This is not shocking at all to me.

I love the last sentence of the article, as it is so accurate, and unfortunately unknown by the greater populace:

"... (autistic) individuals have unique abilities that can give them an advantage over others at performing some tasks."

My hope is that overtime autistic individuals will be seen for the incredible skill set many of them have and will be sought out by employers, rather than their skils either not being "seen" or them being discriminated against from the first interview due to their "poor" (per our society), social skills.

My mind goes to higher end, tech government jobs that people who are not neurotypical would do better at than others. I know someone whose father fits this category, has very high up security clearance. She says that many of the people at his workplace seem to be non-neurotypical (in her layman's perspective). This does not surprise me.

TSA: Terrorist Threat to Air Safety is Minimal

http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2013/10/tsa-terrorist-threat-to-air-safety-is-minimal/

"While air travelers continue to be told that they must remove their shoes and go through a body scanner to combat the threat of terrorism in the skies, it turns out that the Transportation Safety Administration has gone on record stating that the threat and risk of terrorist attacks on aviation is very small."

Security Check Now Starts Long Before You Fly

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/business/security-check-now-starts-long-before-you-fly.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hpw&

"The Transportation Security Administration is expanding its screening of passengers before they arrive at the airport by searching a wide array of government and private databases that can include records like car registrations and employment information."

"...For instance, an update about the T.S.A.’s Transportation Security Enforcement Record System, which contains information about travelers accused of “violations or potential violations” of security regulations, warns that the records may be shared with “a debt collection agency for the purpose of debt collection.”... "

"...A recent privacy notice about PreCheck notes that fingerprints submitted by people who apply for the program will be used by the F.B.I. to check its unsolved crimes database... "

(Bolding mine)

Right, there has been no incidents, but how do we know that part of the reason for this is because those these strategies were put in place? Perhaps we would have seen more incidents if the changes didn't occur (people would have tried to bring things through). There is no way to know.

Can we agree to disagree about this? :|

Absolutely, Andrea! :)

As an aside, I do enjoy this thread very much and appreciate your postings.

Once the decision is made to buy into the idea of trading freedom for the illusion of safety it becomes impossible to convince someone it does not work. If nothing happens clearly the restrictions are working and the trade off is worth it and the person is safe. If something goes wrong then clearly what is needed is to restrict freedom further. It’s a slippery slope. It would be so much better to remove the reasons for terrorism in the first place, but that would require a restructuring of, well, of everything. Clearly it is easier and more comfortable to evoke righteous indignation and continue to take freedom away. And it does have a kind of sense about it. i mean if a country is going to continue pissing people off around the globe, people who generally have limited ways to bring attention to the abuses perpetrated against them, it only seems fair and logical that this country make an attempt to keep its citizens safe. Especially since not pissing people off around the world by perpetrating or supporting abuses against them is apparently not an option.

Obama's NOT Hilter's words:
"We cannot rely on our military in order to achieve national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
The TSA now has more ammunition than the US military.
http://conpats.blogsport.com/2013/08...o-than-us.html
Meanwhile, he's purging the real armed forces from officers who would refuse orders to fire on other Americans.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/military...stitution.html

Dead TSA Screener Ernesto Lluberes Had Drugs in Car

http://tsatoday.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/dead-tsa-screener-ernesto-lluberes-had-drugs-in-car/

"At this point what is clear is that the dead TSA screener was involved in criminal activity. The only questions remaining are who killed him and how deeply involved in crime he was while being paid by taxpayers to assure airport security."

DHS Still Hasn't Fired Black Supremacist Who Called for Mass Murder of Whites

http://m.govexec.com/defense/2013/11/dhs-still-hasnt-fired-black-supremacist-who-called-mass-murder-whites/74090/?oref=river&oref=ge-android-interstitial-continue

"Kimathi, using the online nom de guerre "the Irritated Genie," called for "ethnic cleansing" of "black-skinned Uncle Tom race traitors" on his website, which envisioned a massive race war on the horizon. "In order for Black people to survive the 21st century, we are going to have to kill a lot of whites—more than our Christian hearts can possibly count," he wrote.

In other postings, he warned that whites and their enablers like President Obama are trying to "homosexualize" black men in order to make them weaker, and suggested that a woman's primary role in life should be to "keep a strong Black man happy." He also seemed to hold anti-Semitic views, claiming in a Facebook post that his website was under attack from a conspiracy of "zionist smallhats, the Uncle Tom koons," and, naturally, "the haters.""

Henrico man, TSA employee, charged in father’s shooting death.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/henrico/henrico-man-tsa-employee-charged-in-father-s-shooting-death/article_62ff19a2-e43f-530b-bf4f-30f9ab2904a5.html?mode=jqm

Wonder what this cost.....
 

