TSA wants to expand its VIPR teams to grope you wherever you go.

The head of the TSA is asking congress to expand funding for its VIPR teams so that it can continue to harass American travelers even if they choose not to travel by air.

TSA Searches Expand as Opposition Mounts

As travelers and state governments across America fight back against invasive screening by the Transportation Security Administration at airports, the TSA is actually expanding its operations covering busses, trains, ships, ferries, subways, and even highways. But critics, who say the methods are unconstitutional and often constitute sexual assault, are up in arms.

A popular movement that began picking up steam last year called for a boycott of air travel until the routine violations of Fourth Amendment rights were halted. “We will not be abused simply for the privilege of purchasing your services,” a group known as We Won’t Fly notes on its website. “We are eager to fly again, but only when this invasive threat has been contained.”

But now, that might be a moot point. Americans are increasingly likely to be subjected to groping, document checks, and the so-called “porno” naked body scanners no matter how they choose to travel.

Roving bands of TSA workers have been swarming bus stations and other transportation hubs since late 2005. But recently, the TSA has been expanding its use of what it dubs “Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response” (VIPR) teams nationwide. In fact, they are quickly becoming ubiquitous.

“The teams provide a random, announced, high-visibility surge into a transit agency, in addition to enhancing agency resources during special events,” the TSA explains on its website. As early as 2007, the agency threatened to “expand the VIPR concept beyond the rail sector to other forms of mass transit.”

TSA boss John Pistole, whom columnist Becky Akers referred to as “the pervert most responsible for the agency’s sexual violations of passengers,” is now seeking to massively increase the budget for “VIPR” programs. Testifying before Congress earlier this month, Pistole explained that his 25 teams had performed more than 8,000 “operations” during the last year.

But more are needed to “deter” terrorists, he insists. The agency’s 2012 budget request asks taxpayers to fund another 12 VIPR teams. In 2009, the 10 existing bands of roaming TSA workers were costing Americans $30 million. If Pistole gets his way, the 37 squads will be charging taxpayers almost $110 million next year.

Of course, critics have been attacking the TSA, and the VIPR teams in particular, for years. The liberty-oriented Cato Institute’s Jim Harper noted years ago that VIPR was “sinking its fangs into Americans’ civil liberties,” citing a TSA “sting” operation against innocent Americans at a bus terminal in Florida.

“The natural illogic of VIPR stings is that terrorism can strike anywhere, so VIPR teams should search anywhere,” he wrote. “It’s the undoing of the Fourth Amendment, and it’s unwarranted counterterrorism because it expends resources on things that won’t catch or deter terrorists. Indeed, VIPR ‘stings’ may encourage terrorism because they show that terrorism successfully undermines the American way of life.”

The New American

They have already invaded our roads, train stations and bus stops. They have tried to get into inspecting kids going to the prom and want to get their hands on your kids when they get on the bus. It seems the intrusions of the TSA will never stop, they are even talking about setting up shop at malls and shopping centers.

Is the government trying to instigate an armed revolt with this crap? Do people really think all this is making us safer?

I agree with the guy in the article who said all of this is encouraging the terrorists because it shows they can successfully undermine American freedom. They don't even have to kill anyone or even get hurt themselves anymore, they just have to try something new or leak out that they are planning some new route of attack and the TSA will clamp down on us harder.

I believe the US lost the war on terror a long time ago; Its goal was never to bring about our surrender, it was to turn the government upon the people and watch as we destroy our country all by ourselves.

America has lost its freedoms. It's official.

Their next move is to bring it to Canada but I don't think it will be an easy move.

The Obama/Harper Monster is ramping up for the coming Military Perimeter of North America and it's going to get ugly. The real question still remains...is it to keep terrorists from entering or citizens from leaving?

And yes I do believe they are trying to provoke armed response from us in order to justify even more intrusions, laws and loss of freedoms. Sooner or later, it's going to snap and all of these FEMA camps that many believe don't exist will be open for business.

