Fly The Paranoid Skies

Need anymore proof that the TSA needs some leadership?



That's right, no bomb in the underwear, no knife, gun, or a grenade, it's was Arabic language flashcards.

Having flown not long after Sept. 11th 2001, I can attest that TSA screeners are a paranoid lot that will question any and everything you have in your carry-on and in your pockets. I was selected for special screening twice - while leaving Kentucky for Colorado and coming back. Thankfully I didn't find myself in the situation that Nick George did, but I think that this shows the very nature of our society - we are told to be afraid of everything.

There's nothing wrong with taking precautions, but when you have a situation like this it makes me wonder what sort of training that TSA screeners get.

Where Were You On The Night Of The 18th?

Since being reported in the Washington Post, conservatives are rallying around Jim DeMint, claiming that he has suddenly been justified in his stonewalling of Barack Obama's intended head of the TSA Erroll Southers. The report shows that Southers gave an inaccurate statement regarding an incident that occured 29 years ago.

Southers, a former FBI agent, has described inconsistencies in his accounts to Congress as "inadvertent" and the result of poor memory of an incident that dates back 20 years. He said in a Nov. 20 letter to key senators obtained by The Post that he had accepted full responsibility long ago for a "grave error in judgment" in accessing confidential criminal records about his then-estranged wife's new boyfriend.

His letter to Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), chairman of the Senate homeland security committee, and Susan Collins (Maine), the ranking Republican on the panel, attempts to correct statements about the episode that were made in a sworn affidavit on Oct. 22 and have been reported.

Conservatives seem to think that remembering any and everything that you did 20 years ago is a prerequisite to holding any form of governmental office. However, one would think that remembering taking protected/personal information about someone from a federal database would be something a person would remember. But then again, the average American isn't likely to find themselves in front of a congressional panel partially made up of people that are there to ensure that you don't get the appointment that you have been nominated for.

Even after Southers' correction was given to Liberman and Collins, conservatives are claiming that he's not suited for the position because of what he did 20 years ago. There's no mention of his prior record as counter-terrorism expert. The reason is that he ability to perform the job isn't what matters, it's all about one incident that conservatives claim would potentially happen again. But after 20 years without incident, wouldn't one think that Mr. Southers had learned his lesson?

But back to conservatives claiming that Jim DeMint is somehow the hero in all this. Ed Morrissey over at HotAir says that he did the entire US a BIG favor, so his obstructionist stance really hasn't hurt the agency, even though it actually has. This is to be expected.

Conservatives are now shouting for Obama to name another appointee and to basically start the entire confirmation process all over again. And guess what, that means that it's going to be even longer before the agency has any form of leadership. And considering Republicans verifiable history of obstructing literally every person that Obama appoints to any and every position in his administration, are we supposed to believe that if Southers is removed from consideration that DeMint - or any other Republican Senator - is going to not going to continue their obstructionist tactics? No matter who is in the position, Republicans are going to find a way to put a hold on the process, thereby leaving an agency that they claim needs leadership without any.

Redaction Reveal

While the big news story of the day is the TSA document leak, some people are labelling this as a direct result of some directive from the Obama administration and some are even passing along the information that they claim is so sensitive that terrorists could use it.

improperly redacted areas indicate that only 20 percent of checked bags are to be hand searched for explosives and reveal in detail the limitations of x-ray screening machines.

ABC, in all it's infinite wisdom, even has the link to the complete document with a sample of a CSA credential.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SCREENING MANUAL and HERE TO SEE THE SAMPLE CIA CREDENTIAL

On the one hand, they are screaming that this is secret information that terrorists could use and then they freely give it up for all to see. Anyone else notice the complete ignorance with which this is being covered?

Even Fox"News" was in on disseminating the allegedly sensitive information, with Fox&Friends listing of some of the ways to bypass screening on this mornings program.

And while this document leak is definitely a bad mark against the TSA, it should be noted that screening procedures have been altered, improved, since March - the date which is shown on the TSA procedural papers.

This Should Set Off Some Interesting Conversation

Hot on the heels of the lunatic-fringe twitching with anger that the DHS mentioned, in their memo on Right-Wing extremism, that military personel may be targets for recruitment by extremist groups comes this:

A US Marine was arrested today at Logan International Airport after federal airport screeners discovered a gun, bomb-making materials, and ammunition in his checked baggage, State Police and Transportation Security Administration officials said.

Corporal Justin Reed, 22, of Jacksonville, N.C., was booked on US Airways Flight 877 to Charlotte, N.C., said TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis. She said Reed had arrived on a flight from Las Vegas this morning.

TSA screeners in Terminal B called State Police at 7:10 a.m. after a screen discovered the following items in his checked baggage: a locked handgun box containing a semi-automatic handgun, a fully loaded gun magazine, several boxes of 9 mm and 7.62 mm ammunition, three model rocket engines containing an explosive mixture, military pull-type fuses, switches, electronics kit boxes with various components, and a hand grenade fuse assembly with detonator.

According to TSA spokesperson Davis, it is legal to carry a weapon in your checked baggage, but it must be declared.

My question is this - why weren't these discovered in Las Vegas?

Not only that, but the fact that this person had components for making a bomb adds an interesting twist to this. We'll see how the Fox"News" crowd responds.