TSA pat-down leaves traveler covered in urine

[NYMdaveNYI]

Source: MSNBC

A retired special education teacher on his way to a wedding in Orlando, Fla., said he was left humiliated, crying and covered with his own urine after an enhanced pat-down by TSA officers recently at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

“I was absolutely humiliated, I couldn’t even speak,” said Thomas D. “Tom” Sawyer, 61, of Lansing, Mich.

Sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor who now wears a urostomy bag, which collects his urine from a stoma, or opening in his stomach. “I have to wear special clothes and in order to mount the bag I have to seal a wafer to my stomach and then attach the bag. If the seal is broken, urine can leak all over my body and clothes.”

<...>

Humiliated, upset and wet, Sawyer said he had to walk through the airport soaked in urine, board his plane and wait until after takeoff before he could clean up.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40291856/ns/travel-news/

---

Another demonstration of the growing backlash against the TSA’s molestation of passengers at security checks.

[barbtries]

1. that is horrifying.

i just can't believe that this will be allowed to stand. either be stripped by a machine or have your body violated by a stranger. it sooo sucks.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NYMdaveNYI]

31. Ooh, don’t forget Tan-Man Boehner...

He gets waived through security lines.

[saigon68]

37. He got the Green Flag like the starting field at the INDY 500

Yes MR BONER cruised through at 75 MPH

[NYMdaveNYI]

39. dont you mean the

ORANGE flag?

[saigon68]

42. Well yes I am from Northern Ireland

[NYMdaveNYI]

44. I was referring to

Speaker Boner’s skin.

[saigon68]

46. LOL ---- Right On !!!

I thought so

[wordpix]

66. ha! nice one

[sam sarrha]

165. but he only uses Politics to Terrorize the Under Class.. thats OK

[sam sarrha]

168. but ..."Who" ...are the Terrorists they are protecting us from... why mess with us.??

[james0tucson]

21. Here's what needs to happen.

Someone important, and by that I mean with enough money and enough credibility to press the issue fully (NOT "don't touch my junk guy!") needs to accuse a TSA screener of assault and press charges against the individual. I don't mean a lawsuit against the TSA, but a criminal charge of assault against the individual. They aren't police officers. Their protection from criminal liability is pretty limited.

We don't need a Rosa Parks. We need one of these people to be forced to mount a defense against something that is described as a crime at the time and place they did it.

[roguevalley]

27. I cannot imagine the average TSA person likes to do this. I would

have a nervous breakdown. A job is a job and i know people are afraid to speak up but as badly as we want this gone, I can only imagine what the TSA people think.

[Larry Ogg]

107. This kind of job requires a person that has no conscience...

So the government will be recruiting loose cannons / people with dangerous character disorders such as psychopaths and sociopaths. Unfortunately these are the kind of people the TSA is allegedly protecting the public from. And it is most likely what happened in Germany as the Nazis began to tightened their grip.

Again people of conscience need not apply for this job...

[RKP5637]

161. Yep, that's what I was thinking ... the torturers, SS, all ... say well, it's just a

job, all in a days work. This country is on such a slippery slope to the bottom. Paranoia is now being used to rip away more and more civil rights. Many citizens will eventually wonder WTF happened as aggressive checks get applied to trains, buses, people yanked from private cars for inspections ... walking down the street ... this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is how it happens, a gradual erosion of civil rights propelled by fear and paranoia right into a police state.

There are many that love doing this kind of stuff. TSA might not have the right individuals yet, but the potential exists for these individuals to become a prominent part of TSA and similar.

[saigon68]

169. TSA might not have the right individuals yet

But they are looking for them



Women guards at Bergen-Belsen, after the camp was liberated

Juana Bormann



Bormann was later incarcerated and interrogated by the military, then prosecuted at the Belsen Trial which lasted from September 17, 1945 to November 17, 1945. The court heard testimony relating to murders she had committed at Auschwitz and Belsen, sometimes unleashing her "big bad wolfhound" German shepherd on helpless prisoners. She was found guilty and hanged (along with Grese and Volkenrath) on December 13, 1945.

[RKP5637]

172. Yep, they are out there, they will come forward for employment. These

personalities never go away, they are there, just under the surface. I'm sure many think, 'oh, that could never happen in the USA,' and that, is delusional thinking.

[saigon68]

185. They are ready and able to sexually assault your child

in the name of security-- to prevent a religious nut job from blowing up some corporate bond traders

[primavera]

232. It's not hard to recruit for specific personality traits

I recall the former Border Patrol (now ICE) used to run ads and recruitment materials which proudly boasted at the top: "Join the Border Patrol and Get to Carry a Gun!" Skills sought included ability to physically manhandle suspects. What do you know, they got a bunch of trigger-happy bullies.

[RKP5637]

233. Yep, just like the SS and Gestapo in WWII. They never die off, are always with

us and ready to go into action with ads like that ...

[The abyss]

245. saigon68 - Thank you!

As always well stated

[chervilant]

111. hmm...

As much as I cling to the precious hope that human beings are inherently good and that the TSA folks don't 'like to do this,' I am reminded of Philip Zimbardo's now iconic prison experiment conducted in 1971 at Stanford University. Zimbardo had to terminate his experiment prematurely because his college student participants who played 'prison guards' quickly became sadistic and the students who played 'prisoners' became stressed, anxious, and depressed. A measurable percentage of the TSA are likely to relish their 'big fish in a small pond' status, and respond accordingly.

[undergroundpanther]

118. Not all people are good,there are bad people,

They do not change, Don't see nothing wrong with the abuses they do to others,and will never stop abusing and manipulating others. They feel no guilt, remorse or shame.
Yes it is true, some people are evil.It is in their biology and personality type.The more you research this topic the more you realize the stark differences between people of conscience and those without.

http://www.cix.co.uk/~klockstone/spath.htm

[chervilant]

128. Actually,

the students Zimbardo used in his experiment were all tested prior to the onset of the 'prison' experience, and were chosen because of their normative scores. I encourage you to read about this significant glimpse at our species' "fine line between normal and monster."

