US Government 'surplus' stores now selling personal items TSA steals from passengers

LazyLion

LazyLion

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http://www.naturalnews.com/032757_TSA_surplus.html

If you have ever wondered what happens to the countless barrels of personal items that the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confiscates (steals) from air travelers every single day, you might be surprised to know that state governments are now reselling these supposedly "dangerous" items in government surplus stores for extra revenue.

According to a recent article in the Austin American-Statesman, Texas state surplus stores are reaping hundreds of thousands of dollars in new revenue every year for the state by selling travelers' "legally" stolen goods.

Formerly reserved for legitimate surplus items, state surplus stores in Texas are making a killing on the thousands of new "security threat" items being stolen by the TSA, which is, of course, the result of artificially-generated government paranoia. So harmless personal items like snow globes, for instance, are now in great supply at the surplus stores because they contain more than the three ounces of liquid permitted by the TSA.

Most travelers, of course, would never in their wildest imaginations think that a snow globe is a security threat, which is why many are shocked in the security line to discover that their simple souvenir is considered a terrorist threat by the TSA. But apparently that threat magically diminishes once the government decides to resell that same snow globe for cash to fill its coffers -- because surely the thousands of snow globes the shops receive are not inspected for the mythical explosives they could contain, prior to hitting surplus shelves.

Humorously, both the TSA and the agencies that are selling the stolen items refuse to admit that they are even confiscating them in the first place. According to the Statesman, a worker at a Texas surplus shop said, concerning how the items were obtained, "We say willfully surrendered." Using this same logic, of course, a man who holds up a woman and steals her purse did not actually steal -- the woman merely "willfully surrendered" her purse upon having a gun pointed in her face.

In reality, this fictitious robbery scenario, as absurd as it sounds, is exactly what the TSA is doing to air travelers every single day in the US. It is also what the illegal IRS does to American taxpayers with its "voluntary" income tax.

When presented with options that include inability to fly, arrest, imprisonment, or even being killed, most people will likely "willfully surrender" whatever is demanded of them, whether it is something as large as half their income, or something as miniscule as a plastic snow globe.
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haha... I've long suspected something like this. :D
 
Aw gee, another non-story. What a disapppointment. The journalist is plainly ignorant of even basic science and human nature, or deliberately disingenuous.

The confiscated stuff is not "meant to be dangerous". It's prohibited on flights because it can be used by determined terrorists to cause damage or smuggle in dangerous chemicals, as real-world experience has shown. Take the soppy little bit about about the snow globe in the article. Of course a snow globe itself is not dangerous - and there's not a single US official who thinks it is, so why out as if someone does? However, real world experience has shown that determined terrorists will stop at nothing to conceal their explosive chemicals in innocent-looking containers.

The extra security precautions cost a fortune, and I for one am pleased they're not dumping the prohibited items but selling them to recoup a tiny portion of the extra expenses. Makes complete sense to any rational human being except those addled by partisan political prejudices. I and my entire family flew from Europe to the USA the same week they uncovered a plot to smuggle in chemicals in plastic bottles to down at least six aircraft. Yes it was a major inconvenience surrendering even bottled water, but I thank God the authorities were alert enough to do so and foil the plot. And that goes for innocent-looking snow globes as well. Now they also need to check underwear and shoes. The article's author just doesn't get it.
 
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Albereth said:
Hey, when you own several trillion you've got to get the funding from somewhere. I'm surprised they haven't started mugging the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Maybe they have a big plan for Santa Claus?
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If you own several trillion you should not need funding.

It's a different matter If you owe several trillion.
 
Arthur said:
Aw gee, another non-story. What a disapppointment. The journalist is plainly ignorant of even basic science and human nature, or deliberately disingenuous.

The confiscated stuff is not "meant to be dangerous". It's prohibited on flights because it can be used by determined terrorists to cause damage or smuggle in dangerous chemicals, as real-world experience has shown. Take the soppy little bit about about the snow globe in the article. Of course a snow globe itself is not dangerous - and there's not a single US official who thinks it is, so why out as if someone does? However, real world experience has shown that determined terrorists will stop at nothing to conceal their explosive chemicals in innocent-looking containers.

