Comments
Creativity AND a sense of humor. From the TSA! Who’d’ve thunk it?
Nomen Publicus • March 6, 2008 3:01 PM
The only way to fight oppression is to laugh at it.
Fred X. Quimby • March 6, 2008 3:08 PM
Now my son thinks being a TSA officer is “dope.” Sigh
Capt. Jean-Luc Pikachu • March 6, 2008 3:12 PM
The video wasn’t made by the TSA, it was made by someone who got “jacked” (his own words) by the TSA.
Seriously, right there in “related videos” is a link to “Why I wrote this song”.
JustBrowsing • March 6, 2008 3:19 PM
Followed one of the links in the video reply. The main character (at least) isn’t TSA, but wrote the song about his experience at LAX.
JustBrowsing • March 6, 2008 3:20 PM
Gahhhhh. Capt. Jean-Luc scooped me.
Dewey • March 6, 2008 3:21 PM
FYI, not safe for work in some U.S. companies (well, some companies I used to work for would have some problems with parts.)
alan • March 6, 2008 3:22 PM
Now I have the urge to spraypaint graffiti on a TSA agent.
Beefman • March 6, 2008 4:40 PM
What I want to know is, was the location genuine or fake? It looked pretty realistic to me, but I’m no TSA agent. I mean, if it is real, that opens up a whole other line of interesting questions.
Terry Cloth • March 6, 2008 4:47 PM
@alan: You didn’t before? 🙂
Gritsforbreakfast • March 6, 2008 5:37 PM
“was the location genuine or fake?”
The outside was definitely the Austin airport, as the video stated, but that didn’t look like the spot in the airport where they have the x-ray machines. I’d guess it was staged.
I can understand being that teed off at the TSA Ganstaz. When 9/11 occurred, I happened to be in San Francisco and was stranded several days out there while the planes were down. On the way back, flying on the first day the airports re-opened, they confiscated a pocketknife that had belonged to my great grandfather – never got it back. So, although the lyrics didn’t phrase things just the way I might have, I can understand the sentiment. I still fume to myself about that pocket knife every time I enter airport security.
Anonymous • March 6, 2008 5:40 PM
@alan,
“””Now I have the urge to spraypaint graffiti on a TSA agent.”””
Should be OK, provided your spraycan holds less than 4 ounces of paint.
sooth_sayer • March 6, 2008 7:16 PM
for pete’s sake stop being a super j3rk.
this is for kids.
Andrew • March 7, 2008 1:56 AM
“Security guard on the gate that think they are the Chairman of the company”
Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that security policies that apply to company executives often come from the board of directors in order to protect the stockholders. This can mean telling an angry CEO, “With respect sir, you may not [bungee-jump, jet-ski, fly your own plane, etc.]” On the other hand, Procurement writes the checks and takes direction from said CEO . . . so the wise executive protection agent is tactful and discreet.
TSA uses taxpayer authority and Federal regulations to harass and scare people. At least contract security guards can be transferred and/or fired. TSA misconduct you’re stuck with, even if you have a Senator or two in your corner. Gangsters indeed, except that gangsters can usually be bribed.
tape monkey admin • March 7, 2008 4:56 AM
Oh yeah. The TSA is laughable, but not in the funny, haha way.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/06/tsa-endangers-childs.html
Jons Junk • March 7, 2008 2:01 PM
Okay, I’m not a prude or anything. But the purpose of posting a link to this video? I mean it’s a parody, nothing else. But it does have some very crude content that isn’t even closely appropriate for business. While it’s showing the tsa guy wanting a woman under her skirt, the lyrcis say something about “al-qaida, now excuse me while I stick this inside her”. Other bits of video show them licking breasts, feeling up women.
Again, what’s the purpose of your link? There is stuff like this all over the web. You gonna link to that stuff, too?
moo • March 7, 2008 3:21 PM
@Jons Junk: Its Bruce’s blog, he can post whatever he wants. No one’s forcing you to watch the video. I thought it was funny and a sad commentary on how bad the TSA is. (I’ve never had to deal with them myself since I have a policy of not flying through the United States for any reason, due to the erosion of civil liberties there since 9/11).
Re Nomen Publicus mentioned above… I don’t think the only way to fight oppression is through ridicule, but its certainly one way and one we should employ more often.
Kevin • March 8, 2008 9:36 AM
Moo:
It IS Bruce’s log, and I can see why he posted it. A NSFW warning might have been nice on the link, as the language is unusually harsh. Well, unusually harsh for somebody who doesn’t usually watch gangsta videos.
Jason • March 10, 2008 1:43 PM
A kindly “not work safe” would have been appreciated… or at least a textual warning of what to expect.
I mean, “Wow” is sort of vague.
klx • March 11, 2008 3:49 PM
@Gritsforbreakfast –
I was APPALLED to learn (the hard way) that SFO does not have a 24-hour onsite post office. At my local airport, you can at least duck out of line and mail things back to yourself.
Really, the TSA should be equipped handle mistakes on the spot — “No problem. Here’s a padded mailer, and we’ll charge the actual postage to your carrier.” But noooo, we can’t have that shit.
Joe Mamma • March 15, 2008 4:50 PM
All I know is these “gangstaz” protect our skies everyday, checkout their website, they stop, on the average, 10-15 handguns a week from being on planes. They have also been doing a lot to stop illegal immigrants from flying and catching drug dealers.
akl • April 13, 2008 7:12 PM
as an airport screener myself, please remember that we are NOT there to harrass you, but rather to ensure you reach your destination safely
Bruce • May 15, 2008 12:27 AM
I am a TSA gangsta! I just have to say I am a civil libertarian, but common sense would dictate a change in some attitudes concerning flying our friendly skies post 9-11. Just follow the damn rules and all will go well. The problem is the public can’t read or follow simple directions! The guy earlier is crying because they “took” his grandpappys pocketknife. Do you think we should let people bring knives on the plane so long as they have a sentimental value? Also, nobody “took” the knife, they always give you options. You undoubtedly “surrendered” the knife because you were running late for your flight or were too damn cheap to mail it back to yourself!
Joel Rosenberg • June 20, 2008 8:58 PM
Well, yes, I think that the rules should let people bring knives on planes. It’s idiotic to think that, say, a pocketknife represents some sort of danger that, say, titanium knitting needles don’t. Or that, say, there’s something dangerous about a Kubaton (which will be snatched) that isn’t dangerous about a Maglite of the same dimensions (which won’t, unless the burger flipper dropout needs a cheap flashlight).
I don’t blame the TSA burger flipper dropouts for the idiotic policies; it’s low-pay, uninteresting work that’s likely to appeal to people with few interesting alternatives for employment.
ex-tsa employee • December 18, 2009 11:24 PM
TSA here at LAX starts at around $17 an hour plus major federal employee benefits. Hardly buger flipping drop out wages.
ex-tsa employee • December 18, 2009 11:57 PM
I started with TSA at LAX 6 years ago at $16 hr.
Now I work for CBP at over 100K year (w/ OT). Both have federal benefits- health, paid sick leave, vacation and holidays. 401K and a very sweet pension.
Hardly a burger flipper drop-out job.
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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
Jamie • March 6, 2008 2:35 PM
About right – in reality the TSA are the “Security guard on the gate that think they are the Chairman of the company”