  |
Americans who prefer to fly without showing ID will be turned away by airport security beginning June 21, unless they can convince screeners that their driver’s license or passport has been lost, according to a Transportation Security Administration policy change.
The TSA describes the identification rule change as the “latest in a series designed to facilitate travel for legitimate passengers while enhancing the agency’s risk-based focus — on people, not things.”
Under the current regulations, travelers who don’t wish to show identification can opt for extra-screening instead, under secret rules made public in a case brought by civil libertarian John Gilmore. Gilmore sought to overturn the requirement on constitutional grounds, but lost when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Americans have a right to travel, just not necessarily by plane.
The new policy is about authority and beginning of the end of privacy while traveling. It has nothing to do with security.
We could travel by air without showing ID before today? Fuck! Nobody told me that! I haven’t been able to get on an airplane without showing ID since the turn of the century. I even have to show ID to pick up an Amtrak train ticket!
And the sheep accepts it… after all, it’s to help the government to track down terrorists…
Welcome to AmeriҚa.
#1 – Yellow Substance – I haven’t been able to get on an airplane without showing ID since the turn of the century.
Which century?
I’m reminded of that scene in “Hunt For Red October” when Sean Connery and Sam Neill were discussing what they would do when they got to America.
—-
Capt. Vasili Borodin: I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck… maybe even a “recreational vehicle.” And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?
Captain Ramius: I suppose.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: No papers?
Captain Ramius: No papers, state to state.
——
Not anymore, how quaint.
One day after the Summer solstice and the top 4 articles on DU are:
Where is the ACLU when you need them? (Well, except the last one, of course).
Aw, this is a bullshit story.
“That worked because, under the current regulations, travelers who don’t wish to show identification can opt for extra-screening instead, under secret rules made public in a case brought by civil libertarian John Gilmore. Gilmore sought to overturn the requirement on constitutional grounds, but lost when the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Americans have a right to travel, just not necessarily by plane.
In practice, many TSA employees and supervisors do not know the ID-or-extra-search rule (it is, after all, a secret), and act flummoxed when they encounter a passenger who says they prefer not to show ID.
Nobody, including the TSA monkeys, knew about the secret rule to begin with, so no regular citizens ever got to fly without showing ID.
Typical of Dumbya’s administration; make up rules, keep some of them secret, and then don’t tell the people in charge of enforcing the rules what the rules are.
Jan 9, 2009 — BRING IT ON!!
#9 Mustard, if this is a secret rule, how do you know Dubya is the one who came up with it?
The requirement to show ID started with Bill Clinton after the TWA 800 crash, a strange response to a mechanical failure.
#8 – Lyin’ Mike
>>Mustard, if this is a secret rule, how do you
>>know Dubya is the one who came up with it?
Common sense, Lyin’ Mike.
btw, the current holder of the purloined presidency’s name is “DUMBYA”. He’s dumb, get it? Get with the motherfucking program, dude.
‘Korse it’s Bush’s fault right, and Police State fault, Martha Stewart’s stupid fault, and Elmo’s fault for cussing at that little kid, even though Clinton and others kame up with ID rules long ago. Duh.
Bullshit! Oh stop crying about anonymity, unless you pay for everything with cash, never use a cell phone or live in a cave in Colorado, you will never by anonymous. Get over it already. And what the fuck do you have to hide anyway.
I can fly anonymously from one end of the country to the other without ever showing a single ID card, without anyone knowing I am doing it, and without having to go through airport screeners.
I own my own airplane.
I got it shortly after Bill Klinton required IDs to board an airplane.
#8 – MikeN
Please check your facts regarding TWA 800. There is plenty of documented evidence that shows TWA 800 was brought down by a US Navy missile and was not ‘mechanical failure’ as you suggest.
I’m sad that people don’t make a stronger correlation between what happened in Nazi Germany and what’s happening here. It sounds like conspiracy theory to most people, and they (unfortunately) just brush it off as being crazy.
#12 Anonymous said,
“I can fly anonymously from one end of the country to the other without ever showing a single ID card, without anyone knowing I am doing it, and without having to go through airport screeners.”
I own my own airplane.”
You won’t be anonymous if you file a VFR or IFR flight plan, or ask for a popup clearance, or talk to any ATC facility or use an FAA controlled airport.
Grass runways excepted, of course. And that’s a great way to travel.
Don’t worry — if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Right?
“HEY! You’re all breaking the (secret) rules! Line up over here and present yourself for arrest!”
“What rule?”
“I can’t tell you — it’s CLASSIFIED!”
Wow..MikeN get’s dinged for being sarcastic by someone even dumber than he is! What did you think Mike’s point was brainsink #13? Not a good point mind you..but after all, he and several others here still think Bill is running the country, so what do you expect.
