Ernest Hancock
Letters to the Editor • Homeland Security
Homeland Security: Are You a TWIC—Work Card Security Risk?
• NewsRecently 131
Veterans For Peace Demonstrators were Arrested In Front of White House.
Veterans For Peace Demonstrations and Civil Disobedience have brought attention
to America’s ongoing costly wars. Should Americans be concerned that Citizens
may subsequently be afraid to participate in lawful demonstrations against U.S.
Government after Homeland Security issues millions of TWIC “right to work
Cards” for private sector jobs; that Homeland Security may (disqualify)
Veterans For Peace and other Civil Demonstrators—being issued TWIC Work Cards
on the basis they are a “Security Risk?” Such concerns by working people could
silence, intimidate Americans speaking out against Government.
The TWIC government website for issuing Work Cards states,
that job applicants deemed a “Security Risk” (convicted of specified crimes
listed by HLS), will not be issued a TWIC Card to work at certain private
sector jobs/and current employees denied TWIC Cards can be fired. The TWIC site
further states, HLS will inform rejected job applicants and fired employees the
reason Homeland Security would not issue them a TWIC work Card; rejected job
applicants and fired employees may appeal.
But realistically does HLS have to respond or fully
provide a job applicant or fired employee the reason they were denied a TWIC
Work Card? HLS can refuse to respond or not fully on the basis that doing so
could threaten National Security or compromise an ongoing investigation.
Other countries to protect national security, to safeguard
ports, trains and airways, have created agencies similar to TWIC, but moved
forward to crush civil liberties. In the beginning e.g. the German Reich
Government without public oversight, barred Germans holding certain private
sector jobs that were threats to national Security, but soon prevented lawful
Germans getting work because they spoke out or protested against the Nazi
government. Could TWIC be similarly abused? Consider that TSA has put a large
number of lawful Americans on “No Fly Lists.” Many that made requests to
government to learn why they are on the “No Fly List”, were not provided an
explanation by HLS/TSA. TSA is now in the process of labeling lawful Americans
as "Extremists" that publicly oppose TSA mandated X-ray scans and
invasive body-pat-downs at airports. So is it problematic Americans denied TWIC
work cards might be treated similarly when requesting to know why they were
denied a work card?
Who is a security risk? Currently HLS utilizes over 90
national FUSION CENTERS that obtain and store information on ordinary
Americans. Fusion Centers nationally share information with law enforcement
agencies that among other sources receive information from informants. Could
erroneous information provided by snitches to local police/HLS be used by HLS
not to issue a TWIC work card to Citizens never charged or convicted of a
crime? Under such circumstances how would Americans denied the right to work
rebuke the allegations of an informant?
Visit TWIC Website: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/twic_faqs.shtm#denied_twic




