TSA's Latest: Somewhere, George Orwell Is Waking Up Briefly To Say, "I Told You So!"
The "Some animals are more equal than others" line is here and now at the TSA checkpoint.
Bart Jansen writes at USA Today that those who have the bucks to pay to get into the TSA's "Pre-check" program can do so. Who will pay? Businessmen, wealthy people, people not on a budget. The rest of the people will continue to get their hoohoos grabbed by the hamburger clerks pretending to do security work same as we all have been these past years.
The Transportation Security Administration plans to dramatically expand its program to get travelers through airport checkpoints faster by inviting them to pay a nominal fee for voluntary background checks.TSA's Pre-check program offers travelers separate lines at checkpoints, where they leave on shoes and light coats and keep laptops in their bags. The free program operates at 40 airports and now covers members of frequent-flier programs for Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, United, US Airways and Virgin America airlines. Airlines invite frequent-fliers to apply with little more than the information provided when buying a ticket.
But TSA Administrator John Pistole announced Friday the agency will expand eligibility for the program to include travelers who pay a one-time fee of $85 for five years, to cover an application with identifying information such as address and birthplace, a background check and fingerprinting.
Yes, that's right. Your Fourth Amendment right to not be searched without probable cause will still be taken from you but if you pay a fee, strangers employed by your government will no longer grope your sex parts at the airport.
As for the people who trade money and privacy to avoid being sexually assaulted in the name of security just because they need to take a business trip or want to be there for Granny on her 90th, think about it: You're being treated like a criminal -- being fingerprinted and giving information that is not your government's business unless you have committed a crime.
If you are not speaking up about this, you are part of what's enabled the degradation of our rights.
P.S. If you think government is there to protect you, this little pay-to-avoid-groping dealie was brought to you by the sleazebags occupying the U.S. Senate.
No DNA sample? I might consider it. The Marines already took my fingerprints, and Immigration has my wife's.
MarkD at July 20, 2013 4:54 AM
The TSA was never needed.
That they exist at all is an anathema that has the founding father's spinning in their graves.
Jim P. at July 20, 2013 5:57 AM
Court agrees that Americans can't describe car batteries attached to our genitals by government sadists as torture but rather must be described as 'Freedom Finders'.
Wait, that's next week.
This week a secret court decided in secret to allow secret agents to secretly monitor your life.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 20, 2013 8:16 AM
Even the Mafia is impressed by the TSA's chutzpah on this one:
Pay us our protection money, err, $85 processing fee, and violate your 4th and 5th Amendment rights, in order to not have your 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Amendment rights violated every time you go to an airport.
George P. Burdell at July 20, 2013 11:03 AM
George Orwell has probably awakened at least five times since his death to say, "I told you so."
Patrick at July 20, 2013 5:07 PM
I wonder what Ayn Rand is doing?
Jim P. at July 20, 2013 6:43 PM
Probably George Orwell. I think the two of them would get along famously.
Patrick at July 20, 2013 7:54 PM
Leave a comment