All U.S.-bound airlines to get info for terror watch lists

I thought they had been doing this for years!

asahi_man at 08:10 AM JST - 1st December I thought they had been doing this for years!

Nope, the idiots just had lists of names. In one utterly ridiculous case they denied a 2-year-old the right to fly because the child's name was the same as one of the people on the no-fly list. But that's the U.S. TSA for you, they're morons. There was a video out on failblog a few days ago of TSA security strip-searching a child who looked about 8 or 9... in public. Not to mention the TSA operator on those new scanning machines who was found jerking off in his cubicle as a bunch of high-school athletes went though the scanners Pedobear is alive, well and living at the TSA.

The bottom line for me is that there's sufficient evidence of significant levels of corruption, abuse of power and just plain incompetence at the TSA, and yet the response to this is to give them more power, more information and more chances to abuse the public trust (and less legal options for the public to "opt out"). It's idiotic.

So, in my opinion, the TSA is so broken that you could give them photo IDs and genetic samples from these suspected terrorists and it still wouldn't make flying any safer, because the TSA is incompetent and needs to be fixed.

Oh, and not to mention the fact that the no-fly list is based on a lot of speculation and that no actual proof of terrorist involvement is required to be included on the list. You can earn a place on the list merely by flying to "suspect" countries like Iran on business. It's basically complete guess-work and assumes that terrorists will use people who have flown back and forth for training, and that they'll use their real IDs. So far the list is so long that its unmanageable.

I bet they make a lot of mistakes. Do a google of your name and see how many bad people have the same name as you.

Boy am I glad that I never have to fly into that country.

mikehuntez. Why mask hatred for Islam? Just be honest about it if you feel that way.

I think it would be easy for anyone to point out the violence, terror, destruction and murder done in the name of religion. All three faiths (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) have a lot of blood on their hands and a lot of monsters for whom travelers are named.

Perhaps, with your reasoning, we should worry about demographics with name starting with a lot letters.

But that's the U.S. TSA for you, they're morons." And yet people want to unionize them.... if that happens watch things get ten fold worse. Gov + Union workers = disaster.

197 airlines flying into the US. Amazing.

mikehuntez. Why mask hatred for Islam? Just be honest about it if you feel that way.

I neither confirm nor deny this. Hope this makes you happy. I agree with TimRussert about the "Buddah is Great", "Christ is Great" crowd being rather absent from this century. Let's profile the unmentionable "M" worshipers. That should work.

Moderator: All readers back on topic.

Profiling all Muslims will only make things worse and fan even more distrust.

The majority of Muslims live outside the Middle East and do not practice what the theocracies promote over there.

A Muslim friend living in Peshawar recently shared a sentiment with me. He said that we live in a time where we are all subjected to the ignorance and evil of a very few people. He said he sees this as punishment for our inaction and for the decline in our values, sense of social and personal responsibility and greed.

I deeply respect and admire this man, though he is unable to travel without insighting fears from people who equate his faith with violence. While nothing could be farther from the truth for him and for the millions who share his faith world wide.

We need to stop profiling and we need to start addressing the issues that lead to terror. Nothing the TSA does will protect us absolutely. We are just as subject to attack in non-transportation areas as we are in travel related targets.

Thus, our only path to security rests in understanding, cooperation and building friendships and respect. Something I have been very grateful to experience first hand. I hope we can stop the fear and insane levels of travel security and focus instead upon real solutions.

We need to stop profiling and we need to start addressing the issues that lead to terror.

Yes, let us Americans start with "affirmative action." It is racial profiling at its worst and most egregious.

Profiling all Muslims will only make things worse and fan even more distrust" really can't profile them anyway. You even got Anlgos joining the nut cases and when was the last time a Muslim blew up or attempted to blow up a plane in muslim clothing? If you think about richard Reid for petesakes looked just like my brother and that Christmas dude looked a lot like my sales guy. it would be hard indeed to profile. The better prevention is the fight them in the correct manner

The insane paranoia of the US will trickle down to its tourism industry. i.e I turned my back on a Hawaiian vacation and also an all expenses paid trip to NYC because of the x-ray blast scanner or some guy roughing me over for no damn reason. I would rather go to Europe. That video that frungy mentioned made me flip. What a total disgrace. The US is becoming more inward looking than Asian countries. Land of the free and home of the brave? Its become a land of slaves to debt and a bunch of scardy cats to boot. Past generations of US citizens would never have eaten this crap.

