U.S. confers ‘EZ-Pass’ status on travelers from Saudi Arabia

[tangent4ronpaul]

http://www.examiner.com/article/u-s-confers-ez-pass-status-on-travelers-from-saudi-arabia

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/00/57/1363965634_2160_l%5B1%5D.jpg?itok=jcOV2t2a

As the TSA continues to make headlines — and trouble — for Americans in strollers and wheelchairs, a new report suggests that Department of Homeland Security has plans to relax the rules … for travelers from Saudi Arabia.

The report released on Wednesday by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) notes that this “U.S. ally” is “one of a handful of countries whose travelers can bypass normal passport controls at major U.S. airports.” Other countries so honored include Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and the Netherlands. France and Germany need not apply.

But back to Saudi Arabia. That’s the same Saudi Arabia that was the birth place of Osama bin Laden and 15 of the 19 flunkies he recruited to fly jetliners filled with Americans into buildings filled with Americans on 9/11. And now its citizens are being granted “trusted traveler” status through the Global Entry program, which is designed to allow “expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.”

Writing at RightWingNews, Michelle Malkin reminds readers that this move, while foolish and astonishing, is not without precedent. The Bush administration (which, N.B., created the DHS) had its own EZ-Pass system for Saudi elites. Called “Visa Express,” it permitted Saudis to obtain U.S. visas without being photographed or having to apply in person. It was the vehicle by which three of the 9/11 hijackers gained entry to the U.S.

But now, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano seems eager to repeat history. She announced the agreement with little fanfare in January in a statement that read:

I am proud of the bond between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and today’s meeting marks another major step forward in our partnership. By enhancing collaboration with the Government of Saudi Arabia, we reaffirm our commitment to more effectively secure our two countries against evolving threats while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.

The only reason the U.S. keeps up the pretext that Saudi Arabia is a trusted ally, rather than just another repressive regime in the Middle East, is that we depend on the Saudis for 16 percent of the crude oil we import. Approving the Keystone XL pipeline would free America of that dependence. But that’s another story — and another outrage.

-t

[cheapseats]

American Spring.

[cheapseats]

This is insulting and outrageous. Rand Paul is ever so talkative lately...has he remarked on it? Because he COULD tie it into his whole Foreign Aid objection...this lavishing of niceties on OPEC people that are NOT extended to American people.

[Brian4Liberty]

Do they bring their own knives on the plane, or does the TSA provide them free of charge?

Your tube of sunscreen and bottle of water? Confiscated!

[Zippyjuan]

An EZ Pass isn't just handed to you. You must pass a thorough background check.

http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/11/airport-security-ezpass-brill-cx_tvr_0811card.html


To approve applicants, the TSA requires fingerprints and iris scans along with multiple forms of identification like driver's licenses and passports. It also checks names against government watch list databases. A criminal record does not prohibit an applicant from qualifying; the agency is only concerned whether he or she is a security risk.
Then they check the iris scan and fingerprints at the airport and their bags still get checked. They may get to skip the full body scanners but still must go through the metal detectors. Basically jumps you to a shorter line- other then the full body scan, you don't really bypass security.


In the Orlando experiment, frequent travelers forked over $79.95 to register with Brill's company, which passed along the names to the Transportation Security Agency. Those cleared as safe were given an electronic card allowing them to proceed through high-tech kiosks, bypassing long security lines. The technology includes finger print and iris scans to help ensure the person zipping through is in fact the customer who applied and was approved for safe travel. The kiosk also detects any explosive materials a traveler may be carrying.

[tangent4ronpaul]

An EZ Pass isn't just handed to you. You must pass a thorough background check.

http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/11/airport-security-ezpass-brill-cx_tvr_0811card.html


Then they check the iris scan and fingerprints at the airport and their bags still get checked.

Writing at RightWingNews, Michelle Malkin reminds readers that this move, while foolish and astonishing, is not without precedent. The Bush administration (which, N.B., created the DHS) had its own EZ-Pass system for Saudi elites. Called “Visa Express,” it permitted Saudis to obtain U.S. visas without being photographed or having to apply in person. It was the vehicle by which three of the 9/11 hijackers gained entry to the U.S.

Also, explosive sniffers will not detect all types of explosives.

-t

[acptulsa]

An EZ Pass isn't just handed to you. You must pass a thorough background check.

So, I guess that means we take the Saudi government's word for it.

This isn't the first time Saudis got the E-Z Pass, either. For instance, on 12 September 2001 they were the only passengers allowed into American airspace. We were grounded; the Saudis were expedited.

