"Escaped Psychiatric Patient Will Be Sent Back to Hawaii"

I saw this story before Christmas, and didn't want to harsh your holiday mellow. Especially if you were flying to or from a family gathering, I didn't want you looking at the person in the seat next to you, wondering if he was an escaped psychopathic murderer.

A man prosecutors said fits “all the criteria of a classic serial killer” escaped from a Hawaii psychiatric hospital to prove he isn’t “the bad” guy...
...Saito, who was committed to the mental hospital in Oahu more than 30 years ago, walked out of the facility on Sunday and hopped in a cab. The 59-year-old escapee was able to make his way through airport security with a fake ID and boarded a plane to San Jose...

So, an individual police describe as a "homicidal psychopath” leaves a mental hospital, takes a cab to the airport and hops on a plane to the mainland? Easy peasy! Clothing? Cash?? Fake ID??? I'm guessing he got on with no luggage...I thought one way tickets of males, without luggage was supposed to set off all kinds of bells of suspicious activity? No? Did he pay cash? That would be another red flag. Surely unemployed and hospitalized, he din't have a wallet full of credit cards? Whatever!
 "Right this way, Mr. Saito! Peanuts or pretzels?"

In 1981, authorities committed Saito to the hospital following the gruesome (1979) murder of 29-year-old Sandra Yamashiro, who prosecutors said Saito shot and stabbed numerous times before leaving her body at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu.

How does a mental patient, a homicidal psychopath "walk out" of a mental hospital in the first place, obtain a fake ID, cash or credit card, take a cab to the airport, waltz through security and take a 2,400 mile flight? Where was Steve McGarrett?? Book 'em, Dano!

Tip of the day: Be nice to the guy next to you on the airplane, fighting over the armrest or behind you, kicking your seat. You just never know!

TSA Gives You a Lift

For all you contemplating holiday travel out there...

Update : Context is everything. In fairness to the TSA agent who appears to have an evil grin on his face, in the original photo, he is smiling at a nun.

Update II : It would appear that some of you missed the update absolving Ann's husband, the TSA agent pictured, of all lust and malice. Exactly which part of "smiling at a nun" didn't you understand?

No Class Bum Busted for 'Pretending' to be Soldier For First-Class Upgrade

Long Island man busted for 'pretending' to be soldier to get first-class upgrade

There is a stolen valor aspect to this story. Here's a clown who wants people to treat him as if he had the courage to enlist and put his life on the line for his country, when in reality he is a cowardly piece of opportunistic slime that may just be a waste of carbon.

This GI Joe wannabe got a hero's welcome just by dressing the part.

A Long Island man was arrested for donning an Army uniform and brazenly posing as a soldier so he'd get bumped up to first class on a flight to JFK from the Dominican Republic, Port Authority cops have charged.

Rock Diaz, 22, of Freeport, has a history of pretending to be a military man to get VIP treatment, cops said -- he once even smooth-talked his way into a jetliner's cockpit, where he was photographed sitting at the controls wearing a goofy grin.

The mile-high huckster was finally brought to earth Friday afternoon when a sharp-eyed customs official at JFK asked him his rank -- and he gave an answer that didn't match the insignia on the uniform he was wearing.

So, a buzz cut and an army surplus uniform and this jerk feels free to be treated like a real man. Without going into this clown's self esteem issues, (He probably was punished as a child for sawing his dog in half*),

"If you knew anything about the military and you looked at him, you could tell he wasn't really a soldier," a cop said.

But Diaz -- in camouflage fatigues and sporting a military-style buzz cut -- allegedly insisted he was the real thing when questioned after getting off an American Airlines flight.

Asked his rank, he said "E-5," referring to a pay grade. But Diaz was wearing the insignia of a staff sergeant, the source said, which is "E-6," a higher pay grade. He also couldn't say where he was stationed, sources said.

Although he was wearing a standard-issue "Army Combat Uniform" and cap, he could not produce a military ID.

So, we have a cop implying that this slob did not exactly present himself as a squared away member of the military. But, here's the kicker for me: "he could not produce a military ID".

What does this say about the TSA? They're checking Granny's Depends for whatever she might be smuggling on board, but someone shows up in a military uniform but doesn't have a military ID, this raises no flags?

The faux soldier allegedly admitted he had pulled the scam at least once before -- when the cockpit photo was taken in December 2009. Other photos obtained by The Post show him wearing the uniform in Haiti and elsewhere.

Interviewed yesterday, the Spanish-speaking Diaz claimed he did nothing wrong and blamed any confusion on a language barrier.

Is this clown's name really "Rock"? A guy who'd fake his military service would lie about other things too! He's wandering around, telling people he's an E-5, but there was confusion "because of a language barrier"? Maybe "Rock" translates as "Pebbles"? (Dang that language barrier!)

Personally, I'd put Pebble's name on a no-fly list and let him take the train wherever he wants to go. Then, I'd post his picture in every USO and American Legion Post. And the Army Times. And Stars and Stripes, etc.

