Fix airport hullabaloo with National Guard?

Plain Talk By Al Neuharth, USA TODAY Founder

Most airline travelers really want to be sure they are safe and secure. The hullabaloo this week over new airport body scanners and pat-down procedures is simply their latest frustration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

My observation as a very frequent flier is that most of the criticism of TSA comes from infrequent fliers. Many of them don't understand where TSA came from. Here are the when and why:

TSA was formed under an act of Congress on Nov. 19, 2001, a little over two months after 9/11. Most people then felt some such new security outfit was necessary.

Since then, TSA has helped keep air travel safe. Understandably, limiting the toiletries fliers can carry and such inconveniences as taking off your shoes at security are bothersome.

But my impression is that TSA is not taken as seriously as it should be because members look like civilians in nice informal blue uniforms.

We take our cops and our military very seriously partly because of their impressive uniforms.

My airport suggestion: Supplement the TSA with the armed National Guard.

The National Guard was established way back in 1636 as a local militia to defend the colonies. Unfortunately, it now is being used primarily for nation building abroad. Highlights of the two organizations:

•The National Guard now has about 469,000 service men and women. About 47,000 of them are in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its estimated budget this year is about $24.7 billion.

•The TSA has about 60,000 employees. Its budget this year is $7.6 billion.

If the Guard were brought back to defend us at home, especially at our airports and seaports, it would perform its original purpose. And it could help us understand why the role of the TSA also is so important.

Feedback: Other views on TSA

"I helped create the Transportation Security Administration to ensure our government was adhering to its clearest mandate: to keep Americans safe."

—Norman Mineta, former U.S. secretary of Transportation

"Transportation security officers are on the front lines of our national security. The American people must be assured that airline travel is safe, that their privacy rights are protected, and that TSOs are dedicated to their safety and to this nation."

— Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, chairwoman of a Homeland Security subcommittee

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