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TSA is empirically terrible

Ive always looked at the flunky who watches the monitor when my bag goes through and thought it was ridiculous. I was never thinking of bombs and shit though, usually drugs.
 
I did the Precheck thing last year because I was tired of the hassle ($85, plus giving the government more of my personal information for their nefarious NSA databases). It was totally worth it, but I resented the hell out of having to do it. Completely nonsensical security theater.
 
Deacon923 said:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-tsa-doesnt-work-and-maybe-it-doesnt-matter/394673/?utm_source=SFFB

I mean, this is pathetic. 95% success rate in sneaking mock bombs and weapons through checkpoints. A giant taxpayer ripoff and useless violation of my privacy rights every time I go to the airport, for a 5% success rate? Come on.
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Totally agree. And the approach is so transparent that anyone thinking of doing something will simply plan around the super obvious measures. I'd stick to all the behind the scenes stuff (trained dogs, video surveillance, passenger monitoring, etc) but the dog and pony show in a security line is a total joke.
 
Henry Chinaski said:
Totally agree. And the approach is so transparent that anyone thinking of doing something will simply plan around the super obvious measures. I'd stick to all the behind the scenes stuff (trained dogs, video surveillance, passenger monitoring, etc) but the dog and pony show in a security line is a total joke.
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Well said.
 
Deacon923 said:
I did the Precheck thing last year because I was tired of the hassle ($85, plus giving the government more of my personal information for their nefarious NSA databases). It was totally worth it, but I resented the hell out of having to do it. Completely nonsensical security theater.
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Pre is the best thing ever if you're a frequent traveler. Basically giving the gubmint info they already have in another database to skip the security line and keep all your stuff on. Worth. Every. Penny.

Also I'm always amused at the TSA dog. All the kids are DYING to pet the doggie. Except the Indian ones. They are terrified of him. Okay, basically all the white kids are dying to pet the doggie.
 
Im sure this will be ridiculed, but I don't mind it at all. Sneaking something through when you know there will be no ramifications if caught is a lot different than attempting to do it for real. I feel pretty confident that our security procedures act as a very strong deterrent - much more than behind the scenes stuff would.
 
EagleDeac said:
Im sure this will be ridiculed, but I don't mind it at all. Sneaking something through when you know there will be no ramifications if caught is a lot different than attempting to do it for real. I feel pretty confident that our security procedures act as a very strong deterrent - much more than behind the scenes stuff would.
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I can't agree with any of this.

To start, we should not be relying on a terrorist's ignorance about our protocols or inability to act normal while going through security in order to detect him. So the idea that it was "easy" for these agents to slip through because they knew the system or weren't legitimately nervous is wholly irrelevant.

Secondly, I have no idea why a terrorist would be more deterred by the countermeasures he's aware of as opposed to the ones he isn't. By definition, he can't be as prepared for the behind the scenes security.

And to further the point about the importance of behind the scenes stuff...while this story is shameful and sad, it's not as if there aren't other layers of security to help keep us safe. Still though, for as much money, time, energy, and annoyance on the part of travlers is expended at these TSA check points, they have to do better.
 
maybe it's one of those "well, maybe the terrorists will think 'wait a min, no way the security could be this bad, there's gotta be some other hardcore shit I don't know about'"??
 
Deacon923 said:
I did the Precheck thing last year because I was tired of the hassle ($85, plus giving the government more of my personal information for their nefarious NSA databases). It was totally worth it, but I resented the hell out of having to do it. Completely nonsensical security theater.
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Definitely the best $85 I have spent in the past year.

A few years ago, I figured out that I went through security 16 times at 5 or 6 different airports with a corkscrew with a knife and foil cutter on it in my purse. Not hidden, just thrown in my purse. I had it in there for some outdoor byob event and just forgot about it. TSA never caught it - I only found it when I changed purses. My 3.4 oz deodorant, on the other hand, is apparently a huge threat to national security - got that confiscated a few months ago, in the Precheck line.
 
Wakelaw2006 said:
Definitely the best $85 I have spent in the past year.

A few years ago, I figured out that I went through security 16 times at 5 or 6 different airports with a corkscrew with a knife and foil cutter on it in my purse. Not hidden, just thrown in my purse. I had it in there for some outdoor byob event and just forgot about it. TSA never caught it - I only found it when I changed purses. My 3.4 oz deodorant, on the other hand, is apparently a huge threat to national security - got that confiscated a few months ago, in the Precheck line.
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I had a pocket knife in my carry on bag that I had forgotten was in there. Flew for months with it in there and never a word said.
 
I have gone through security at major airports all over the world with a pen knife on my keychain, and the only airport that has ever confiscated it (two or three times now...I always used to forget to remove them) is GD PTI.
 
EagleDeac said:
Im sure this will be ridiculed, but I don't mind it at all. Sneaking something through when you know there will be no ramifications if caught is a lot different than attempting to do it for real. I feel pretty confident that our security procedures act as a very strong deterrent - much more than behind the scenes stuff would.
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I'm happy to ridicule you. There's nothing in your post based on reality. Your confidence is absolutely misguided. I'm fairly sure someone willing to die for their cause isn't deterred by being felt up by a "security" officer or having their bags searched.

It's 100% theater. It accomplishes nothing. As the numbers show, any "success" the TSA can claim from their checkpoints is almost entirely by accident. Years ago I had a 2 inch pocket knife stolen from me by the TSA only to be handed a 4 inch steak knife with my meal just a few steps through the security checkpoint. And behind the counter the chef is busy prepping food with a 10 inch chefs' knife. But hey, at least you would have been "confident" in your safety if you had been in line near me as my knife was taken...
 
well, it's not accomplishing nothing

we haven't had a hijacking or downed plane since 9/11. the only major issue was the shoe-bomber, which was on a Paris flight to the US. and that was also in 2001
 
ImTheCaptain said:
well, it's not accomplishing nothing

we haven't had a hijacking or downed plane since 9/11.
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It's not like these things occurred often before 9/11 either. What evidence to we have that a program that fails 95% of the time is the reason for the lack of hijackings or downed planes?
 
i'm not saying the TSA isn't stupid or a waste of money i'm just saying it's probably not worthless, either
 
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