Let’s see guys..one of the (if not the) most rampant attacks in our countries history on constitutional rights and freedoms..running roughshod over law after law..and you think anything that Clinton did has any relevance? That Dumbya “overlooked” all those evil laws pushed through by the anti-christ Clinton? Just sort of forgot about them, eh?
I look forward to the next 8 years so I can blame anything and everything on Dumbya…
What’s wrong with having to show ID to get on a plane? They make sure you’re the one who is supposed to be there. Makes sense to me. Doesn’t particularly offer any protection but I don’t see what the big deal is. Same idea as asking for a picture ID when paying with a credit card that isn’t signed.
Actually you might be right Mustard. The secret rule under Clinton was that you had to show ID to the airline. Now you have to show ID at the security check, and you didn’t need that or a ticket before 9/11.
>I look forward to the next 8 years so I can blame anything and everything on Dumbya…
Well yes, he would deserve blame for many things. This isn’t a basketball game where once th buzzer sounds everything starts over.
The actions of the last 8 years have an impact in many things. For example, the failure to pass social security reform will make the budget picture worse every year, since the surplus is shrinking.
#12 makes a great point – if you have your own aircraft you don’t need ID.
So all a terrorist has to do is purchase a small plane (I think the Saudis have some spare cash) and he can travel to his target without worrying about security.
(#1 – Mister Mustard) And yet illegals have been able to travel INTO America, with little or no troubles. Isn’t that the real problem? Keeping the terrorists out in the first place? This security only seems to inconvenience the 99.9% of innocent americans, who have no ill intent. It might nab a few tax cheats, or be useful to break alibis. But anyone well connected (or rich) enough, will just find a way to bribe those that would require any IDs. And the real terrorists will take the bus or something. I doubt the Trailways people are super thorough at checking for fake IDs.
Meanwhile, one does wonder of what other uses that all this travel information will be put to use. They want to gather info on our internet browsing habits. What about our real life traveling habits? Fodder for market research too? A new revenue stream for Uncle Sam? Or just another way to keep tabs of what everyone in america is up to, J. Edgar Hoover style?
You won’t be anonymous if you file a VFR or IFR flight plan, or ask for a popup clearance, or talk to any ATC facility or use an FAA controlled airport.
Grass runways excepted, of course. And that’s a great way to travel.
You don’t need to file a flight plan (VFR or IFR), I can fly higher than my plane is capable of without contacting ATC, and over 90% of the airports in the US are non-towered/uncontrolled (with a large number of them paved) which means I don’t even have to talk to ATC the whole time I’m in the air.
I can fly just about anywhere in four hours and still be ahead in the time it takes to fly commercial because of the hassle of check-in and baggage claim and parking and . . .
Nope, don’t need to tell anyone where I am going and no one knows where I am at. Of course, the prudent thing to do is to let _someone_ know where you are headed.
So all a terrorist has to do is purchase a small plane (I think the Saudis have some spare cash) and he can travel to his target without worrying about security.
Which is the point I was trying to make. What good is the security? It’s more of an inconvenience than anything else. It not doing anything to make us any safer.
Expand the air marshals program, and maybe they can eliminate the ID requirements.
>>Now you have to show ID at the security
>>check, and you didn’t need that or a ticket
>>before 9/11.
You didn’t need a ticket or an ID before 9/11?
You need to get out more, Lyin’ Mike. Watching the Soap Opera Channel 24/7 isn’t doing much for your cosmopolitan image.
Welcome to America? Welcome to planet earth, you have to show ID everywhere to board planes.
I think the bigger shock is that before today people could board without ID.
Sweet! I have the right to walk!
#25, Mustard is your memory that poor? You didn’t need a ticket or an ID before 9/11. If you weren’t checking luggage, you could go all the way to the gate to check in. If you weren’t travelling, you could still go the gate.
28-> It was easier than that. I flew commercial quite a bit during the 90s. All I had to do was show up with my ticketless confirmation number and I was given a boarding pass.
Granted, I always bought the ticket with a credit card so there was a noticeable paper trail, but I wasn’t asked for ID at the boarding gate.
#28 – Lyin’ Mike
>>Mustard is your memory that poor? You
>>didn’t need a ticket or an ID before 9/11.
Either you’ve got the poor memory, or you’re lyin’ again, Mike.
Maybe at East Bumfuck International Airport you didn’t need a ticket. You needed one at Newark, O’Hare, Philly, San Fran, and LAX. I don’t know where the fuck you flew out of, but in my experience, you haven’t been able to get to the boarding gate without a ticket since the 80’s.