I've posted here on DU before that I've been watching as more and more of us resort to 'react' mode, letting our inchoate fears and frustrations manifest as road rage, name-calling, sarcasm, and other forms of mental, emotional and physical violence. Do I think we humans are experiencing a critical tipping point in our evolution as a species? You bet. Do I think we can do anything about it? I'm becoming increasingly skeptical.

Consider another historically significant experiment: one by John C. Calhoun, who studied the effects of overcrowding on rats. We seldom acknowledge the import of overpopulation, but Calhoun's research with rats has proven that when a critical level of overpopulation occurs, the outcome isn't pretty. With rats, abnormal sexual behavior, hyperaggression, eating their young, and increased mortality are a few of the problems that occurred. With humans, well...perhaps, it's past time we acknowledge that our species has passed a critical tipping point.


And, FYI, I recommend a little book that flamed out soon after it was published (because, heaven forbid we should look at our species' ubiquitous tendency to avoid personal responsibility): The Dog Ate My Homework by Vincent Barry.

[rucognizant]

137. Hooray!

Somebody besides me remembers John C Calhpoun's rat experiment!

[RKP5637]

162. Yep, a well done study. There is a fine veil between civilization and barbarianism. The

short of it is, monkey see, monkey do. I really fear for the direction this is taking this nation.

[Jackpine Radical]

159. TSA people are very upset and unhappy

with this new bullshit. They don't like doing it any more than we like receiving it. It isn't what they signed on for.

[rexcat]

222. If anyone complains about to them (TSA)

and security or lack of at the airports all they say is you don't have to fly. My answer to you is they don't have to work for the TSA. They can always get another job somewhere else. There is no way I feel sorry for these people. I have had two pat downs this year and both times I was hurt by the asshat doing the pat down. There was no reason for me being hurt other than incompetence and a mean streak. Get real!

[JackintheGreen]

40. I dunno if Penn Jillette is enough

but he had an interesting experience that might fit the bill.

http://www.pennandteller.com/03/coolstuff/penniphile/roadpennfederalvip.html

[WillParkinson]

65. Now that...

Was a great story!

[awoke_in_2003]

125. "We don't need a Rosa Parks"

oh yes, as a country, we severely need someone of that caliber.

[LeighAnn]

180. Problem is the victim goes away

Literally, hundreds and thousands of miles away. Right after a person is victimized by TSA, they get on a plane that takes them far away from local law enforcement. It's all good and well for the prosecutor in San Francisco to vow to prosecute TSA personnel who sexually assault passengers, but how's that going to happen when the victims are immediately tranported out of their jurisdiction after the assault?

[gtar100]

136. That's what their after. Watch now as the republicans call for privatizing TSA.

After all, TSA wants to unionize. What better way to stop it than to make them look like a bunch of asses hated by everyone.

[Swede Atlanta]

143. It is already happening

Orlando Airport is about to announce it is changing to a private company in 2011. There is a Repuke Congresscritter that has written to hundreds of airports around the country encouraging them to dump the TSA and move to private contractors.

Wasn't the whole idea behind TSA that there would be a single standard for screenings nationally? This would be accomplished through standard hiring, training, procedure and discipline.

As bad as this is, and it is, can you imagine what it will be like when you have private companies whose incentive is driven by volume running airport security? They will force you to go through the porno scanner. For those that demand a patdown I can see this going one of two ways. The contract with the airport authority will either be driven purely by volume, i.e. the number of passengers handled or it will be by volume augmented by extra charges for special conditions.

If it is the previous, i.e. volume alone, the private company will intimidate people into going through the scanners and for those that dare to exercise their right not to will be subject to very invasive, demeaning treatment because they are affecting the bottom line.

If it is the latter, i.e. volume for those that use normal procedures (the porno machine) augmented by extra charges for those that don't, the private company may actually encourage people to opt out because it means extra money for the company.

You will have different standards, processes, etc. even if these private companies are supposed to follow the national standard. Recall what has happened with our so-called private mercenary armies in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are loose corks.

As bad as TSA is, I would prefer airport security to be federalized and the problems with hiring, training and procedure be fixed.

[christx30]

238. I like the idea of a private company doing it

if a private company employee messes with you, you have someone to complain to, ie the government. If a TSA agent messes with you, who are you going to complain to? They ARE the government.

edited to ad:

the TSA screeners are also concerned with through-put. I was headed to NH fron TX a few years ago and I had gotten through security and stopped to put on my shoes. There was no where to sit, so I had to stand there and do it. keep in mind I'm trying to go through fast as possible with a wife, two kids, 4 carry ons, and 4 pairs of shoes. Woman scolded me like I was some @#$# child. "Sir, you need to move out of the way NOW."

[newspeak]

242. I am against privatizing

you think you have it bad now, just wait if it's privatized. Actually, I thought TSA was privatized. I remember when they set up TSA and I was praying it would be a public agency and I thought it wound up being privatized. All we do is have to peruse how those private prisons are going (accidental deaths, escapes and judge kick backs for bringing new customers into the fold. Then there's the great job privatizing has done for our soldiers, tainted water, toxic fume exposure, shocking showers.

Is TSA privatized? I know that the government is already giving contracts to corporations for some intelligence work. If it is privatized, you have less representation than more if it's public.

I know, since our MP are over seas, that security on bases have been privatized. And, what I have experienced, some are down right rude to our soldiers. When it was the military security, they were always so respectful when entering on base. I do not want some for profit, low paying, "treat you like shite" corporation getting an overpaid contract.

[christx30]

240. TSA goes on strike one day

that will shut down all air traffic in this country, crippling it. And that will make the president of the union the most powerful person in the country.

[gtar100]

244. Don't quite know what you're getting at. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Or something in between.

Because all the crap that TSA is doing now is happening in a non-union shop. So best not to make unions the boogie-man. The boogie-man is already in charge.

