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26 Sep, 2011

Rethinking the TSA: No Longer Accepting Police Repression in Exchange for Safety | Truthout

Everyone who travels by air in the United States has a depressing story to tell about airport screening. Media stories of a gravely ill 95-year-old grandmother forced to remove her adult diaper before being allowed on a plane and viral videos showing terrified children being intimately touched by TSA agents are more than depressing. They are a chilling commentary on the police state increasingly accepted by the American public in the name of security.Air travelers dare not complain.

TSA standards focus additional scrutiny on travelers who are “very arrogant” and express “contempt against airport passenger procedures.”Is such repression the only choice?

Or can TSA officers be trained to exercise the necessary discretion to detect would-be terrorists, while allowing innocent travelers to swiftly and safely pass through screening?

via Rethinking the TSA: No Longer Accepting Police Repression in Exchange for Safety | Truthout.