Rand Paul Presses TSA Over Weaponization Of Terror Watchlists To Spy On Political Dissidents
'Taken together, these incidents seem to be part of a broader pattern' of misconduct, the Kentucky lawmaker wrote to the TSA administrator.Mike Lee subjected to TSA pat down days after calling to nix the agency: 'Maybe it's a coincidence'
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah noted in a post on X that days after calling for the abolition of the Transportation Security Administration, he was subjected to a pat down.
"Update: days after calling to abolish TSA, I got 'randomly selected' for the needlessly slow, thorough TSA screening & patdown. Maybe it's a coincidence. Or not. Impossible to know. That's part of the problem with having a federal agency in charge of airport security," Lee wrote in a Thursday post on X.
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In a Monday post, Lee, who has served in the Senate since early 2011, called for nixing the TSA and suggested that airlines could assume the responsibility of ensuring the security of their flights.
"It's time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn't do it for them. They'll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers," he wrote.
The agency was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. "The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA," according to tsa.gov.
In response to Lee's post on Thursday, someone tweeted, "I had the major pat down last time I flew and I felt violated, even though it was a woman. It was really bad."
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Mike Lee calls for abolishing the TSA
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah advocated the idea of abolishing the Transportation Security Administration, suggesting that airlines would do a better job of conducting security screenings.
"Air-travel security need not depend on TSA. Airlines have many compelling reasons to keep weapons out of planes. They'd do so if a federal agency didn't do it for them—probably better than TSA, without implicating the Constitution, and in a manner more respectful to passengers," Lee tweeted.
"It's time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn't do it for them. They'll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers," Lee wrote.
The agency was established in the in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. "The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed by the 107th Congress and signed on November 19, 2001, established TSA," according to tsa.gov, which indicates that the agency's mission is to "protect the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce."
In response to Lee's post advocating for abolishing the TSA, Clay Travis tweeted, "Love this idea."
"Senator Lee, I have cerebral palsy and a fairly sizable YouTube channel. I am going to do a video describing the unconscionably invasive practices handicapped people must regularly endure when going through TSA - even those like myself who have TSA Precheck," tweeted Justin Peters, who indicates on his X profile that he is an evangelist, teacher, and author.
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Amy McGrath, a Democrat who lost to incumbent Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Kentucky, included an eye-rolling emoji when she seemingly sarcastically tweeted, "I'm sure the airlines would love to pick up the cost of metal detectors and I'm sure they won't pass that cost down to travelers at all…"
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TSA Sign Says Migrants Without Identification May Opt Out Of Photo Upon Entry
Migrants without proper identification may apparently opt out of being photographed by TSA upon entry at Miami International Airport.TSA spends $18.6 million on 'non-binary screening systems' to 'advance civil rights'
The Transportation Security Administration spent $18.6 million on "non-binary screening systems" to "advance civil rights."
The Biden administration awarded $18.6 million in funding to the TSA within the FY22 Omnibus Appropriations to implement non-binary screening systems. The millions of American taxpayer dollars will be used to modify Advanced Imaging Technology units in airport checkpoints to provide "increased accuracy and efficiency."
"By replacing the current, gender-based AIT system, this new, more accurate technology will also advance civil rights and improve the customer experience of travelers who previously have been required to undergo additional screening due to alarms in sensitive areas," the TSA stated.
Currently, TSA agents press a pink button for a female traveler and a blue button for a male airline passenger before a passenger enters the full-body scanner.
ProPublica reported in 2019, "The body scanner is programmed to look for penises on passengers scanned as male and breasts on passengers scanned as female. If the officer selects the female button and the machine detects something in the passenger’s groin area it could interpret a body part as a potential threat, issuing an alarm."
Jose Bonilla – the TSA's executive director for traveler engagement – told WCAX-TV, "This technology should really be gender neutral, you know, it really should be, and we're there."
Fox News reported, "TSA data shows the agency receives 26,542 screening complaints annually, 6% of those complaints are from members of the LGBTQ community. That number tracks roughly with census data from Gallup, which notes that 7% of people identify as LGBTQ."
The new non-binary screening systems are set to roll out in January.
