More than 1,400 identification badges and uniform items have been reported lost or stolen from Transportation Security Administration employees since 2003, according to documents obtained by a San Antonio television station. WOAI-TV received the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
Los Angeles had the most ID badges missing with 120. Chicago O’Hare followed with 115. D-FW was first in Texas with 42.
Saul Wilen, a San Antonio-based terrorism prevention consultant, called the issue a very serious problem.
“If you have a badge and a uniform, you are invincible in terms of the system,” he said. “Not only can you get in and get around, you can get known and become a regular that becomes more and more recognized, so the next time you are less liable to have to go through the system’s security, and the next time even less.”
In a statement, the TSA denied that stolen badges could lead to security breaches.
What would be the appropriate theme music for this soap opera? How about “Sad but true” or “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue”?
So much for King George’s Department of Homeland Securtiy.
To quote him, “They’re doin’ a heck of a job!”
This government’s response to 9-11 was to create a brand new and extremely complicated bureaucracy, under the general label of Homeland Security. The wisdom of that decision is debatable at best. I suspect this new story about the TSA is another glimpse at the tip of the iceberg; there are surely countless mistakes that have been made that can be directly linked to our huge, new and unweildly security apparatus.
This is another monumental failure on Bush’s part. No doubt about that at all. However, it would also be fair to note that no one else even tried to revamp the security system that resulted in 9/11 being almost *easy* to pull off.
George ain’t the first to bungle security and he will *not* be the last.
lol, government.
Damn. That is so sad, it is almost funny. I wonder if DHS staff can tell the difference between a real badge and a stolen one, or better yet, a photoshoped version of a badge.
I can’t wait to see bears wearing those uniforms at the next bear gathering 😛
This is another monumental failure on Bush’s part. No doubt about that at all. However, it would also be fair to note that no one else even tried to revamp the security system that resulted in 9/11 being almost *easy* to pull off.
George ain’t the first to bungle security and he will *not* be the last.
Comment by malren — 5/25/2006 @ 7:02 am
He will until a Democrat like Hillery get in.