America is a nation of security theater — we go through a role play each time we take a commercial flight to make the fearful among us feel safer, but the reality remains the TSA has failed to stop any terrorist attack and does more harm than good. Just ask the thousands who have suffered scorn, abuse, harassment, or theft from American’s second-most-loathed agency (though TSA gives the IRS a run for the money…).
If you think I am exaggerating, try google.
Perhaps in an attempt to demonstrate the “watchful” TSA routinely lets a whole lot slip by, a man decided to take a security bin as a TSA screening souvenir…and managed to get it all the way home.
Here’s some of his pictures—
While I remain one of the TSA’s fiercest critics, I certainly don’t condone theft — this is not all that different than walking into a DMV and taking a chair home or taking home a souvenir home from the Smithsonian museum (and I don’t mean from the gift shop).
Still, the guy was was making a political point and I admire the gutsiness of posting this. Hopefully he doesn’t have to apply for a redress number once the TSA finds out who he is.
And don’t you love that pilot posing with the picture too?
Some say the TSA is unfairly criticized. It is not — it has failed to a degree in which it cannot be taken seriously, as serious as the matter of airport security is. The solution, in my mind, is not privatization (or maybe yes?), but Americans should not tolerate the TSA and here I am not talking about agents stopping passengers from pilfering bins but not tolerating stories like this, which implicates both the TSA and overzealous airport police officers.
Matthew, you say “The solution, in my mind, is not privatization” but instead we should all click our heels three times and wish for a TSA that’s effective, responsive, and responsible. How do we get that exactly?
I think the term ‘privatization’ conjures up ideas for folks that aren’t reflective of what a thoughtful proposal really looks like.
We need to split up regulation of security from actually managing the checkpoint. The FAA does a great job overseeing safety. But it doesn’t fly the planes. A federal safety regulator not actually manning the checkpoints could more easily focus on relative risk.
San Francisco and Kansas City airports have had private screeners since the creation of TSA. All screening in Canada is done by government-certified screening companies. Most large airports in Europe have government-certified screening companies manning their checkpoints. We know that San Francisco screeners are far more efficient than LAX screeners — and that’s with current TSA oversight.
We can do better, but it’s not by insisting we finally — finally! — get some accountability from the TSA as it is today.
Fair point Gary — the anti-privatization remark was made in passing and in reference to the minimum wage pre-9/11 paradigm. I do agree that examples like Team SFO show the partial privatization would at least be an improvement over the current system.
Of course I am the flyer who is willing to board a flight without screening, knowing all other passengers also have not been screened…
I added a link to your recent post on privatization and invite more discussion here in the comments section.
“…but the reality remains the TSA has failed to stop any terrorist attack…”
And your basis for this statement?
Here, for starters…
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2015/06/01/security-tsa-fails-to-stop-95-percent-of-potential-terror-attacks-in-test-n2006611
The TSA touts everything they accomplish, eg.
http://blog.tsa.gov/2016/01/tsa-2015-year-in-review.html
They have never even sought to make a credible claim that they’ve stopped a terrorist.
And considering that they don’t catch 95% of what goes through the checkpoint (not a one-off, the figure was 91% a decade ago), there can’t be much deterrent value either.
Wow. What a hero-stealing government property. Congrats. What next, lauding Yellowstone vandals because you don’t like the Park Service?
I can’t believe all the hate for TSA given the attacks in Brussels and Istanbul airports. There were some serious heroism by law enforcement there, especially at Istanbul. Sure, it’s not the TSA, but I’m sure there are a lot of people in Turkey with the same feeling of entitlement and bitterness about having to wait in line, about having to go through security, about having their bags check. Until the psychos started shooting and blowing themselves up.
Then everyone starts looking around for the security guys.
Speak for yourself.
A, does it hurt when you think?
That “serious heroism” you spout occurred after how many people were already dead? Somehow the bad guys got through all your security heroes to kill people.
Smart, very smart to confess a Federal Offence on the Internet, and tell them your destination city.
Rest assured, they will find you, even if they have to post Your picture in every Post Office and airport in the country.
They will, at least make you pay for the tray. If a screwdriver can cost thousands, what do you think your tray cost?
Besides, if everyone did the same thing, screening delays would increase due to the shortage of bins.
You should hire a media consultant, and a lawyer, in that order.