On March 31, the Transportation Security Administration announced new standards for screening transgender, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming airline passengers.
"TSA has updated its Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Passengers web page to provide information to the traveling public on all gender-related updates, including changes to AIT screening protocols, identity-verification practices, and the TSA PreCheck program, as well as links to relevant sites for more comprehensive customer support," read the TSA statement released on International Transgender Day of Visibility.
The TSA instructed Transportation Security Officers to reduce the number of pat-down screenings and to provide "less invasive screening procedures for certain passengers who trigger the AIT scanner in a sensitive area."
In February, the TSA updated its standard operating standards to "remove gender considerations when validating a traveler’s identification at airport security checkpoints."
"When travelers appear at the travel document checker podium for identity verification, gender information is irrelevant in determining that a traveler may proceed into the screening area," the TSA declared.
The TSA allows PreCheck travelers to select an "X" gender marker option on its application as an "alternative gender category."
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in March, "On this internationally recognized day for the transgender community, TSA is proud to announce significant initiatives as a direct result of close partnership with community stakeholders. Over the coming months, TSA will move swiftly to implement more secure and efficient screening processes that are gender neutral, as well as technological updates that will enhance security and make TSA PreCheck enrollment more inclusive. These combined efforts will greatly enhance airport security and screening procedures for all."
TSA gets brutally mocked after bragging about confiscating 'oversized' liquid containers: 'Not all heroes wear capes'
The Transportation Security Administration was brutally mocked Wednesday after boasting about the confiscation of liquids at an airport security checkpoint.
What happened?
Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, posted a picture of liquids that TSA officers confiscated from travelers going through security at the Syracuse Airport.
The picture — which included drinks, personal hygiene products, and even snow globes — showed the confiscated products sprawled out in front of a lectern, apparently on display for a public service announcement regarding TSA liquid rules.
"Display of oversized liquids, gels and aerosols that travelers had in their carry-on bags at the @SyracuseAirport @TSA Checkpoint in a 3-day span," Farbstein tweeted. "The limit for liquids through a checkpoint is 3.4 oz."
\u201cDisplay of oversized liquids, gels and aerosols that travelers had in their carry-on bags at the \u2066@SyracuseAirport\u2069 @TSA Checkpoint in a 3-day span. The limit for liquids through a checkpoint is 3.4 oz.\u201d— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson) 1655920655
TSA rules state:
You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. Placing these items in the small bag and separating from your carry-on baggage facilitates the screening process. Pack items that are in containers larger than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters in checked baggage.
What was the reaction?
The picture generated thousands of responses, most of which mocked the TSA for enforcing allegedly "arbitrary rules."
- "I am curious: Did any of these items end up containing anything that would've threatened the lives of plane passengers? Or is this just bragging about arbitrary confiscation of people's property, at a time when it's harder for families to afford food, drinks, & toiletries?" one person reacted.
- "Thank GOD. Someone needs to protect us all from snow globes and Capri Suns," one person mocked.
- "But you can purchase nearly all of those items in similar sizes on the other side of security, at 2-3x the price," one person noted.
- "Imagine stealing someone's souvenir snow globe & thinking that you're the good guy," another person said.
- "Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear elbow braces because of repetitive strain injury due to patting themselves on the back for safely confiscating your 150 ml sunscreen," another person mocked.
- "It will never stop being hilarious that they confiscate these items allegedly in case they are dangerous then store them all next to each other," another person observed.
- "Thank you for keeping us safe from people who want to hydrate, apply lotion, or brush their teeth, Lisa," another person mocked.
- "The fact that they are all assembled there instead of detonated in a bomb disposal unit tells you they know these are safe and the policy is theatre only," one person observed.
- "It's amazing that our tax dollars are paying the TSA employees' salaries, and when they want to brag about a job well done, the best they can come up with is, 'We inconvenienced lots of people who just wanted to pack enough toothpaste for the whole family,'" another person said.
While the 3.4 ounce rule feels arbitrary, apparently there is good reason for it. The small size of the container, in fact, would prevent a destructive explosion if someone attempted to detonate explosives on a plane via a liquids container.
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