This sounds a little ominous, somehow.

dustman81: Actually, it shows how stupid TSA screening procedures are as someone in the military is probably the last person who would be a terrorist.

I hope you're being ironic.

They should be allowed to experience all the freedom for which they have been fighting, just as we do.

I don't see what could go wrong

dustman81: Actually, it shows how stupid TSA screening procedures are as someone in the military is probably the last person who would be a terrorist

I don't know about that.

I heard that there was a retired military guy in Arizona that kept assault weapons in his house and endangered his family by opening fire on uniformed officers when they came to arrest him for drug trafficking.

That doesn't sound like a respectable segment of society to me.

Goddammitsomuch, this is a bigger waste of time and farce of security than the TSA itself.

Okay, take all your TSA hatred and channel it into the question of whether you trust those dipshiats to accirately identify an actual membe of the US armed forces on actual official duty as opposed so some random fool in camouflage with a fake ID.

Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-Minn., in a statement. "In respect to our men and women in uniform and in the best interest of our national security, this bipartisan initiative is the least we could do for our military personnel and their families traveling our nation's airports while serving our country."

That's the truth. We don't want to give you healthcare or proper armor in return for your service to the country, but here are some nice parting gifts!

/They should not be exempt (neither should pilots). Either we all get molested or none of us do.

Unfortunately this is a fake show at honoring the military. If they really wanted to honor service members they'd increase health benefits. But haters, don't worry, as soon as a couple idiots try to bust through security checkpoints wearing their new clothes from the Army/Navy surplus store, they'll rescind the act.

bk3k: I don't see what could go wrong

How would the TSA have helped in that situation?

OOooh, I smell a new Tom Clancy novel.

Raven Platoon 7

Fark this. Exempting certain classes of people from the hell that the masses are put though only serves to perpetuate this kind of alleged security. Idiots and assholes come in all stripes. Does the name Nidal Malik Hasan ring any bells? He was a bloody major in the Army.

Exempting entire swaths of individuals based upon some arbitrary classification is misguided. What's next? Should cops get a free pass? Teachers? State government workers? If the misery is widely spread across all classes of the citizenry, objections to it will arise more easily. If we remove certain individuals from the burden of the 'security', they'll likely turn into proponents and work to keep increasing the burden on the public at large.

Segregation of hell is never a good thing. Either force everybody to endure the same violations of privacy or force nobody.

/fark the tsa

Warrener: I heard that there was a retired military guy in Arizona that kept assault weapons in his house and endangered his family by opening fire on uniformed officers when they came to arrest him for drug trafficking.

If you are referring to the earlier story (Monday) linked on fark:
Not retired
Didn't open fire
(probably) Not a drug trafficker

If you are referring to some other story, please show us.

drew46n2: i've been in the Navy for 10 years and i've never flown in uniform. meh.

Coasties are discouraged from doing it.

When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

"Service guarantees citizenship"

Sid_6.7: dustman81: It sad when our military members are made to feel like potential terrorists by a flunky wearing blue gloves and a blue shirt who isn't qualified to operate the deep fryer at McDonalds who practices security theatre. Actually, it shows how stupid TSA screening procedures are as someone in the military is probably the last person who would be a terrorist.

For once, the House does something right. Hopefully, the Senate also passes this and the President signs it. Actually, I would like to see the TSA disbanded completely, but at least give our soldiers a pass.

One important question to ask when creating an exception to the rules for a class of people:

How easy is it to impersonate a member of the exempted class?

I understand what you mean and you're right, however, when I was in the army I was exempt from TSA screenings (post 911) as long as I had my military CAC ( comon access card) and a backup like a state issued ID or security clearance card. But after I went thru that ( in the first class security express line) I got free beer all day in the airport.

So to answer your question it is harder than you'd think to impersonate a soldier or service member. The ID is hard to duplicate and it takes more than buying a uniform on eBay.

Eshkar: When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

What BS? As long as we all have to go through that crap, no one gets an exemption. You take a commercial flight, you go through screening.

Eshkar: When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

I hope when they were forced to take off their boots at the airport they took a moment to think about what they had actually been fighting for. (It wasn't freedom)

FTFA: "However, Erica Pena-Vest, founder and travel editor for GuidetoMilitaryTravel.com, told msnbc.com that while she thinks members of Congress have their heart in the right place, she's never heard any active-duty member of the military complain about having to go through airport security, just like any other American. "Most military people don't like to be singled out," she said, adding that only the U.S. Army travels in uniform."

