George McGovern: Abolish the TSA and Homeland Security

Former Sen. and Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern, who ran on an anti-Vietnam war platform, is calling for the Transportation Security Administration and the entire Homeland Security Department to be eliminated, reports The Hill.

In a new book, What It Means to be a Democrat he says that current airport security procedures are "ridiculous." He writes, further:

The whole silliness of our response is exemplified by what has happened at our airports. Once sources of architectural pride, air terminals are now barricaded behind concrete. Inside we are required to remove our shoes and belts, hand over our gels and liquids and submit to body scans – with the ante being raised each time there's a new scare.

What upsets me the most is when I see an elderly woman trying her dardedest to comply with these ridiculous rules. As if she could possibility harboring an explosive in her suitcase," he continued. "Now that our initial distress over 9/11 has dissipated, I suggest that we stop this needless hassle, a palliative that costs $7 billion a year and rising.