7 ms·

Is this a joke? I was searched by the TSA the last time I took Amtrak. They just plopped down a table in the middle of Penn Station and went to town.

jrockway 13y ago
I'm pretty sure that was the NYPD. Unlike the TSA searches, you can refuse to comply with those.
- jlgreco 13y ago
  It is plausible that it was the TSA's "VIPR". https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/10/vipr-a10.html https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/10/vipr-a10.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyond-airport-security.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyo... (Side note, who the hell comes up with these names, and why hasn't somebody with some experience with marketing and PR talked to them?)
  - schiffern 13y ago
    >marketing and PR Oh, they have it. You're just not the TSA's customer.
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      Are they trying to pitch a new line of action figures for the G.I. Joes to fight to Hasbro? "VIPR" is just plain silly.
      - tudborg 13y ago
        A name that clearly shows the abbreviation came first
      - eli_gottlieb 13y ago
        Given the actual behavior of the government, I think it's a perfectly reasonable hypothesis that some of our "elected" officials have actually just decided to play supervillain.
- pessimizer 13y ago
  No, it was the TSA - but Amtrak has dictated exactly how they must behave in stations, and you rarely hear a peep from them. ---- Rail's handling of TSA should be a model http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/opinion/don-phillips-tsa-vipr-teams/ http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/opinion/don-phillips-tsa-vipr-...
  - koenigdavidmj 13y ago
    Rail has the advantage that they can just shut down commerce across the country for a few days if the government does anything they don't like, and they have the balls to do it.
    - mikeash 13y ago
      Well, Amtrak doesn't have that power, and I doubt the freight companies care what TSA does with Amtrak.
      - koenigdavidmj 13y ago
        Amtrak doesn't actually own the rails (except in the northeast, I think). That's where we're talking about here, but in Seattle BNSF owns the track so TSA would have to deal with them.
    - Cthulhu_ 13y ago
      Do they? Seeing as how tech companies aren't allowed to divulge they're the NSA's bitches and have to hand over all their data, I don't think that public services like trains (or electricity, etc) are allowed to shut down their services if they disagree with the government's imposed security measures. Pretty sure there's sections in the anti-terrorism laws that say companies need to comply when the government brings in counter-terrorism measures like searches and the like. Besides, they'd probably comply willingly. The airline companies and airports do; hijackings just ain't good for business.
- nerfhammer 13y ago
  Wouldn't it be Amtrak Police in Penn Station? You don't normally see NYPD in there
  - MPSimmons 13y ago
    NYPD are the ones carrying around machine guns, I think.

jrockway 13y ago

I'm pretty sure that was the NYPD. Unlike the TSA searches, you can refuse to comply with those.

jlgreco 13y ago
It is plausible that it was the TSA's "VIPR". https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/10/vipr-a10.html https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/10/vipr-a10.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyond-airport-security.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/us/tsa-expands-duties-beyo... (Side note, who the hell comes up with these names, and why hasn't somebody with some experience with marketing and PR talked to them?)
- schiffern 13y ago
  >marketing and PR Oh, they have it. You're just not the TSA's customer.
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    Are they trying to pitch a new line of action figures for the G.I. Joes to fight to Hasbro? "VIPR" is just plain silly.
    - tudborg 13y ago
      A name that clearly shows the abbreviation came first
    - eli_gottlieb 13y ago
      Given the actual behavior of the government, I think it's a perfectly reasonable hypothesis that some of our "elected" officials have actually just decided to play supervillain.
pessimizer 13y ago
No, it was the TSA - but Amtrak has dictated exactly how they must behave in stations, and you rarely hear a peep from them. ---- Rail's handling of TSA should be a model http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/opinion/don-phillips-tsa-vipr-teams/ http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/06/opinion/don-phillips-tsa-vipr-...
- koenigdavidmj 13y ago
  Rail has the advantage that they can just shut down commerce across the country for a few days if the government does anything they don't like, and they have the balls to do it.
  - mikeash 13y ago
    Well, Amtrak doesn't have that power, and I doubt the freight companies care what TSA does with Amtrak.
    - koenigdavidmj 13y ago
      Amtrak doesn't actually own the rails (except in the northeast, I think). That's where we're talking about here, but in Seattle BNSF owns the track so TSA would have to deal with them.
  - Cthulhu_ 13y ago
    Do they? Seeing as how tech companies aren't allowed to divulge they're the NSA's bitches and have to hand over all their data, I don't think that public services like trains (or electricity, etc) are allowed to shut down their services if they disagree with the government's imposed security measures. Pretty sure there's sections in the anti-terrorism laws that say companies need to comply when the government brings in counter-terrorism measures like searches and the like. Besides, they'd probably comply willingly. The airline companies and airports do; hijackings just ain't good for business.
nerfhammer 13y ago
Wouldn't it be Amtrak Police in Penn Station? You don't normally see NYPD in there
- MPSimmons 13y ago
  NYPD are the ones carrying around machine guns, I think.