By Fester:
TSA has a new policy that is not a security policy. It is a policy of ritualistic humiliation and subservience enforcement.
Beginning Saturday, June 21, 2008 passengers that
willfully refuse to provide identification at security checkpoint will
be denied access to the secure area of airports. This change will apply
exclusively to individuals that simply refuse to provide any
identification or assist transportation security officers in
ascertaining their identity.This new procedure will not affect passengers that may have
misplaced, lost or otherwise do not have ID but are cooperative with
officers. Cooperative passengers without ID may be subjected to
additional screening protocols, including enhanced physical screening,
enhanced carry-on and/or checked baggage screening, interviews with
behavior detection or law enforcement officers and other measures. [emphasis mine] (Via Outside the Beltway)
So if I am understanding this press release correctly the policy is that if an individual is nice and subservient to a TSA official, an arrangement can be made, but if the individual is perceived to be an asshole or insufficiently deferential to TSA, they are out of luck.
This is not a security procedure unless there is an amazing model out that which proves all potential security threats are by definition visible and loud assholes. We saw with the 9-11 hijackers that this is not the case; they attempted to blend in and not draw too much official attention to themselves. We know how the KGB trained their NOCs to be normal and quiet but not too quiet individuals.
This is an absurd security policy. If it was a security policy, the workarounds available to cooperative passengers who forgot their ID would also be available to the non-cooperative individuals. However it is a policy that asserts dominance.
BJ in a great post looking at Canadian stun gun usage also notes the same basic trend. The use of force is increasing and the threshold of force utilization is decreasing:
But despite the new rules, the percentage of Taser
incidents in which the weapon was fired multiple times crept up from 42
per cent in 2005 to 45 per cent in 2007.The investigation also revealed that in 2,200 of the 3,000 RCMP Taser incidents between 2002 and 2007, the person the Mounties were dealing with was unarmed.[Emp Added]
It's clear that the Taser is being used more for pain compliance than for actual threats.
Using a firearm is a very high cost action for a cop. It is a life or death decision as cops are taught to aim for center of body mass which means the chest which means the aimpoint has a high probability of killing an individual. However tasers, stun guns and pepper sprays have much lower costs of usage as they are probabilistically less likely to cause death or lasting injury. This, unsurprisingly, means a much higher utilization of weapons in significantly less threatening situations. It also lowers the cost of pain compliance and humiliation.
Ahh welcome to a world of fear and abuse of power enabled by fear. Make sure your papers are in good order and the official is in a good mood....
Friend, we can expect more of this to come. In this economic crisis you will see more change, erosion of liberties and centralization of power. Problem is....the population of the earth talk about it but accept it by doing nothing. In an ideal world we, the people, would stick together so subsequently the people expected to in-force new laws and legislation, within any given establishment, would turn round and refuse to.
ReplyDeleteIn our defense though we have been indoctrinated from birth to question nothing and to bow down to "authority". But, we do have the power to change that. Sometimes I feel like crying, it upsets me to see intelligent, creative and beautiful people accept slavery voluntarily. THE POPULATION INCLUDING MYSELF NEEDS TO CHANGE. Everyone, through all walks of life, needs to oppose changes, within the organizations they work for, which have no logical benefit to society, human life and progression.