TSA claims Congress has no jurisdiction over it; refuses to attend hearings

[libertygrl]

(NaturalNews)

When officials who head up a federal agency created and funded by Congress no longer feel obligated to appear before the congressional committee charged with overseeing the function of that agency, a situation of genuine tyranny exists.

Enter John Pistole, the Obama Administration's head of the notorious Transportation Security Agency. He is not only refusing to appear before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but he's even gone so far as to declare that said congressional committee possesses "no jurisdiction over the TSA."

That's more than just arrogance; that's a dangerous precedent to set.

We don't answer to you or anyone

According to the committee's website, Pistole was requested to appear before the panel's subcommittee on Aviation Nov. 28, to provide testimony at a hearing titled, "How Best to Improve Our Nation's Airport Passenger Security System Through Common Sense Solutions."

Chaired by Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., the focus of the hearing was to "examine the impact that the regulations and policies of the Transportation Security Administration have on aviation passenger experience and the free flow of aviation commerce," according to a summary posted on the panel's website.

Despite being requested by a duly authorized congressional committee, Pistole, via a statement issued by the agency on its website, refused to comply:

By U.S. House of Representatives rules which state that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has no jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), no representative from TSA will be present at the Subcommittee on Aviation hearing scheduled for Nov. 29.

TSA will continue to work with its committees of jurisdiction to pursue effective and efficient security solutions. In the 112th Congress alone, TSA witnesses have testified at 38 hearings and provided 425 briefings for Members of Congress.

TSA also continues to work to enhance security screening measures and to improve the passenger experience including through the expansion of [an agency pre-check program]. As part of its risk-based security initiatives, TSA has modified screening procedures for passengers 12 and under and 75 and older while pursuing a multi-layered approach to security that includes behavior detection officers, explosives-detection systems and federal air marshals, among other measures both seen and unseen.

House Republicans on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have long said the expansive and haughty agency is in need of major reform since its hasty creation in the pandemonium of the immediate post-9/11 era. A section on the panel's website describes the agency as "a massive, inflexible, backward-looking bureaucracy of more than 65,000."

"TSA is a top-heavy agency in need of reform," says the site.

The Transportation committee is currently chaired by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., who has been a consistent, vocal critic of the TSA and who has pushed for airports to stop using the agency and instead employ private security screeners.

Mica wrote the legislation that created the agency; he has recently declared it to be a miserable failure.

Defund the TSA

In the upcoming 113th Congress, which convenes Jan. 9, Mica steps down and will be replaced by Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania. When asked by reporters for a reaction to the TSA's refusal to show up and testify at the scheduled hearing, as well as the agency's declaration it did not fall under the auspices of the committee, Shuster explained: "I don't think we have direct jurisdiction but when they impede commerce, when they impede the traveling public, they need to answer to the committee."

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Shuster said he "absolutely" expects the agency's officials to appear at Transportation committee hearings. When asked what he would do if they refuse, Shuster was cryptic: "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

As we've reported often - and will continue to do so - the TSA is a rogue agency being run by unelected bureaucrats who believe they don't have to answer to anyone - the public, which has grown tired and wary of the behavior of its agents, or the elected congressional representatives charged with overseeing it.

No bureaucracy is above reproach. Congress has the power of the purse strings; it should exercise that power and defund the TSA.

Learn more: h ttp://www.naturalnews.com/038154_TSA_Congress_hearings.html#ixzz2DiQZLPKi

[Chester Copperpot]

All these illegal departments fall under the executive branch so these TSA people are probably going to feel like they answer to Obama and nobody else..

Would love to see a president executive order all these illegal departments out of existence over night.

[GunnyFreedom]

That's insane! I mean, no exaggeration insane!

[jmdrake]

The solution is simple if Congress had any spine (which it doesn't). Just cut the entire funding for the TSA.

[Origanalist]

The solution is simple if Congress had any spine (which it doesn't). Just cut the entire funding for the TSA.

What else is there to say? "Representatives" BAH!

[coastie]

Maybe if we get everyone to sign a petition to abolish the TSA...:rolleyes:





:D

[donnay]

Four reasons why the TSA needs to be abolished immediately, just in time for the holidays

Friday, November 30, 2012 by: Jonathan Benson (http://www.naturalnews.com/038150_abolish_TSA_reasons.html), staff writer

As we enter the busiest travel season of the year, it is difficult not to think of the millions of innocent people traveling through U.S. airports that will be forcibly subjected to naked body radiation blasts, full-body groping and molestation, and other unconstitutional abuses by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). And the worst aspect of this government-imposed tyranny is that it is wholly unnecessary in light of the actual facts surrounding terrorism and airport security.

