need to add title here

Screening The TSA

August 2, 2009 4:53 PM

Are the hassles passengers endure at airport security checkpoints really making them safer? The TSA says they are, but a security adviser who has advised them says those measures are "security theater." Lesley Stahl reports.

Expert: TSA Screening Is Security Theater
Add a Comment See all 67 Comments
by Conrad-Breeney May 13, 2012 5:25 AM EDT
TSA is not security theater but actually simply bad theater. Its Saturday Night Live 24/7 sponsored by the political economy of terror. Besides removing any notion of civil liberties from the 60 min. argument is its emphasis on what bad students of the security state Americans are.

The comment WE ARE AT WAR....really...when was that declaration signed. The nebulous and abstract nature of this conflict is what fuels its longevity.

The solutions to TERRORISM is NOT security BUT FOREIGN POLICY. But then again this is the nature of the state to EXCISE ITS BLAME for making such bad decisions abroad and making other cultures hate us so badly.

What we do not hear is the NARRATIVE before 9/11...which incidentally coincided with the Gulf War and the militarization of the middle east. Namely, (World Trade Center in 1993, Khobar Towers in 1996, the three US embassies in Africa in 1998, and the USS Cole in 2000).

And by the way, its not 40 billion since 9/11, its 80 billion per year when you factor in Homeland Security. How many people 'in the US' have died from terrorism since 9/11. Less than 4. How many people die from gun related crimes each year? If the intention of the state is to keep Americans safe...then the emphasis and allocation of money is going in the wrong direction.

This War on Terror will not end through drone strikes because that just radicalizing hundreds more in the process. It ends when American's wake up to the fact that the solutions to terrorism are not technological or in discplinary security measures but by focusing on the real problems where the source of terror originates.
Reply to this comment
by cardamom1 December 13, 2010 11:19 PM EST
Janet Napolitano, John Pistole, and the person responsible for hiring them should be indicted on multiple charges, including aiding and abetting child and adult molestation, and on federal charges for subjecting the public to toxic radiation.
Reply to this comment
by Phatshortbus March 7, 2010 12:55 PM EST
Ok so what about all these TSA workers getting off on images of little kids? Perfect place for a child molestor to get paid for looking at what he wants to see.
Reply to this comment
by benjello March 5, 2010 8:03 PM EST
They Fail to mention that the new full body imagers break down your DNA, the same way that the AIDS virus breaks it down.

Do you want your DNA distroyed?
Reply to this comment
by TrE7Bor January 9, 2010 7:37 PM EST
Two sources ("Wikipedia" & "Technology Review Published by MIT") discuss possible health effects caused by the Millimeter Wave (Whole Body) Scanners used for airport security. Planned use of "backscatter" (X-Ray) whole body scanners use higher energy radiation. What government organization has established the safe Radiation Exposure Levels for individuals? What is the basis for those levels (if they exist) since adequate study, testing, and long-term usage results do not exist? How are these radiation exposures measured, recorded, and combined with radiation exposures from other sources, i.e. Dental X-Rays, various Medical radiation exposures, etc.? The above interview does not discuss specific radiation limits for whole-body scanners, and it does not discuss how individual and cumulative exposure levels are tracked to ensure that long-term (20 to 30 years) exposures do not cause health problems for individuals scanned, or operators of the scanners.
Reply to this comment
by susanjulia December 13, 2009 10:34 PM EST
I think it's fine to have precautions, but I had a mini-size yogurt (Aptivia) to eat on the plane
and they made me throw it out, saying, "no liquids, no yogurt, no cottage cheese!" Is this
absurd, or what? Since when is a mini-size yogurt an ingredient for explosives? Some airports
have over a half-hour wait on the security line. And twice I saw toddlers traumatized when their
parents were forced away and the children and strollers and teddy bears were examined much
too long by the TSA employees. I've also had good experiences with TSA personnel -- very courteous,
helpful and friendly. It's hard to know exactly what to do. Good reporting job!
Reply to this comment
by bflaska December 9, 2009 4:13 PM EST
I didn't get through all of their top secret document just accidentally released online. If you did, was there a section on how TSA personnel are to pull terminally ill cancer patients out of their wheelchairs and drop them on the floor of the airport? And how not to apologize? That's what they did in Hawaii to a friend of mine, on her way to the hospital for the last time. I just want to be certain the TSA personnel were following the absolute letter of their prescribed duties and really, really protecting national security. Otherwise, I'm afraid they showed themselves to be inept and callous bunglers.
Reply to this comment
by JJtwins August 10, 2009 6:21 PM EDT
"safeT4u" I think you need to tone down all the caps. This is a place where ALL points of view are welcome whether you agree with them or not. Please be polite and open minded to others even though you may not share their point of view.

Also, to the person who is annoyed that Muslims work for security, that is a very prejudice and rascist. Many Muslims are also US citizens who care about the US just like everyone else. They serve in our military, and our navy, they work for our CIA, our FBI, and our Department of Defense to protect us. They even represent their states in Congress.
Reply to this comment
by Collin1976 August 9, 2009 1:58 AM EDT
Why not just profile, like Israel does? I mean, it's a bummer if your of Middle Eastern descent... But really who else is hijacking and blowing up planes? Just saying..
Reply to this comment
by fiyaman3 August 7, 2009 9:44 PM EDT
wow the supply of favoritism needs to be screen for integrity.
Reply to this comment
See all 67 Comments
Recent Segments

60MinutesOverTime

60 Minutes Overtime is a weekly web show that begins where the weekly television broadcast ends

  • 48 Hours iPad App

    Big changes for the 2012-2013 season! Watch the current week's episode for FREE up to a week after it airs or subscribe for access to all shows, classic episodes and more!