[Liberal_in_LA]

209. +1000

[woo me with science]

2. This makes me furious.

How dare they. What the hell is happening to my country?

[Iowa]

90. And Obama just announced that it's all OK with him...

[awoke_in_2003]

127. our country...

began its slow death on 22NOV1963

[Xipe Totec]

3. The Tits Scrotum and Ass inspection team at work nt

[niyad]

4. you nearly owed me a monitor!!

[LibDemAlways]

10. Awesome. n/t

[FormerDittoHead]

12. It's got a name: "Gate Rape" n/t

[Xipe Totec]

15. I like that!

But one is the perpetrator, the other one is the crime.

[kurtzapril4]

Really? Really.

Ever been raped? This ain't NOTHING like being raped. Period. Take my word for it. And straight to hell with anyone who thinks it is.

The hyperbole around this issue is ridiculous. Yeah, get all furious at the peons who hate touching *your* sweaty, smelly junk as much as you hate having it touched. Why, they're all perverts, and enjoying it, right? Even though when they took the job...intrusive pat downs and porn scanners weren't part of it.

The agents should just quit, right? Since jobs are so plentiful right now, and all. They should just quit their jobs, and become homeless and hungry. After all, it's the right thing to do.

Your anger is mis-placed. Blame it on the people who made it happen...DHS, TSA, and the people who put these policies in place.

[NYMdaveNYI]

47. No one should lash out at

the agents themselves. Many of them hate this procedure more than we do.

I read something about a TSA agent who said she went home every night and cried because she had been called a “creep,” “molester,” and “pervert” for doing her job.

It’s psychologically demoralizing and far more damaging for them.


-----

I agree with you.

[NJCher]

88. I hope she quits

What a crappy job--feeling crotches all day long. There is no amount of money in the world that would get me to take such a job.


Cher

[dddem]

155. What if you had to pay rent?

Or feed your kids? This situation sucks. This economy sucks. paople sometimes have to do sucky jobs. That doesn't make them sucky people, necessarily.

[NJCher]

223. I've been very careful

Not to put myself in that position.


Cher

[dddem]

224. Careful is good. But even careful people get unlucky

My cousin's husband was laid off when he was in his 50's. TSA was the only job he could get after being out of work for almost a year. Lucky for him he found something in his field (guy holds a Master's Degree for crying out loud). He was delighted to give up the TSA job - he hated it, but it paid the bills for a while. I'm just suggesting that although I agree that this whole thing is ridiculous (and a big show in my opinion - to make the masses feel safe and secure), lumping all the folks that work for the TSA as an evil group is, in my opinion, akin to profiling, and not really fair to those poor saps that are just trying to pay the bills.
***
After re-reading your comment, I need to edit - For the record, I am not trying to imply that you personally are guilty of making such assumptions about all th agents that work for the TSA, and I apologize if I came across that way.
Peace.

[FormerDittoHead]

96. Who lashed out at the agents? n/t

[kurtzapril4]

99. Damn near everyone on this thread.

The agents are perverts, retarded, molestors, rapists, ad infinitum. Didn't you suggest calling it "Gate Rape?"

[Boudica the Lyoness]

98. A lot of women have been raped

and that's why the behaviour from the TSA so traumatic for them.

And that is quiet enough from you referring to other peoples genitals as sweaty and smelly. Please only talk about your own parts like that and not other peoples.

By the way; I would rather go homeless and hungry than do the awful shit they are doing to people.

[sabrina 1]

120. Well said, thank you!

[Pacifist Patriot]

177. Agreed!

[TorchTheWitch]

187. Say that when you're homeless and hungry

Some of us have actually BEEN there and know what it's like to be forced into a disgusting situation just so you can eat and not sleep in a snow bank.

[On the Road]

102. There's a Lot of Overreaction on This Issue

but unlike a lot of it, what Penn Jillette did was smart and constructive. Enough people attacking it from different angles might eventually result in a change in policy.

[demwing]

103. Yeah...riiight. They're just soldiers following orders, right?

Complete lack of accountability, because they just have a job to do. And who are we to get angry anyway?

Who the hell are we to get angry?

[S_B_Jackson]

112. Ordinarily, I'd agree with you....

but in this instance, what happened to Mr. Sawyer can indeed be compared to a rape. And he has much less recourse other than a civil suit in which everyone will be pointing their finger at someone else, and no on can be held truly accountable except our government which will claim "sovereign immunity". And keep in mind that those KEEPING these policies in place are Democrats - who should know better but are proving every bit as fascist-inclinded as W and the GOP-mafia.

[battycoda]

160. Actually, this is a lot like being sexually assaulted.

I am a rape survivor.

While the TSA scan I endured last week (PHL to CHI) didn't involve forcible penetration, it DID involve a stranger putting hands -- forcefully -- on areas of my body that I consider private. Unannounced, unwanted and aggressively.

I damn near had a panic attack, and the more agitated and upset I got, the more stern and rough the scanner got. It did not matter that it was a female TSA agent performing the pat-down; all of the emotional trauma of having my body appropriated by someone else came flooding back.

I will never fly again, and I would not subject my daughters to what I consider to be a form of sexual harassment bordering on assault.

[GinaMaria]

174. it's part of the same continuum

Gate Rape, is a perfect name for it.

Thanks for your post.

[FormerDittoHead]

247. Note: "Gate Rape" leads in 2010's Urban Dictionary "Word of the Year" voting...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/woty.php

Thought of you when I saw that "Gate Rape" is far and away leading the other entries.

PS: Complain to THEM - I'm just the messenger.

[SammyWinstonJack]

72. LOL!

:spray:

[barbtries]

5. there's a survey on the same page

regarding opt-out day - it's supported by 71% of responders.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Little Star]

7. .

[LibDemAlways]

9. +1000. n/t

[saigon68]

246. `

[Caretha]

20. + 1000

thank you for your post!

[NYMdaveNYI]

22. He also infringed upon rule #2

Dressing appropriately for the flight.

