[This is an open letter to TSA administrator David Stone, from the aviation security expert I know best, edited:]

“As the generally unnoticed and certainly unheralded 3½-year anniversary of 9/11 slid past Friday week, time constraints forced me to do something I sedulously avoid when possible -- fly Commercial Air.

“It has been some time since I flew Commercial Air; I try to avoid it because I can see that the billions of dollars given to the TSA by Bush and Congress is nothing but a big waste and aviation security remains worse today than pre-9/11, thanks to DHS/TSA and government misfeasance.  As predicted pre 9/11, we’ll get hit again and once again many talk, but the ones in power DON’T listen or act. Tom Davis and Hal Rogers are once again flapping their gums, but that is all they do.  I know you just ignore the idiots.  One would think that after 3½ years, aviation security would be better. But one would be DEAD wrong in that assumption.  The reason we have 3,000 DEAD people is because Americans made the same assumption about FAA pre 9/11 even though several of us warned; Congress, White House, and DOT/FAA KNEW.  That’s why Bush won’t release the 9/11 staff monograph. You are even worse than FAA.

“There has been a spate of recent articles and reports on DHS, TSA and AVSEC.  Former dhsIG, Clark Kent Ervin has revealed how he was “advised” to put a positive spin on the utter graft, corruption, incompetence, and evil in DHS/TSA.  The pilots, in their “report card” were overly generous in giving the TSA only a grade of “F.”  Far, far too generous.  I think they even gave passenger screening a pretty good grade. That is because they, like you, really have little to no concept of what is going on at the SCP.  Then there are the reports of DHS and FBI talking about how vulnerable the air system is . . .    Unfortunately, the ONE agency in the government I had tremendous respect for appears to have bought into the administration’s lies.  The GAO always had a diplomatic tone, but wrote honest, hard-hitting reports.  Does not appear so any longer . . . Throughout the history of the tsa, GAO has become an apologist for the most corrupt, profligate, inefficient agency in the government and its parent disorganization, the DHS.  See the recent report:  http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05357t.pdf   The GAO has written several reports, which do mention some of the “shortcomings,” but ends up apologizing for and excusing continued tsa failings and cover-ups. Déjà vu -- pre-9/11 FAA.   Problem is that each successive report finds the same faults and nothing gets corrected.  So the GAO, as far as I can tell, has become part of, rather than the solution to, the problem.  They have auditors and investigators -- excellent ones; they damn well KNOW that TSA has spent a lot of money to accomplish virtually nothing.  Their investigators are (or at least were) very sharp and professional.  Hell, most any moron can penetrate TSA “security”; your own people do it all the time, but you hide the results.  In your defense, that is not only what Bush wants, but demands if you are to stay on the job.  If GAO is still conducting testing, the facts speak for themselves.  And the facts remain that it is mere child’s play to penetrate TSA “security” and wantonly kill pretty much as many Americans as one wants.  Even though Bush redacted BOGDAN DZAKOVIC and his 9/11 open testimony out of the final report, Bogdan’s comments remain as true today was when he testified before the commission . . .

“First of all, I have long admired, liked, had a lot of empathy/sympathy and respect for the majority of screeners.  Yes, there are bad apples, but that differs not from other professions.  When I fly . . . my goal is to make my ”trip” through the screening checkpoint as quick, easy, and cooperative as I can.  To that end, I pack my carry-on so it presents a picture of clarity and simplicity on the x-ray monitor.  I divest myself of any triggers; I remove all metal from my body; I roll up my pants and tuck in my shirt so it is obvious I am have nothing concealed  -- the only items I have on my person are my wedding band and wallet, which I won’t give up.  Fact is that except for the continuing inefficient manner in which screeners process passengers, which clogs the line in front of me, I can pass through the screening checkpoint, untouched, in about 15 seconds . . .

“BUT after 3½ years I expect the simple issues to be addressed . . . I entered the SCP line, as described above, showed my boarding pass and ID and proceeded as directed.  It was crowded and very busy.  While in line, I looked at the signs saying that TSA recommended removing boots and shoes with metal.  I had on only low top tennis shoes with no metal but was more than happy to remove my shoes until I looked at the dirty floor.  So I looked for some disposable “booties” to put over my socks.  The jungle rot on my foot has flared up and I had no intention of walking on the filthy floors.  I didn’t see any booties, so I tried to gain the attention of a screener to ask where the booties were.  All I got was a motion to go to the MAG.  I complied and stood awaiting the signal to pass through.  The MAG screener looked at my feet and said, “We recommend that you remove your shoes and put them through the x-ray.”  I said, “Sir, I’d love to.  I have removed everything else but the floor is dirty and I can’t find any paper booties to put over my socks and I don’t want my foot to get infected.”  He repeated his previous statement.  I repeated mine.  Then he leaned forward and with a fetid, stale, cigarette breath said quietly, “You don’t see no (sic) booties, do you?”  I pulled back from the smell and said, “Sir, you are absolutely correct.  I don’t see no booties (sic) and that is why you don’t see no (sic) shoes removed.”  He then said that if I didn’t remove my shoes, I’d be subject to extra screening.  OH GOD!! OH NO, NOT THE DREADED EXTRA SCREENING.  WHAT SHOULD I DO? I told him that I hated to see screeners waste their time but if that was what they wanted, that it was fine with me.   So I passed through the MAG with nary a peep from the machine.  I was ushered over into the “intensive screening area.”  A screener came over, looked at my shoes and gave me the same story about removing shoes. I explained.  He said he was sorry but THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE MONEY TO BUY THE BOOTIES.  So began the search.  He explained everything to me, was courteous, was polite, was efficient, and was most professional. I was/am impressed.  FACT is that if I had a machete on me, I am 99⁺% certain he would have found it; same for a small pocket knife, killer nose hair tweezers, or a gun. As a matter of fact I am certain to the same degree that he would have found MOST objects EXCEPT that I AM ALSO CERTAIN TO THE SAME DEGREE THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE FOUND EXPLOSIVES AND FIRING TRAIN COMPONENTS IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BLOW THE PLANE FROM THE SKY if I had chosen to bring them through!  Not his fault though.

