608, the Stop TSA’s Reach in Policy Act aka the STRIP Act. This bill will simply overturn the TSA’s administrative decision by prohibiting any TSA employee who has not received federal law enforcement training from using the title “officer,” wearing a police like uniform or a metal police badge. At its most basic level the STRIP Act is about truth in advertising.

As TSO’s continue to expand their presence beyond our nation’s airports and onto our highways, every American citizen has the right to know that they are not dealing with actual federal law enforcement officers. Had one Virginia woman known this days before Thanksgiving she may have been able to escape being forcibly raped by a TSO who approached her in a parking lot in full uniform while flashing his badge.

{snip}

Furthermore, if Congress fails to act do not be surprised if the TSA gives TSO’s another administrative makeover in the future. Only this time it won’t be a new uniform. It will be the power to make arrests as some TSO’s are already publicly calling for.

Congressman Blackburn is a Republican serving Tennessee’s 7th district.

It is my sincerest prayer that Rep. Blackburn is able to ignite a protest in Congress against TSA excesses and strip them of some of their wannabe cop mentality. Let us hope the STRIP Act passes.

i8godzilla wrote:"Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won."

When people try to tell me there isn't a difference in all of them, I am FORCED by reality to disagree.

i8godzilla wrote:"Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won."

He's an obamanation.

...wonder if the TSA's plan B on obummer's stated goal of a "civilian army"...at HIS beck and call...

The fact that the agency is called the "Transportation" Security Administration clearly indicates that the plan from the beginning was to expand it well beyond just airports.

It hasn't gotten get much recognition until TSA personnel started showing up in places that don't have airplanes.

Their real role will become clearer over time.

Excaliber wrote:The fact that the agency is called the "Transportation" Security Administration clearly indicates that the plan from the beginning was to expand it well beyond just airports.

It hasn't gotten get much recognition until TSA personnel started showing up in places that don't have airplanes.

Their real role will become clearer over time.

Or, hopefully, a new Federal administration will take action to continuously diminish TSA's role until it no longer exists.

Defund, then abolish. End of story. Let the airlines be responsible for their own security, and make it a mandate that they actually do it in order to be licensed to operate in this country. Then those airlines that do the best job of keeping their flights secure while at the same time least inconveniencing passengers will be the ones who prosper. That's called capitalism. Those that are ham-handed will suffer. I believe that people will be willing to pay an extra $10/ticket (or something like that) for an airline that hires Israeli trained screeners to process incoming passengers. The el-cheapo carriers can hire their highschool graduate screeners to rough up 90 year old grannies from Duluth. Let's see which carriers prosper and which don't.

Last Memorial Day, on my way home from California along I40, somewhere along the section near the Arizona/New Mexico border we were passed by a convoy of 4 or 5 full-sized new-looking SUVs in white/blue livery with full lightbars and bristling with antennae, with blacked out windows and drivers with baseball hats and "do NOT mess with me" expressions on their faces. The vehicles were all clearly marked "Transportation Security Administration" overlaying some kind of gold-colored badge emblem. Since Flagstaff airport was over 100 miles behind us, and Albuquerque was over 100 miles ahead of us, the only reason I could see for their presence was interstate trucking or the railroad. But there is no doubt that they were trying to project force as the convoy blew past all us mere peons. They were not running Code 3. They were simply taking advantage of what they viewed as "government immunity" from traffic laws and taxpayer largess for their fuel requirements. Buncha goons.

Sunday before last, my family and I had lunch together after church at the Firehouse Sub in Euless. There were a couple of guys there from DFW having lunch. They were wearing khaki 5.11 pants, 5.11 tactical boots, and black polo shirts with "Explosives Removal" embroidered with a TSA emblem on the left breast. They were both wearing black baseball hats with the same embroidery as their shirts. On their belts, they both had prominently displayed badge carriers with some kind of gold-colored badge on them—much nicer than the ones you can get in your cornflakes. They also both had the most tacticool looking cellphone holders I've ever seen, holding very tactical cellphones. Both men, other than one having dark hair and the other having light brown hair, had identical "special operator" goaties and mustaches. I've never seen two wannabes try so hard to gaze on the rest of us mere mortals with their best "you will RESPECT my authoritay!" game-face.......in an off airport grounds sandwich shop. Being a fundamentally polite guy, I did not laugh at them..........out loud. Given the "vast amounts" (NOT) of terrorist explosives being shipped around the country every day, these self-imagined heroes face far less danger on a daily basis than the average security guard at a shopping mall does.

Pitiful.

As Obama said, "Elections have consequences, and I won." He was right. One can legitimately question George Bush's wisdom in pushing for the Patriot Act and the federal beaurocacies that it estabilshed, but I am fairly certain that he never meant it for any other purpose than to protect the nation from outside terrorist threats. It is equally apparent to me that this administration is far more interested in corraling and controlling what it views to be unruly subjects. They are beneath contempt.

Which POTUS was the one who implemented security theater to prevent US citizens from carrying an ordinary pocket knife and a cup of coffee in the airport and on domestic flights.

The Annoyed Man wrote:Defund, then abolish. End of story. Let the airlines be responsible for their own security, and make it a mandate that they actually do it in order to be licensed to operate in this country. Then those airlines that do the best job of keeping their flights secure while at the same time least inconveniencing passengers will be the ones who prosper. That's called capitalism. Those that are ham-handed will suffer. I believe that people will be willing to pay an extra $10/ticket (or something like that) for an airline that hires Israeli trained screeners to process incoming passengers. The el-cheapo carriers can hire their highschool graduate screeners to rough up 90 year old grannies from Duluth. Let's see which carriers prosper and which don't.

speedsix wrote:...wonder if the TSA's plan B on obummer's stated goal of a "civilian army"...at HIS beck and call...

I would say the militarization of local police agencies owing to HSA grants in the name of "readiness" is more to the point.

TSA people have begun showing up on railroad property to make "inspections". Luckly, the Railroad Police "Special Agents" have done a pretty good job of keeping them ran off.

I'm not the most hard core but this is scary, really scary to me. Why are my supposed elected officials permitting this?

bayouhazard wrote:Which POTUS was the one who implemented security theater to prevent US citizens from carrying an ordinary pocket knife and a cup of coffee in the airport and on domestic flights.

Bush, and I didn't ignore that in my post above, if you read it. But this president seems interested in more than theater. He seems bent on controlling your and my daily movements. It's going beyond mere theater—which is annoying enough—and into the dictatorial.