For years, many in the alternative media have been warning that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), complete with its grope downs and naked body scanners, will eventually be expanded from airports and begin conducting operations on the “streets” of America.
These warnings generally suggested that the TSA would first be conducting operations like bag checks in non-transportation-related areas such as sporting events, concerts, and theaters and, eventually, be expanded even further.
Those warnings have officially come true in Florence, South Carolina as Presidential candidate Donald Trump came to town for a large campaign rally on February 5, 2016.
Upon entering the Florence Civic Center, attendees were greeted with bag checks, metal detectors, and wands being operated by both the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the TSA.
The TSA presence appeared to be limited to extra bag search personnel and this writer, who arrived shortly before the main event started, did not witness the presence of any naked body scanners or full body pat downs being conducted.
Still, the presence of the TSA at a political event is extremely concerning considering the fact that such an event has absolutely nothing to do with transportation.
Clearly, the presence of the TSA at these types of events is nothing more than an attempt to acclimate the American people to seeing the TSA present at virtually all events, not just airports, train terminals, and bus stations (an expansion of the TSA in and of itself) and, eventually, to accept extreme and intrusive searches as a regular fact of life.
Back in 2012, the TSA assisted in “bag checks” and “searches” at a Paul Ryan event in The Villages (Sumter County), Florida.
It is also highly ironic that a candidate for whom many alternative media outlets have swooned for in recent months is now implementing the very policy they warned about for the last three years. And all without a peep from those outlets . . . .
Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is the author of seven books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 650 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s radio show Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. His website is BrandonTurbeville.com He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.
The sheriff I can see, the TSA, well trump should have sent them packing. This just reaffirms his support for the survailence/police state.
Dumb!
Trump knows they want to get rid of him. He’s not stupid. He has to fear the govt 1st before the people. They have operatives everywhere.
The TSA is a federal entity, working for DOT. They ARE NOT a privately contracted security firm and must not, by law, be used in an official capacity for personal services to those who can pay. They also must not become BO’s private Brownshirts either.
obama HAS brownshirts and TRUMP deserves even more!
Hmmm
I am curious; is the “TSA” conducting “bag searches” at Bernie Sanders events? How about any other candidates? Or are Trump supporters being singled out?
Hopefully we are! We’re the patriots who love America. There’s no other candidate who gives a dam about either.
Duuuumb… This type of ” only us” thinking is exactly what’s wrong with America!!!
Yes you are, miss germany!
Ohhh name calling… This is the kind of intelligent discourse so admired in the Trumpeteers ; As Sara Palin calls you!
So now you’re judge, jury and sarah palin? It must be pretty ugly being YOU, dummy!
The more they appear the easier it becomes to accept. That’s the point.
I have it on hearsay (not confirmed) : apparently the TSA has folks pull over and then search their vehicles, folks driving along the Mexico border at least the Az portion (i think it might be I 5).
Trump deserves to be protected – he’s the only candidate with a knowledge of our constitution and a willingness and desire to uphold it. A fine presidential candidates who receives disgusting threats from the lowest bottom feeding scumbags in this country should be surrounded by like-minded people – not the paid shills and attackers the RNC/GOP McConnell machines sends to his events. Got bless Donald Trump – for President 2016
Poor Marlene who doesn’t realize that much of what Trump has proposed to do is unconstitutional.
How is it unconstitutional to build a wall to stop the invasion from Mexico? How is it unconstitutional to put a temporary ban on Muslim “refugees” until we can figure out who these people are? Wake up zombie!
Muslim refugees and other immigrants are NOT our biggest problem, but it’s what Trump supporters have latched on to. Our biggest problems are with infrastructure, health care, education, etc. (not in any particular order). But all the Trumpsters can do is fall for the fear-mongering and hateful speech coming from a blowhard.
You’re pitifully ignorant and uneducated. TRUMP’s proposals ARE constitutiional.
No doubt Trump is having his life threatened now and it going to get worse. All it takes is one paid killer to take him out. He is super high profile now and a major threat to the establishment.
If the TSA is there, where is the photographic evidence? It’s hard to think people would not take pictures.
Where are they? Most TSa workers hate what they have to do, but if they are being blamed for political events, let’s see the evidence. Everyone has a cellphone camera: where’s the evidence?
So it’s a hoax. I’d have expected no less from you.
Are you aware putting words in someone’s mouth is lying.
What you can always expect from me is to ask for evidence?
Have you non interest in evidence? Have you no integrity to put lying words in my mouth?
I’d have expected no less of you.
Tactic: don’t ask for evidence; attack the the person who asks for it.
Which words, exactly, did I put in your mouth?
“So it’s a hoax.”
I did not say or conclude it was a hoax but that there was no evidence to support the claim.
You are being very dishonest. Own your words; own your intent.
So you can’t tell the difference between a question and a statement? Should I put the question mark upside down in front of the question for you?
You know that if it were a sincere hoax, you would not have said (“I’d have expected no less from you.”). Your judgement demonstrates that your question is rhetorical in the form of a question that is asked to make a point rather than to elicit an answer.
If it were merely a question, the second snarky and judgemental statemetn would not have been made. You would have just said: So, if there is no evidence, are you suggesting a hoax?
You are repeatedly in bad faith. “Bad faith (Latin: mala fides) is double mindedness or double heartedness in duplicity, fraud, or deception.[1] It may involve intentional deceit of others, or self-deception.”
I have no interest in interaction with frauds.
Now, now…. you know you’ll never get your way by pouting.
Your fake and snarky solicitation does not excuse you from dishonesty. When I call you out for being a fake, that’s not pouting. It’s demanding good faith, which clearly you are not capable of. That is why you are a total waste of time.
You have veered from speaking for me to denying it to making personal accusations, all the while covering up your inability to find evidence about the TSA claims, which was my entire point. You are phony.
It’s amazing how Americans continue to believe they live in a ‘free country’ when it is clearly a police state.
Amen.
Trump has no say-so in the matter whatsoever. TSA is part of the Dept. of Homeland Security which runs the Secret Service now. DHS and Secret Service decide anything and everything regarding security measures for frontrunner presidential candidates. Trump could insist until he is blue in the face that they not be present and it would simply fall on deaf ears. DHS and Secret Service will run security checks in whatever manner they see fit.
Doing bag checks – they were looking for Hillary.
If Trump were asked or told directly about this, he might well say “No”, but i doubt anyone actually asked him before they implemented this. This is the Feds “big footing” and intimidating the locals, and the locals usually just roll over when these things are imposed. I’m sure they just marched in and did this without asking Trump if he wanted it.
So called Security Checks every where you turn. Where is the Reasonable Suspicion or Probable Cause?
Does our Constitution no longer have any meaning?
When TSA is called upon to help at these events it is ONLY because they are local trained officers who have experience at doing bag searches and hand wand searches. You said yourself “they were working side by side with local police” who also have the same type training. If it would make you feel less uncomfortable at these events I’m sure the local smoke shop cashier would love a part time gig rummaging through your wife’s purse but he may not have much training of what he’s looking for.