How dare this inconsiderate douche make the TSA’s job harder with his precious “bladder condition.”

Suck it up.

:sarcasm:

[jonnyblitz]

35. !!!!

:thumbsup:

speaking of patronizing gasbags,( not you ,Bonobo).

[LibDemAlways]

8. People who experience this type of humiliation courtesy of

tsa absolutely must keep coming forward. I cannot imagine anyone not being appalled by this. And this is something the man will be in for each and every time he flies because he will never pass muster on the scan.

Complain to the airlines and Congress. This shit has to stop.

Tits, Scrotum, and Ass - Perfect!

[FormerDittoHead]

11. We're number one! Proud to be an American! When are you flying next, Tom?

I haven't been on a flight since August 2001. I've avoided it so far just because of the long delays.

Now this shit came down - someone's going to have to give me free tickets (including baggage handling fees) in order to get me on a plane nowadays.

[demigoddess]

14. haven't been on an airplane since 2000 and that was not a fun experience

I do not intend to fly anywhere until all this mess is over. No matter what.

[pattmarty]

16. Obama can fix this very, very easily. And you can bet he will after...........

............waffling for a week or so and after Republicans start bitching he will do a 180 from what he said today in Lisbon. Doesn't he even know the important shit that goes on in the agencies he is in charge of?

[RKP5637]

166. He'll test the waters and go with the flow, as usual ... n/t

[pattmarty]

221. Yep.

[JJW]

17. Necessary

Obama agrees with adviser, all this is necessary (too protect us).

[newspeak]

241. well, AQ is probably having a great laugh

one of their goals was to make sure our freedoms would be violated--seeing little gremlins everywhere. Those who are being hurt with this is Americans. How far will you go for that so-called protection. Illegal wiretapping, suspending habeas corpus, illegal search and seizures? Everything that this country once stood for is in jeopardy when you'll do anything for that so-called protection, even becoming a police state. "Those who relinquish liberty for a little security, deserve neither liberty nor security."

[saigon68]

18. Ahh a little Golden Shower for the NAZI thugs who assaulted him

[Irishonly]

19. The two stories haave almost caused me to have a stroke

It's been quite some time since I have been this angry. I am a cancer survivor and I probably would have been arrested because I would have thrown my "boob" in someone's face. This one has me so mad I am just shaking.

[The Philosopher]

23. That's fucking bullshit

I have to help my dad with his and they aren't easy to deal with. Occasionally you go through three or more during the day. There is no reason to make a person go through that kind of humiliation. Anyone defending these pat downs should be ashamed of themselves. They're the sort of person who never thins about the different kind of people in the world or their dignity as a human being. This is shameful. And the TSA admits it publicly with their actions, when they alter who gets the pat downs or not when the pilots threw a fit or people complained about the 3-year old's pat down. Considering those damned scanners are there for shady reasons, the whole thing is unclean. No one should be defending the TSA, no one.

[saigon68]

24. The TSA and CHEERLEADER NAPOLITANO need to go

I saw that apologist ENABLER on TV last night telling the public to bend over and take it up the ass



WELL----FUCK HER and the horse she rode in on

Actually it wasn't a horse she slithered in like a snake.

[NYMdaveNYI]

30. “Actually it wasn't a horse she slithered in like a snake."

A microcosm for much of this turncoat administration.

[saigon68]

36. Idiots all------ they have lost it

This story has legs

Once you have your privates fondled by double digit IQ Morans you will hate them all

[LibDemAlways]

38. Look what they did to this little kid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skkCpnCm7iM

This is one sick country we're living in when the government can undress a child in public and feel around his crotch.

[NYMdaveNYI]

41. What a sick fuck.

I would file a lawsuit if I were that kid’s father.

[saigon68]

43. And to think I thought only this guy and his acolytes did that

[Crunchy Frog]

78. I guess when I take my sons to Disney World we'll just have to do it as a road trip.

I won't let those TSA perverts anywhere near them.

[LibDemAlways]

92. Your boys are very cute. They grow up fast, so be sure to

enjoy every moment of their childhood.

Road trips can be a lot of fun and can inspire some moments you'll never forget. When my now 17-year-old daughter was 3, we took her on a road trip through California. One afternoon we passed a large reservoir and my husband called out to her, "Look at the big dam, honey." Without missing a beat, she innocently responded, "The big damn what, daddy?" We still laugh about it.

[GinaMaria]

176. OMG! That is horrifying

Did you see the way that poor kid pulled back?

Wonder if things would change if the airlines started losing money because of a decreased number of people flying. Maybe it's time to put their corporate lobbiests to work for us! This will be tough with the holidays around the corner, but I am writing the airlines today and telling them of my plan to boycott. The more pressure on these asswipes the better.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SammyWinstonJack]

74. +1 nt

[PavePusher]

57. And you wonder why Arizona was glad to be rid of her....

Though considering her replacement, it was mostly a wash... sigh. Give up Mean and Conniving for Stupid and Crazy. :shrug:

[TBF]

81. Keep in mind that she reports to President Obama. This is on him. nt

[_ed_]

167. Another one of Obama's

awful choices.

[NYMdaveNYI]

32. The Transportation Security Administration

Radiation, Molestation, and Humiliation, Since 2001.

[lostnfound]

73. 'the sort who never thinks about the different kind of people in the world..

"Anyone defending these pat downs should be ashamed of themselves. They're the sort of person who never thinks about the different kind of people in the world or their dignity as a human being. This is shameful. "


+1000.
That's exactly right.

[grahamhgreen]

25. It is freaking disgusting that anyone would allow this intrusion into our personal lives.

[rambler_american]

26. Another horror story

TSA took a woman's child away from her.
http://www.mybottlesup.com/2009/10/tsa-agents-took-my-son/

:mad:

[Boudica the Lyoness]

106. Oh no! This has got bad.

You never take a mothers baby away from her, it's against everything we stand for (I thought).

