Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/19974
Friday, November 19, 2010 – Daily News – 7A Lawmaker calls to replace TSA with private contractors ATLANTA (AP) — In a climate of Internet cam- paigns to shun airport pat- downs and veteran pilots suing over their treatment by government screeners, some airports are consid- ering another way to show dissatisfaction: Ditching TSA agents altogether. Federal law allows air- ports to opt for screeners from the private sector instead. The push is being led by a powerful Florida congressman who’s a longtime critic of the Transportation Security Administration and counts among his cam- paign contributors some of the companies who might take the TSA’s place. Furor over airline pas- senger checks has grown as more airports have installed scanners that produce digital images of the body’s contours, and the anger intensified when TSA added a more intrusive style of pat- down recently for those who opt out of the full- body scans. Some travel- ers are using the Internet to organize protests aimed at the busy travel days next week surrounding Thanksgiving. For Republican Rep. John Mica of Florida, the way to make travelers feel more comfortable would be to kick TSA employ- ees out of their posts at the ends of the snaking security lines. This month, he wrote letters to nation’s 100 busiest air- ports asking that they request private security guards instead. ‘‘I think we could use half the personnel and streamline the system,’’ Mica said Wednesday, calling the TSA a bloated bureaucracy. Chief counsel recommends censure for congressman Rangel WASHINGTON (AP) — The House ethics com- mittee’s chief counsel rec- ommended Thursday that veteran Rep. Charles Rangel of New York be censured for financial and fundraising misconduct as lawmakers neared closure on a 2 1/2-year-long scan- dal. The committee deliber- ated behind closed doors Thursday after counsel Blake Chisam made his recommendation and Rangel pleaded for fairness, telling the panel he was not a crooked politician. Chisam’s recommenda- tion was that Rangel receive the most serious congressional discipline short of expulsion. A cen- sure resolution would require a vote by the House disapproving Rangel’s con- duct and the speaker would orally administer an embar- rassing rebuke to the 20- term Democrat in front of his colleagues. The ethics committee, made up of five Democrats and five Republicans, could opt for lighter punishments, such as a reprimand, fine or a report deploring Rangel’s behavior. The full House would have to vote on a reprimand or fine, but Rangel would be spared the embarrass- ment of being rebuked at the front of the chamber, called the well. The House also could change the rec- WORLD BRIEFING cans. ommended discipline by making it more serious or less serious. Near-acquittal of detainee reignites debate over terror trials NEW YORK (AP) — The near-acquittal of the first Guantanamo detainee tried in federal court is reigniting the debate over whether to bring terrorism suspects to justice in the civilian legal system. The Obama administration made it clear Thursday that its position has not changed. Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in Washington that the administration will continue to rely on a combination of civilian courts and military tribunals to handle terrorism cases. His comments came a day after Ahmed Ghailani was acquitted in federal court in New York on all but one of more than 280 charges that he took part in the al-Qaida bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The twin attacks in 1998 killed 224 people, including a dozen Ameri- Miller described the con- spiracy conviction as ‘‘another in a long line of verdicts where federal civil- ian courts have shown the ability to deliver fair trials and long sentences.’’ And White House spokesman Robert Gibbs pointed out that Ghailani still faces a heavy penalty that will ensure he ‘‘isn’t going to threaten American lives’’ — a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life. Jobless benefits to end, Congress mulls cuts for top earners WASHINGTON (AP) — Jobless benefits will run out for 2 million people dur- ing the holiday season unless they are renewed by a Congress that’s focusing more attention on a quarrel over preserving tax cuts for people making more than $200,000 a year. It’s looking iffy at best whether Congress will renew jobless benefits aver- aging $310 per week nationwide that are present- ly claimed by almost 5 mil- lion people who have been out of work for more than six months. An extension of jobless benefits enacted this sum- mer expires Dec. 1, and on Thursday, a bill to extend them for three months failed in the House. Democrats brought the bill to the floor under fast-track rules that required a two-thirds vote to pass. Republicans opposed the legislation because they were denied a chance to attach spending cuts, so the measure fell despite win- ning a 258-154 majority. In Thursday’s vote, 21 Republicans joined with Democrats in favor. Eleven moderate-to-conservative Democrats opposed the bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., promised to bring the measure back to the floor after Thanksgiving to try to enact an emergency measure that extend bene- fits at least through the holi- days. But Senate Democrats don’t have time; instead, they hope the jobless bene- fits issue gets addressed in year-end negotiations over taxes and other important year-end legislation. 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