Airline Pilot Leads the Opposition to TSA Security Theater

Airline pilot Charlie Liu saw what he viewed as a major flaw in the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) safety procedures at San Francisco International Airport: while pilots and flight attendants have to go through pat-downs and X-ray machines, the ground crew is able to bypass security with nothing more than the swipe of a card. So, using his cell phone, he decided to record what he saw and upload it to YouTube.

"As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce,” he said in one of the videos, since removed from the site. “It's only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here.”

The government wasn't very happy.

As Sacramento's local ABC affiliate reports, days after Liu posted the video, four federal air marshals and two sheriff's deputies showed up at his door and demanded that the Army Reserve officer who once ran missions for the United Nations hand over both his gun and his concealed-carry permit. The sheriff's office says the permit will “be reevaluated following the outcome of [a] federal investigation,” according to the station.

Until this week, Liu sought to remain anonymous, fearing just that sort of harassment and retaliation. But now he's come forward, announcing that he wants to help lead the effort to implement effective security procedures at airports, not ones that give the appearance of security while eviscerating what's left of travelers' rights.

"I think my husband was very courageous He did what he believed what right," Liu's wife, Sandra, told ABC News10. "It's not all about us. It's about the safety of every American.”

It's all too rare that someone stands up and speaks out about something that's wrong when doing so jeopardizes the career they've spent decades building. But that's what Liu is doing: publicly blowing the whistle on TSA's flawed approach to airport security – an approach that makes full-body scanner makers and their lobbyists happy, but doesn't make us a damn bit safer.

In essence, Liu pointed out that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. No wonder, then, that the empire – which can't tolerate embarrassment – has decided to strike back.

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Photo Credit: Truthout.org