I always wonder how many will take up arms to defend their last bits of freedom and how many will bow down to slavery and detention? It's happened in history all over the World. Why do so many believe it won't happen again?

Not one civilization that has tried to rule the World has survived...ever. Rome didn't do so well in the end. Hitler couldn't accomplish it. Why do so many think that the US will never fall?

It will fall. Either from within by its own Govt. or in retaliation from some very desperate and angry Nations from overseas.

I'm gonna plant my garden.

The fact still remains that even a large group of TSA agents doesn't stand a chance against an army of a few thousand (if that!) pissed off civilians...the sooner the sheeple wake up and figure that out, the better.

Nazi's have to sleep somewhere. "I vas 'chust following oar-dares" is no defense.

reply to post by FortAnthem

It's not making us safer, it's making us angrier. It certainly does seem like they are encouraging the people to violently attack the govt. Sometimes a person feels like saying "ok, let's get it on".

The Patriot Act (which was the most unconstitutional piece of legislation since the Sedition Act) is responsible for the birth of the DHS and in turn the BS TSA.

We need to vote out and get rid of all politicians who support the TSA and their barbaric, gestapo-like actions.

That will not fly in Canada. We already have enough security, no one wants to bomb canada. I can't even imagine if it comes here, especially if they will start doing random 'highway' car searches. I can just imagine my fist breaking some jaw.

reply to post by jude11

You're right jude 11. There are people on another thread on this site talking about how it's perfectly ok what the tsa does
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Nobody understands that it doesn't happen all at once. Instead, it's the baby steps that wind up killing everyone.

I decided a while back that if this ever makes it into the schools, I will home school mine and make sure the principal and school board know why. This Nazi crap is getting out of hand FAST. It seems like the more power they are given, the more excuses they give for wanting more. THIS IS GERMANY IN THE 30s. This is not America anymore, this is a police state in the making and it won't be much longer till they have a camera in our homes. Think that's stretching it a bit? Wait and see. Unless we elect a president with some guts that will put these DHS and TSA agents out of a job, we are looking at 1984. Give them 5 - 10 years [ if that long ] and you will be showing your papers at every street corner.

Originally posted by HenryPatrick
The fact still remains that even a large group of TSA agents doesn't stand a chance against an army of a few thousand (if that!) pissed off civilians...the sooner the sheeple wake up and figure that out, the better.

Sometimes I think that is exactly what they are aiming for; they want a civilian revolt to give them an excuse to crack down on everybody and ship us all off to FEMA camps.

They are already trying to cast those who talk ill about the federal government and think we have given up too much freedoms as "potential domestic terrorists". I really think they are trying to provoke a violent response so they can outlaw the TEA party movement and anyone else who cares about freedom.

Originally posted by DAVID64
I decided a while back that if this ever makes it into the schools, I will home school mine and make sure the principal and school board know why. This Nazi crap is getting out of hand FAST. It seems like the more power they are given, the more excuses they give for wanting more. THIS IS GERMANY IN THE 30s. This is not America anymore, this is a police state in the making and it won't be much longer till they have a camera in our homes. Think that's stretching it a bit? Wait and see. Unless we elect a president with some guts that will put these DHS and TSA agents out of a job, we are looking at 1984. Give them 5 - 10 years [ if that long ] and you will be showing your papers at every street corner.

Yes, exactly. When I saw the new high school built in my community with the high chain link fence all the way around, and read about how during a national emergency, parents will not be allowed to pick up their children, but the children would be whisked away to some secret place, I was absolutely horrified. Parents would be deliberately separated from their children in that event. It seems to be a national policy, and I never hear people talking about it, but I did see it online somewhere a few years back. I remember asking a local teacher how she felt, and she was perfectly fine with the way things are being done. To me, it's an indication that teachers are brainwashed to believing what the govt does is always good, and I blame the Unions for it.