Seems to me we'd all do well to become Saudi citizens. They tend to get a better deal from our government than we do.

[Zippyjuan]

This isn't the first time Saudis got the E-Z Pass, either. For instance, on 12 September 2001 they were the only passengers allowed into American airspace. We were grounded; the Saudis were expedited.

Got link to support that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closings_and_cancellations_following_the_September _11_attacks

With the unprecedented implementation of Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids (SCATANA) plan, all civilian airplane traffic in the United States and Canada was grounded until September 13, 2001. All non-military flights needed specific approval from President Bush and FAA. There were only a few dozen private aircraft which received the approval in that time period. United Airlines cancelled all flights worldwide temporarily. First, the stranded planes were allowed to go to their intended destinations, then limited service resumed. All incoming international flights were diverted to Canada in Operation Yellow Ribbon. Some of the international flights that departed from South America were diverted to Mexico as well, however, its airspace was not shut down. On Thursday night, the New York area airports (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark) were closed again and reopened the next morning. The only traffic from LaGuardia during the closure was a single C-9C government VIP jet, departing at approximately 5:15 p.m. on the 12th.

[acptulsa]

You mean besides Michael Moore and Fahrenheit 9/11?

This should keep you busy tying yourself in 'yes they did/no they didn't' knots for months:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=September_11%2C_2001:_Evacuation_o f_Saudi_Nationals

No doubt you'll particularly enjoy this one. Sure paints Snopes as liars...

http://www.tonyrogers.com/news/saudi_escape_flights.htm

[Zippyjuan]

Your link http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=September_11%2C_2001:_Evacuation_o f_Saudi_Nationals indicates that the flights took place on September 13th which is when other US air traffic also had resumed.

We were grounded; the Saudis were expedited.


On the afternoon of September 13, 2001, "three Saudi men in their early 20s flew in a Lear jet from Tampa, Fla., to Lexington, Ky., where they boarded a Boeing 747 with Arabic writing on it waiting to take them out of the country."

Or was it on the 14th?
Your same link.

The New York Times "reported that bin Laden family members were driven or flown under FBI supervision to a secret meeting in Texas and then to Washington, from where they left the country when airports were allowed to open Sept. 14, 2001."


all civilian airplane traffic in the United States and Canada was grounded until September 13, 2001.

[acptulsa]

Seems I was off by a day. And scheduled air service did not resume on the 13th.

[Zippyjuan]

Complete regularly scheduled service did take a while to get caught up but flights did resume on the 13th.

Farther down in the same link says the Saudi flights weren't until the 20th:

The Commission determined that the Bush administration had properly handled the evacuation of the "six chartered flights that rushed scores of Saudi citizens out of the United States after the attacks."

"A flight on Sept. 20, 2001, carried 26 passengers, most of them relatives of Osama bin Laden, according to the statement. But all 142 passengers on the flights, mostly Saudi citizens, were screened by law enforcement officials, the statement said, to ensure that they were not security threats and not wanted for questioning. The flights were 'dealt with in a professional manner' by the government, the commission said.

"The rush by the Saudis to depart attracted notice and stirred accusations that the administration allowed it to take place to maintain good relations with the Saudis. An article in Vanity Fair magazine last October asserted that the Saudis were allowed by the White House to violate a ban on flights imposed after the attacks to fly a group from Tampa, Fla., to Lexington, Ky., in a small jet, where they would join a larger group. But the Federal Aviation Administration maintained that the ban was lifted before the plane took off.

"Among other critics, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York said last September that some of the Saudis who were allowed to leave may have had ties to terrorism. 'This is just another example of our country coddling the Saudis and giving them special privileges that others would never get,' he said.

"But according to the statement, the FBI checked 'a variety of databases' and searched the aircraft. The statement said that it was not clear whether anyone checked a watch list maintained by the State Department, but that a check after the departure showed no matches.

"The statement said the FBI concluded that no one who was allowed to depart was wanted for questioning, and that the commission had found no evidence to contradict this."

[Zippyjuan]

But anyhow- this is not really about 9/11 but EZ Passes. To get one you still need to undergo a background check, get fingerprinted and retinal scanned (which get re-checked at the airport), pay a fee, and still undergo the same security checks at the airport aside from the full body scanner- you just get a shorter line to go through.

[acptulsa]

Complete regularly scheduled service did take a while to get caught up but flights did resume on the 13th.

Your math is still in error.

Charters? Yes. Empty flights to reposition aircraft? Yes. Regularly scheduled service? Not on the thirteenth.