Here are four little-known reasons why the TSA continues to be a completely useless entity, and why the bloated agency needs to be abolished immediately for the sake of protecting life and preserving freedom and liberty:

1) Virtually nobody is at risk of becoming a victim of "terrorism." When the Bush administration first began beating the war drums following the 9/11 terrorist attacks back in 2001, it seemed as though the entire nation fell victim to the propaganda that terrorists were lurking behind every corner, and within every airport terminal. But the truth of the matter is that terrorism of the type that occurred on 9/11 is so rare that more people accidentally die every year in their bathtubs than the number that die from terrorism.

In fact, a report issued by the TSA back in 2011 reveals that not a single terrorist even tried to board an airplane that entire year. And the supposed terrorists like the so-called "underwear bomber" that were intercepted in years prior actually turned out to be CIA plants. All in all, the actual risk of falling victim to Islamic terrorism (http://www.naturalnews.com/terrorism.html) is so low that it is virtually inconsequential statistically.

2) Islamic extremism responsible for fewer than 0.003 percent of all U.S. murders. Similarly, fewer than 36 of all the murders that occurred in the U.S. between 9/11 and the end of 2010 could even be remotely linked to Islamic extremism, while the other 149,964 were completely unrelated to terrorism. This further illustrates how utterly miniscule the threat truly is from terrorism in the U.S., and how insanely off-balance and deranged the perpetual obsession with terrorism has become throughout the country.

3) Nearly $90 billion has already been wasted funding the TSA (http://www.naturalnews.com/TSA.html) since 9/11. The average American is more likely to get attacked by a zombie or a power-drunk cop with a taser than by a terrorist, to put it another way, and yet the federal government continues to pump billions of taxpayer dollars into the TSA (http://www.naturalnews.com/the_TSA.html) every year so the agency can molest grandmothers, children, and terminally-ill cancer patients. According to the figures, more than $90 billion has been injected to fund TSA operations since the agency's inception following 9/11, even though there have been more than 25,000 airport security breaches that have taken place since 2001 under the TSA's watch.

4) More people have died from driving to avoid the TSA than died in the 9/11 attacks. Many people have become so fed up with the TSA's antics that they are now driving to their destinations rather than flying. But according to the figures, this uptick in vehicle use has led to an increase in about 242 driving fatalities every month. If you multiply this out over 11 years, this translates into nearly 32,000 additional deaths as a result of the TSA's creation, which is nearly 12 times the number that died on 9/11.

If the TSA had never been created, in other words, fewer lives would have been lost in the years since 9/11, which further proves that this corrupt agency is not only useless, but also a detriment to American security.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.businessweek.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/033009_airports_security_breaches.html

http://www.foreignpolicy.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038150_abolish_TSA_reasons.html#ixzz2DixzKVQr

[BAllen]

Marxist, rogue administration. Banana Republic. Unless, of course, Congress does its job and puts a stop to things like this.

[Original_Intent]

Maybe if we get everyone to sign a petition to abolish the TSA...:rolleyes:








:D
REVOLUTIONARY! :D

[tangent4ronpaul]

Maybe if we get everyone to sign a petition to abolish the TSA...:rolleyes:





:D

That's actually more feasible than you think. It's the holiday season so there are tons of travelers. Those effected will pass through an airport (and generally not be happy about it). Those that refuse to be effected will drive or take another form of transportation.

If we or some group could mobilize and get a good showing of people at every airport on the busiest traveling days, that would bring in a ton of signatures. I believe something like 40 Million people flew over the Thanksgiving holiday. The TSA would naturally try to crack down on this and thus generate news. National level news as well as local news. That would draw in people not traveling or driving to sign.

The SOPA protests got 7 million signatures and killed the legislation. Granted, it was a national event backed by many big name Internet companies. The black this out thing. If you had contact with 40 million people, people waiting in long lines for this BS, you could get a TON of signatures!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sopa-petition-gets-millions-of-signatures-as-internet-piracy-legislation-protests-continue/2012/01/19/gIQAHaAyBQ_story.html

From what I'm seeing, it takes about 100 signatures to get a school board to put in a playground and between 10,000 and 100,000 to get a Senators full attention. If done senator by Senator, that would be 1M - 10M signatures, and it only took 7M to kill SOPA.