I copied and paste some of this poor mothers story, it needs to be told.

"He then told me, “I’m going to have to pick him up to inspect him.”
I rolled my eyes and sternly told him “It’s his pacifier clip that went off, can’t you just run that back through the belt and let us go. We are going to miss our flight.”
The female TSA agent, who had been standing there the entire time said to me, “You need to adjust your attitude and do as you are told.”
The male TSA agent repeated, “I’m going to have to pick him up to inspect him.”
I handed him my son.
I handed him my son and he walked away with my child.
My eyes welled up with tears, I stood up from my chair and I asked the female TSA agent, “Where is he going? Where is he taking my child? Why is he leaving?”
Jackson, while being whisked away looked at the male TSA agent awkwardly and repeated “no no no no.”
I started crying.
The female TSA agent did not answer me.
Panic set in. My hands began to shake. My body was sweating. My breath was short and my heart was racing.
They had taken my child and not told me.
Jackson was out of my eye sight.
I could not see my son.
Now sobbing, I repeated my questions to the female TSA agent.
She told me “Ma’am, we’re trying to be nice to you. We don’t know which one of you went off in the metal detector. Stay here so I can search you.”
“But my son… where is my son?” I asked over and over again.
The female TSA agent called a second female TSA agent over as she began to search me. Apparently the second female TSA agent could hear me protesting and asking for my son.
“Ma’am you need to calm down or I’m going to have to involve the authorities,” she told me.
Now I was pissed.
Horrified. Terrified. Enraged.
“You fucking get the authorities,” I told the female TSA agent while the other continued to wand me and forced me to unbutton my jeans because the button beeped when she went over my abdomen with her wand.
“You get the goddamn authorities right the fuck now and tell them to GIVE ME MY SON,” I said.
I began to black out. I knew I was having a full on panic attack. I feared passing out".

[karmkay]

144. This used to be America

My favorite quote from this whole horror story is from the tsa agent:
"You need to adjust your attitude and do as you are told"

Well heil hitler to you too honey.

Given the power these tiny-minded bureaucrats are invested with, it is no surprise that things like this happen. We read stuff like this everyday when some pea-brained cop reacts with unwarranted force to feeling disrespected. Instead of ameliorating the situation they exacerbate it. I thought thes people got training in how not to make situations worse. Apparently not.

Not that I'm much of a traveler anyway, but this stuff has certainly dissuaded me from flying anywhere. It's car, train or nothing unless there is absolutely no other way.

If our friend Ms Palin picks this up as an issue, she'll have a winner, I'm afraid.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

198. Yes that was the part that made my blood run cold

If Ms Palin shows up with some bomb sniffing huskys, she will be the next president.

[nenagh]

138. Interestingly.. that was posted Oct 2009...

[Pacifist Patriot]

178. Such stories have been out there for years....

It's a shame it's taken so long to build up a full head of steam.

[AsahinaKimi]

196. "You need to adjust your attitude and do as you are told.”

This story pisses me off so much.

[laughingliberal]

28. Awful times we live in. nt

[pnwmom]

29. They need to immediately accept doctor's letters or prescriptions

for medical equipment and other "differences" that might cause a problem in the screening. I have a letter that goes with my c-pap machine, so that I can take it on the plane.

No one should have to go what he went through, and this type of thing should have been anticipated by the FAA ahead of time.

[atreides1]

33. And Mr Hope and Change

Says this is what has to be done. And after the new congress starts working, he'll be bent over along side Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, and all three will be asking for more, while they try to work with the party of No.

[NYMdaveNYI]

34. YES WE CAN

grope your testicles.

[james0tucson]

45. When the screeners revolt

When the screeners revolt, they aren't going to revolt against the institution. They are going to take it out on the people.

We need to keep in mind that this is an entry-level security job, of the vocational rehab variety. You might find a few people who went for TSA screener as their first choice of employment, but I'm quite certain you will find more of them that were rejected by police departments and private security companies and this was close to their last choice. In a climate that includes 10% unemployment (and far worse than that locally in some places that happen to have airports!), don't expect any of these people to take their grievance on their employer. Don't expect any of them to quit - they are *already* at the bottom, and even if they can find other jobs, they would be walking away from federal benefits. That's not going to happen.

So they are going to take it out on the people. That hasn't even really started yet, and already there is enough heat being generated that we've got stuff like Congressional hearings and a Presidential statement on the matter. I think this one issue might be a big topic for the 2012 election, and I don't think President Obama will find himself on the winning side of it.

[saigon68]

183. Its a DOWNER for him

He really is a spineless tool of the Corporations

[williesgirl]

48. They should face criminal charges on this one for sure. FUCK THEM ALL. NONE OF US SHOULD FLY

and then watch them bow to their corporate masters in one hell of a hurry.

[saigon68]

49. I'm done with it---Fuck Them

[NYMdaveNYI]

52. I have to

get up early on Monday, drive to JFK, and get on a flight to Florida.

But when it comes to the security check, i’m ambivalent still.

Help me decide: Radiation or Molestation.

[saigon68]

53. Don't shower---that may get you a "SHORT MOLESTATION"

Wear nasty underwear too,

[NYMdaveNYI]

58. There’s always the alternative....

The x-rape...I MEAN.... x-ray scanners are available as well.


A man in a back room can see my private areas on a computer screen while I get dosed by a full body microwave oven.

[RamboLiberal]

60. Yeah and stink up the plane - stupid idea

[Boudica the Lyoness]

109. Not really

One could dash into the loo and have a quick wash down before boarding.

[SheilaT]

129. I used to joke that I packed my carry-on

with all my unwashed underwear. If they really wanted to open and explore it, go right ahead, it wasn't going to bother me.

I have not flown in about three years now, only because the opportunity to fly has not presented itself. However, I sure as hell will NOT be flying until the security b.s. is resolved.

Speaking as a former airline employee, one who started before any of the security nonsense, so I know how totally stupid it all is.

[LisaL]

56. Just because you are scanned, doesn't mean you won't be

patted down as well.

