The TSA has garnered a reputation over the years for being highly invasive and inefficient; among other things.
Thousands of people have protested the TSA throughout the years, whether in person, online, in an article, in a book or a speech, and so on. It's clear that for many people, the entire process of being shuffled through the security theater, really dampens their travel experience and takes some of the joy out of the activity.
If anyone else approached you on the street and put their hands on you in the way that a TSA agent is permitted to do, the actions of that individual would constitute sexual assault. A lot of people don't like the TSA and I am not surprised. It's no wonder that many people don't enjoy being assaulted, when they simply want to go on vacation, head somewhere for work, go see a friend, and so on. Simply making the decision to travel and exercise your natural rights, shouldn't be reason enough for the state to justify violating your Constitutional rights in the way that they feel permitted to do.
Keep in mind that the invasive pat-downs come when you choose to opt out of the electronic screening. And it is no wonder that folks might want to opt out of that either for numerous reasons. One of the more pressing reasons being that thousands of photos were previously revealed to have been kept and distributed by TSA agents; naked screening images.
There are also a number of travelers who are unable to go through the scanners for health reasons (artificial limbs, in a wheelchair etc) and just because of their disability they are then forced to undergo an often humiliating experience in being groped by an agent with blue gloves.
We do it because we have been convinced that the security theater is necessary for our protection. But is it?
The TSA has displayed numerous failures throughout the years, to not only get people through the screening process in a timely manner, but also to effectively stop dangerous weapons from making it through that screening process. Sure they do catch several things, but there have been quite a few embarrassing failures on their behalf. And this is a program which eats up billions of dollars in taxpayer funds every year, yet they cannot yet seem to perform an efficient service.
The TSA has failed abundantly in trying to stop weapons from being smuggled through airports, or to even screen its own agents thoroughly enough so that we don't see them grabbing headlines because of their controversial activities.
And if it wasn't bad enough, it's about to get much worse as they roll-out their plans for even more invasive screening procedures.
Travelers are already criticizing the new procedures and saying that they are too invasive. Under the new rules, there is just one standardized pat down procedure, whereas before the TSA agents had a variety to choose from. They say that they have selected to go with just one option because they want to 'reduce confusion'.
Other new features implemented to a number of different airports and their security screening procedures, involves the option for travelers to identify themselves by either scanning a fingerprint or scanning their eyeball. The Biometrics company behind the move for that is known as Clear, and they describe themselves as being on a mission to revolutionize security.
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
As a suspect, an individual is always supposed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. That is the cornerstone of due process and the legal system itself. The way that the TSA has been going about carrying out their screening procedures, seemingly violates that basic tenant of due process because traveling from point A to point B shouldn't be reasonable suspicion to violate anyone's natural rights.
Some individuals going through these screening procedures have had their pants unzipped by TSA agents, and their undergarments exposed and searched while they were in public. This is the sort of activity that you might find in a police state.
The 4th amendment in the Constitution protects every citizen ideally from being the target of any unjust search and seizure by the state. But we can see that words on a piece of paper have done little throughout the years to curb this seeming violation and abuse of authority.
The 5th amendment also prohibits the state from confiscating or occupying any private property from a citizen, without first paying for it or receiving an order to confiscate it from a jury. Despite the seemingly illegal activities of the TSA, they continue to march forward.
"This has nothing to do with safety, it has to do with authoritarianism." - Ron Paul
They should expect that the more they seek to decrease the standard of travel, the more that folks will simply opt to stay home or find some alternative method of travel.
Pixabay:
CNBC
New York Magazine/Illustration by Andre Carrilho
imgflip
Sources:
https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2017/03/07/ron-paul-on-new-tsa-rules-more-aggressive-pat-downs/
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/ron-paul-warned-about-this-tsa-removes-opt-out-from-full-body-scanners
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tsa-rolls-out-new-pat-downs-some-travelers-say-they-n729181
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/SAN-Airport-Travelers-React-to-New-TSA-Pat-Down-Regulations-415437073.html
http://www.themarysue.com/the-tsas-new-searches/
http://www.voiceofalexandria.com/news/state/new-security-screening-at-msp-is-on-fast-track/article_7e04b22c-f91c-11e6-86c1-db7cceb75282.html
http://www.wbaltv.com/article/finger-eye-scan-promises-to-get-travelers-to-airport-security-faster/7093036
http://www.geekwire.com/2016/clear-iris-fingerprints-seatac/
https://www.clearme.com/home
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/other/2017/03/06/tsa-says-passengers-who-opt-out-other-technology-will-face-full-pat-downs/gQSHM06T7DUNzFO72bqaFM/story.html
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/08/tsas-airport-wait-times-grow-shorter-with-some-help-from-airlines.html