] The Transportation Security Administration this week
] invited airports to apply to leave the federal security
] screener system and return to private screeners. The
] government took over airport screening after the Sept.
] 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and is planning a transition
] for approved airports by spring or summer 2005.
]
] ...
]
] A spokesman for BWI said the airport needs more information
] about a shift to private screeners. Like many major airports,
] BWI said it wants to learn more about liability in the event
] of another terrorist attack.
]
] The TSA suggested in its announcement this week that
] airports would be protected by federal laws that limit
] tort liability in case of terrorist attack, but it did
] not specify the exact terms. Airport officials are
] concerned about what would be covered, said James McNeil,
] chief executive of McNeil Technologies Inc., a security
] firm that employs screeners at the Rochester, N.Y.,
] airport. "If they can get some indemnification, that will
] play a huge role" in decision making, he said.

[ So we bust our asses to create what is supposed to be a superior force for handling airport security in the wake of a very clear failure of the existing system and only 3 years later we're looking to toss that out and go back to contractors.

Because the lines are so long. And of course, the primary concern for airports? Liability. Not safety. Liability. It is a business after all. The administration should come out strongly against this move, or, at least, not offer *any* incentive for hiring private security contractors that can't prove their staff is at least as competent as the TSA. No limitations on liability, no cop-out.

I'm not saying the TSA is the greatest shit on earth, but this just seems like a huge and dangerous step backwards. -k]