[Corrected from original version: Not Orlando International Airport, but Orlando Sanford International Airport]
Every dumb idea eventually has its day, and here's today's: The idea for airports to "opt out" of the TSA running checkpoints in favor of what the shills call "private enterprise" and the rest of us recognize as rent-a-cops.
Orlando Sanford International Airport, an institution that inhabits the epicenter of Mickey Mouse thinking, has decided to do just such a thing -- to spite the TSA. Mind you, current TSA procedures like the invasive patdowns would still have to be used. But now they'd be hiring who knows what to staff the checkpoints, rather than federal employees.
By the way, this also means that the local authorities who run airports, and award contracts, would receive even more patronage bounty to dispense.
Remember: Nothing changes, except the federal employees would be replaced by private security guards hired by local pols at any airport that exercises the option, which is written into the TSA governing rules, to go private in its checkpoint hiring.
And remember how well that worked out in past years, before the federal government took over. You think you got a problem with the TSA running the checkpoints? Wait till you see what happens when Skeeter's Security and Storm Door Co. (a division of Halliburton Inc) brings in those ex-cons and other unemployables to grope the women and paw through wallets when you aren't looking.
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By JOE SHARKEY
The funny thing about this is that it would give the new security agents more leeway with searches and seizures. A private company would circumvent the 4th-amendment issue entirely as only government entities are subject to it.
ReplyDeleteIt is Sanford Airport (SFB) that is opting out, not Orlando International (MCO).
ReplyDeleteActually, this is already in place at airports as large as SFO. I have found the contract non-TSA employees to be MORE by the book than the federal employees. I think it has something to do with fear of losing the job/contract vs. having a somewhat safe federal job. At SFO they have never had TSA employees manning checkpoints, due to the large number of non-US citizen screeners employed there before 9-11 and not getting anyone else to do the screener jobs on the short notice the TSa had to pull together after 9-11.
ReplyDelete