Federal officials sabotaged passenger screening at San Fran airport

[rainbow4321]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/17/BAG72MESP91.DTL


Federal transportation officials and a private security firm at San Francisco International Airport worked together to undermine a federal investigation of passenger screening at security checkpoints, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

For 16 months ending last year, Transportation Security Administration employees tipped off screeners from Covenant Aviation Security that undercover agents were on their way to the airport's checkpoints to test whether the screeners were properly inspecting passengers and their carry-on luggage, the report said.

Despite the charges, the private security firm was rehired two weeks ago with a $314 million, four-year contract at the airport to screen passengers and checked bags. Employees of the firm and the security agency were disciplined as a result of the investigation but none lost their jobs.

From August 2003 until May 2004, TSA officials and Covenant managers at the airport "notified screening personnel in advance when a tester was approaching a checkpoint and provided their descriptions," the report states.

[babylonsister]

1. Another case of rewarding the guilty; when will it ever end? And

that's some reward!

[PeaceProgProsp]

2. $78.5M per year to screen passengers? Man, 9/11's a real $-Maker

for a few luck companies!!!

And aren't they lucky that they don't actually have to do a good job in order to keep that gravy train rolling!

Where'd that money come from? Taxes on middle class people?

[GoneOffShore]

5. The money came in the form of higher air fares

and airport charges on your tickets.

So, yes, in effect it is a tax on middle class people to fund the 'Security Circus' or 'Security Theatre' that takes place at airports and train stations.

If you'd like a look at how this is not working, go on over to the Travel & Security Forum at Flyertalk.com.

[Atman]

3. Okay, let's think this through...

An example: Husband goes out with buddies one Friday night. He stays up too late, gets hammered, spends the rent on strippers, then gets beat up outside the strip club on the way to his car. He manages to find his way home at 3:00 am, only to find an angry wife awaiting an explanation. So he says "Well, I was walking from the car to the condo and three guys jumped me and stole all my money and beat the crap out of me! I was so freaked out, I downed a pint of JD."

The wife buys it. She is freaked now, too. Their wonderful little condo complex has been infiltrated by gangs and thugs! She demands he husband DO SOMETHING! Write a stern letter to the condo board! Install new lighting in the parking lots and hire a bunch of new security guards. Nip this in the bud before it gets worse...

But in the ensuing days, she can't understand her husband's lack of enthusiasm for her new anti-crime initiative. Why won't he go petition the condo board for new lighting and increased security?

The answer, of course, is simple...he can't get enthused about thwarting crimes he KNOWS aren't really happening. He made them up!







Now, apply this scenario to 9/11 and George Bush, and his unwillingness to go along with a 9/11 Commission, or airport security, or any real measure to protect us, instead opting for secret illegal wiretaps and surveillance.

Getting the picture?

.

[yellowcanine]

4. Wow. Heads should roll over this. TSA needs better accountability than this.

[SoCalDem]

6. and yet

we keep hearing about and reading about how things are still getting through.. It's like the starwars tests.. even when they are "rigged' they still fail..

What does this tell us??

We can NEVER be 100% okey-dokey Double plus perfectly safe.

The thing that will save us from future problems is common sense.

We are lacking in that commodity.

[PeaceProgProsp]

7. ...but we sure can transfer a lot of money to wealthy corporations

run by Friends of Bushes in the process (which was the deal with Star Wars too, right?).