# Whitehouse.gov's We The People leads to 15,000+ sig petition to change TSA.Will the policy change? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451 "2011-09-24T12:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/21 "2011-09-25T19:14:44Z")
**Hari** , that is completely messed up and should not have happened. I fail to see how that justifies eliminating the agency entirely. Is it just not possible to have an agency that doesn’t make errors in judgment like that? Do we never hear of private security agencies screwing up? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/22 "2011-09-25T20:11:34Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I fail to see how that justifies eliminating the agency entirely. When the agency does nothing _but_ harass people like this, it needs to go. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/23 "2011-09-25T20:52:08Z")
That’s the thing about the TSA-absolutely NO common sense or practicality. Of course, if the searched only people that were more likely to present a security risk, they would get sued (political correctness). That is why 90 year old grandmothers get full body searches, and young men of middle eastern origin get waved through. The thing that bothers me is the cost of this ridiculous agency-as government employess, they will be next to impossible to fire. When we have advanced screening technologies (background checks and explosives detectors) we will have thousands of these people sitting around-with nothing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/24 "2011-09-26T02:46:25Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > When the agency does nothing _but_ harass people like this, it needs to go. It really does nothing but harass people? I’m not a big fan of the TSA in its current incarnation, but it seems a little extreme to say that it has absolutely no use whatsoever? Before 9/11, there was still security at airports, but no TSA. How was it handled? Is there any benefit whatsoever to having a centralized agency overseeing security at all airports assuming they don’t overstep their bounds with the help of a Congress willing to allow them carte blanche with their budget and policies. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/25 "2011-09-26T03:05:34Z")
15000 people? Are you kidding? That’s so far beneath noise level for a nation this large that I’m surprised ANYONE bothered to take notice. It’s negligible. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/26 "2011-09-26T08:05:23Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > It really does nothing but harass people? I’m not a big fan of the TSA in its current incarnation, but it seems a little extreme to say that it has absolutely no use whatsoever? Why? Because it’s not true, or because you’ve fallen for the “security theatre”? ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/27 "2011-09-26T14:53:11Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I hate conspiracy theories, but, sadly, in this case I agree. Especially after the scene I witnessed the last time I flew. Now this happened in Montreal, but it was on a flight to the US for which they use somewhat different procedures than on domestic or other international flights. For example, you don’t have to take your shoes off except on flights to the US. > > This happened to the woman in front of us in the checkout line. She was traveling unaccompanied by another adult, but with a toddler between 2 and 3. The child was wearing crocs (which are open sandals) without socks. The guy ordered her to take them off. She refused and started to bawl. The guy then ordered the mother to take them off. She did and the child lay down on the floor and had a meltdown on the spot. The guy ordered the child to go through the x-ray. She refused. The mother tried to carry her through, but the agent insisted the child go through on her own. Finally, the mother cajoled her to go through and she did. Then the mother went through and they told her (the mother) that she had been selected for a pat-down in a small separate room. She grabbed the child and headed for the room, but they told her she had to go in alone. Needless to say, the child, deprived of her mother, had a second meltdown. > > Now if the purpose of all this was other than to make sheep out of us, I cannot imagine what it is. Protesting will only get you on the no-fly list. If the tea party cannot protest this, what are they for?😕 TSA recently revised its rules for searching children, including not requiring them to remove their shoes. [http://www.tsa.gov/what\_we\_do/screening\_under12.shtm](http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/screening_under12.shtm) ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/28 "2011-09-26T14:57:11Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Why? Because it’s not true, or because you’ve fallen for the “security theatre”? That’s not an answer to my question. Are you suggesting there is no use for any type of security at U.S. airports at all? Does my disagreeing with that position make me a sucker for “security theatre”? That’s ridiculous. Did you miss my first post in this thread? As I pointed out in my last post, airport security was not born with the TSA. Security measures were taken in American airports before 9/11…just not to the extremes it is today. Most other countries, if not all, secure their airports in some manner. What I would like to know is how was airport security handled before? Is that what you think we should go back to? What are the benefits of putting the responsibility for security in the hands of individual airports? ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/29 "2011-09-26T14:58:07Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I also think the 3-1-1 policy is dumb and inconvenient (and inconsistent) and for the love of all that is holy give me my goddamn nail clippers back. They gave them back six years ago. [http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/Interpretive\_Rule\_Lighters.pdf](http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/Interpretive_Rule_Lighters.pdf) (see p. 2, right hand column) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/30 "2011-09-26T15:24:23Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > TSA recently revised its rules for searching children, including not requiring them to remove their shoes. When I went through Heathrow recently they had a separate screening lane for families with small children. It made a HUGE difference in the experience, not only because everyone in the same lane was in the same situation (and thus were less likely to get angry at a small child holding up the line) but also because the staff were more child-friendly. I was able to carry my daughter through the metal detector (which was concealed by a big rainbow facade) without problem. I was so impressed I texted BAA to thank them. Airport security needs to be smarter about a lot of things, including how it treats its customers. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/31 "2011-09-26T15:33:50Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > You have the right to petition the government. They don’t have to listen. I can’t think of any petition that has ever resulted in a major policy change. They freed Kris Kringle. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451/32 "2011-09-26T16:43:09Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Are you suggesting there is no use for any type of security at U.S. airports at all? No, I’m suggesting that the TSA _does not provide_ any meaningful security. Even when people act suspiciously _on purpose_, these morons still can’t do anything useful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitehouse-govs-we-the-people-leads-to-15-000-sig-petition-to-change-tsa-will-the-policy-change/597451.md?page=1)