The Hill: House rejects proposal to strip TSA screeners of policeman-like uniforms

The House has voted to continue with TSA current intimidation practices, including a rejection of amendments to remove the police wannabe badges & uniforms (131-282) and to bar participation in VIPR operations outside airports (204-210).

Screw you, Congress. We'll just sit back & watch the airline industry go down the toilet. The trend is already well underway.

Democrats appear to be the major part of the problem.

The Hill: House rejects proposal to strip TSA screeners of policeman-like uniforms

 

Very disappointing.
As Lisa often says, "we're so screwed"

 

Do we have the Bill numbers and voting records for these bills. Its time to name and shame this idiots for there actions, as what there saying is they openly advocating the sexual assault of travelers with out warrent or suspicion. This has got to stop!

Shelia jackson is a Idiot, and other then ethnic breakdown in her districit why to the keep reelecting such an idiot. David Price is in the same category.

 

Should be available at the House website. Alternatively, we could check the reports on it from a few months ago and that should have the number. It was termed the STRIP Act. I didn't reallly expect it to pass, but the split on g the vote, 2 out of 3 opposing, is a bad sign.

 

Link: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-acti...trip-tsa-screeners-of-policeman-like-uniforms

 

Elect Republicans?

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Call me overly optimistic, but I do see slow progress. A few years ago, none of these amendments would even have been put forth, or had they been, the votes for or against would have been almost unanimous.

I note that Rush Holt's (oh, how I wish he were my representative) amendment to bar the purchase of "unmanned aerial vehicles", a/k/a drones, passed by voice vote.

 

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All the airport’s a stage, and all the blue-clad men and women merely players.
Actors often remark on the power of costume in terms of bringing a character to life: before donning the white-blonde wig, the pirate’s eye-patch, or the Batsuit, they say, it’s just line-reading and imagination. But once they emerge from wardrobe, Presto! The make-believe becomes near-reality.
We are trained, from early childhood, to trust, obey, and show deference to people who wear uniforms: That gentleman has served our country, Bobby — be sure to salute him! Or else, If you ever get lost, go to someone dressed like that lady — she’s a policeman, and she’ll help you.
But TSA employees, who wear official-looking uniforms adorned with embroidered patches, soldierlike epaulets at the shoulder, and even a shiny badge, are not officers. Not in the police sense, and certainly not in the military sense.
The authority and responsibilities attendant to being a police officer or member of the armed forces are not simply handed out upon hiring. Rather, they reflect months (or years) of training on the part of the person wearing one of those uniforms. The “decorated” TSA employee, on the other hand, will have completed a mere 80 hours of training–that’s two weeks.
TSA employees do not have the authority to detain or arrest passengers. They do not have the right to order people to go through the X-ray scanners if they choose to opt-out. Yet those uniforms and badges lend TSA screeners an appearance that says otherwise. And as thousands of law-abiding Americans who’ve been barked-at, separated from their children, groped as though they were hardened criminals entering a courtroom, and/or detained for hours in glass cages will tell you, the TSA sure acts like they have that kind of power.
Some members of Congress tried to change that:

[Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)] said TSA had spent more than $1 million in taxpayer money on badges alone since 2009. Worse, she said evidence is mounting that TSA screeners often abuse the impression that they are officers with authority, and noted some cases of rape and other abuse of passengers that has led to dozens of arrests.​

“These are reasons enough we need to take them out of their uniforms, disallow the uniforms and put them back to their job title of airport security screener,” Blackburn said in Thursday debate.​

Sadly, a majority of our Congressional representatives voted to continue to allow this bloated, criminal agency to dress its employees — a poorly screened and risibly ill-trained collection of people that includes thieves, sexual predators, drug traffickers, and a priest who’d been dismissed for child molestation – in those official-looking blue uniforms and badges.
You can find your Congressperson’s e-mail address here.

 

I have to agree w/ Doober on this point.

I might also add that this tide turning is really historical. No, really, stick with me.

Ken Burns did an excellent documentary on Prohibition earlier this year for PBS (of course). You really should check it out if you get the chance.

The underlying thread of the narrative was that a) people were all in favor of the Amendment because it wouldn't affect them personally, only those "other people" undesirables, b) the Amendment then started to bump into "everyday folk" and they started to realize what a mistake it was, c) little by little more people became openly hostile towards it whereas before people went out of their way to defend it, d) it then became a joke. People started openly mocking it, they made jokes about it, they started to flaunt it. And that's when the tide turned and Prohibition was repealed.

I'm seeing a very similar arc here.

I hope I'm right.

 

Astute observation. I think this is exactly what is happening. There is no sign that people have acquiesced to be being strip searched and groped, or have even made their peace with the MMW pose and stick figure and subsequent grope in many cases. No sign that people have accept the hands of strangers over their bodies. There are all kinds of signs of the growing discontent barbell points out: youtube, comedians all make fun of TSA and not affectionately either. Congress members are starting to turn on the TSA. That wouldn't be possible if not for a groundswell of objection to TSA's behavior and methods. People are losing patience.

 

Hope springs eternal, I guess. Cause there are still far too many Arthur Frommers, Michael Dressers, Vicki Mabreys, Adrienne Packers, Michelle Deal-Zimmermans, etc. out there.

 

Hitler had supporters right up until the end. Same goes for Herr Pistole.

 

Well, hon, you have a point!

 

Here is the list of co-sponsors for the STRIP Act.
The vote was a failed attempt to amend similarly the overall DHS spending authorization:

I was pleased to see my Rep as a co-sponsor and on the right (if losing) side of both Blackburn's amendments. The roll call is awkward to read. But I believe the voting on her amendments spans the CR excerpts found here and here.

 

How your reps voted on her strip amendment:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll364.xml

 

To be clear, not a single Democrat voted for Blackburn's amendment.

--Jon

 

My guy, who is generally a pitbull Republican also voted "nay."

 

As did mine - but he's generally in the TSA's corner.

 

Sent a slightly modified version of this to Schakoward, in hopes that she'll be less Schakowardly in her voting patterns in the future.

I don't hold onto much hope in that department, but screw it, I'm going to keep peppering them with "constituent feedback" anyway.