The TSA and the False Promise of Airport Security
How
many people out there feel safer since the organization known as the TSA
beefed-up security and seized control of the metal detectors and x-ray machines
of airports across the country in an attempt to ease the troubled American
psyche from the grand modern world threat of terrorism? I don't see many hands going up. The TSA, also known as the Transportation
Security Administration, is the organization established so that what happened
on September 11th, 2001 will never happen again. The TSA is a tentacle of the Department of
Homeland Security, the department created by the federal government to provide
us, once again, with a safer America.
And while this is a government agency, the TSA is made up of our friends
and relatives, according to their website: -We are
your neighbors, friends and relatives. We are 43,000 security officers,
inspectors, directors, air marshals and managers who protect the nation's
transportation systems so you and your family can travel safely. We look for
bombs at checkpoints in airports, we inspect rail cars, we patrol subways with
our law enforcement partners, and we work to make all modes of transportation
safe." Interesting. I have no friends or family or neighbors that
work for the TSA, and the means in which they intend to insure our safety while
traveling was not how the terrorist acts on 9/11 were executed, nor does it
have anything to do with 9/11.
The funny thing is that whenever I have an encounter with the
TSA, I have a deep-rooted feeling flowing through my body of insecurity " in
fact it is a reminder of, how unsafe we are when we are traveling. Not because of terrorist threats or anything
like that. But of how our civil
liberties are almost entirely stripped upon coming within a 5-mile radius of an
airport, let alone stepping foot in one.
I never feel the way I do when dealing with the TSA, as I do in dealing
with a dear friend or relative. I feel
stripped of my rights as a human being.
As I approach the security line, I am herded into a roped-off line like
some sort of livestock, instantly dehumanizing me. I begin to wonder, -Am I going to make my
flight?", and -Why are we being corralled in such a manner?", and additionally
start raises questions of being good enough, innocent enough, and even
questioning my manhood. And I haven't
done anything wrong. So right of the
bat, the paralyzing fear of insecurity is embedded into me, and I sense it in
my fellow American air travelers surrounding me.
Then I get to the point where it is time to pass through the
security checkpoint. Generally, these
people who work for the TSA, -my neighbors, friends and relatives", are
disgruntled and unpleasant; barking orders; basking in the glory of their fear-imposed
power they have been granted as agents of the Transportation Security
Association. These people have no
problem exercising their authority, shouting at citizens as if they were in the
mess hall of a P.O.W. camp: -Step
forward NOW." -Remove EVERYTHNG from your pockets." -Take of your shoes and
your belts." -If you have a container of liquid bigger than THIS, it has to be
thrown away." I have heard horror
stories of women having to throw out formula for their newborns. Then you go through the metal detector and if
that thing goes off, watch out " you could be detained for hours. -Go back around." -Take EVERYTHING out of your pockets." -Go sit in the chair in the corner." And God forbid you are chosen for security
screening. Plan on adding at least an
extra 10-15 minutes on your travel time as they scan, poke and prod at you, put
their dirty rubber gloves through all of your personal belongings, and give you
looks like you are getting ready to plant a bomb in the White House. After a while I was getting ready for the
anal probe section of the screening process.
Who determines these guidelines for -pre-selected screening"? What kind of state are we living in? This is more safety? It is more like more insecurity. Less interconnectedness. More dehumanization. Less trust.
More fear.
Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the melting iceberg. This is perhaps me venting about my
experiences with aggravated TSA workers who take the frustration of their own
lives and jobs out on me and millions of travelers like myself. The real threat lies in the removal of our
rights as American citizens under the guise of -homeland security" and
-terrorism". The true terrorists are the
individuals who are creating such legislature and implementing ineffective
airport security to make us feel -more safe", when in fact these same officials
are voting for more war to take place in third world environments under the
cloak of national security, often bringing more harm to innocent civilians,
women and children, rather that taking out the -bad guys", who ever that may be
at that moment. These -terrorists" have
given the TSA authority to confiscate anything they want from anyone and detain
anyone for just about anything. The TSA
makes up their rules as they go along, freestyling off the posted guidelines
and regulations. For example, I have had
items, specifically containers of liquids, confiscated from me by the TSA. But according to the TSA, nothing was
confiscated; I -voluntarily abandoned" the bottles. I have slid through TSA checkpoints,
sometimes on accident, with contraband such as shampoo, conditioner, contact
solution, bottled water, a pocketknife, lighters and a pipe, amongst other
things. How is the TSA doing their job
correctly if I was able to glide through with these items threatening the
security of America? And it doesn't stop
at the checkpoints " The TSA also inspects your checked baggage and does so
with the same precision, surveillance and ineffectiveness as they do at the
checkpoints. In addition to us
red-blooded Americans, I can only imagine what it must be like for a
non-citizen to travel in the United States.
Bless your poor souls.
The TSA is one of the many aspects of a lack of security and
removal of our individual civil liberties and human rights that has resulted
from the events of 9/11. While the TSA appear to be providing a
-safer" environment in the airports of America, they in fact perpetuate the fear-driven
mentality of control that is plaguing our country, and the world for that
matter. When one buys into the hype of
fear, they buy into the concept that more security, bigger locks, bigger guns
and more war will make them -safer" and protect them from -terrorism", protect
them from -the enemy". But what does the
face of -terrorism" look like? Really,
what does a -terrorist" look like? It is
very similar to the -war" led by first lady Nancy Regan, -the war on drugs". How do you win a -war on drugs'? A -war on terrorism"? Ultimately, both -wars" are futile attempts
at freedom, security and liberty, and those who are the victims of these -wars"
are the American people and the casualties of the battles that arise in these
fabricated conflicts. If we want more
security and safety, whether it be in airports, in our homes, in our hearts and
minds, in our country or in the world, than we must revert back to the idea of
-our neighbors, families, and friends" the TSA mentions and the vibration
generated inside ourselves and those close to us: Love. It all comes down to a choice - A choice that
requires no effort, no heightened security, no -pre-selected screening", no
weaponry, no wars, conflicts or laws, no loss of rights or liberties or removal
of shoes,. Just a choice - between love
and fear.
By
Chris Devcich