security theater

‘Run and hide’ is Obama administration’s clever plan for next school shooting

"The U.S. Department of Education’s 'live-shooter' section doesn’t recommend that schools arm teachers or employ armed guards. It doesn’t even advise schools to add door locks for classrooms. Instead, the section counsels teachers and students to 'run,' 'hide' and then 'fight' — but only 'if neither running nor hiding is a safe option.' Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, does not explain how this guidance differs from the very unsuccessful actions attempted by the 26 victims of Adam Lanza, the lone gunman who attacked Sandy Hook Elementary School. Twenty of those victims were children who were six and seven years old." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Run and hide’ is Obama administration’s clever plan for next school shooting

New York Mayor Bloomberg to appeal ruling that blocked stop-and-frisk policy

"New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday said he would appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the police department’s 'stop and frisk' crime-fighting tactics violate constitutional rights. Bloomberg remained firm in his argument that the practice drove down the city’s crime rate, saying, 'The possibility of being stopped acts as a vital deterrent.' His administration plans to ask for a stay of the judge’s order until the appeal is heard, officials told a press conference." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York Mayor Bloomberg to appeal ruling that blocked stop-and-frisk policy

Does “Homeland Security” really protect you?

"Secretary Janet Napolitano’s resignation is the perfect time get rid of the Department. Its alleged purpose is to prevent terrorism. But it’s trying to solve a problem that doesn’t really exist. You’re far more likely to die from bathtub drowning, home appliances, or deer accidents than from terrorism. This tells me the DHS is a waste of time. Spending shot up from $20 billion in 2002 to $60 billion this year. Also, the DHS isn’t really about security or terrorism prevention at all: The primary counter-terrorism agencies - FBI, CIA, and NSA - aren’t even part of the DHS. Less than 25% of DHS grants actually go to terrorism prevention." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoes “Homeland Security” really protect you?

TSA: Ask the Fed for Relief…From the Fed?

"Compared to NSA’s confiscation of U.S. citizens’ phone records, however, Americans can take some comfort that TSA’s PreCheck program is voluntary—at least for now. Yet in the past, government experimentation has oft become permanent policy, which, in this case, would then require every American to undergo fingerprinting and a background check to be eligible to fly commercially. In other words, as government’s thirst for security mounts, its 'no-fly' list, which includes names of suspected terrorists, could eventually be replaced by an 'OK to fly' list. Do you think this scenario is outlandish and would never happen?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA: Ask the Fed for Relief…From the Fed?

TSA’s VIPR could be screening you without you knowing it

"The TSA could be screening you without you even knowing it. From the Super Bowl to the Inauguration to Union Station, if you're traveling, the Transportation Security Agency could be there, and they could be looking at you. They are a special brand of the TSA, called 'VIPR.' It stands for 'Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response.' VIPR has been around since 2005, and they are meant to boost security by being a deterrent, and detecting security risks. WUSA9 asked the TSA what the qualifications are for becoming a TSA baggage screener versus being part of the VIPR program. We have not heard back." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA’s VIPR could be screening you without you knowing it

Report: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years

"The Transportation Security Administration is probably not going to top anyone's list of Favorite Federal Government Agencies. And the stories of its failures spread faster than a speeding jetliner: TSA officers stealing money from luggage, taking bribes from drug dealers, sleeping on the job. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that a new Government Accountability Office report, citing a 26% increase in misconduct among TSA employees between 2010 and 2012, is striking a nerve with some travelers who've had to endure the shoeless, beltless shuffle on the trip through security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years

The Worldwide Evil Empire

"Did you know that our taxes pay for an 'Office of Global Strategies' at the TSA? Victoria Reeder from that 'office' recently enjoyed a junket to the Bahamas at our expense. After Bahamian pols and bureaucrats kissed her butt a while, she and various other Amerikan bureaucrats connived with those tinhorns to 'engage in co-operation activities in the area of civil aviation, establishing, among other things, screening standards, comparable to those implemented in airports in the USA, for both passengers and checked baggage departing Bahamian Pre-clearance airports bound for the United States.'" Continue reading →

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TSA: Give Us Fingerprints, Web History and You Can Keep Your Shoes On

"In order to participate in the ‘PreCheck’ TSA program, you will need to allow them to reach down into the proverbial pants of your personal life as well. Under PreCheck, you are required to not only present your fingerprints to the TSA in person and pay a fee of $85, but the agency is also looking to gather all forms of your data as well — which reports state includes your web history and online data. With the help of a third party organization, the TSA seeks to ‘pre-screen’ (think pre-crime) individuals based on their activity in order to determine if they are worthy of bypassing the most minimal of security checkpoints." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA: Give Us Fingerprints, Web History and You Can Keep Your Shoes On

Valet-parked cars at airport searched under TSA regulations

"If security feels it is necessary to search some cars in the name of safety, why not search all of them? Laurie Iacuzza walked to her waiting car at the Greater Rochester International Airport after returning from a trip and that's when she found it -- a notice saying her car was inspected after she left for her flight. She said, 'I was furious. They never mentioned it to me when I booked the valet or when I picked up the car or when I dropped it off.' Iacuzza's car was inspected by valet attendants on orders from the TSA. But why only valet parked cars?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingValet-parked cars at airport searched under TSA regulations

Ex-Honolulu TSA screener denies stealing cash, resigns and denounces agency

"Owens said she was arrested at her home on her day-off. 'I told them I didn't do it,' she said. TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said Owens has resigned. 'I couldn't see myself working for an agency falsely accusing me of theft,' Owens said, adding that she had been thinking about quitting at the end of the year. She said she disliked all the 'disgusting' and 'invasive' pat-downs she was required to do on the job. 'It was just humiliating to have to do that to people,' she said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Honolulu TSA screener denies stealing cash, resigns and denounces agency