Maybe he'd get introduced to someone who would understand him perfectly, without a language barrier? One could only hope.





*Old joke



H/T Memeorandum

TANJ - Man Flies in Women's Underwear

There Ain't No Justice


This is just...so...wrong!

Six days before a college football player was arrested at San Francisco International Airport in a dispute that began when a US Airways employee asked him to pull up his sagging pants, a man who was wearing little but women's undergarments was allowed to fly the airline, a US Airways spokeswoman conceded Tuesday.

A photo of the scantily clad man was provided to The Chronicle by Jill Tarlow, a passenger on the June 9 flight from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Phoenix. Tarlow said other passengers had complained to airline workers before the plane boarded, but that employees had ignored those complaints.

And it wasn't even Halloween! Do you feel sorry for this guy, or just want to see him committed?
Somehow the guy with saggy pants seems to be overdressed for the flight!

There ain't no justice!

H/T Memeorandum

Man Fired for Putting Wife on Terror Watch List

Dear Abby: My husband put me on a terrorist watch list and kept me out of the country for three years. Should I apologize for not being home on time to make his supper? Signed - Perplexed in Pakistan

An immigration officer tried to rid himself of his wife by adding her name to a list of terrorist suspects. He used his access to security databases to include his wife on a watch list of people banned from boarding flights into Britain because their presence in the country is 'not conducive to the public good'.

As a result the woman was unable for three years to return from Pakistan after traveling to the county to visit family. The tampering went undetected until the immigration officer was selected for promotion and his wife's name was found on the suspects' list during a vetting inquiry. The Home Office confirmed today that the officer has been sacked for gross misconduct.

Some say keep the government out of the bedroom? This was the government keeping her out of the bedroom!

H/T Mrs. Crankipants, who suggests that there's either a divorce or some red hot make-up sex in her future. But, what about his needs, Mrs. C???

Color Coded Threat Level Consigned to the Dustbin of History

A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 53% support the elimination of the old color coded threat level system. It was just about two months ago that Proof Positive introduced the TSA Liberty Meter:



Knowing how notoriously thin skinned they are in the Obama administration, it was speculated that this bit of satire was the final straw that broke the Camel (smoker)'s back.

Robert Fibbs could not be reached for comment.

TSA Reaches Out to End Private Screening Program

You know... the one they were "neutral" about? The alternative to the pat downs that Obama joked about in his STFU WTF SOTU?

Washington (CNN) -- A program that allows airports to replace government screeners with private screeners is being brought to a standstill, just a month after the Transportation Security Administration said it was "neutral" on the program.

TSA chief John Pistole said Friday he has decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports, saying he does not see any advantage to it.

Though little known, the Screening Partnership Program allowed airports to replace government screeners with private contractors who wear TSA-like uniforms, meet TSA standards and work under TSA oversight. Among the airports that have "opted out" of government screening are San Francisco and Kansas City.

Isn't that just like the Obamanites? Hold out some small hope of relief from the bureaucratic excesses of the TSA only to snatch it away again.

And if you think the TSA wouldn't be in charge of security for high speed rail as Obama implied, then I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

H/T Memeorandum

TSA Singles Out Baywatch Babe for Scanning

 

Are there any adults in the Obama administration who could rein in some of the obvious excesses of this program?

More at Flopping Aces

Cross posted at LCR.

Season's Greetings from the TSA!

TSA Liberty Meter

If they issued alerts for threats to the Republic, they way they do at TSA...

India Outraged Over TSA Pat Down of Indian Diplomat

LA Times has the story of the "sari with the fringe on top*":

— Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed concern Thursday that India's ambassador to the U.S. was patted down by a TSA agent in Mississippi.

India's foreign minister called last week's pat-down of Ambassador Meera Shankar unacceptable. Shankar had attended a conference at Mississippi State University and was catching a flight to Baltimore from Jackson-Evers International Airport.

Witnesses told the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson that Shankar was told she was singled out for additional screening because of her sari, which drapes across the body and is worn by many Indian women.

*My apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein
H/T Rob Port
Cross posted at LCR, Lady Cincinnatus .

Woman in Wheelchair Gawked at in Bra and Panties Waiting to go Through Airport Security

I certainly feel a lot safer now, don't you???


H/T Pirates Cove

Headline du jour

Man arrested after ejaculating during TSA pat-down

Eww! I don't guess it would be appropriate to say "TSA gives you a lift"?

H/T Jawa Report

Two Things Made Flying Safer - The Rest is Security Theater

In "A Waste of Money and Time", security technologist Bruce Schneier speaks plainly about the problem with airline security. They say that generals are often guilty of preparing to fight the last war. Airport security seems to follow that same pattern:

A short history of airport security: We screen for guns and bombs, so the terrorists use box cutters. We confiscate box cutters and corkscrews, so they put explosives in their sneakers. We screen footwear, so they try to use liquids. We confiscate liquids, so they put PETN bombs in their underwear. We roll out full-body scanners, even though they wouldn’t have caught the Underwear Bomber, so they put a bomb in a printer cartridge. We ban printer cartridges over 16 ounces — the level of magical thinking here is amazing — and they’re going to do something else.

