Dogtanian
Member
I think everyone who has ever gone through an American airport has felt the oppressive atmosphere exuded by the agents of the transport security administration; everyone hates them, even the people who think they are "just doing their jobs" hate them, and this got me wondering just how deep it goes; do people merely dislike the TSA or do we really hate them?
Imagine if there was a massacre at an airport by terrorists or extremists - and let's say the killers are not Muslims. How would the American public react to hearing that TSA agents had been murdered, but no one else had been hurt? How would you feel?
I suspect many Americans would find it difficult to feel sympathy, I think there would be more a collective shrug than shock or outrage. But what do you think?
What caused me to ask this question is that I am planning to visit the USA this year, and things have changed since I last visited in the 1990's with the TSA having more power and being more litigious and petty than ever before. To get into the USA I will have to submit to an eye-scanner, fingerprinting, and either a body-scanner or a pat-down: I will opt for the pat-down because body-scanners are humiliating and intrusive, but the TSA have a reputation for persecuting travelers who refuse the body scanner.
Also, this - it's part of the Visa waiver form:
"B" Is particularly irksome to me, because I have been arrested for "a violation related to a controlled substance", I was arrested on suspicion of importation of a class A drug and the case was closed a few months later with no charges; in fact they probably closed the case unofficially about 10 minutes after entering and searching my home and realizing that the small packages I had been receiving and sending through the mail were in fact miniature model kits and not drugs.
But there are only two words that are going to matter to the border security agency: DRUGS. ARREST. And my local police force don't like me, so in the even of the arrest being looked up, I don't think they'd do me in favors. Drugs. Arrest. = Troublemaker.
Because of that one arrest, I have two choices:
1. Tick the "no" box and risk being denied entry on arrival in the USA. (technically I was not arrested for an offense, I was arrested on suspicion of an offense, but I don't think that will fly with the TSA).
2. Obtain a Visa, which would involve traveling to London and cost a total of around £300 (about $500).
And to gain entry to the USA, I also have to sign away my rights and give the TSA absolute authority to deny me entry or remove me from the Country for any reason or whim they so choose. And that IS a big deal: Put yourself in my shoes; you're a visitor to the USA, a bad cop doesn't like the look of your face, so he calls the TSA. You are arrested, held in a prison cell that smells of urine for 16 hours , and then deported because you looked at a cop the wrong way. Welcome to Communist America.
Adam Ruins Everything..
Btw, fingerprints are probably not unique and retina scan identification fails about 20% of the time even by the manufacturer's own statistics.
Imagine if there was a massacre at an airport by terrorists or extremists - and let's say the killers are not Muslims. How would the American public react to hearing that TSA agents had been murdered, but no one else had been hurt? How would you feel?
I suspect many Americans would find it difficult to feel sympathy, I think there would be more a collective shrug than shock or outrage. But what do you think?
What caused me to ask this question is that I am planning to visit the USA this year, and things have changed since I last visited in the 1990's with the TSA having more power and being more litigious and petty than ever before. To get into the USA I will have to submit to an eye-scanner, fingerprinting, and either a body-scanner or a pat-down: I will opt for the pat-down because body-scanners are humiliating and intrusive, but the TSA have a reputation for persecuting travelers who refuse the body scanner.
Also, this - it's part of the Visa waiver form:
"B" Is particularly irksome to me, because I have been arrested for "a violation related to a controlled substance", I was arrested on suspicion of importation of a class A drug and the case was closed a few months later with no charges; in fact they probably closed the case unofficially about 10 minutes after entering and searching my home and realizing that the small packages I had been receiving and sending through the mail were in fact miniature model kits and not drugs.
But there are only two words that are going to matter to the border security agency: DRUGS. ARREST. And my local police force don't like me, so in the even of the arrest being looked up, I don't think they'd do me in favors. Drugs. Arrest. = Troublemaker.
Because of that one arrest, I have two choices:
1. Tick the "no" box and risk being denied entry on arrival in the USA. (technically I was not arrested for an offense, I was arrested on suspicion of an offense, but I don't think that will fly with the TSA).
2. Obtain a Visa, which would involve traveling to London and cost a total of around £300 (about $500).
And to gain entry to the USA, I also have to sign away my rights and give the TSA absolute authority to deny me entry or remove me from the Country for any reason or whim they so choose. And that IS a big deal: Put yourself in my shoes; you're a visitor to the USA, a bad cop doesn't like the look of your face, so he calls the TSA. You are arrested, held in a prison cell that smells of urine for 16 hours , and then deported because you looked at a cop the wrong way. Welcome to Communist America.
Adam Ruins Everything..
Btw, fingerprints are probably not unique and retina scan identification fails about 20% of the time even by the manufacturer's own statistics.