It might be possible to do a virtual holiday protest, but that would take lead time. Maybe buy a huge number of webcams at wholesale and send them out to anyone that signed at cost...

It's feasible. I'm guessing 2-3 M signatures and a flying boycott over Thanksgiving and Christmas would be enough to kill the TSA. Maybe an organized mail in of bus tickets, gas receipts and just letters saying "I stayed home this year because of the TSA".

But yes, petitions usually don't get that much mileage. It would have to be done right. A big problem would be getting enough people and enough petitions to all the major airports right before and after major holidays. Getting 1 in 40 travelers to sign would be a million signatures, and I'm betting a lot more than 1 in 40 would sign it.

====

Petition to secede from the Union: States with most signatures updated

http://www.examiner.com/article/petition-to-secede-from-the-union-states-with-most-signatures-updated

Petitions to secede from the Union are in full force since President Obama was re-elected on Nov. 6. A few states have already reached the 25,000 within 30 days threshold that is required by the White House's "We the People" petition site.

In a Nov. 15 report on Bayou Buzz, Louisiana has reached 35,000 signatures. Gov. Bobby Jindal calls the secession petition "silly."

According Patch on Nov. 15, Florida has reached 30,000 signatures. When the Texas petition to secede was created on Friday, it had reached that number by Monday. The Texas secession now has over 100,000 signatures. The two states have averaged a three-day period to reach the same amount of signatures -- well over the 25,000 within a 30-day period required for acknowledgment by the White House.

Also read: Austin petitions to secede from Texas

Other states that have already reached the 25,000 threshold are Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, according to God Discussion on Thursday.

On the "We the People" petition site, the White House states:

"If a petition meets the signature threshold, it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue a response."

In all 700,000 online signatures have been recorded in total for the petition to secede the United States. This is a huge statement on behalf of the American people after an election reflecting how divided the country is on the current governing policies.

Will the Administration issue a response soon for the secession petitions that have reached the required number of signatures?

-t

[Philhelm]

I'm thinking angry thoughts.

[coastie]

That's actually more feasible than you think. It's the holiday season so there are tons of travelers. Those effected will pass through an airport (and generally not be happy about it). Those that refuse to be effected will drive or take another form of transportation.

If we or some group could mobilize and get a good showing of people at every airport on the busiest traveling days, that would bring in a ton of signatures. I believe something like 40 Million people flew over the Thanksgiving holiday. The TSA would naturally try to crack down on this and thus generate news. National level news as well as local news. That would draw in people not traveling or driving to sign.

The SOPA protests got 7 million signatures and killed the legislation. Granted, it was a national event backed by many big name Internet companies. The black this out thing. If you had contact with 40 million people, people waiting in long lines for this BS, you could get a TON of signatures!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sopa-petition-gets-millions-of-signatures-as-internet-piracy-legislation-protests-continue/2012/01/19/gIQAHaAyBQ_story.html

From what I'm seeing, it takes about 100 signatures to get a school board to put in a playground and between 10,000 and 100,000 to get a Senators full attention. If done senator by Senator, that would be 1M - 10M signatures, and it only took 7M to kill SOPA.

It might be possible to do a virtual holiday protest, but that would take lead time. Maybe buy a huge number of webcams at wholesale and send them out to anyone that signed at cost...

It's feasible. I'm guessing 2-3 M signatures and a flying boycott over Thanksgiving and Christmas would be enough to kill the TSA. Maybe an organized mail in of bus tickets, gas receipts and just letters saying "I stayed home this year because of the TSA".

But yes, petitions usually don't get that much mileage. It would have to be done right. A big problem would be getting enough people and enough petitions to all the major airports right before and after major holidays. Getting 1 in 40 travelers to sign would be a million signatures, and I'm betting a lot more than 1 in 40 would sign it.

====

Petition to secede from the Union: States with most signatures updated

http://www.examiner.com/article/petition-to-secede-from-the-union-states-with-most-signatures-updated

Petitions to secede from the Union are in full force since President Obama was re-elected on Nov. 6. A few states have already reached the 25,000 within 30 days threshold that is required by the White House's "We the People" petition site.

In a Nov. 15 report on Bayou Buzz, Louisiana has reached 35,000 signatures. Gov. Bobby Jindal calls the secession petition "silly."