So, it's not a problem because nobody's ever complained? Probably because the Army is full of soldiers who are used to biting their tongue when they encounter stupid bullshiat, but they still know it's bullshiat.

I've traveled in uniform on official business before. . .and at the time I thought it was downright asinine that I was a member of the US Army, in uniform, with a Top Secret clearance and travel orders, getting Gate Raped/Freedom Groped, having to take off my boots at the checkpoint and I can't carry a bottle of water through because it just might be liquid binary explosives (or in reality, to drive up sales on the other side of the checkpoint).

The TSA is just security theater anyway, might as well put some exceptions in there, it's not like it's going to really affect anything.

The ONLY reason the hijackings on 9/11 were as successful as they were is that standard operating procedure at the time was to go along with whatever the hijacker said, because at that point hijackers always wanted a ransom or more typically wanted to be flown to some specific country for political/ideological reasons. Hijacking a plane to use as a human-guided missile just was not done, not even really thought of.

Now, if somebody hijacked a plane, or even tried. If they didn't have an Air Marshall who would put several new holes in him, he'd get the Flight 93 treatment while the flight crew stayed locked behind an armored cockpit door.

you know those US military uniforms are so hard to find no one who was planing anything untoward could ever find one.

Link (new window)

Counter_Intelligent: bk3k: I don't see what could go wrong

How would the TSA have helped in that situation?

They couldn't. He did not choose to execute his attack with an airplane as the chosen location. The next guy to try might just do that.

The very simple point is that simply being a member of the military does not mean someone cannot hold murder in his heart. If we are to be searched at the airport, then all should be searched equally.

Besides, suppose a would be terrorist can get their hands on a military uniform and a fake military ID card. Not so far fetched obviously.

JosephFinn: Eshkar: When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

What BS? As long as we all have to go through that crap, no one gets an exemption. You take a commercial flight, you go through screening.

"hi thanks for serving your country, braving snipers and IED's... now please remove your combat boots so we can make sure you aren't going to blow us all up?" yeah that is BS. Well thanks to the Congress not any more :-p

How could letting people who's job it is to kill others skip security possibly backfire?

Purely a fiscal decision. The government doesn't want to be paying out all those VA cancer claims from the X ray machines.

/but screw the rest of us,
//because terrorism, that's why!

Time to pull the Service Alphas out of the seabag under the stairs..... ok who am I kidding there is no way my tubby arse is going to fit into those ever again...

In the article it mentions that only the Army travels in uniform. I can't speak for all branches, but I know that all orders I've seen in the Air Force specifically say that you are NOT to travel in uniform. No need to draw that kind of attention to yourself. So this won't change anything for a large portion of the military.

But they can't still drink a beer until they are 21.

Kanemano: you know those US military uniforms are so hard to find no one who was planing anything untoward could ever find one.

Link (new window)

Cool link bro. When traveling in uniform you also have to show published orders and your government ID prior to hitting security.

So happy to see this support pushed through congress while military pay raises are frozen and proposals for health benefits and retirement cuts for veterans are being made. Makes it all even stevens in my book.

Karma Chameleon: Eshkar: When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

I hope when they were forced to take off their boots at the airport they took a moment to think about what they had actually been fighting for. (It wasn't freedom)

Troll much?

Kanemano: you know those US military uniforms are so hard to find no one who was planing anything untoward could ever find one.

Link (new window)

When you travel in uniform like that under official orders you carry a copy of your orders with you. RTFA, "Members of the U.S. military flying on official orders while in uniform" DUH

Just repeating that every bit of groping that those TSA security guards do, is illegal under the law. So feel free to protect your genitalia or breasts via a nice knee lift to the face of your attacker. Or a nice kick to the groin of your attacker.

/Self-defense is your legal Right.
//Hmmmm, The only way TSA groping could be legal in North America(looking at you too Kanada), would be if we all were under some thing called martial law....
///Oh is that why those Elitist Soldiers live in that back room of the Airports of North America.

Eshkar: When you travel in uniform like that under official orders you carry a copy of your orders with you.

To be fair, though, "official military orders" just look like a badly formatted notepad file. Not exactly rocket science to fake. The ID is quite a bit tougher, though.

