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Flying anytime soon?

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Chris Z:
I fly often and have encountered many TSA personnel who were friendly, professional and well trained. (Such as Omaha). I would say many cities are like this.

I have also been to many cities where I would define the TSA program there as another government welfare program for extremely poorly trained people who have no desire or motivation to actually work. Watched a TSA guy slip away and take a one hour nap in Philly over in a gate area that was not in use..... Until his boss angrily came looking for him.

JTH:
I don't fly often---so I have not met many TSA personnel in their at-work mode.  The ones I have met, however, matched fairly much what I expected from the requirements for the job, which, taken from the TSA hiring website:

    * Have reached his/her 18th birthday at the time of application submission;
    * Have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent; OR
    * Have at least one year of full-time work experience in security
      work, aviation screener work, or X-ray technician work.

--So, 18 and maybe have graduated from high school, but it isn't necessary if you've worked enough "security" for local gigs.  Obviously these are the bare minimums---but it really isn't like they have high standards.

The training time maximums listed on the hiring site include a whole 9 days (max) of training, plus an additional 16 days (max) of on-the-job training.  (Information from http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=93749614&JobTitle=Transportation+Security+Officer+%28TSO%29&q=screener&sort=rv%2c-dtex&cn=&rad_units=miles&brd=3876&pp=50&jbf574=HSBC&vw=b&re=3&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&caller=basic.aspx&ss=0&pg=1&AVSDM=2010-11-17+12%3a31%3a00 )

There are a number of professional, educated, and well-trained people working for the TSA.  However, unsurprisingly, with requirements as they are listed, I do not expect that percentage to be high.  For anyone who works for the TSA, please don't take this as a personal reference---I am merely stating that from a statistical standpoint, most of the TSA screeners are NOT going to be professional, educated, nor well-trained.

As someone who worked security and in corrections for a number of years, I've seen all too many times what happens when young, uneducated people suddenly are given some authority, when they haven't been trained enough in its use---and when they've never had any before.  Results are not good---and "professional behavior" is not what happens.

Chris Z:
Went through Eppley yesterday. My wife is in a wheelchair currently because of a bad injury to her ankle.... So of course that requires a little extra going through the checkpoint. The TSA folks there in Omaha were friendly, polite, professional and not overly intrusive at all.

There was another guy going through that was getting quite the "pat down" up his legs and between them. His wife was standing off to the side laughing at him the whole time. Not sure if she was laughing because he was getting his crotch frisked heavily, or if she was laughing because she made him carry her pink purse through security.

On a side note I did overhear part of a conversation between one Agent and his Supervisor I thought was kind of humorous....  The Supervisor asked this Agent to do go over and assist another Agent and his response was, "No I am a bag checker". The Supervisor quipped back, "I don't care... do what I asked you anyway".

Good for that Supervisor!!!! In the private business sector we are able to deal with those type of people ("its not my job") a little more swiftly and to the point. We get rid of them right then and there. I applaud that Supervisor for standing up and demanding that lazy bum go do what he was asked

DaveB:
Here, here, I applaud all of you Americans for putting up with this sham. You are all terrorists until they get done playing with your dignity. Then, as Americans, you will still be under suspicion as long as you shall think for yourselves. It is much easier to intimidate you sheeple as long as we can keep you living in fear of your neighbors and government. The TSA joke is another way for the government to control the destiny of the airline industry. Watch for bailouts to come, as I have faith in the American people to give up flying enough to cripple the airlines, who by the way are being forced into bankruptcy by the government that does nothing to protect anybody but the government itself.

I?m sure TSA agents are polite and friendly as they can be, they should be, they are dealing with the ones paying their wages. While they are not the ones responsible for this intrusion of rights, they are the visible ones. It is the ones in charge that are complete failures, in the real world, they would be kicked to the curb as they should be. High paying positions created by friends of friends because they don?t have the skill or ambition to get a real job.

My personal opinion shared my millions of other true Americans!

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