According Patch on Nov. 15, Florida has reached 30,000 signatures. When the Texas petition to secede was created on Friday, it had reached that number by Monday. The Texas secession now has over 100,000 signatures. The two states have averaged a three-day period to reach the same amount of signatures -- well over the 25,000 within a 30-day period required for acknowledgment by the White House.

Also read: Austin petitions to secede from Texas

Other states that have already reached the 25,000 threshold are Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, according to God Discussion on Thursday.

On the "We the People" petition site, the White House states:

"If a petition meets the signature threshold, it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue a response."

In all 700,000 online signatures have been recorded in total for the petition to secede the United States. This is a huge statement on behalf of the American people after an election reflecting how divided the country is on the current governing policies.

Will the Administration issue a response soon for the secession petitions that have reached the required number of signatures?

-t

I understand what you're saying, but I have lost just about all faith in this system. The TSA just told ALL of us to go fuck ourselves...and pass through this scanner on our way out the door.

In conversations I've had with many people on this TSA issue, it always boils down to an excuse as to why they just accept it in the end. Every fucking time. "They have nothing to hide, and MUST fly for work" or whatever. So, "Oh well, they're just trying to keep us safe". Any suggestion of abolishing it and they ALL act like it will be a terrorist field day.

"You're either with us, or you're with the terrorists"...hands down, the most powerfully effective statement of our time.

[FindLiberty]

Hopeless.

[itshappening]

End the TSA, another Bush monstrosity

[tsai3904]

I don't see this as a big deal.

There are two agencies claiming jurisdiction: Homeland Security Committee and the Transportation Committee.

According to the House's own rules, they say that the TSA falls under the Homeland Security Committee's jurisdiction and not the Transportation Committee. It seems to be standard procedure to give certain committees certain jurisdiction.

[georgiaboy]

C'mon Congress! throw the TSA out! That'll be a merry Christmas for us all!

[fisharmor]

So, the material issue here is this: does the committee, or does it not, have the authority to mandate TSA officials attend meetings?
If they don't, there's no story here: that is, other than the one where this agency was set up in an even more mindless fashion than we thought.


"They have nothing to hide, and MUST fly for work" or whatever.

I actually switched positions at my job, away from a position where I could have gone executive, so as not to fly any longer.
I ain't goin' hungry, though.
Cry me a fucking river, douchebags. You're selling out America so that you can get ahead.

[coastie]

So, the material issue here is this: does the committee, or does it not, have the authority to mandate TSA officials attend meetings?
If they don't, there's no story here: that is, other than the one where this agency was set up in an even more mindless fashion than we thought.



I actually switched positions at my job, away from a position where I could have gone executive, so as not to fly any longer.
I ain't goin' hungry, though.
Cry me a fucking river, douchebags. You're selling out America so that you can get ahead.

+rep to you for putting your money where your mouth is.

I have passed up TWO jobs paying over 80k/year because they required me flying. I am unemployed now(no unemployment benefits, either), and would rather sleep in my car until it runs out of gas, than act like an obedient sheep.

[Lucille]

That must also mean that COngress doesn't have to fund it.

[BAllen]

You can opt out of these scanners. These young people handed out flyers with instructions how to, and the Sheriff's Dept. recognized their right to do so.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?396933-TSA-OPT-OUT-amp-FILM-DEPUTY-SHERIFF-PROTECTS-1ST-AMENDMENT-AT-ALBANY-AIRPORT

[GunnyFreedom]

I'm thinking angry thoughts.

thought criminal.

[Anti Federalist]

So, the material issue here is this: does the committee, or does it not, have the authority to mandate TSA officials attend meetings?
If they don't, there's no story here: that is, other than the one where this agency was set up in an even more mindless fashion than we thought.

I actually switched positions at my job, away from a position where I could have gone executive, so as not to fly any longer.
I ain't goin' hungry, though.
Cry me a fucking river, douchebags. You're selling out America so that you can get ahead.

+rep wish I was in sort of situation to do the same.

[Pericles]

"The budget should be balanced; the treasury should be refilled; public debt should be reduced; and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled." -Cicero. 106-43 B.C.

[Czolgosz]

"The budget should be balanced; the treasury should be refilled; public debt should be reduced; and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled." -Cicero. 106-43 B.C.

Timeless.

[Anti Federalist]

I don't see this as a big deal.

There are two agencies claiming jurisdiction: Homeland Security Committee and the Transportation Committee.

