Originally published October 3 2012
TSA caught on camera engaging in 'obedience training' of air travelers with bizarre 'freeze' policy
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) What comes to mind when you think of the old "SS" of Nazi Germany or its authoritarian cousin, the Stasi (the secret police of the former communist nation of East Germany)? If you're like most people who remember such organizations or have learned about them, you might think of forced obedience.
Now, the infamous Transportation Security Administration can be likened to such organizations.
The TSA has recently adopted a bizarre new policy where agents order travelers who have already passed through security checkpoints to "freeze" on command has been caught on camera, the video demonstrating yet again how this out-of-control federal agency has implemented a series of ridiculous policies that have little purpose in terms of enhancing travel security, but which really seem to serve as an obedience test for the public.
The clip shows the final 24 seconds of a two-minute time frame during which travelers were ordered by TSA workers to "freeze," and were not permitted to move. One screener is heard demanding, "stay right where you are," to a man who is walking through the airport, as other travelers look on in confusion and amazement.
The YouTube user responsible for uploading the clip wrote, "This video was shot within the 'secure' area of the terminal, beyond the security gate."
'Code Bravo Sierra'
"Note that the TSA 'guard' is offering no explanation, only giving harsh threats and orders to stay still," the user said. "Note that there was NO event or threat taking place of any kind."
As earlier reports at InfoWars.com and other sites have reported, the "freeze" policy, which has been used against several travelers around the country, is known as "Code Bravo Sierra," or just "Code Bravo," by the agency.
Joe Sharkey, a columnist for The New York Times, has described how he was involved in the goofy drill while traveling through airports in Los Angeles and Atlanta last year.
In one case, Sharkey - who was buying a box of chocolate at a pushcart vendor "a few feet" from a TSA checkpoint - was "upbraided" by a fellow passenger for failing to acknowledge a TSA agent's order for passengers to "freeze."
"You're supposed to freeze," the man "growled" at Sharkey.
"These drills are generally conducted during off-peak hours to minimize disruption, and generally last a minute," Kristin Lee, a spokeswoman for the agency, told him.
But wait, he asked. Was he really required to freeze?
"Actually, no," he wrote. "The agency has 'wide-ranging legal authority to carry out security-related responsibilities,' Ms, Lee said. But in these specific drills, she added, 'passengers are not required to 'freeze' in place like statues.' But if they are within the checkpoint security area, they may be required to remain there until the drill has ended."
'Obedience training?'
However, he continued, "it was clear to me that travelers believed they were required to stop and stand motionless - even those who had cleared security and were merely within shouting distance of the checkpoint. Officers seemed to reinforce that impression, too."
This is all little more than "obedience training," says James Babb at WeWontFly.com. He says Americans are being "broken in" to accept their subservience in what is the human equivalent of training a horse or other animal.
"There is literally no other purpose to this 'drill' than to reinforce the notion in travelers' heads that this is a 'security state,' and that you may be told to stop dead in your tracks by a TSA 'voice of authority' at any time. Legally, TSA has NO RIGHT TO STOP YOU... but it's hard to imagine that defending your rights by walking away would end well in a (phony) tense situation if there happens to be an armed police officer nearby," concludes the YouTube user who uploaded the video.
Sources:
http://www.infowars.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/business/29road.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/TSA.html
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