The US is becoming more inward looking than Asian countries.

Obama and his fellow ideologues want it that way. They want us divided and preoccupied with what they consider the sins of our past - "racism," "Islamophobia," and of course "imperialism."

Passing personal information to ones outside of the airline.

Would that not be breaking the privacy and confidential laws about the use of personal information laws of the UK ?

Could the passenger then sue the airline for the releasing of their personal information without permission ?

I hope we can stop the fear and insane levels of travel security and focus instead upon real solutions.

And you have no real solutions do you? I noted the lack of better alternatives in your post. Well when you come up with them please post them here so the US can pick up on them when they read Japantoday.

Frungy: But that's the U.S. TSA for you, they're morons. There was a video out on failblog a few days ago of TSA security strip-searching a child who looked about 8 or 9... in public.

I guess you haven't read the updated version of the story. I can't say I blame you. It's a bit hard to find after all the "hit and run" posts by people such as yourself.

Frungy: In one utterly ridiculous case they denied a 2-year-old the right to fly because the child's name was the same as one of the people on the no-fly list

Given than 600+ million passengers travel by air in the US in a year, I'm afraid I'm going to need some data that shows substantially more claims of abuse than a handful of anecdotes and stories that just never happened. If even 1% of them had issues with the TSA then you'd have 6,000,000 stories to tell. I'm guessing you don't.

Frungy: Not to mention the TSA operator on those new scanning machines who was found jerking off in his cubicle as a bunch of high-school athletes went though the scanners Pedobear is alive, well and living at the TSA.

Well perhaps this can be taken care of with a simple check box on the application asking if the applicant intends to masturbate while on duty. Or if you've developed a sure-fire way to make sure sexual deviants are kept out of the workforce please patent it and make a few billion.

Frungy: The bottom line for me is that there's sufficient evidence of significant levels of corruption, abuse of power and just plain incompetence at the TSA, and yet the response to this is to give them more power, more information and more chances to abuse the public trust (and less legal options for the public to "opt out"). It's idiotic.

The bottom line is that everything will have to be scanned before getting onto a plane because there's no other way. They allowed liquids to terrorists tried a liquid bomb. They didn't scan shoes so terrorists put bombs in their shoes. They didn't do body scans so the terrorists hid the bombs in their crotch. Starting to get it now? Just take a damn x-ray and move on so the rest of us can get on with our lives.

Tkoind2: We need to stop profiling

Huh? The sheer size and scope of groups like the TSA is precisely because they refuse to profile. When they pull out an 80-year old man with an artificial hip do you think it's because they honestly think he's a threat? Of course not. They're are forced to be stupid and treat everyone as if they are a potential threat because if they don't they'll be labeled as racist or sued for discrimination by those they do search. And my guess is that you'd turn around and support all the lawsuits.

bobbafett: The insane paranoia of the US will trickle down to its tourism industry. i.e I turned my back on a Hawaiian vacation and also an all expenses paid trip to NYC because of the x-ray blast scanner or some guy roughing me over for no damn reason.

So let me get this straight. You passed up a free trip to New York because you're paranoid about the TSA? And you're here to give others a lecture about not living your life in fear? Can one really measure the irony? Honestly, I think losing a free trip to New York is just punishment for you.

bobbafett: I would rather go to Europe.

Ah, Europe. The land of crotch bombers, shoe bombers, liquid bombers, etc. I suppose the fact that all of the recent attempts to put bombs on planes have happened on European soil or gone through European soil just doesn't register with you. Maybe they choose Europe because of the scenery. Or maybe they feel their chances are better. We'll never know.

bobbafett: That video that frungy mentioned made me flip. What a total disgrace.

And it was all make believe. New York misses you.

I don't really understand what this "news" is all about. I've had to show my passport while waiting at the boarding gate on US bound flights from both Europe and Japan on various airlines for years now, at least as far back as 2002. I'm pretty certain my passport shows my name, gender and DOB.

Poor Mericans.

Every-time I visit home-shores I walk up to the counter, flash my passport and get waved through than have to wait for my japanese, etc colleagues.

Heck, I got waved through when I visited behind the Iron curtain(decades ago), guess some passports carry more weight. ;)

But, yes, USA has been sparse on sharing info so far, don't think that the extra info will make things easier nor anything safer.

As for Europe we had terrorist attacks for centuries, nah millenia. Different when people from the country you upset are stone-throw away(so to speak) vs having to cross an ocean.