Otherwise known as reactive measures. What are needed are proactive measures, which need to be directed at the bombers and not the bombs.

...Our security measures only work if we happen to guess the plot correctly. If we get it wrong, we’ve wasted our money. This isn’t security; it’s security theater.

Security theater. Playing a part to make people feel safer about flying, when in fact, very little of the efforts actually make anyone safer.

...Exactly two things have made airplane travel safer since 9/11: reinforcing the cockpit door, and convincing passengers they need to fight back. Everything else has been a waste of money. Add screening of checked bags and airport workers and we’re done. Take all the rest of the money and spend it on investigation and intelligence.

Read the whole thing. Think about what tremendous amounts of money we waste for minimal gains. Then, think of the erosion of rights and dignity it costs us in addition to our treasure. Then consider letting your elected officials know what you really think.

H/T Say Anything

TSA Worker Accused Of Assault Had Prior Record

It's good to know you're being felt up by professionals!

ATLANTA -- Channel 2 Action News has learned a TSA security worker accused of abducting and sexually assaulting a woman had previously been convicted of misdemeanor harassment and stalking.

Randall King remains hospitalized following a suicide attempt. Police said last Wednesday, King agreed to drive a woman home from the airport. Instead, investigators said King took her to a MARTA station parking lot and placed novelty handcuffs on her.

Investigators said he drove her 50 miles away to his home in Troup County and sexually assaulted her. The woman told police that King gave her a suicide note, his car and let her go, investigators said.

Forget "Fly the Friendly Skies"! The airport is where all the action is!

H/T Memeorandum

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Another Bikini Clad Traveler for TSA

Travelers? Hold out for dinner and a movie!

More at The Last Tradition

"TSA Agents Singled Me Out For My Breasts"

TSA agent on the right

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The head of the Transportation Security Administration said the agency will look further into allegations that two male TSA workers picked a woman for additional screening because of her breasts.

Eliana Sutherland recently flew from Orlando International Airport and told Local 6 she felt the two male TSA workers were staring at her breasts and chose her for additional screening because of their size.

"It was pretty obvious. One of the guys that was staring me up and down was the one who pulled me over," said Sutherland. "Not a comfortable feeling."

I'm afraid that a combination of the sexual aspects and the distaste shown by passengers and TSA agents alike over getting down and personal with the passengers is causing everyone to lose focus on the real issue of security. If TSA agents are focusing on the size of some girl's hooters or alternately being repulsed by the excess flab and hygiene issues of others, is it still possible to remember why they were doing it in the first place? There's a bit of video out with one of the guys from Mythbusters who went the the full body grope, only to board his flight with two twelve inch razor blades. How's that Grope and Change working out for you?

When was the last time you saw a caper movie/cop movie/war movie/buddy movie where in order to get something done, they "needed a diversion"? Distractions work as well as diversions. If you're not paying full attention, you're not paying attention.
Time to end the distractions.

Stock and trade of the illusionist is misdirection: Look over here so you won't see what I'm doing over there. With everyone focused on the thighs and crotches of the traveling public, I'm afraid the next "rabbit pulled out of the hat" will result in tragedy.

H/T Threedonia

TSA Hammer

"TSA: It's Our Business to Touch Yours" -SNL

Heh.

H/T Threedonia

Analyst: TSA methods 'will kill more Americans on highway'

Coffee, tea or...?

Echoing a thought I've had recently, but not yet voiced, about the comparative safety of driving and flying, a couple of experts have weighed in on some "unintended consequences" of the TSA's new scan and grope routines, which they say will be a tipping point for some in putting them back on the highways rather than in the "friendly skies".

As the nation readies for one of the busiest traveling holidays, Steven Horwitz, a professor of economics at St. Lawrence University, told The Hill that the probable spike in road travel, caused by adverse feelings towards the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new screening procedures, could also lead to more car-related deaths.

“Driving is much more dangerous than flying, as you are far more likely to be killed in an automobile accident mile-for-mile than you are in an airplane,” said Horwitz. “The result will be that the new TSA procedures will kill more Americans on the highway.”

Clifford Winston, a senior fellow of economic studies at the Brookings Institute, stopped short of saying that more people could die as a result of the TSA policies, but said that the airline industry will definitely see a decline in passengers if the public’s contempt for the pat-downs and advanced-imaging technology systems continues.

And statistically, more people will die if the miles driven increases and sky miles decrease. But, hey! What are a few more dead people compared to the opportunity to grope some hot co-ed or strip search a child or a nun?

H/T WC Varones

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.