A lot of people are linking to Dennis Kucinich’s whining and moaning about all of the security checks, etc. that he has to go through when he travels by air. Well, duh — Kucinich voted for the final version of the Aviation and Transportation and Security Act that gives the TSA the authority to do so.
The ATSA, you’ll remember, was controversial not for the security provisions but rather due to the debate over whether or not to federalize airport security. So in the House, Kucinich voted for a Democratic version of the bill that included federalization of airport workers. That version failed. Kucinich voted against a Republican version of the bill that did not included federalization of airport workers.
That version passed and went into a conference committee with the Senate, whose bill included federalizing airport security workers. That provision was retained in the final version of the legislation reported out by the conference committee, and then Kucinich (like all but 9 House members) voted to approve that version of the act.
Today, Kucinich whines and moans that,
The transportation security agents inform me that a computer has made this decision. I want to know who programs the computer. Is it John Ashcroft?
Well, what the hell did he think Sec. 101 of S. 1447 meant,
h) MANAGEMENT OF SECURITY INFORMATION- In consultation with the Transportation Security Oversight Board, the Under Secretary shall–
`(1) enter into memoranda of understanding with Federal agencies or other entities to share or otherwise cross-check as necessary data on individuals identified on Federal agency databases who may pose a risk to transportation or national security;
`(2) establish procedures for notifying the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, appropriate State and local law enforcement officials, and airport or airline security officers of the identity of individuals known to pose, or suspected of posing, a risk of air piracy or terrorism or a threat to airline or passenger safety;
`(3) in consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies and air carriers, establish policies and procedures requiring air carriers–
`(A) to use information from government agencies to identify individuals on passenger lists who may be a threat to civil aviation or national security; and
`(B) if such an individual is identified, notify appropriate law enforcement agencies, prevent the individual from boarding an aircraft, or take other appropriate action with respect to that individual; and
`(4) consider requiring passenger air carriers to share passenger lists with appropriate Federal agencies for the purpose of identifying individuals who may pose a threat to aviation safety or national security.