Might I say that you may a cause for legal relief.
Your paid ticket, confirmed by the boarding pass you showed the TSA, is a binding contract between you and the carrier. A third-party cannot nullify that contract by its independent actions. (or am I incorrect in the Age of Obamugabe?)
Interesting theory.
Tortious interference with contract would do, but I suppose there is some fine print in my ticket that subjugates me to the TSA rules.
This pat-down controversy is not going to die down. I plan to pursue this issue until it is recinded. I figure a couple of weeks and it will be history.