TSA OKs Private Screeners at Little Airport in Orlando

From the the credulous media: The TSA has green-lighted a switch from federal to private security at the Orlando airport! Poor sad Drudge even has it highlighted in red on his Web site!

I'm always amazed at how it's routinely not pointed out that the "Orlando airport" in question, Orlando Sanford International Airport (which handles about 380,000 passenger departures a year), is not quite the same as Orlando International Airport (which handles 17 million).

Here's another news report today that fails to point out the significant difference between the two. The Sanford airport is served by Allegiant Airlines, a leisure travel low-cost carrier, and a few charter operations.

There are now 16 airports that have been allowed to return to private screeners under an opt-out program that was forced on the TSA by congressional Republicans.

Also routinely overlooked is the vested interests of the congressional titan behind this move to turn security back over to the rent-a-cops companies, Rep. John L. Mica of Florida, the Republican chairman of the House transportation committee. Mica, who has five close relatives who are lobbyists, has close ties to the private security industry, one of his best campaign contributors.

You know, the industry that was in charge of airport security on September 11, 2001.

Just sayin, is all.

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