What The State Wants To Hide

December 29, 2010
by Bob Livingston

A pilot with a major United States airline was confronted at his home in early December by four Federal air marshals and two sheriff’s deputies who were there to confiscate his Federally-issued firearm and his state-issued permit to carry a concealed firearm.

His crime? He posted a series of videos to YouTube that showed flaws in the Transportation Security Administration’s screening procedures.

The videos — since removed from YouTube — demonstrate how the flight crews are subjected to intensive pre-flight TSA screenings while the ground crews that service the aircraft are able to access secure areas by swiping a card, pushing tool boxes that are never searched. The videos also show a rescue ax on the airliner’s flight deck… available to pilots who have just been screened for weapons.

The pilot is Chris Liu, a 50-year-old who was deputized by the TSA to carry a gun in the cockpit and is a helicopter test pilot in the Army Reserve who has flown missions for the United Nations overseas.

The pilot’s attorney, Don Werno, said he believes the Federal government sent six people to Liu’s home to send a message: “And the message was you’ve angered us by telling the truth and by showing America that there are major security problems despite the fact that we’ve spent billions of dollars allegedly to improve airline safety,â€