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calendar   Thursday - February 26, 2009

Thwarting the local terrorists

Not exactly. But this article is about 2 guys who work summers in a park 20 minutes west of here, over in Easton PA.

Twigging the TWIC



TSA declares Mule skinners must have biometric IDs


A federal anti-terror law that requires longshoremen, truckers and others to submit to criminal background checks has ensnared another class of transportation worker—mule drivers.

Yes, so-called mule skinners—in this case, seasonal workers who dress in colonial garb at a historical park in Easton, Pa.—must apply for biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC), according to the Transportation Security Administration, which says it is bound by federal law.image

The requirement has officials of the Hugh Moore Historical Park perplexed.

“We have one boat. It’s pulled by two mules. On a good day they might go 2 miles per hour,” said Sarah B. Hays, the park’s director of operations.

The park’s two-mile canal does not pass any military bases, nuclear power plants or other sensitive facilities. And, park officials say, the mules could be considered weapons of mass destruction only if they were aimed at something resembling food.

In December, Hayes wrote to Rep. Charles Dent, R-Pennsylvania, about the requirement. Dent, in turn, wrote to the TSA requesting a waiver, noting the mode of transportation involved was “mule-drawn canal boats.”

In January, the TSA responded, noting the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 applies to all mariners holding U.S. Coast Guard-issued credentials.

“We encourage the crew members… who possess Coast Guard mariner credentials to obtain a TWIC at their earliest convenience to comply with these requirements and not risk suspension or revocation of their other credentials,” the TSA wrote.

Two guys, two old mules, one creaky wooden canal boat. It’s not like tens of thousands of people flock to this place either. It’s a nice little trip, but it isn’t very popular. And there really isn’t anywhere terrorists could even go in the boat. It doesn’t have an engine, or sails. I’m not sure it even has a rudder. And I’m not sure that you can even get it out of the canal and into the Lehigh River.

image




TWIC on the other hand, is as high tech as it gets, at least for ID cards in the US. It’s one of those whiz-bang ID cards with holograms and funny colored engraving and all sorts of neat stuff that you can’t reproduce on a copier or a computer printer. Plus it contains your fingerprints, but I’d at least hope they were in a digital format, so that the “biometric identifier” part is properly high tech as well.

It does seems like overkill for these 2 seasonal part time workers to have to get such an ID, but it’s also overkill for them to have to be registered with the US Coast Guard. But since they give people a boat ride for money, that makes them professional mariners. Even if the placid stagnant water in the canal is only 5 feet deep.

On Wednesday, the mule skinner debate reached Capitol Hill, when Dent asked new Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about the necessity of conducting background checks on mule drivers. He displayed a photo of two mules, Hank and George, tugging a canal boat in the company of two park employee mule drivers in colonial working attire.

“Now Hank and George, while sometimes are ornery, they are not terrorists,” Dent said. Napolitano said she would try to be flexible.

“Obviously this is a picture designed to say ‘Hey, isn’t it absurd that they be required to have TWIC cards.’” Napolitano said. “Um, let’s work with you on this particular case, if we might.”

Park officials say four or five park employees typically have Coast Guard credentials to operate the canal boat, and the extra expense of a TWIC card, which is at least an extra $100 on top of fees for Coast Guard credentials, is unwelcome.

“I think the rule was written and the policy was set up for all the big shipping, and they never even considered something outside the normal bounds,” Hays said.

Dent said he will work on a “common sense” solution with Napolitano.



Well, maybe they ought to go through the serious background check that TWIC entails. Who knows, maybe these people are ... a hidden threat. They could grab the rope and run away with the canal boat passengers as hostages. All the way to the other end of the 1 mile long canal.

Besides, that TWIC ID might help them get real jobs in the off season.


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