Pilots Group Grades U.S. Aviation Security an 'F'

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1896&ncid=1896&e=3&u=/nm/20050310/us_nm/security_airlines_dc


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of airline pilots gave the U.S. government failing grades on Thursday in several areas of aviation security including the screening of employees and cargo, and defending planes from shoulder-fired missiles.

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association released its Aviation Security Report Card that showed aviation security gets average to failing grades in over a dozen subject areas.


The trade group gave failing "F" grades to the government in five areas -- screening of employees, screening of cargo, high-tech credentialing of crew members, self-defense training for crew and the plan for countering shoulder-fired missiles.

<snip>


"The technology exists, or could be updated, to address many of these security problems," said Safley, whose group represents about 22,000 pilots from American Airlines, United Parcel Service, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways .


"But neither the airlines, the airports nor government officials have given these issues the priority they deserve."

[ixion]

1. indeed, they're too busy harassing paying customers

to worry about real problems. :eyes:

I really used to love to fly, but anymore, I can't bring myself to go through the gauntlet that is your average terminal these days.

[TahitiNut]

2. It should be noted that none of the areas cited ...

... have to do with infringements on civil liberties. There is no opportunity to oppress the liberties and freedoms of passengers and the public in addressing security in "screening of employees, screening of cargo, high-tech credentialing of crew members, self-defense training for crew and the plan for countering shoulder-fired missiles."

We today have a government attitude that's throughly infected with the underlying notion that "the public is the enemy!" It's an attitude of opposition to people as adversaries rather than people (all people) the entire raison d'etre (and sole source of legitimacy) for governance in the first place.

This is at the black-heart of neoconservatism: the presumption that freedoms and liberties are an 'entitlement' and not inalienable.

[DELUSIONAL]

4. You've hit the nail on the head -- "the public is the enemy!"

To survive the airport terminal B.S. you have to become passive and submissive -- rather like convicts. Keep you eyes down, don't make eye contact with anyone, don't act nervous, don't speak -- until the idiots speak to you. For women -- we must allow strange people to grope you in public -- to determine if your boobs are real or not.

Yet we are the paying public -- we are the ones keeping these business afloat -- yet we are treated as the enemy -- until proved innocent.

With the number of people who have stopped flying I wonder how many more bankruptcies we will see? Perhaps that is the objective -- to contain and control the population?

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. butbutbut

Our Great Pretzeldent has protected us against terra! That's why he was "re-elected" right?

[soothsayer]

5. They didn't mention the green lasers lights being shined at 'em?

[rodeodance]

6. someone on cable news dissed this group as a 'union' only thinking of

themselves. Sorry just caught the story--probably on CNN though.

[demnan]

7. Well I wonder

how the FAA is going to spin this one. I'll see soon, I guess.

[uppityperson]

8. Friend took a 3" pocketknife thru Feb,missed 2 x-raying, 1 hand

Carry on bag x-rayed and pulled aside for a hand check for something suspicious. The pliers used for making jewelry was removed, bag x-rayed again and passed through. They missed the folding knife with the 3 inch blade accidentally left in the bottom of the bag. I guess your might disable smoke detectors or some such so can't have pliers, or maybe you might twist nipples? On the trip back, they were talking about this at the airport and a woman (not part of the group) said her husband had forgotten to check his knife recently and put it in the bottom of his carry on and it wasn't found. Security is a joke.

I learned 2 yrs ago to not try to talk with the TSA people at the airport as their response was poopoo me and tell me to go away, so wrote TSA and got a nice note back:
"allegation of a blade exceeding security SEA"

Thank you for your recent communication to the Transportation Contact
Center. You may be sure we take all such information as you relayed
very seriously. The appropriate officials within the Transportation
Security Administration at SEA-TAC have been informed and will take all appropriate corrective action.

[Divernan]

9. Oh great! At SEA-TAC(Seattle) - a likely entry point for "terraists"

We already know from Fahrenheit 911 and it's account of the largely unpatrolled Oregon coastline, and the the locked up state police mini-office on the coast (only open limited hours in case you want to report something suspicious); as well as suspicious types stopped at the Canadian border who were supposedly headed to the "Space Needle" in Seattle, that the Northwest corner of the country is very vulnerable. I just flew in and out of there last weekend and found the NSA types very laid back compared to Chicago Midway.


Air travel is a major headache. Every airport's NSA contingent seems to have different security expectations- and even when you fly through the same airport, those expectations may change from month to month. When an NSA agent asks "friendly" questions, it just makes me nervous. They are almost setting you up to look suspicious. At 5 frigging 45 am in the morning, having left home at 4:30 am to drive to the airport, if someone asks me "How you doin?", or "And where are you headed too?", and I really told them, "I'm tired and it's none of your damn business", or "Just read my boarding pass which I am holding in front of your face, you idiot!",I'd probably be taken aside because of a belligerent attitude. If the guy ahead of me in line goes through the metal detector without pushing his plastic tray with his wallet, cell phone, etc., completely onto the moving belt, I get screamed at to push "my" box through - I'm holding up the line. On the other hand, you damn well better not touch anything on that belt unless you're told to by NSA. The sign says take off your topcoat, but you don't have to take off your suit coat. Then why am I (having taken off my topcoat) told I must take off the long sleeved shirt I'm wearing over a tank top or the vest I'm wearing with a shirt, or a neck scarf? Some have signs saying take off your shoes if there's metal in them. (so not rubber thongs) Then some NSA type yells EVERYONE TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES as if we're all stupid not to have done so automatically. OK that vent is over.

[uppityperson]

11. The one time I've felt intimidated by TSA was at SeaTac

When trying to get them to not x-ray my tiny hearing aid batteries that were sealed in their container I just bought at the store with "hearing aid batteries" printed on it. I showed them my aids and showed them where the batteries went and offered to let them try and they just looked at me and I realized shit, these guys had the authority to get me arrested over $10.oo worth of batteries so I could hear. We looked blankly at each other, then they offered to get a supervisor to do a hand check. I mean give me a break, what are they going to find by x-raying batteries the size of a pencil eraser (yup, they're batteries all right)? ARGH. And they yell at you to NOT TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES until they tell you to, what are you doing you person there anticipating that I might want your shoes off? end of rant.

[Colorado Blue]

10. Yours truly, on the other hand, got wanded and felt up in

front of several hundred people.

You have NOT LIVED until you have been sat down in a chair and told to spread your lower extremities and stick your feet up in the air.

Need I add I was wearing a skirt?

I think maybe they didn't like my Doc Martins with all the laces?

Oi:)