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One of the great honors of my service to Tennessee is having the opportunity to represent Ft. Campbell which is home to the storied 101st Airborne, the 5th Special Forces Group and the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment which piloted Navy SEAL Team Six during the raid on Osama Bin Laden.
Each soldier who calls Ft. Campbell home has gone through some of the most intensive training on the planet which pushed their minds and bodies to their physical limits. In the end, those who make the cut have earned the right to be part of our United States military, are honored to wear its uniform, and are serving on the frontlines in the fight against global terrorism.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our nation’s Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) who Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano contends are our nation’s last line of defense in fighting domestic terrorism. Unlike “hell week” which faces potential Navy SEALs, becoming a TSO requires a basic level of classroom and on the job training. In many cases this rigorous training is less severe than the requirements of becoming a security guard in most states.
Believe it or not, only 7 years ago, TSOs went by a more deserving title, “airport security screeners.” At the time, their title and on the job appearance consisted of a white shirt and black pants. This was fitting because airport security screening is exactly what’s required of the position. However, this is no longer the case.
In the dead of night, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administratively reclassified airport security screeners as Transportation Security Officers. The TSA then moved to administratively upgrade TSOs uniforms to resemble those of a federal law enforcement officer. They further completed the makeover with metal law enforcement badges. Not surprisingly, government bureaucrats at the TSA left out one crucial component during the artificial makeover – actual federal law enforcement training as is required of Federal Air Marshalls.
While TSOs may have the appearance of a federal law enforcement officer they have neither the authority nor the power. If a passenger brings a loaded gun or an explosive device into an airport screening area there is nothing a TSO can do until the local police step in to save the day.
If TSOs are truly our nation’s last line of defense in stopping an act of terrorism, then the TSA should immediately end the practice of placing hiring notices for available TSO positions on pizza boxes and at discount gas stations as theyhave done in our nation’s capital. Surely, this is not where our federal government is going to find our brightest and sharpest Americans committed to keeping our traveling public safe. I would contend that we can surely strive for a higher standard and may want to look first to our veterans returning home from the battlefield.
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how about no t.s.a.! blackburn just wants more training! ugh!
ReplyDeleteWest Bank and Gaza. We are being turned into another Palestine by the same folks who have so effectively converted an entire nation into one huge prison.
ReplyDeleteNot mentioning the fact that not ONE TERRORIST has ever been caught by the TSA!
ReplyDeleteAs for road blocks in the future I think JB Campbells solution way is the best.
http://www.jbcampbellextremismonline.com/new-essays.html
Shoot them!
Blah blah, you're a f*cking hero. I always hate how every person who ever entered military service has to gas on and on about how elite they are. Big F*cking Deal!
ReplyDeleteAnd it has nothing to do with the subject at hand. If anything, it makes the story worse.
In essence, the author is stating that he has gone through rigorous training, but TSA goons are little more than glorified mall caps. So what then, is the solution this leads us to? Give that same training to the TSA of course!
If the problem is they are untrained, the solution must be...training.
Disgusting. The solution is to abolish the TSA, not give them better training. The issue isn't their lack of knowledge, it's that the TSA is an organization that wastes money and takes away our rights while doing so.
Why would we want to hire our sacred veterans as (highly trained) paid government goons?
TSA needs to be destroyed. Abolished. Not given additional training dollars. Abolished.
I spent three years in the Army. Basic training left me in worse physical condition than when I entered. I could shoot a rifle better when I was a kid than after basic. I didn't get along well because the military judges a man by what he can take and I judge a man by what he won't take. I'm just saying this because of your foolish blanket statement about "every person."
DeleteThat said, I agree with you. Do away with the TSA and the whole "Homeland Security" emulation of the Gestapo and KGB. Restore liberty. That's the answer, but do we have the right to force freedom on the masses who obviously don't want it? That's the question.