The extra security precautions cost a fortune, and I for one am pleased they're not dumping the prohibited items but selling them to recoup a tiny portion of the extra expenses. Makes complete sense to any rational human being except those addled by partisan political prejudices. I and my entire family flew from Europe to the USA the same week they uncovered a plot to smuggle in chemicals in plastic bottles to down at least six aircraft. Yes it was a major inconvenience surrendering even bottled water, but I thank God the authorities were alert enough to do so and foil the plot. And that goes for innocent-looking snow globes as well. Now they also need to check underwear and shoes. The article's author just doesn't get it.
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It's just security theatre. As drug mules have shown there are better ways to hide stuff than snow globes.
 
biometrics said:
It's just security theatre. As drug mules have shown there are better ways to hide stuff than snow globes.
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Yeah, but even suicidal terrorists can't be sure they'll s-hit out the stuff onboard. And onboard stomach ops aren't that viable, though even that can't be dismissed either. Also, one has to remember that it's not just one group wanting to blow up commercial airliners ... as the Underpants Bomber showed, there are small groups and even loners who also need to be deterred. The smaller groups are deterred by theatre.
 
What would you prefer they do? Burn them? Post them on to the owners? Can you imagine the cost of securing that sort of travel? I reckon they should be given the option to have it forwarded on to them at their own expense, but then again that becomes a logistical nightmare, and probably a very costly one. I don't have an issue with them selling the goods...
 
DJ... said:
What would you prefer they do? Burn them? Post them on to the owners? Can you imagine the cost of securing that sort of travel? I reckon they should be given the option to have it forwarded on to them at their own expense, but then again that becomes a logistical nightmare, and probably a very costly one. I don't have an issue with them selling the goods...
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99% of what they are confiscating is unnecessary.... and they know it.
 
Garyvdh said:
99% of what they are confiscating is unnecessary.... and they know it.
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It's a fine line. Let's look at the snow globe issue - they certainly could hide explosive materials - how would they screen for this? Should they take a sample of each and every snow globe that goes through or should they rather just ban them outright? Ban them I say, considering that these avenues will be abused by people with anti-American agendas...
 
It's not like these travellers don't have the means to check what's allowable and not before leaving their homes packed full of confiscation-liable contraband.
 
DJ... said:
It's a fine line. Let's look at the snow globe issue - they certainly could hide explosive materials - how would they screen for this? Should they take a sample of each and every snow globe that goes through or should they rather just ban them outright? Ban them I say, considering that these avenues will be abused by people with anti-American agendas...
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Then they are going about this all wrong. Blanket banning certain items is stupid because the terrorists will ALWAYS find another way of getting it on board. There are just too many loopholes. They need to be using proper intelligence, profiling and visible policing.

Confiscating denture fixing paste from grannies is pointless and a waste of everybody's time and money.
 
DJ... said:
What would you prefer they do? Burn them? Post them on to the owners? Can you imagine the cost of securing that sort of travel? I reckon they should be given the option to have it forwarded on to them at their own expense, but then again that becomes a logistical nightmare, and probably a very costly one. I don't have an issue with them selling the goods...
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Indeed. Common sense.

Now watch some human rights nitwit demand this end and a massive bureaucracy be set up to send these "victims" their stuff back at the tax payers expense.
 
Albereth said:
Hey, when you owe several trillion you've got to get the funding from somewhere. I'm surprised they haven't started mugging the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Maybe they have a big plan for Santa Claus?
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I read this and had images of a mother putting a dollar under her child's pillow only to have a federal employee jump up from behind the bed an demand his cut. Hilarious. :D
 
DJ... said:
It's a fine line. Let's look at the snow globe issue - they certainly could hide explosive materials - how would they screen for this? Should they take a sample of each and every snow globe that goes through or should they rather just ban them outright? Ban them I say, considering that these avenues will be abused by people with anti-American agendas...
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the greeks confiscated my turkish delight because its a "gel" :(
I think it was an ego thing tho
 
nivek said:
me too!
good place to get halva in jhb? besides shwarma co
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There's a SPAR in Rossetenville in the south. They sometimes have three different kinds there, but I prefer the original/traditional, the one with the chocolate sucks. Not a bad price either, cut to your liking.
 
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