'Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me:' TSA

In January, we reported on Richard Moore, who walked onto a 737 in Florida without a ticket. Now, there's another such story, except this time, an alert mechanic didn't find him.

Of course, neither did the high-priced and overpopulated TSA, the agency that's going to make us all safe from… everything and everybody, by having us all take our shoes off before boarding, and dumping out our wallets and purses, and… well, you know the drill by now.

A week and a half ago, it seems that 21-year-old Louis Esquivel of San Antonio (TX) outsmarted the whole FAA, TSA, FBI, and American Airlines, and climbed aboard a regional jet at Pittsburgh International Airport. He was found, asleep, curled up on the seats at about 5:30 in the morning. He wasn't planning to travel -- he had no ticket -- but he was comfortable enough to catch some shuteye. A flight attendant found him.

When he was caught, police were interested in just how he had managed to elude everybody. He said, according to reports, that he had ducked behind a ticket counter, crawled to a baggage drop, and ridden the system to the tarmac, where he found the keys to a vehicle in the ashtray. Then, he said, he drove to the plane, found the door open, and went in. Then he was tired, and you know the rest.

The airport has 300 surveillance cameras, many of which cover the supposed route Esquivel took, and many more that monitored the perimeter, that Esquivel says he breached by climbing fences and hopping barricades.

The TSA czar (FSD) at the airport, Robert Blose, is another pensioned military officer, having served 30 years in the United States Marine Corps, most recently at the U.S. Naval Academy as the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. At the time of his appointment, DoT Secretary Mineta said, "We are very lucky to have Colonel Blose working for us here in Pittsburgh. He will be our personal representative, responsible for ensuring the safety of our skies and fulfilling the Transportation Department’s role in the war on terrorism." Mineta didn't have any comment this year.

FMI: www.tsa.gov