According to the House's own rules, they say that the TSA falls under the Homeland Security Committee's jurisdiction and not the Transportation Committee. It seems to be standard procedure to give certain committees certain jurisdiction.

I wonder what would happen to one of us Mundanes, if we used the same argument to not appear.

[Occam's Banana]

I suspect that none of us (myself included) fully appreciates the fact that we essentially have what is an entirely separate & independent 4th branch of government: the bureaucracy. Technically, this is supposed to fall under the aegis of the executive, with "oversight" by the legislature. But it is effectively a power unto itself. We never see it bare its fangs at its nominal masters, because the executive & legislative (and judicial) branches usually have little desire or incentive to interfere with it - and even when they do, it is usually only in some small or trivial matter that does not impinge on the bureacracy's power or purview.

We all get so wrapped up in the kabuki theatre of electoral politics - what the President said, what the Congress did, etc. - that we fail to notice the "man behind the curtain." We imagine that these various, vast, sprawling agencies are somehow answerable to "our elected officials" - but if any of those elected officials (be they Presidents or Congressmen) ever actually makes a serious & credible attempt to muzzle or eliminate any significant part of Behemoth, I think we'll find out to whom the "power behind the throne" *really* belongs. (Hint: it won't be "the People" - or their elected officials.)

[Anti Federalist]

This is truth.

Any true "liberty" president, if he does not "play the game" will be eliminated.

Any disruption of the status quo will be dealt with harshly.

Just ask Reagan, who I believe to be the last elected president that posed the slightest risk to the powers that be.


I suspect that none of us (myself included) fully appreciates the fact that we essentially have what is an entirely separate & independent 4th branch of government: the bureaucracy. Technically, this is supposed to fall under the aegis of the executive, with "oversight" by the legislature. But it is effectively a power unto itself. We never see it bare its fangs at its nominal masters, because the executive & legislative (and judicial) branches usually have little desire or incentive to interfere with it - and even when they do, it is usually only in some small or trivial matter that does not impinge on the bureacracy's power or purview.

We all get so wrapped up in the kabuki theatre of electoral politics - what the President said, what the Congress did, etc. - that we fail to notice the "man behind the curtain." We imagine that these various, vast, sprawling agencies are somehow answerable to "our elected officials" - but if any of those elected officials (be they Presidents or Congressmen) ever actually makes a serious & credible attempt to muzzle or eliminate any significant part of Behemoth, I think we'll find out to whom the "power behind the throne" *really* belongs.

[Occam's Banana]

Any true "liberty" president, if he does not "play the game" will be eliminated.

Any disruption of the status quo will be dealt with harshly.

Just ask Reagan, who I believe to be the last elected president that posed the slightest risk to the powers that be.

Exactly. And it won't even necessarily involve physical violence (though one really has to wonder why the Dept. of Education needs to stockpile so many bullets ... or any bullets at all).

Suppose we did have a President Paul. Opportunities for bureaucratic malfeasance abound. There is no policy implementation that could not be monkey-wrenched into abject failure by life-tenured civil-service saboteurs, with all the blame for the failure being arranged to fall on the head of President Paul ("See - his policies just don't work! Toldya!") while compliant Congressional "overseers" look the other way.

Hell, it's not even the slightest bit difficult to imagine some federal agency actually suing for a "stay of execution" - or even just injunctive relief - in federal court ... and winning.

[FindLiberty]

CONGRESS: SHUT IT DOWN WHILE YOU STILL CAN! (Don't you folks watch any sci-fi movies?)

The TSA may become "self-aware" at any time if it has not already done so as illustrated by refusing to appear before its creator.

Next, it will try to protect its main power source (fed gov infiatnate funding).

If that funding is cut off, it will just find an alternate source. i.e., loot passenger luggage, wallets, purses, etc. (the M5 does not intend to kill...)

If people stop flying, it will move to railroad, busses and eventually engulf private automobiles like a swarm of killer bees.

It will be far too late to limit its relentless mission creep by the time people realize it's expanded its transportation grip to include walking and the thought crime of wishing to shut it down... (game over man...)

[otherone]

The solution is simple if Congress had any spine (which it doesn't). Just cut the entire funding for the TSA.

cut the...huh?....waitaminit....can Congress cut funding for anything? Is that within their powers? Surely you mean double the funding?

[awake]

The President has his own personal army. Sad state of affairs.