Quote:The Transport Security Administration (TSA) in the United States failed to detect a loaded gun being carried by Iranian-American businessman at a Houston airport last fall.

According to Farid Seif, he passed through security and boarded an international flight with a loaded snub nose "baby" Glock pistol in his computer bag.

TSA officers never noticed as his bag glided along the belt and was x-rayed. When he got to his hotel after the three-hour flight, he was shocked to discover the gun traveled unnoticed from Houston.

"It's just impossible to miss it, you know. I mean, this is not a small gun," Seif told ABC News.

He added: "How can you miss it? You cannot miss it."

But the TSA did miss it, and despite what most people believe about the painstaking effort to screen airline passengers and their luggage before they enter the terminal, it was not that unusual.

And there's this:

Quote:According to one report, undercover TSA agents testing security at a Newark airport terminal on one day in 2006 found that TSA screeners failed to detect concealed bombs and guns 20 out of 22 times.

A 2007 government audit leaked to USA Today revealed that undercover agents were successful slipping simulated explosives and bomb parts through Los Angeles's LAX airport in 50 out of 70 attempts, and at Chicago's O'Hare airport agents made 75 attempts and succeeded in getting through undetected 45 times.

The link to this comedy.....

TSA is nothing more than "Security Theater."

Case in point.. Dipstick gets 10 grams of Coke through security at Hartsfield. Coke is stored in baggies in a carry on that is X rayed. Dipstick isn't stopped.

Dipstick's Girlfriend wants some during the flight. Girlfriend spills most of a baggie on the floor of the aircraft lavatory and leaves it there.

Dipstick and his bimbo are detained at Gate upon landing. "Lookie what is in here!"

One of two things, one the TSA has declared war on Americans. or two, they are demonstrating a need for more money and employees. The gov't definition of failure is the need for more funding. Protecting us is secondary.

The TSA is a damn joke. On a recent trip to Vegas, I carried 3 butane lighters and several books of matches in my carry on.
I quit smoking several years ago and did not even know they were in a pocket of the bag until I discovered them in my Harrahs hotel room.

Good work TSA.:ncaabbs: I could have set fire to my seat or god knows what else while in flight.

I don't believe that their performance has been much different from when the airports handled it themselves. However they have probably saved lives, since the number of people that would have gotten themselves killed on the road because they were afraid of flying (but are reassured by TSA) is likely greater than the number of people that actually got themselves killed on the road because they found TSA's policies too inconvenient.

From the perspective of lives saved vs lost, I suspect that checking IDs has been very successful; it is nearly worthless for security (too easy to doctor a boarding pass) but it creates the illusion of keeping the known threats away from planes for a rather minimal inconvenience. I am fairly certain that the new body scanners have been a total disaster. In fact, the publicity and poor handling in the aftermath of that guy that refused the imaging machines and pat-down has a decent chance of costing a few lives.

(12-19-2010 12:49 AM)rice09 Wrote:  I don't believe that their performance has been much different from when the airports handled it themselves. However they have probably saved lives, since the number of people that would have gotten themselves killed on the road because they were afraid of flying (but are reassured by TSA) is likely greater than the number of people that actually got themselves killed on the road because they found TSA's policies too inconvenient.

From the perspective of lives saved vs lost, I suspect that checking IDs has been very successful; it is nearly worthless for security (too easy to doctor a boarding pass) but it creates the illusion of keeping the known threats away from planes for a rather minimal inconvenience. I am fairly certain that the new body scanners have been a total disaster. In fact, the publicity and poor handling in the aftermath of that guy that refused the imaging machines and pat-down has a decent chance of costing a few lives.

You haven't one clue what you are talking about.

I agree with the TSA having problems, but if you think its a problem, what is your alternative? As my boss always says, "Complaining without a solution makes you an *******."

(12-19-2010 11:12 AM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  I agree with the TSA having problems, but if you think its a problem, what is your alternative? As my boss always says, "Complaining without a solution makes you an *******."

Israeli model, profiling. Now your post says "TSA having problems", so you complain and offer no solution, what does that make you?

An *******

(12-19-2010 03:04 PM)aTxTIGER Wrote:  An *******

Indeed

******* A.

****.

(12-19-2010 11:11 AM)SumOfAllFears Wrote:  

(12-19-2010 12:49 AM)rice09 Wrote:  <snip>

You haven't one clue what you are talking about.

Can you explain further? I thought that my logic was sound but perhaps I have missed some facts? I am always interested in learning a new perspective.

I think it is undeniable that air travel is orders of magnitude safer than driving. Therefore, every person that decides to drive to their destination rather than fly, has a higher chance of dieing during their journey. Over hundreds of thousands and millions of people, these probabilities add up into actual deaths.

I don't disagree that the TSA has done an awful job of securing the skies, but I think that the government's immediate action to change things up helped people get comfortable with the idea of flying again (not to say it is rational; after all, being too scared to fly in the first place is irrational). It may all be security theater, but it probably saved lives in the aftermath of 9/11. As policies have gotten increasingly draconian, the TSA is pushing travelers away from flying (and therefore likely costing lives).

I believe overall, they are still in the positive territory (the total lives saved by reducing fear of flying after 9/11 is greater than recently cost through traveler distaste for flying due to their 'see through' scanners). If that is true, and TSA's mission is to save lives then they have succeeded. If their mission is to protect the skies, than they probably have not succeeded (although it is important to remember that security wasn't great before TSA either).

(12-21-2010 02:08 AM)rice09 Wrote:  

(12-19-2010 11:11 AM)SumOfAllFears Wrote:  

(12-19-2010 12:49 AM)rice09 Wrote:  <snip>

You haven't one clue what you are talking about.

Can you explain further? I thought that my logic was sound but perhaps I have missed some facts? I am always interested in learning a new perspective.

I think it is undeniable that air travel is orders of magnitude safer than driving. Therefore, every person that decides to drive to their destination rather than fly, has a higher chance of dieing during their journey. Over hundreds of thousands and millions of people, these probabilities add up into actual deaths.

I don't disagree that the TSA has done an awful job of securing the skies, but I think that the government's immediate action to change things up helped people get comfortable with the idea of flying again (not to say it is rational; after all, being too scared to fly in the first place is irrational). It may all be security theater, but it probably saved lives in the aftermath of 9/11. As policies have gotten increasingly draconian, the TSA is pushing travelers away from flying (and therefore likely costing lives).

I believe overall, they are still in the positive territory (the total lives saved by reducing fear of flying after 9/11 is greater than recently cost through traveler distaste for flying due to their 'see through' scanners). If that is true, and TSA's mission is to save lives then they have succeeded. If their mission is to protect the skies, than they probably have not succeeded (although it is important to remember that security wasn't great before TSA either).

Your cause and effect logic is flawed. You assume that if a person didn't fly he must have driven. That is not always the case. An increase in traffic deaths attributed to 911. Reminds me of Obama's saved or created jobs. As for the rest, just shoot from the hip rambling.

Listening to Glenn Beck on the radio this morning...It was reported that close to 90% of contraband gets by the TSA...by their own admission. I had heard the figure was close to 50%. Either way...The TSA is not keeping us safe. It is a monumental failure.