 |
 |
||||||
 |
|||||||
TSA John S. Pistole's Pat-Down Madness by John M. Curtis Copyright
November 22, 2010 Transportation Security Agency John S. Pisotle finds himself in hot water for his new pat-down procedure, where agents grope passengers’ crotches in an attempt to detect various malleable explosives known as pentaerythritol tetranitrate [PETN] or C-4 exlosives commonly knows as Semtex or more generically “plastique.” These malleable explosives, developed by the Germans and British during WW I, were found Oct. 30 by Dubai transportation authorities packed into laser printer cartridges by al-Qaeda or one of its terrorist affiliates. If properly detonated, PETN or Semtex could easily take down a jetliner. Since the Dubai find, the U.S. Homeland Security has ratcheted up nation’s terror threat level for airline travel to “orange,” one-step above the current “yellow” for other forms of transportation. No one denies today’s terror threats, only TSA’s containment methods. In advance of the busy Thanksgiving holiday, Pistole finds himself under fire for indiscriminant practicing his pat-down procedure, causing considerable inconvenience and discomfort to the nation’s airline travelers. “We do thing in partnership with the American people. We need to have a partnership in tact,” said Pistole as the national outrage grows and spills over to the Obama administration, looking more inept as the new procedures continue. Given today’s post-Sept. 11 world, everyone wants the skies to remain safe. What passengers don’t want and won’t tolerate are new intrusive procedures having no effect on air-safety. Justifying the overkill, TSA officials often remind passengers that it’s possible for terrorist to plant bombs on innocent passengers or inside their luggage. That hypothetical scenario defies common sense or reality to most airline passengers. Stubbornly refusing to admit he went too far, Pistole now becomes a political liability to the Obama administration. Causing more delays at the nation’s already backed up airports, Pistole refused to reconsider his humiliating pat-down procedures, even where the passengers have no possible tie to terrorism. Insisting that TSA implements a “one-size-fits-all” policy, Pistole embarrasses President Barack Obama, assuring political fallout to the already battered administration. Calling for a National Opt-out Day, Brian Sodergren of Ashburn, VA called on airline travelers to protest Pistole’s new pat-down procedures on Wednesday, Nov. 24, only one day before Thanksgiving. “Just one or two reluctant passengers at an airport is all it takes to cause huge delays,” said Paul Ruden, a spokesman for the American Society of Travel Agents, urging passengers to boycott. Sodergren’s Web site and call for a one-day protest questions the TSA’s ineptness implementing a presidential directive and Congressional mandate to make the skies more safe since Sept. 11. TSA authorities simply can’t continue the “one-size-fits-all” model for air travel safety. No one begrudges TSA the right to implement effective procedures to prevent another Sept. 11 or, even more horrifying, another Pan Am 103, the ill-fated transatlantic flight that was blown up Dec. 21, 1988 by Libyan agents, killing 269 passengers and crew. Obama must request an emergency meeting with Pistole to discuss the feasibility of TSA’s current policies. Because of the government’s bureaucracy, it’s too late for Thanksgiving. With a little more pressure, perhaps administration officials will modify Pistole’s pat-down procedures and implement more effective security procedures by Christmas. Implementation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment Equal Protection clause doesn’t prevent the government from profiling potential terrorists. FBI profilers would gladly provide TSA with more accurate ways to implement air transportation security. Like in other countries, only passengers that remotely fit terrorist profiles should be subjected to the kind of pat-down procedures viewed as undue harassment by most airline passengers. Everyone wants safety but they don’t want harassment and unnecessary delays, having little or no effect on transportation security. While Pistole talks of his relationship with the public, he must accept the fact that most airline passengers subjected to TSA searches don’t believe they prevent future terrorist threats. Current TSA rules could subject protestors to $11,000 fines for resisting authorized inspections, no matter how inept or ineffectual. U.S. authorities must get a grip that the TSA has gone overboard ordering wholesale pat-downs for enhanced searches. Sordergren’s protest should help alert government officials that Pistole’s inspections have gone over the top, requiring more refined procedures for preventing terrorist attacks. Pistole’s “one-six-fits-all” approach neither prevents terrorism nor protects passengers’ privacy rights. TSA must get the message that airline passengers have little confidence in the current system to prevent future terror attacks. “We know through intelligence that there are determined people, terrorists who are trying to kill not only Americans but innocent people around the world,” said Pistole, making more excuses for his pat-downs. Pistole’s methods offer little to prevent terrorism and much to discredit the Obama admnistration as they implement an anti-terror policy. About the Author John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
|
|||||||
 |
|||||||
©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc. |