“The search continued. There were a few beeps . . . At each beep, he explained and gave me a good pat-down.  All was going well until my wallet beeped. I removed the wallet as requested and placed it with my hat in the bucket in front of me.  He finished and then said he was going to x-ray my wallet.  (Remember my wallet had not set off the MAG and had I removed my shoes I would have been at the gate by now.)    I said, “Sir, No offense -- I am not trying to be difficult, but I don’t let my wallet out of sight.”  He said it had to be x-rayed.  I said, “No Sir, it will not leave my sight.  My wallet has my retired military ID, my VA card, my DAV card . . . I’ll be more than happy to open it and remove everything in it in front of you. You can pat it; you can swab it. I want you to be comfortable that there is nothing untoward in it.”  He said I couldn’t open it and that it was TSA policy to x-ray it. I told him that was all very interesting but, “It was my policy that my wallet not leave my sight”. . .  the very professional and attentive supervisor told the screener to take me back to the small shoe x-ray at the back of the checkpoint.  The screener and I walked there.  The bucket with my wallet passed through the little x-ray; there was no way for anyone to lift anything from the wallet . . .

“So . . . I guess the big “threat” of extra screening is your idea of screwing with people who don’ t buy into your invasive crap . . . 

“I did some checking and found that you can purchase small quantities of disposable plastic gloves for about one cent per glove and only a bit more for booties . . . When you spend millions on bonuses for incompetent idiots in TSA management (like Marcus Arroyo at Newark who has one DOCUMENTED failure after another and to whom you give a $20K bonuses or Charlie Lutz at Orlando who you fired after you gave him a $20K bonus or pay $150K salary to your CTO, Chuck “RoadKill” [nothing to do with food)] Burke with his high school diploma and repeated demonstration of incompetence in his job -- of course there is no money for operational matters and the good screeners out on the frontlines.  And for the icing on the cake:

‘According to a TSA spokesman, the Feb. 7 reorganization created an intermodal program with a new boss, Theresa Bertucci. She oversees security for postal operations and shipping as well as seven modes of transportation, including the agency's high-profile aviation work. Bertucci served as TSA's acting chief of staff in 2004. Darrin Kayser was not familiar with her experience in transportation issues or other details of her professional background.’

“When TSA . . . has its spokeswoman, Ms. Kayser, deny she knows Bertucci’s background, that is REALLY telltale.  Sources tell me that Bertucci was nothing more than a DOJ Administrative lawyer with ZERO EXPERIENCE OR KNOWLEDGE IN TRANSPORTATION AND SECURITY.  But I am sure she is getting a huge salary and will get a nice big bonus next year . . . 

“The SCPs need disposable booties if you want people to take off their shoes and you also need disposable gloves, a new set of which must be placed on the screeners’ hands BEFORE they hand search a bag.  I sat and watched procedures (thanks for leaving the SCPs open to observation.  I imagine AQ is taking advantage of this also).  Screeners run around with gloves touching all sorts of filthy items and then, with those same contaminated gloves, poke around in passengers’ bags . . .

“FACT IS THAT THE SCREENING PROCESS TO WHICH I WAS SUBJECTED AND WHICH I OBSERVED IS TECHNICALLY BETTER THAN PRE-9/11.  UNFORTUNATELY, THE FAILURE REMAINS IN THE NEAR TOTAL LACK OF SECURITY CONCEPTS . . .

“One of my stops was MSY, where you banished your idiot savant brother Mike Robinson, former head of TSA aviation operations.  MSY was a good airport; I did some work there when I was in FAA security.  I only quickly walked through the public area enroute to the gate.  Amazing, 3½ years after 9/11, thousands dead, billions spent, and I observed a few glaring gross vulnerabilities which appeared easy to exploit. I also observed the screener find a very small object, of no consequence, in a passenger’s bag.  The screener told the passenger that the object could be taken back and checked.  The passenger told the screener to keep it.  Impressive.  What was more impressive was that while sitting at the gate, a young gal showed up with a 3-foot boat paddle with sharp edges -- far more of a “weapon” than the nondescript items seized by the screener . . .

“Perhaps if you were true to your word and investigated Robinson as you apparently promised some senators you would do, then you could do a little trash cleaning at MSY and perhaps get in some decent people, dedicated to public service rather than nepotism, sexual favoritism, lying, and corruption.  But that is an issue I’ll take up with the senators to whom I delivered some letters on the subject a while back.  Wasting money to move Vicki Turley to MSY, who in her own written words, “didn’t have a clue,” just to get promoted and move back to DC.  More waste.   Recently rotten Robinson hired another know-nothing incompetent woman, just like Bertucci, to serve as “Acting head of OPs.”  She has no experience, no background, and probably no college degree; I think she came from CDC, not exactly one of our country’s foremost aviation security outfits.  Interesting that this very important position has been vacant and rotten Robinson refuses to advertise it . . .

“Excepting the occasional bad apple, I believe screeners are still good folks working so very hard to do a good job without a modicum of moral, adult leadership . . .”