[NYMdaveNYI]

61. Oh joy.

Now I get to have my genitalia felt up AND displayed on someone’s computer screen.


I havent flown in a while, so this is all new to me.

[christx30]

236. Here's a fun tip so it's not a total downer:

wrapped a potato in foil and put it in your pocket before you go through security. When you emerge from the scanner, you will have a nice snack while you wait for your flight.

[cstanleytech]

51. Look people, I dont like this either

but the sad fact is that times have changed and the nuts out there are a risk so these precautions are probably needed.
I will point out also that if you do not want to be searched then consider making other travel arrangements in the future like the bus or the train.

[LisaL]

54. I am so tired of posts like yous.

[SammyWinstonJack]

83. +1

:thumbsup:

[la la]

115. what would you suggest?....

rather than being tired of 'such' posts?

[chervilant]

132. hmm...

How about a little introspection, and a solid dose of political activism?

[saigon68]

182. Thanks for pointing out

The compliant sheep---- who enable Fascists to take over their country

[cstanleytech]

203. Why? Because I expressed my opinion?

If thats the case then maybe the democratic party isnt the right one for you if you are so tired of people having a different opinion but thats merely my opinion.

[niyad]

55. would you like some mazola?

[PavePusher]

59. Or we could (and I realise this is completely, ahem, a blue sky thought)...

restore the application of the Fourteenth, Fourth, Ninth and Second Amendments to airports and aircraft.

Or am I just being silly? :shrug:

[Heddi]

62. Yes, because it's so practical to take a train from, say, Seattle to New York City

Or St Petersburg, Fl, to Seattle. Or Seattle to Charlotte. Or Charlotte to Los Angeles.

Or Seattle to Oahu. Or New York to London. Or Miami to Rio.

Yes, trains are the answer to everything for people who have no understanding of the geographic limitations to trains (oceans, for example), or who have 5 days to go one way on a trip!!

[NYMdaveNYI]

71. Yea,

I have to get on a flight to Florida on Monday...

There’s no FUCKING way I’d rather take the Amtrak.

I’d take the idiots at JFK feeling me up instead of a 22 hour train ride from hell across the eastern seaboard.

[Heddi]

77. It's ridiculous to suggest that amtrack = planes. When I lived in Fl, we had briefly thought about

a train from St Pete to Seattle. "Briefly thought" as in "2 miliseconds" when we realized that instead of a 6ish hour flight, it'd be 3 days ONE WAY. That's completely impractical for, well, anyone who doesn't have a month of time to take vacation.

God forbid you want to get OUT OF THE UNITED STATES....Oh, I'll just book on the QEII for passage to London. I'll be arriving in 11 days...at the cost of $6,000 a person...yeah, that's practical :eyes:

[adamuu]

105. exactly. not to mention, next thing, terrorists will be

derailing trains.

[Chulanowa]

123. Took one from New Orleans to Seattle

Fell in love with Montana. Also had my first time on that train. Probably more info than you needed, but hey, good times were had.

Four days by rail, gotta do SOMETHING to pass the time.

[Heddi]

215. yeah, but for someone who only has, say, a week of vacation time a year,

taking 4 days for a one-way leg of a trip makes taking a vacation kind of impossible.

[PavePusher]

231. Then there's trying to go by train from Tuscon to Salt Lake.

4.5 days, and I have to go east to Illinois, then west to Salt Lake.

Retarded.

[readmoreoften]

63. Really? Times are more dangerous suddenly than in 2002?

Why would that be exactly?

[Quantess]

216. No, nobody said times are more dangerous all of a sudden.

I have no idea what "changes" the DUer in #51 claims, "times have changed". Perhaps he just means the terrorists have won.

Perhaps times have changed, in that suddenly we are expected to humiliate ourselves and give up a little freedom and dignity, and throw away the whole concept of reasonable suspicion. What other indignities will we allow done to us, in the name of airline "safety"? (which is a lie, because it's security theater).

The terrorists have won.

[wordpix]

67. "...like the bus or the train..." where there are

NO security precautions. How about a little outrage about THAT?

[ProudDad]

69. One word ... "Quisling" (n/t)

[Diclotican]

94. ProudDad

ProudDad

Yeah... thank you for using Vidkun, Abraham Lauritz Jonsøn Qusling again... He was the orginal Qusling who sold out Norway to germany in 1939/1940.. And who was shot as a traitor in 1946, in the fortress Akershus.

It is rather solid to claim someone to be Qusling, even tho it is maybe right... The whole thing about TSA, and the treatment of many who fly is just disgusting, and horrible.. Is this the US at all anymore??.. Even the KGB borger Guards, who could rather unwelcome to others who visited USSR, was polite, and at least treated, for the most part peopole with respect.. Even tho they intemidated everyone... Also in the rest of the Eastern Europe Block they had the same blueprint, Intimidate and strict.. But for the most part fair and polite.. I was never groped in lover areas when I was wisiting the old eastern block as a child, and I was in that parts of the world many times, starting in 1986 to 1992.. Never treated with anything other than outmost respect, and fearness, even tho the armed borderguards was litle tacy when you was 8-9 years old...

Diclotican

[ProudDad]

192. Yep, he who doesn't remember history

is condemned to repeat it...

But in the National Security State they are coming up with some AMAZING flourishes, aren't they?

[Diclotican]

213. ProudDad

ProudDad

True, and as old Marx once was saying (yes, I have read my Das Kapital, even tho it was a hard book to read, I doubt I understand as mutch as a 1/3 of the book) First time history repeat itself, its a tragedy, 3th time its repeat itself, it is a farce.. US have been repeating "the history" now many, many times over.. So I am not sure if it is a farce, or a tragedy...

