TSA looking to end pat-downs

[MicroBalrog]

Upset with being frisked and having a naked image taken of you at airports?

Increasingly, stringent air security screening methods such as these are under question. And they're not just being questioned by travelers upset at being groped. A consensus is building among the airline industry, business and leisure travel groups and even top government officials that something needs to change.

B-b-but.... WAR ON TERRORISM IS GOING TO LAST FOREVER OUR FREEDOMS ARE LOST!!!!! LOST I SAY!!!

[French G.]

The trusted traveler verification BS offers far more intrusive and permanent dings on our personal freedom than getting felt up. It is hard now to travel and not have the whole world know, soon it will be impossible.

[MechAg94]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Texas-Bill-would-outlaw-unreasonable-patdowns-121811259.html
I wonder if part of that is potential future legal challenges and fights if they continue.

In addition to it being almost universally unpopular, it is seen by most as poorly targeted and useless.  Not to mention all the stories I hear of women being patted down by agents who they claim were "enjoying" it. 

Then again, election season is coming. 

[zxcvbob]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Texas-Bill-would-outlaw-unreasonable-patdowns-121811259.html
I wonder if part of that is potential future legal challenges and fights if they continue.

In addition to it being almost universally unpopular, it is seen by most as poorly targeted and useless.  Not to mention all the stories I hear of women being patted down by agents who they claim were "enjoying" it. 

Then again, election season is coming. 

IMHO, the way to end it is for TSA to declare a victory; say the program was so successful that it's no longer needed.

[MicroBalrog]

The trusted traveler verification BS offers far more intrusive and permanent dings on our personal freedom than getting felt up. It is hard now to travel and not have the whole world know, soon it will be impossible.

I think I will have to disagree - but then all my air travel is international.

TSA pat-down policy will reflect on the other nations of the world - as many nations only introduced TSA-style pat-downs to comply with regulations that stated that aircraft flying into the US had to have passengers 'screened' as they got on the plane. I expect an end to pat-downs in the US to reverberate through the airports of the world.

Since all my air travel is international, any time I exit the country my movements are logged anyway by the Foreign Ministry.

[Tallpine]

Why don't we start concerning ourselves with the travellers who are not trusted?

That would be a lot smaller number, and the rest of us can be left alone.

[Perd Hapley]

Why don't we start concerning ourselves with the travellers who are not trusted?

That would be a lot smaller number, and the rest of us can be left alone.

Isn't that the whole point of a trusted traveller system?

[Nick1911]

Why don't we start concerning ourselves with the travellers who are not trusted?

That would be a lot smaller number, and the rest of us can be left alone.

You mean the no fly list?

[Tallpine]

You mean the no fly list?

Well, since they have such a thing - shouldn't the rest of us be "trusted" 

[PTK]

While this is a step in the right direction, the entire idea of the no-fly list needs to be readdressed, at the very least there needs to be a way to fight being on the list or appeal the listing of oneself.


EDIT: Changed my mind.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Some of us on that list are on there for completely BS reasons such as defending our toddler-aged daughter from having her skirt lifted by a TSA punk.


is that a specific real life "us"  or....  something more ethereal

[MicroBalrog]

People are often put on the list for even more BS reasons.

[Tallpine]

People are often put on the list for even more BS reasons.

I don't doubt that.  I don't really like the idea of their "list," but since they have it then everyone else should be pretty much okay.

I guess there is a question of whether government should ever do any preventative investigation? 

IIRC, most or all of the 9-11 hijackers were already on a watch list, which is why given seat numbers provided by a flight attendant making an illegal cell phone call, the almighty government was able to attribute the crime to the evil Al Qeada and Osama Bin Ladin within - what, less than 12 hours? 

[Azrael256]

Increasingly, stringent air security screening methods such as these are under question.

Pretty much all of it is pointless anyway.

If the flight safety briefing included "... The seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.  In the event of a hijacking attempt, there is a bigass knife in the armrest of your seat..." 9/11 couldn't have happened.

[AZRedhawk44]

 

This is a Statist plan.

GOV knows that we the People are angry about this.

TSA is taking themselves out of the crosshairs, short-term, so that no Presidential candidate can use the TSA as a platform issue.  It may be Obama leading this to avoid a loss of popularity  in comparison to a GOP candidate saying he'll  alter the agency... or it may be TSA leading this to protect themselves from either candidate campaigning against over-reaching GOV policies.

Regardless, TSA will go back to their regular tricks after the 2012 elections.

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