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More TSA Lies In Attempt To Cover Up Security Failures

Claims that leaked security failure figures are “outdated” are easily debunked

Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
Monday, Jan 3rd, 2011

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The TSA has once again reverted to lies in an attempt to protect its new security theatre show control measures, claiming that recent reports of 70% security failure rates are no longer accurate.

Just over a fortnight ago we reported on the revelations that TSA agents are now so busy groping and irradiating airline passengers that they are routinely missing the presence of bombs and guns in both tests and live situations.

After ABC News covered the story of an Iranian/American businessman expressing his disbelief at being allowed onto a flight with a loaded handgun, it was widely reported in the media that such TSA failures were commonplace.

It was noted that screeners detect less than 30% of the knives and guns that officials try to sneak through security in tests. Failures to detect explosive material and bomb parts were also disturbingly high, according to the reports.

This underscores how the newly enhanced and invasive TSA security procedures are pure theatre and actually do nothing to make anyone safer. Indeed, it may be argued that the procedures are putting fliers in more danger as screeners are spending more time groping people and ordering them through x-ray body scanners than checking for potentially dangerous items in their hand luggage.

In a belated response, the now infamous TSA blogger “Bob”, who previously claimed that despite thousands of complaints from passengers, there was “no fondling, squeezing, groping, or any sort of sexual assault taking place at airports”, says that the security failure rate figures widely covered by the media are no longer relevant.

The TSA blog describes the security failure reports as “all misleading” and “outdated”, claiming that the figures cited were taken from tests carried out in 2004-2005.

Not true Bob.

As highlighted by The Economist’s business travel blog:

The ABC News report Gulliver linked to last month didn’t rely on 2004, 2005, or 2006 numbers—it referenced “a person briefed” on “the latest tests” who said they have a failure rate of 70%.

In addition, TSA head John Pistole made the following comments less than a month ago during an interview on Good Morning America:

“… unfortunately, [undercover testers] have been very successful over the years. And one of the findings is that we have not been thorough enough. And the concern obviously is, if that’s an Abdulmutallab — a Christmas Day bomber — who is doing it rather than an undercover agent, then that can have catastrophic results.”

Of course, very few people actually know what the current rate of TSA security failures are, because the Department of Homeland Security has classified the results of the most recent random, covert “red team tests,” where undercover agents try to see what they can get past airport security. The reason they have done so is presumably because the results have been so shockingly and consistently bad for the past nine years.

If the figures had improved significantly then you can rest assured that the TSA would be forcing them down our throats as justification for enhanced airport tyranny, rather than declaring them top secret and locking them away from public view.

As The Economist’s Gulliver blog states “the agency can’t have it both ways. If TSA officials are going to imply that the situation has improved since the last inspector general and GAO reports were leaked to the press, they should prove it.”

However, it seems the agency would rather send out an anonymous blogger named Bob to attack anyone who points out the absurdly obvious where the TSA’s security theatrics are concerned.

Once again this shows that the TSA and Homeland Security are willingly resorting to outright lies in a pathetic attempt to bolster their ailing control agenda. Those making official statements on behalf of the legions of strip search goon squads clearly have little regard for the safety of Americans.

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Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor at Alex Jones’ Infowars.net, and regular contributor to Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham in England.


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Brian Williams: TSA Groped Me

PATRICK GAVIN
Politico
Tuesday, January 4, 2011

In the last quarter of 2010, we heard plenty of horror stories about folks being “groped” as they went through airport security (remember the “don’t touch my junk” guy?).

Being a network news anchor doesn’t allow one any special exemptions, apparently.

NBC’s Brian Williams was a guest on CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” Monday and confessed: I’ve been groped.

“Air travel is such a joy in this country,” Williams told Letterman. “You get the enhanced schmegeggy right there. … That’s an aviation term. For some reason coming back, I always get it at [Los Angeles International Airport]. I get nailed.”

Full story here.


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Big Sis Responds In Lawsuit To Suspend TSA Scanners

Homeland Security will argue scanners do not store images despite evidence to the contrary

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Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com
Wednesday, Jan 5th, 2011

The Department Of Homeland Security, headed up by ‘Big Sis’ Janet Napolitano has filed an answer brief (PDF) in the ongoing lawsuit brought against the TSA over the controversial use of radiation-firing naked imaging scanners.

The DHS claims that the scanners are fully compliant with Constitutional requirements and that all other claims that the body imaging program is unlawful are “meritless”, “baseless” and “unfounded”.

The Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) filed its opening brief (PDF) with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on November 1st, outlining a number of violations and calling for the courts to halt the US government’s use of naked body scanners altogether.

“The suspicionless search of all airport travelers in this most invasive way violates the reasonableness standard contained in the Fourth Amendment,” Marc Rotenberg, executive director of EPIC, has stated.

EPIC also notes that the devices, which will ultimately cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion, were designed “to store and record and transmit the unfiltered image of the naked human body.”

EPIC has brought claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, the Privacy Act, the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Fourth Amendment.

Chip Pitts, co-plaintiff in the suit, believes at the very least the program needs to be the subject of a deeper investigation. “We’re sleepwalking into a surveillance society,” Pitts stated.

The TSA answer brief cites previous cases in which the use of AIT body scanning technology has been upheld as a reasonable search under the Fourth Amendment.

It also dismisses claims against the scanners under the Privacy Act, noting that it “provides an express exception for lawful law enforcement, correctional or intelligence activities”, and rejects the notion that the scanners violate the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act, claiming that the “TSA’s use of AIT neither creates nor is part of a system of records.”

EPIC will argue that the scanners are not part of a law enforcement program, rather they target the public without suspicion, and that there is direct evidence that the machines do indeed store and are capable of transferring images of naked bodies.

We have repeatedly highlighted the subterfuge and outright lies used by the DHS and the TSA in their defense of the scanners.

Oral testimony in the lawsuit has now been scheduled to be heard in March after repeated attempts by the federal government to delay and block it.

EPIC’s efforts have already helped spur a national grassroots movement of citizens, advocates, and lawmakers to protest, create petitions and letters and even introduce legislation to outlaw the body scanners.

EPIC hosts a one-day public conference tomorrow entitled “The Stripping of Freedom”.

The forum, “devoted to an assessment of the TSA airport security procedures and recommendations for reform,” will feature many notable speakers including:

Ralph Nader (former Presidential candidate and longtime consumer rights advocate), Nadhira Al-Khalili (CAIR, Council for American-Islamic Relations), David Greenfield (NY City Council), Kate Hanni (Flyers Rights), Chip Pitts (Stanford Law School & Oxford University), Prof. Jeffrey Rosen (George Washington University), Michael Roberts (the ExpressJet pilot who famously refused TSA full body scan and pat-down), and Bruce Schneier (security expert).

The event will also include a rich media display, with images from airport protests, YouTube videos, and campaign materials, according To EPIC’s press release.

The conference will begin at 8.30am at The Carnegie Institute for Science,1530 P St., NW, Washington, DC

EPIC’s Sharon Nissim says, “People will be able to submit questions via Twitter even if they are not at the event, and we will have it live streaming.”

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Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.net, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham in England.


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