TSA abuse has been going on for years – here’s my story

TSA News ^ | December 29, 2011 | Wendy Thomson

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I'm not Wendy Thomson. I merely posted the article.

[Daveinyork]

One time, I forgot to take off my watch before going through the metal detector, so I covered it with my hand, as they used to tell us to do pre 9-11. I was told to hold my arms out straight and go through again. They did not advise me to take my watch off. I don’t fly very often, so some of what is required is not habitual to me. Naturally my watch, which has a metal band set off the alarms. The TSA still didn’t ask me to remove my watch and go through again. Instead they pulled me aside and wanded me and patted me down. The wand was shoved up into my crotch, and the pat down got a bit personal. In retrospect, I think it was a TSA agent on a power trip. For those of you who are nostalgic for Bush, remember that he gave us Homeland Security and TSA.

[goat granny]

My niece was traveling from Maryland to Michigan to visit my sister. She had a breast prosthesis due to breast removal for cancer...the ass hole that checked her made her take out the prosthesis without giving her any privacy...she drove up this last time for my sisters birthday. Said she would never fly again...something is wrong with this country and airport security. (she said she really wanted to throw the prosthesis into the jerks face)

[FrogMom]

Since they seemed to concentrate on the woman’s upper torso, I must ask, is she well-endowed?

I am, and always get groped, too. If it’s within two days drive, we drive.

[Lazamataz]

I wouldn’t fly if you gave me first class, free tickets, and I got ‘favors’ from a beautiful stewardess the entire time.

[goat granny]

She is not a young woman, in her fifties but I never noticed if she is well endowed or not....probably wanted to see the prosthesis because it could be explosive gel (like some woman would blow herself up with her breasts) still no excuse for not giving her privacy and they probably couldn't tell explosive gel if it was dropped into their laps......I will never fly. No more trips to Alaska :O(.

Hate to bring race into it, but wonder if white women get groped more than black women...and is someone of a different race doing the groping.

[econjack]

The really sad thing about all of this is that TSA does absolutely nothing to enhance your safety. Any terrorist can simply wait in the airport employees’ parking lot, knock an employee out and steal their ID badge, stripe the card at the employee gate (which is almost never manned), and from that point on, they have full access to the tarmac, baggage area, and the planes themselves. All TSA does is raise the cost of flying...it’s a very bad joke.

[PGR88]

[Lazamataz]

Since they seemed to concentrate on the woman’s upper torso, I must ask, is she well-endowed? I am, and always get groped, too.

Dear FrogMom,

I invite you to Lazamataz International Airport (LAZ) for a free flight and free security screening.

A few of my friends will help me.

[kitkat]

“For those of you who are nostalgic for Bush, remember that he gave us Homeland Security and TSA.”

He also fought unionizing the TSA, but Congress pushed it anyway.

[Jack Hydrazine]

You should hire Cam while you are at it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ytMx7irm-c

[Daveinyork]

And so what? He imposed martial law in our airports.

[Ditter]

We don’t fly much, 2 or 3 times a year but we have never had this stuff done to us.

[freedumb2003]

I keep telling them I am gay and demand a female screener — so far no luck...

[Mouton]

I think everyone misses the point of TSA at the airports...it is not to catch the terrorists..it is to employ them as screeners so they can terrorize all the passengers.

[13nrLou]

Thanks for posting this! I am also a transtibial amputee and travel frequently. My amputation is recent (9/9) and on my first screening I was gropped heavily (3/10) during a pointless 30 min search that never looked at my prosthesis. Like Wendy, I figured the best thing for everyone was that I put my prosthesis through the x-ray and hop through, which I did around 50 times all over the country for over a year. Then a few months ago I tripped a metal detector twice and hoped over to secondary as instructed. There, while following TSA instructions, two police officers flanked me and said “come with us”. I objected, asked for grounds, and was td I was being arrested for charges “we’ll figure out later”! I was put to the ground twice (hoping on one leg with nothing but jeans and a tee shirt). I bailed out that night, went back to the airport, did exactly the same thing with the same possessions at thesame check point, and got on the plane. Turns out, you are not allowed to remove a prosthesis in a TSA check point — because it’s embarrassing! You must go through secondary! There are no signs and no-one has ever told me not to. TSA dropped it, but the police still have charges on me (resisting strewed and other bs) and I’m still waiting for a court date.

[Tigerized]

The first presidential candidate that promises the elimination of the DHS will get my full support.

There are much better ways to catch terrorists than punishing the flying public. The Israelis have been doing it successfully for decades.

[theBuckwheat]

“This insanity must stop.”

Part of stopping this insanity is to remember that it was Senator Charles Schumer (D, NY) who assured us that if airport security staff were made federal employees that they would be much more “professional.”

We must never forget that government is only power, and like fire a wonderful servant, but a horrible master. In saying this, George Washington was warning us to never allow government to think it is our master, which clearly the TSA does. We must put TSA on an ever-shorter leash until the relationship the citizen is return to his proper position with that agency.

[jrd]

from what I’ve seen here in Atlanta the TSA is job core for the under privileged who enjoy harassing the people who come through

[ml/nj]

Funny how they can clear you onto a military base with just an ID check and maybe a look in ones car trunk, but they cannot seem to understand that almost all of my flights for 40+ years now are to or from an airport close to my home, and that it is not worth spending any time on me.

ML/NJ