Reflection

[dsrtao]

If the TSA isn't guilty of something, they would answer my questions.

They haven't answered my questions.

Therefore they must be guilty of something.

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Your conclusion notwithstanding...they could also be staffed by incompetents hired on short notice during a time of national crisis.

[dsrtao]

Would they prefer to admit to being incompetent or guilty?

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

You are not respecting their authority...

That makes them nervous. They enjoy their little power trips. If you question them, you are questioning their right to exercise what little power they have. This threatens them and when bullies are threatened they lash out.

Did you catch the audio recording of the Ron Paul supporter hauled into a back room and interrogated because he had around $5K on him in cash?

[dsrtao]

Ayup. 250 or so comments on the TSA blog, of which approximately 13 are supporting the TSA. Ten of those work for the TSA, though...

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

Been flying enough I have had my own problems with them...

My favorite was the one who wanted to go on break that just grabbed the bag I had put on the counter as I turned to open the laptop bag next to it. I had not put it on the rollers as I had not yet taken my zip lock baggie of liquids out. He then verbally encouraged me to speed up the process of filling the trays with anything metal from my pockets.

I was expecting a grilling when they spotted the liquids.

Nope, they didn't even spot them...

As soon as I was through they closed the line and booked out of there.

[seawasp]

That logic only applies to individuals being questioned by government agencies, comrade. You don't get to reverse it.

[robertdfeinman.livejournal.com]

Abuse of power only happens with the consent of the abused. If a substantial number of travelers started to make a fuss about intrusive and unneeded searches the system would break down and would be reformed.

Other countries are much more willing to use various forms of civil resistance than are Americans. For all our claiming we are independent souls we tend to act like sheep.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

There is an obvious imbalance of power - the TSA system versus the individual. It is not surprising that an individual does not push back.

The counter-balance would be a collective action. But who would lead this collective action? Hint: the frequent corporate flyer can purchase better access than hoi polloi.

[robertdfeinman.livejournal.com]

For some reason organized civil disobedience has declined in this country. One has only to look at the protests and strikes in Europe over the past year or so to see the difference.

The Marcos regime in the Philippines was brought down by a refusal of everyone to cooperate any longer. They just stopped working, blocked the streets, etc. The same was true of the "color" revolutions in several Eastern European countries.

You don't need riots, just the refusal to go along. Remember the sit in at the window factory of a couple of months ago. Things like this used to be a regular feature. It's a rare event now, but it worked. I would imagine that as few as a dozen people who refused to be "processed" in a line for a flight would be enough to cause havoc.

Even paranoid England is starting to reconsider the widespread use of CCTV to monitor streets and businesses. The argument that you have nothing to worry about if you aren't doing anything wrong turns out not be be true. Some innocuous things people would prefer to remain private as well.

It seems as if there is a concerted effort to get people used to the idea of an all-seeing big brother. On the typical spy or action show the good guys can always tap into any database they need, set up surveillance, monitor the movements of people, etc all without any consideration as to whether this legal or proper.