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If you are a frequent air traveller, then you may want
to think twice about wanting to see this movie.
I don’t think any of us are enamored with the pantomime we have to
endure with before we can board a plane these days, particularly as few of us
are convinced that they effectively make air travel any safer. So it will come as no surprise that this
documentary quietly and thoroughly proves that Transportation Security Agency
(TSA) is all about ‘theater’, designed not to really increase security but
rather the actual perception of it. Its main concern is just to give us, the
traveling public, reassurance rather than the actual safety that we deserve and
indeed pay for.
to think twice about wanting to see this movie.
I don’t think any of us are enamored with the pantomime we have to
endure with before we can board a plane these days, particularly as few of us
are convinced that they effectively make air travel any safer. So it will come as no surprise that this
documentary quietly and thoroughly proves that Transportation Security Agency
(TSA) is all about ‘theater’, designed not to really increase security but
rather the actual perception of it. Its main concern is just to give us, the
traveling public, reassurance rather than the actual safety that we deserve and
indeed pay for.
The film takes us back to before the events of 9/11 when
the safety of our skies was the responsibility of the Federal Aviation Authority
who it seems were far too cozy with the powerful airlines and would do nothing
to offend them in anyway. If one of the
FAA Agents spoke up and tried to bring the Management’s attention to practices
that were wrong/illegal/detrimental to passengers safety, they were told you to
shut up or just go away. Literally.
the safety of our skies was the responsibility of the Federal Aviation Authority
who it seems were far too cozy with the powerful airlines and would do nothing
to offend them in anyway. If one of the
FAA Agents spoke up and tried to bring the Management’s attention to practices
that were wrong/illegal/detrimental to passengers safety, they were told you to
shut up or just go away. Literally.
Then post 9/11 and the Government combined 17 Federal
Agencies to form the mammoth Department of Homeland Security and replace the
FAA with what it promised and mandated was a new streamline and efficient
Transportation Security Administration. But the reality was instead of things
getting better, they actually got much worse.
Many of the ineffective management of the failed FAA just moved over to run
the TSA and on the strength of the public’s new found paranoia built up a force
of some 50,000 screeners in smart new uniforms with big shiny gold official
looking badges that gave the (false) impression that they were law enforcement
officers. They soon slipped back into shoddy ways and if an airline complained
that their passengers were trapped in security, then TSA ordered supervisors to
open up extra lanes even if there were not adequate staff to man them
effectively.
Agencies to form the mammoth Department of Homeland Security and replace the
FAA with what it promised and mandated was a new streamline and efficient
Transportation Security Administration. But the reality was instead of things
getting better, they actually got much worse.
Many of the ineffective management of the failed FAA just moved over to run
the TSA and on the strength of the public’s new found paranoia built up a force
of some 50,000 screeners in smart new uniforms with big shiny gold official
looking badges that gave the (false) impression that they were law enforcement
officers. They soon slipped back into shoddy ways and if an airline complained
that their passengers were trapped in security, then TSA ordered supervisors to
open up extra lanes even if there were not adequate staff to man them
effectively.
The rushed training programs for this enormous influx
of staff left many of them totally unprepared for any real detection. In a test
incident it was revealed that the Screener spotted and removed an offending
water bottle in a carry on bag, but was so intent on getting that taken out that they failed to spot the fully assembled bomb actually in the same case. In interviews with current and past TSA
staff, many of who were retired law enforcement officers or ex. Military
personal related that they were actively discouraged from using their experience to be more
circumspect in their duties, and so the screeners that got raises and were
promoted were the ones that were happy to do Management’s bidding and simply
keep the crowd moving regardless of any possible consequence.
of staff left many of them totally unprepared for any real detection. In a test
incident it was revealed that the Screener spotted and removed an offending
water bottle in a carry on bag, but was so intent on getting that taken out that they failed to spot the fully assembled bomb actually in the same case. In interviews with current and past TSA
staff, many of who were retired law enforcement officers or ex. Military
personal related that they were actively discouraged from using their experience to be more
circumspect in their duties, and so the screeners that got raises and were
promoted were the ones that were happy to do Management’s bidding and simply
keep the crowd moving regardless of any possible consequence.
One of the two major issues raised in this well-produced
investigation that really disturbed me was how the TSA Management compromised the
traveling Air Marshals by their insistence that they comply with some petty rules that actually risked their exposure. They were instructed to
wear a suit and tie at all times, even if they were on a flight to Lad Vegas or
Hawaii with a plane full of
holiday-makers and so stood put like a sore thumb.
And because they were also told to board first, passengers would then spot
and great them warmly recognizing who they were. When things got even worse for the Marshals,
and one became a whistler-blower to Congress, the TSA invested its energy into
seeking out whoever it was to punish them, rather than resolve a problem now in
the public domain. When the Management
started to employ new inexperienced Air Marshals who were unable to pass the
necessary Federal shooting test before each mission, they simply abandoned the
tests for everyone.
investigation that really disturbed me was how the TSA Management compromised the
traveling Air Marshals by their insistence that they comply with some petty rules that actually risked their exposure. They were instructed to
wear a suit and tie at all times, even if they were on a flight to Lad Vegas or
Hawaii with a plane full of
holiday-makers and so stood put like a sore thumb.
And because they were also told to board first, passengers would then spot
and great them warmly recognizing who they were. When things got even worse for the Marshals,
and one became a whistler-blower to Congress, the TSA invested its energy into
seeking out whoever it was to punish them, rather than resolve a problem now in
the public domain. When the Management
started to employ new inexperienced Air Marshals who were unable to pass the
necessary Federal shooting test before each mission, they simply abandoned the
tests for everyone.
It was Congress that questioned a TSA Chief as to why
the Agency had heavily invested in developing ten new technology systems that
never resulted in anyone being deployed into improving the scanning/searching. This
was at the same appearance before a House Committee that had tried to get a
satisfactory answer as to why the TSA had spent some $36 million on new
‘puffer’ machines that were now lying unused in a warehouse. They were also questioned about leaked emails from Senior Management to all the Screening Supervisor that leaked news
warning them about an impending unannounced visits by the special Red Team
whose function was to test out the security measures, and thus they
invalidating the whole procedures.
the Agency had heavily invested in developing ten new technology systems that
never resulted in anyone being deployed into improving the scanning/searching. This
was at the same appearance before a House Committee that had tried to get a
satisfactory answer as to why the TSA had spent some $36 million on new
‘puffer’ machines that were now lying unused in a warehouse. They were also questioned about leaked emails from Senior Management to all the Screening Supervisor that leaked news
warning them about an impending unannounced visits by the special Red Team
whose function was to test out the security measures, and thus they
invalidating the whole procedures.
Whilst it is fair to accept that the filmmaker’s
viewpoint was possibly a tad biased to make their point, the overriding conclusion
is still that we have an under-qualified over-zealous unwieldy agency that treats the
general public as if we are all potential terrorists whilst at the same time
giving us no confidence that they are actually making the air safer from any
real threats at all. It’s a $8.1 billion
Bureaucracy that relies on our fear factor not to question their management and
effectiveness, and its high time we did just that.
viewpoint was possibly a tad biased to make their point, the overriding conclusion
is still that we have an under-qualified over-zealous unwieldy agency that treats the
general public as if we are all potential terrorists whilst at the same time
giving us no confidence that they are actually making the air safer from any
real threats at all. It’s a $8.1 billion
Bureaucracy that relies on our fear factor not to question their management and
effectiveness, and its high time we did just that.
★★★★★★★★
Labels: documentary
