TSA Continues Its Unchecked Expansion Across the U.S.

In yet another example of the expansion of the role of the TSA beyond airport security, the now infamous agency is conducting “security” screenings at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Of course, with the exception of a few alternative news sites, the fact that the TSA mission creep has advanced several steps further in recent weeks has scarcely been mentioned by major news sources. Predictably, the mainstream media has been almost completely silent on the issue save for a few passing mentions in the middle of articles describing the “electric” atmosphere of the DNC.

One such mention was made by John Sweeney, a reporter who is attending the DNC. In his article entitled, “Hurricane Bloodhound hovers over DNC,” in the September 5, 2012 edition of the Florence Morning News, Sweeney confirmed that not only was the TSA in attendance, they were indeed screening DNC participants upon arrival at the convention hall.

Sweeney’s mention of the TSA was itself only cursory when he stated, “But the real ruckus in Charlotte didn’t come from handful of protesters I encountered on the way TWCA for the opening gavel or even the TSA who screened me before I entered the hall – yes, the airplane police were in charge of screening – it came from the delegates inside.”

Unfortunately, there was no further mention by Sweeney as to just how invasive the “screening” actually was. Nevertheless, it now appears that earlier reports claiming that the TSA would be both present and active during the DNC have now been confirmed.

Only days ago, Paul Joseph Watson wrote an article entitled “TSA To Conduct Grope Downs at DNC,” where he wrote,

The DNC will be held at three separate sites this week, all of which will have security checkpoints staffed by TSA officers. 

55 TSA screeners ‘Will help the Secret Service with screening at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Convention Center and Bank of America stadium,’ reports WSOCTV.com. 

The first two days of the DNC will take place at the Time Warner Cable Arena, with the final day taking place at the Bank of America Stadium where Obama will deliver his acceptance speech. Events will concurrently be staged at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Watson continued, suggesting that the “Screenings” experienced by the DNC participants were more than basic metal detectors and bag searches. He stated,

Attendees will be forced to undergo invasive pat downs and have their personal items scanned if they wish to enter any of these venues. 

The agency is also increasing its footprint of TSA agents at the Charlotte Douglas Airport, adding a whopping 161 extra TSA screeners including 20 ‘behavior detection’ officers who will watch for suspicious activity and conduct ‘chat downs’ with travelers. More than 700 TSA officers in the airport alone will be present for the duration of the convention.

The TSA presence at the DNC comes only one week after the RNC, where the TSA was also involved in screening convention-goers. Likewise, the TSA was present at a recent Paul Ryan event in The Villages, Florida where attendees were forced to undergo aggressive bag searches and body pat downs.

TSA presence at major political events, while concerning enough, represents only a fraction of the new frontier awaiting conquest by blue-gloved goons. The TSA has already appeared at bus terminals, highway checkpoints, and even high school proms in order to conduct so-called security screenings. And for those who might think this is all just an effort to keep us safe, hundreds of new FOIA letters reveal just how invasive these screenings have been in airports, and are guaranteed to become on the streets of America. So much so that experts say the screenings are tantamount to rape.

Rape counselors have warned that women who have been sexually assaulted face treatment metered out by TSA screeners that can be ‘extremely re-traumatizing to someone who has already experienced an invasion of their privacy and their body.’ An estimated one in six women in the United States have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. (Source)

2012-09-06 11:08:00

Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/09/tsa-continues-its-unchecked-expansion.html