TSA now screening New York City subway riders

A reader wrote this morning:

I am a little shaken now because after I exited the Staten Island Ferry, I was directed to a checkpoint in the Number 1 Train entrance. The checkpoint was manned by TSA agents who checked my bag. NYPD officers were directing people to them.

A TSA agent in blue gloves did not like at all when I said to him that this was not good for the liberty of this country.

I could see that he wanted to inconvenience me for that comment, but did not do so. Probably because there was a cop with a lot of brass on his uniform watching.

His answer to my comment: “I disagree.”

LA replies:

Are you sure they were TSA?

Reader replies:

Of course. I when I saw their patches I commented to them that I thought they were only in airports. I knew that there was media chatter since last week that TSA would be in other venues, so despite my feigned ignorance, I quickly realized that the media was likely prepping the public.

Once I challenged this blue-gloved federal agent, his response quite frankly scared me. It seemed that had he not had a top cop watching, my mouthing off to him could have led to my detainment at his whim.

You know Obama signed a new federal law with powerful provisions last week.

- end of initial entry -

Richard W. writes:

Like many other citizens of the state of Washington I have a concealed carry weapons permit, which is as simple to get in Washington as a driver’s license. Thus, they are quite common. It is perfectly legal for my to stick a loaded handgun in my pocket, concealed holster, briefcase or backpack and ride the local mass transit.

I have trouble imagining how the TSA agents will translate their “we seach everyone” policy to states such as Washington. It does not seem to me that the TSA policies will work in the Wild West as well as it does in NYC and other eastern cities.

LA replies:

I never heard Seattle described as the Wild West before.

Michael S. from New York writes:

I commute through Grand Central Terminal everyday. In the last two months, I see uniformed officers searching bags outside the turnstyles every other day. I have never looked at their badges to determine if they are TSA. Interestingly, they never seem to be searching a credible threat; mainly the innocent looking white middled aged woman or man.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at January 05, 2012 06:09 PM | Send