Don’t pet the TSA dogs. Do collect the cards.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/tsa-k-9-handlers-handing-out-trading-cards-of-working-dogs/2013/11/21/16e9aa96-4d82-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html

"Last year, the agency started producing collectible cards featuring the members of the TSA team, more than 107 animals with a nose for things that could go “kaboom.” The novelty items feature a close-up photo of the dog and its biographical info: e.g., Lino, a German wirehaired pointer, born Dec. 1, 2010, educated at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. A smaller image on the flip side shows the dogs in action, like Cymro investigating a garbage can and Jolly poking around a bench. The tiny print describes the dog’s specialty and career highlights."

TSA supervisor among 2 men charged in cocaine conspiracy

http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/tsa-supervisor-among-2-men-charged-in-cocaine-conspiracy-1.1589215

"Two Virgin Islanders, one of whom is a supervisor for the Transportation and Security Administration, will face charges of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine in Miami."

TSA Expands Searches of Parked Cars at Airports

http://www.infowars.com/tsa-expands-searches-of-parked-cars-at-airports/

"TSA-approved warrantless searches of vehicles parked outside airports are being expanded, with a photograph taken at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport informing Thanksgiving travelers that all vehicles belonging to AmeriPark customers “will be searched by uniformed security.”"

Now THIS is some crazy shit! Check my person because I am going on YOUR plane, but my car? That's bullshit!

DHS stalls no-fly list trial by putting witness on no-fly list

http://boingboing.net/2013/12/04/dhs-stalls-no-fly-list-trial-b.html

"Edward Hasbrouck of the Identity Project is doing a fantastic job of reporting on-site from Ibrahim v. DHS, the first legal challenge of United States government's no-fly list that has ever seen a courtroom. On the first day of trial, the judge learned that the plaintiff's daughter, scheduled to testify, was delayed because she had been denied boarding of her flight because she was put a Department of Homeland Security no-fly list. DHS staff deny this. The government's lawyers told the judge that the daughter is lying. The airline provided documentation of the DHS no-fly order. The subject matter of this trial is intense---restriction of movement based on blacklists---but there's no sign of an end to the jaw-dropping entertainment."

DISASTER AVERTED: TSA agent bravely confiscates sockmonkey’s gun

http://bearingarms.com/disaster-averted-tsa-agent-bravely-confiscates-sockmonkeys-gun/

"May has a small business selling unique sock monkey dolls. She says she and her husband were on their way from St. Louis to Sea-Tac and she had a couple of monkeys and sewing supplies with her in a carry-on bag.

“His pistol was in there,” she says of the sock monkey “Rooster Monkburn,” a take-off on John Wayne character “Rooster Cogburn” from the film “True Grit.”

May and her husband were going through the screening process when she noticed that one of her bags was missing.

“And the (TSA agent) held it up and said ‘whose is this?’” she said. “I realized oh, my God this is my bag.”

May said the TSA agent went through the bag, through the sewing supplies and found the two-inch long pistol.

“She said ‘this is a gun,’” said May. “I said no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.”

“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May.

The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police.

“I said well go ahead,” said May. “And I said really? You’re kidding me right, and she said no it looks like a gun.”

“She took my monkey’s gun,” said May, who has retained her sense of humor.

“Rooster Monkburn has been disarmed so I’m sure everyone on the plane was safe,” she said. “I understand she was doing her job but at some point doesn’t common sense prevail?”"

7 Reasons the TSA Sucks (A Security Expert's Perspective)

http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-reasons-tsa-sucks-a-security-experts-perspective/

"For a bunch of people in snappy uniforms patting down crotches, the TSA is remarkably unpopular. Nobody likes going through security at the airport, but you probably figured most of it had a point. All those hours spent in line with other shoeless travelers are a necessary precursor to safe flying. It's annoying, but at least it wards off terrorism.

That's all bullshit. The TSA couldn't protect you from a 6-year-old with a water balloon. What are my qualifications for saying that? My name is Rafi Sela, and I was the head of security for the world's safest airport. Here's what your country does wrong."

The TSA's 12 Banned Items of Christmas

'Inebriated' man, cross-dressed man jump airport fences in Newark, Phoenix

http://us.cnn.com/2013/12/26/us/new-jersey-airport-security-breach/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

"In 2012, the TSA was criticized for failing to report, track and fix other types of airport security breaches adequately, according to the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general.

The agency's report said the TSA "does not have a complete understanding" of breaches at the nation's airports.

The report was requested by the late New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg after a series of breaches at Newark, including a knife bypassing TSA screening, passengers walking around security checkpoints and a dead dog transported without being screened for explosives.

The TSA took action to fix only 42% of the security breaches documented at the Newark airport, according to the report."

Bolding mine.