TSA punishes pilot for criticizing its security flaws

By Thomas Lifson

Behaving more like a thuggish third world dictatorship than the guardians of a democratic society, TSA agents have swooped down on a pilot who had the temerity to publicly point out flaws in the security system at San Francisco International Airport. Quite clearly, the agency is far more concerned to appear to be doing a good job than in actually carrying out its mission . Sacramento television station KXTV has the story:

An airline pilot is being disciplined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for posting video on YouTube pointing out what he believes are serious flaws in airport security. (snip)

Three days after he posted a series of six video clips recorded with a cell phone camera at San Francisco International Airport, four federal air marshals and two sheriff's deputies arrived at his house to confiscate his federally-issued firearm. The pilot recorded that event as well and provided all the video to News10.

At the same time as the federal marshals took the pilot's gun, a deputy sheriff asked him to surrender his state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon.

A follow-up letter from the sheriff's department said the CCW permit would be reevaluated following the outcome of the federal investigation.

The YouTube videos, posted Nov. 28, show what the pilot calls the irony of flight crews being forced to go through TSA screening while ground crew who service the aircraft are able to access secure areas simply by swiping a card.

The incident makes it quite clear that the leadership of the TSA is not only incompetent but terrified of having their incompetence exposed. The willingness to send six agents to the pilot's house smacks of intimidation. That the TSA is comfortable bullying Americans is disturbing. That it apparently cares more about silencing critics than doing its job effectively is terrifying.

But then what would you expect of an agency headed by Janet Napolitano?

Were George W. Bush president, this incident would be trumpeted coast to coast as evidence of his bumbling form of evil. With Barack Obama president, expect it to receive little attention outside of the Sacramento television market.