Amid Airport-Security Backlash, A Push to Privatize Pat Downs

[Blue State Blues]

Full Article from Toronto Star (via Common Dreams):
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/19-3

In time-honoured American fashion, anger has begun to transform into politically charged and ultimately pointless change.

An airport security measure demonstrates a full body scanner at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. U.S. air travellers continue to push back against “nude” scanners and “enhanced” pat-downs. They’ve settled on their villain: the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA sets the rules. They also staff the vast majority of the checkpoints.

The article talks about long-time foe of the TSA, John Mica's move to replace the TSA with private contractors at Orlando's Sanford Airport (mentioning Mica's campaign donations from security firms that would benefit from such contracts).

The article mentions Ron Paul's “American Traveler Dignity Act” which he says would make airport screeners "subject to the same laws as the rest of us," but doesn't explain how that would really work and claims Paul's goal is essentially the same as Mica's: privatization.

No one with any power has yet taken on the security measures themselves – or their efficacy – rightly fearing they might be portrayed as soft on terrorism.

Instead, Mica and the like are singling out that old American bogeyman, Big Government, currently disguised as the TSA.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Bingo, and union busting to boot!

[Blue State Blues]

5. remember when they refused to confirm the previous TSA nominee

because they thought that he might let the TSA unionize ... and that a union was a bigger threat than actual terrorists.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Yep, and dealing with theater

Would not be...profitable

[JVS]

2. There goes libertarian opposition to the checks

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Isn't that prostitution?

[sally cat]

4. Sounds like the privatization boogeyman is being brought up to prevent TSA from losing it's monopoly

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. No, they want to privatize

The theater will remain, effective security will go down, and Ca-Ching!!!!