Double screen the military members. Special weapons training and a the semi recent lowering of standards for who can join makes them an at risk group of people. If I was going to judge someone solely based on what they are wearing I would trust a person in full Islamic dress on a plane more than I would trust a person in military fatigues.

allegory: Eshkar: When you travel in uniform like that under official orders you carry a copy of your orders with you.

To be fair, though, "official military orders" just look like a badly formatted notepad file. Not exactly rocket science to fake. The ID is quite a bit tougher, though.

true

Eshkar: Karma Chameleon: Eshkar: When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

I hope when they were forced to take off their boots at the airport they took a moment to think about what they had actually been fighting for. (It wasn't freedom)

Troll much?

How? TSA gropings are the fruits of labor from the War on Terror. Does it not bother you that these people are being killed to fight for and protect this idea of a"land of the free" in which we have to take our shoes off and get our balls rubbed in order to get on a plane?

meds for the hypocrite: Double screen the military members. Special weapons training and a the semi recent lowering of standards for who can join makes them an at risk group of people. If I was going to judge someone solely based on what they are wearing I would trust a person in full Islamic dress on a plane more than I would trust a person in military fatigues.

troll

meds for the hypocrite: Double screen the military members. Special weapons training and a the semi recent lowering of standards for who can join makes them an at risk group of people. If I was going to judge someone solely based on what they are wearing I would trust a person in full Islamic dress on a plane more than I would trust a person in military fatigues.

3/10. I'm warming to it a bit.

Eshkar: allegory: Eshkar: When you travel in uniform like that under official orders you carry a copy of your orders with you.

To be fair, though, "official military orders" just look like a badly formatted notepad file. Not exactly rocket science to fake. The ID is quite a bit tougher, though.

true

You don't have official orders on general leave, in which case nothing would be carried (normally) aside from the ID.

/leave chit means "orders" when orders gets baggage fees waived though

Get Lost: Just repeating that every bit of groping that those TSA security guards do, is illegal under the law. So feel free to protect your genitalia or breasts via a nice knee lift to the face of your attacker. Or a nice kick to the groin of your attacker.

/Self-defense is your legal Right.
//Hmmmm, The only way TSA groping could be legal in North America(looking at you too Kanada), would be if we all were under some thing called martial law....
///Oh is that why those Elitist Soldiers live in that back room of the Airports of North America.

I see you missed the implied consent class when you were getting your GED in law.

Warrener: dustman81: Actually, it shows how stupid TSA screening procedures are as someone in the military is probably the last person who would be a terrorist

I don't know about that.

I heard that there was a retired military guy in Arizona that kept assault weapons in his house and endangered his family by opening fire on uniformed officers when they came to arrest him for drug trafficking.

That doesn't sound like a respectable segment of society to me.

Yep. Drug trafficker do get kind of shooty sometimes.....

agoodz: Eshkar: allegory: Eshkar: When you travel in uniform like that under official orders you carry a copy of your orders with you.

To be fair, though, "official military orders" just look like a badly formatted notepad file. Not exactly rocket science to fake. The ID is quite a bit tougher, though.

true

You don't have official orders on general leave, in which case nothing would be carried (normally) aside from the ID.

/leave chit means "orders" when orders gets baggage fees waived though


You have travel orders and a leave or pass form when on leave, and you do not travel in uniform for normal 'I'm taking a week off' leave. You only travel in uniform on block leave (R&R to or from theater) or when going to or from certain military schools.

Karma Chameleon: Eshkar: Karma Chameleon: Eshkar: When I came back from Israel I was shocked to see soldiers returning from Iraq being forced to remove their boots and go through intrusive screening. Glad to see they finally fixed that BS.

I hope when they were forced to take off their boots at the airport they took a moment to think about what they had actually been fighting for. (It wasn't freedom)

Troll much?

How? TSA gropings are the fruits of labor from the War on Terror. Does it not bother you that these people are being killed to fight for and protect this idea of a"land of the free" in which we have to take our shoes off and get our balls rubbed in order to get on a plane?

My problem isn't with the soldiers, my problem is with the dumbass politicians that push through stupid shiat. The soldiers did what they had to or face imprisonment and possible social chaos if a large part of our military refused orders because they didn't like them. So do I think soldiers need to be screened... nope. Do I think citizens need to be groped and fondled... nope.