We know, in large details how it started in Russia under and after the revolution, the USSR was not a police state the day after the revolution was finished, in fact it tooks years before the police state, ruled by Stalin, and govern by KGB (and other special brances) was indeed anything more than a wishper.. And this first steps to a police state, who US have been under a decade now, is scaring to say at least.. I understand that US would never let anything happend like it did at 11 sept 2001, but the actions who your government have been doing, to "protect" your own against enemies, have less with protection, than starting a police state.. If anyone had claim that US would be like this a decade ago, or maybe more, I would have refused it as a nightmare...

A decade later, it is no nightmare, but more and more some of the scary facts and it wil not end well, if it is not taken out soon, the TSA, and the "Police state tactics" used by TSA most either be reformed, or dispanded.. It took Russia more than 70 year before they managed to dispand KGB, and even tho FSB and RVS was no near the same power as the old KGB, they still are simlar, but with less power, as Russia after 1991 tried at least to make a democracy, and rule of law, even by their own security systems... And the current Prime Miniser, and President both have their spors, from KGB...

And now US more or less is going down the same road, as Russia did more than 80 year ago. TSA is just the known arm of the secret police, I fear it exist many secret systems in US today, to pray on sivilians.. And many still belive that they are free to say, and write what they belive... And they still belive that US is a land of laws, where no one is under survilvance, if they have not been doing something wrong... The Russians at least understood, early on what NKVD/KGB was, and had their tools to sircumcent what the government was telling them. I belive that US have to learn he same the same, if they wil manage to even survive the police state...

I rembember, from early 1980s, that it was produces a few "chatastrope movies" where US was indeed made into a police state, it was scary to look at, specially when everyone was trusting US to be a beacon of freedom and liberty for everyone.. A democracy who was imune to dictatorship, and tyranny. At the time, it was just that, movies... Movies to scare, movies to make a thrill... But it was just movies.... Just movies

30 year after, it is not just movies anymore.. In fact fictions is repleaced by reality, the survilvance and police State is here, in a form no one belived when I was a child.... 1984 was in most case a sience fiction book, and a book where the whole Police State of Josef Stalins USSR was clear for everyone who was able to read a book... Today I doubt that a book like 1984 could be made a movie in US, the fictions is overtaken by naken reality... In fact I belive the book itself, can be on some "banned" list in many libearies in US today... Or you might get a wisit from the government asking you why you wanted THAT book, and not a book about something else, more "state friendly".. Like the memories by GWB...

Diclotican

[cstanleytech]

202. Three words.............welcome to ignore

[ProudDad]

218. Three words.........I don't care...

:rofl:

[lostnfound]

75. the nuts have always been out there..there were bomb-makers 100 years ago..

"terror" is not a recent invention. What's really changed is the level of cowardice and domestication of the public.

[cstanleytech]

208. So by your response can I take it to mean that

you are one of the ones who think people would be safer on the planes if the government were to allow them to carry weapons on board to defend themselves with?

[markpkessinger]

76. It's not always an option to use other methods of travel

There are plenty of people, especially those required to travel for business, that simply don't have the luxury of spending two or three days to get across the country. And what about, say, a person who must travel to a family funeral on short notice? One could go on and on with examples of where traveling by other means is simply not a realistic option.

[krabigirl]

79. Wow......

[lakercub]

85. bull

Since when did buying a ticket automatically make me a terrorist suspect? It didn't. Further, a bomb can do a lot of damage in a crowded place like a mall or a sporting event. Should we start allowing groping in those places to "keep us safe?" When does it get to be too much? In my view we rocketed past too much a while ago. There will ALWAYS be a risk every time you step out from your front door...and there will always be draconian measures that can reduce those risks. But freedom and liberty require living with some risk in order to keep the police state at bay.

I want government to take reasonable steps to protect public safety...and public molestation is something from which I would like to be kept safe.

[Missy Vixen]

181. I was patted down at Seattle's Qwest Field last August

>Should we start allowing groping in those places to "keep us safe?"<

Pat-downs have been happening at admission to sporting events for at least the past two years.

We were given Seahawks tickets. It was over 90 degrees in Seattle that day; I had on a fitted t-shirt, shorts, appropriate underwear, and running shoes. There was nowhere to conceal anything on my person, but I was patted down prior to admission to the stadium.

This is not the first time it's happened, either.

Pat downs are happening in every venue any organization can demand it, IMHO.

[ProudDad]

219. Welcome to the police state

This shit is NOT meant to "keep us safe"...

It's meant to keep us docile...

Cheers :hi:

[TBF]

91. Fourth Amendment to the Constitution -

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

What part of this do you not understand?

[cstanleytech]

205. So then

what do you want the government to do to uphold its responsibility to maintain the security and safety of those who travel by air? Or are you one of the ones who support the idea of allowing passengers to see to their safety themselves by allowing them to carry concealed weapons onboard the planes?

[markpkessinger]

93. What risks? Seriously.

According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, there are approximately 28,537 commercial flights per day in the U.S. That means that in the nine years since 9/11/2001, there have been approximately 93,744,045 commercial flights. In that same period, how many terrorist attempts have there been, successful or failed, against U.S. commercial airlines where passenger attempted or intended to carry explosives on board the aircraft? Answer: 3 -- Richard Reid (the shoebomber), the London liquid bomb plot, and the underwear bomber. Statistically, that's abbout a 1 in 31,000,000 million. We all live with far more significant risks every single day and think nothing of it; and besides, there is no such thing as 100% safety, and we all need to grow up and realize that.

[14thColony]

193. Aren't facts great?

Often unwelcome, to be sure, but great at cutting through the bullshit of hyperbole and emotionalism nonetheless. I've already linked to your stats here in a response to a post in another thread. Thanks.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

97. Ooh, yeah, all air travelers have to be humiliated because some terrorist MIGHT do something

The chance of being killed in a terror attack are less than being killed in an "ordinary" plane crash.

This is sheer authoritarianism. It's a trial balloon to see how docile the American people are.

