Breaking Security News

[jimntx]

Just heard on CNN that there has been a "gun found"incident onboard an airplane. I caught the very end of the report, so don't know what airline, but I think it occurred somewhere on the West Coast. There was CNN News crew that happened to be onobard, and they said "the flight attendant would not allow us to take a picture of the gun."

Two seconds later, CNN reported that there is a cargo area evacuation going on at Logan in Boston. Airport is not closed. Flights are still landing and taking off.

Anyone with any info on either of these reports?

 

[tadjr]

"Gun found" incident was on WN in PHX. Law officer admitted that he lost his clip on the inbound flight and someone boarding on the next flight found it.

BOS incident was luggage in the DL area with Nigerian addresses. Dogs alerted to the bags. Searched and nothing found of interest.

 

[jimntx]

Thanks, Tad. One of these days I'm going to be in TPA airport at the same time of the day you are, and I will get the chance to meet you. Last time I was there, the agent at the US counter said you had just left for the day.

 

[SparrowHawk]

“All that is required for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.

Currently much is being made of the implementation of the “enhanced” scanners. To date what we have seen is numerous news reports detailed abuses by the TSA, We see a resolute John Pistole mostly unwavering in his stance that the scanners will continue to be deployed and people will be aggressively patted down if they refuse the body scan or “Nudo-O-Scope” as some refer to it due to the images display. While all of this is quite interesting and fills minutes on slow and not so slow news days, to this author it raises a great many questions.

“If you don’t want to be scanned or patted down, don’t fly! Flying is a privilege! Really? Says who? The TSA? TSA doesn’t make law! Rules, yes, laws no. The entire process has severe 4th amendment issues. Granted Madison could have never anticipated air travel at the time. However to date it has yet to be adjudicated or legislated and one has to ask why? No good test case? Federal Governmental arm twisting? What we receive in the interim is a well documented tactic of aggressive pat downs in retaliation for refusal to eat the government dog food AKA Scanner. Somewhere Joseph Goebbels is smiling.

The appearance of impropriety - Michael Chertoff held high positions within the DHS & TSA and now he’s the CEO of the scanner manufacturer! Interesting at the least. At worst, criminal. So this raises the question as to why no investigation into the conduct of Mr Chertoff and current high ranking DHS/TSA official? Let’s remove even a hint of impropriety in order to build public confidence or incarcerate those who would betray the public trust.

Silence of the lambs, I meant Airlines - We will hear nothing from these companies or their lobbyists. WHY? Because if anything other than the status quo prevails the airlines might get stuck paying for security.

Employee Satisfaction? Only the few the Pilots and Flight Attendants - Each day THOUSANDS of ground workers get subject to screening like the scenario described my a labor union President in a major hub airport. “the employee groups from fleet baggage and customer service are also the victims of this groping. They set up behind the doors we enter every day and usually about 5-10 minutes prior to hundreds of employees trying to swipe through secure doors while running for the Work Brain clock. There is no screen, they take your badge number, go through your belongings and make you stand on a mat with two yellow footprints for you to place your feet in. Next step, arms straight out from your sides and the patting begins, between your legs, your chest, your arms and your legs....MANY ARE LATE CHECK INS as there is no way to make the time clocks---that are few and far between. I must say, it is very disturbing...dare you act up or say something and your SIDA badge will be turned off and you willl not be able to work.
WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE???
Next on to your gate where they set up a table to inspect random passengers which ultimately causes flight delays. They are everywhere, I mean everywhere.
Is there no justice for airline workers anymore? Who gives these orders to rape us daily? I think someone should try and pass a bill to stop this behavior.” Knowing this wonderful lady as I do, she is a passionate in her views. Perhaps we are friends for that reason? The facts however remains the same. As do the questions. Should ANY agency hold the livelihood of another in the palm of their hands?

How many terrorist have be apprehended at the security check points?
How many terrorists have passed through the checkpoints and gone on to wreck havoc?
How many? 1, 4, 12, 39, 159? Nope! How about ZERO! That;s right, nada, zip, zilch, ZERO. So then what would be the cost benefit analysis compared to the FBI who have actually captured terrorists? Hey why let facts get in the way if perfectly good hysteria.

Ben Franklin said it best, Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety

 

[signals]

To SparrowHawk:

Article

 

[SparrowHawk]

To SparrowHawk:

Article

An excerpt:

WASHINGTON — The companies with multimillion-dollar contracts to supply American airports with body-scanning machines more than doubled their spending on lobbying in the past five years and hired several high-profile former government officials to advance their causes in Washington, government records show.

L-3 Communications, which has sold $39.7 million worth of the machines to the federal government, spent $4.3 million trying to influence Congress and federal agencies during the first nine months of this year, up from $2.1 million in 2005, lobbying data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics show. Its lobbyists include Linda Daschle, a former Federal Aviation Administration official.

Linda Daschle, wife of former DEMOCRATIC Senator and on time Presidential hopeful husband, Tom Daschle is a well known airline industry lobbyist Linda has been on retainer with AA according to my sources since she left the Air Transport Association.

From an older article:
I’m Linda, Fly Me
The real reason Tom Daschle didn’t run for president
A A A Comments (1) By Doug Ireland Thursday, Jan 16 2003

The national press corps didn‘t bother to tell you why Tom Daschle, the Democrats’ Senate leader, decided at the 11th hour not to run for president: In the end, he calculated that he couldn‘t survive scrutiny of his persistent service to the clients of his wife. Linda Daschle has been one of the airline industry’s top lobbyists for two decades -- when she wasn‘t busy running the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which explains why, just 11 days after the 911 attacks, her husband rushed through the Democratic Senate, which he controlled, the $15 billion bailout for the airline industry, a notorious taxpayer rip-off.

Right after then-Congressman Tom Daschle dumped his first wife for a younger, prettier one, the former Miss Kansas Linda Daschle went to work as chief lobbyist for the Air Transport Association, the airline industry’s main lobby; she then became the senior vice president of the American Association of Airport Executives; and these days hangs her hat at the pricey top Washington lawlobby shop Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, headed by former GOP Senate leader and ex--Reagan chief of staff Howard Baker -- where she peddles influence on behalf of a long list of lucrative aviation clients. The clients for whom Linda lobbied brought more than $5.86 million into Baker, Donelson in one three-year period, including Northwest Airlines ($870,000 from 1997 through 2001) and American Airlines ($1.26 million in fees). Northwest was already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy even before 911. American, which has had six fatal crashes since 1994 (not counting 911) and has been repeatedly fined by the FAA for a skein of safety violations, had the reputation as the most unsafe major U.S. carrier.

More Here

For those of you who follow my saga here, Linda was the lady who gave my nemesis Chris Chiames his start in Aviation with the ATA.

Geez the evil Republicans have Cheney and haliburton and the Dems have Linda Daschle and L-3 Communication. Guess the Obama boys aren't as pure as the driven snow after all.