View Single Post
Old 09-10-2011, 09:22 AM   #1
chrisinhouston
Professor
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Houston TX
Posts: 1,857
The TSA at Houston's IAH (Bush) airport now has all of the ID/BP screeners ask each passenger to pronounce their name out loud. I did some research and found that it is a test program at a few busy airports and is in response to the slip up this summer at JFK where a passenger was cleared at the checkpoint after presenting an expired ID and some other passenger's used boarding pass. I contacted TSA national customer relations and was told it was a voluntary program and was also contacted by our local TSA man in charge of customer relations who also told me I could decline but it may cause a delay in clearing security but in no way would prohibit me from flying.

So my wife and I challenged it because we both travel a lot and are so tired of the TSAs security theater approach to feel good type of security (Feel good in the sens of everything is so much safer). On a recent trip to NY, when we were asked our names we both refused to comply. They were dumbfounded and called over 2 supervisors who wanted to know why we would not comply and I told them that it was my Constitutional right as an American to remain silent. I further told them my right was further secured by 2 Supreme Court rulings, Miranda v Arizona and Berghuis v. Thompkins.

My wife took a different approach and told them she feared for her personal safety and the chance of ID theft and would not say her name out loud when in public.

I questioned the supervisor about the fact that the TSA national office and local office told me that it was voluntary and also pointed out that it is not listed as a security procedure at the TSA website where they list all the required details on types of ID, screening procedures and the fact that one can Opt Out of the Xray image nudeoscopes. She looked me in the eye and told me that they can make up the rules as they go and also told me that my Constitutional rights are invalid in the screening area, both of which I really take issue with. She took our Id's (passports) made a few phone calls and made copies of them and gave them back and told us we could continue but it might keep us from flying in the future if we do not comply!

We have created the TSA and a heightened level of authority for Homeland Security and it is really scary!

Now at Boston's Logan airport passengers are asked questions like "where are you going, who are you seeing, what is the nature of your trip and when will you return" as part of a new Behavior Detection screening. "None of your GD business" I would say! The TSA falsely claims that this program is based on Israel's BDO program but in Israel they actually use security personnel who are college educated, have served in the military and also are well trained, not the flunkies that the TSA hires.

Call me fed up!
chrisinhouston is offline   Reply With Quote