If you thought travel by commercial airplane was starting to look like something out of a bad movie about a police state, you will love what is coming next.
From the same people who have failed to make airline travel any safer but have managed to annoy the hell out of everyone short of the Pope, their version of safety is coming to a neighborhood near you.
From the LA Times:
The Transportation Security Administration isn't just in airports anymore. TSA teams are increasingly conducting searches and screenings at train stations, subways, ferry terminals and other mass transit locations around the country.
"We are not the Airport Security Administration," said Ray Dineen, the air marshal in charge of the TSA office in Charlotte. "We take that transportation part seriously."
The TSA's 25 "viper" teams — for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response — have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year.
According to budget documents, the department spent $110 million in fiscal 2011 for "surface transportation security," including the TSA's viper program, and is asking for an additional $24 million next year. That compares with more than $5 billion for aviation security.
TSA officials say they have no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety. But they argue that the random nature of the searches and the presence of armed officers serve as a deterrent and bolster public confidence.
"We have to keep them [terrorists] on edge," said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington. "We're not going to have a permanent presence everywhere."
U.S. officials note that digital files recovered from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan after he was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in May included evidence that the Al Qaeda leader had considered an attack on U.S. railways in February 2010. Over the last decade, deadly bombings have hit subways or trains in Moscow; Mumbai, India; Madrid; and London.
But critics say that without a clear threat, the TSA checkpoints are merely political theater. Privacy advocates worry that the agency is stretching legal limits on the government's right to search U.S. citizens without probable cause — and with no proof that the scattershot checkpoints help prevent attacks.
Since 9/11, there is only one real security improvement that has made any real difference. That is reinforcing cockpit doors. Since 9/11, every time someone has even whispered the words “Allah Akbar” passengers have risen up and fought back. Since 9/11, not only has every would be hijacker or suicide bomber failed, the passengers have kicked the crap out of him in the process.
Yet these clowns want to do for other forms of transportation what they have done for airline travel.
Now, not only can we be microwaved, harassed, groped and have our shoes forcibly removed at the airport, they are going to now do that at bus and train stations too.
Perhaps we could start by doing some simple things like, identifying our enemy. Our enemy is not the Knights of Columbus. The Southern Baptists have not been hijacking any airplanes recently and Joel Osteen has not been encouraging Christian suicide bombers.
Let’s start by identifying our enemy and let’s start by going after our enemy.
And while we are at it, let’s put some competent people in charge of our national security.
Of course, that excludes Obama and his entire regime.
Tags: Planes, TSA, buses, incompetence, trains
Permalink Reply by Paul Szemanczky on "In the true Orwellian Obama "Airport" of the coming days, you will be kindly escorted by liberal-police to your plane and placed aboard without harassment, only to find enroute, that the destruction of that plane and its robotic pilots and crew, is executed with great political earnestness. The beautiful and pious faces of the TSA will have deceived thousands to board these flights of conservative destruction..." (from my book in 2012).
Permalink Reply by Michael Small on That would be justified in every sense of the word. TSA is nothing less than Hitlers SS Troops in training. They need to be disbanded right along with Homeland Security.
Permalink Reply by Roni Smith on I gave up flying. None of my money goes to the airlines. Now I shall have to do the same with buses and trains. I don't like being manhandled, And I do consider hitting back if a man touches me, or a woman touches me in a private spot. This is America, still. There is absolutely no concievable reason for on-street searches.I won't hesitate to scream rape, any man who wants to hear it, can just try. I will make sure his wife and kids cringe. This is so unnecessary. I am offended. Someone seems to think this is a police state. I hope everyone who reads this, feels the same way.
Ronisue
Permalink Reply by Michael Small on I did the same many years ago but had several appointments I could not make this year without flying. However, I have nothing pressing in the future so plan travel is out of the question for me. I will drive if I have to go anyplace.
Sad, as US Citizens we never had to have passports to travel across our borders but since all this Homeland Security BS, we are restricted for no real reason. When driving truck in Canada the Authorities up there were just as bad if not worse than this in this country. I refused to go to Canada after my trip up to Calgary. To insure it , I bought a tractor with a long wheel base that disallowed my crossing the Canadian Border.
Governments do more damage to Free Enterprise, Free Market simply because government is force and not a method of promoting wealth creation. I am retired now but I will probably not fly again.
Permalink Reply by Leon Donahue on We became a Police State when Prez. Bush created the so called Department of Homeland Security. This nation already had a Department of Homeland Security long before Bush came up with this brainstorm. Our DHS was the United States Army, Marine Corps. (pronounced CORPSE if your name is Obama) Navy and Air Force. We did not need a new government agency with tens of thousands of employess acting like they are above the law while they live off the tax payers.
Permalink Reply by Michael Small on Yes, they are nothing but Jack Boot thugs and we have to thank Obama and the socialist regime in Washington for these added control measures that add up to nothing more than Bigger Government with additional expense they can not justify. This country should demand the TSA BE disbanded.
The Border patrol has never done their job as far back as I can remember and I was stationed on the boarder many years ago. All this Homeland Security is nothing but BS and a total waste of this countries finances of which we have none today.
Washington needs to be cleansed and it needs to be done very soon.
Permalink Reply by Virginia Gomez on GREAT!!
Permalink Reply by Brian Keith Prince on The average person who only gets their media from MSM...believes the orwellian thought police - too much. These would include your neighbors, family, church, community, etc. They probably (like cowards do) call you names like they have been trained to do by MSM and the LUKEWARM CHURCH who are PARTNERS in CRIME to LAUGH AND MOCK YOU...as they do to ME...and probably most of Us! Instead - they trust the jack boot thugs! Sick, isn't it? Best solution for now? www.oathkeepers.org with The U.S. CONSTITUTION and Matthew 5:33-37.
We have come too far down the yellow brick road...heck...we are all in the Emerald City...and the CURTAIN has already been pulled back! The wizard wants to kill Us though to send Us back to Kansas.
© 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