[chervilant]

121. Precisely.

Furthermore, as someone nicknamed "Speedy Dad" so eloquently noted in a comment about the mother whose son was taken from her, the TSA is simply "security theater." Do we need a protocol like this to instill in us a false sense of security? Judging by the comments hereinabove and on other threads, the answer to that is a resounding NO.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

110. I would like to take this time to remind you

that trains and buses don't make trips oversea's for some fucking reason.

[CreekDog]

116. it's necessary to spill urine on an innocent guy to make us safer

please go on... :eyes:

[Chulanowa]

122. Times have only changed in one regard; creeping fascism

There is zero reason for this insanity - what, you can't blow up a train or a bus? Of course you can, and I'll bet you'll kill way more people in either case!

Treating everyone as criminals is certainly not an acceptable answer; It's simply another layer of incompetency that tries to shore up all the other slouching layers before it.

I will frankly take my chances that someone on the plane is waiting to make their own underwear explode. The odds of it happening are, after all, lower than my odds of getting in a wreck on a bus, getting shot at by a random asshole, or dying from a swarm of box jellyfish.

[tpsbmam]

130. Here's what Benjamin Franilin has to say to that:

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

[chervilant]

131. Durn...

Go after the ol' S&M much? All snarking aside, "look people"?!? Really???

I'll bet you expect a big, wet kiss whenever 'they' bend you over to give it to you up the a**...

[Speed8098]

140. What Bullshit

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

This is a quote I've been referring to since 9/11. Law enforcement, TSA, random bag searches at Grand Central, not to mention some of the security checcks you have to go through just to gain access to some buildings has gone way overboard. Especially here in NYC.

There are more covert ways to provide security to our citizens and our corporate owned government needs to realize that. WE OWN THIS COUNTRY, WE PAY THE GOVERNMENT AND THEY SHOULD DO WHAT WE TELL THEM TO DO BUT NOW IT'S THE OPPOSITE.

Idiots want to arm everyone, lower taxes on corporations that are already making obscene profits by outsourcing our labor. I'm a liberal but I think it's time we go back to a 90% tax on the rich and fine the hell out of the corporations that outsource our labor. We became a great country until the oath was taken by Ronald Reagan on 1/20/81. Since his deregulation frenzy our economy has gone to shit with the exception of when President Bill Clinton WROTE THE BUDGET THAT GAVE US A SURPLUS INSTEAD OF A DEFICIT.

Benjamin Franklin was correct in his famous quote I've copied here and if people would take it to heart along with the many words of our founding fathers and do someting about it we might just be the great America we once were.

In todays world our founding fathers would be considered terrorists...........Think about that.

[spooked911]

141. The grope search is bullshit

I hope you can try to realize that. The whole terrorist scare is bull.

[fasttense]

148. Those willing to give up their liberty for security deserve neither. Ben Franklin n/t

[mwooldri]

151. Times have chaned, yes. Precautions are needed, yes.

Just these are the *wrong* precautions.

There are alternatives.

Low tech: bomb sniffing dogs.

High tech: portable bomb "sniffing" detectors.

It's either that or a fly-drive holiday to YYZ and take the plane from there. AFAIK these scanners are not in place yet at land crossings.

[pattmarty]

157. Let all of us here know how that fucking works out for you once they.......

........start doing the SAME SHIT at train and bus stations. Thinking no way, better think again. This is really getting like the old Soviet Union. I even watch what I say on the phone (land line) these days, and don't say shit on a cell. You may call me paranoid, but I am 64 yo and NEVER felt like this before this homeland security shit. I understand that we need "security" in these times, but look at Israel and their security measures, strict but not fucking stupid.

[Webster Green]

173. Aw..are you scared?

Poor baby.

Home of the brave? Sorry, that is no longer "operational".

[cstanleytech]

207. Nope, not scared at all

I just do not travel much and never have due to my health but I have seen that there are people who for one reason or another want to hurt other people, its just a fact.
Now this searching the government wants to do of people who want to use the option to travel by air (in an enclosed area where there are alot of other people who could get hurt if someone were to say pull a weapon) is a bit disturbing sure but its alot less disturbing to me that someone crashing another airplane with 100+ other people on board into another skyscraper.
Now personally I think that kind of thing would not be attractive to watch wouldnt you agree?

[ProudDad]

220. Now the truth comes out...

Well, this ain't gonna happen to ME...

But YOU should be subjected to it to keep YOU safe...

What incredible Bullshit...!!!

[Webster Green]

225. There's no way to ever be totally safe. Try to ride it out...OK?

Religious fanatics have been pulling this shit forever. 9/11 didn't change shit.

The problem here is that we've gone back to the kind of crap that was put to rest in the 13th century when the Magna Carta was signed. How far must we regress until you feel safe?

Jeezus man, you're on a molten ball of iron hurtling at ungodly speed around a burning ball of hydrogen, and you're freaked out that someone might put cherry bombs in their undies?

As Bill Hicks liked to say: "It's just a ride".

WTF?!

[cstanleytech]

230. I am well aware that there have been such fanatics for thousands of years at a minimum

however there are measures we can take to try to reduce their ability to cause harm to others and this is one of those things and its less offensive than some of the alternatives like for example they could have tried to implement a policy of requiring all passengers to be blindfolded and/or handcuffed while in flight.
So is this a perfect system now with the pat down searches? No but like I said its less offensive imo than some of the alternatives which could be more effective in preventing harm to others.

[TatonkaJames]

175. All for one and one for Boehner

The TSA is being selective (maybe these daily headlines are for a purpose ?) for a reason. They will screen passengers the normal way and then randomly pick a person out of line, like the guy last week who simply refused to have someone touch his groin. This could have easily been handled in a more professional manner, like passing him through a gate or a full body scan. When they found out he had that bag, they should have known they were going to humiliate the guy and accommodated him.
This is just wrong. But then again, we are becoming the Former Soviet Union.

[Pacifist Patriot]

179. Then let me ask you this in all sincerity.

There are "nuts" out there who wouldn't hesitate to hide C4 in their anus. Are you prepared to submit to a rectal probe by a TSA agent because of that risk?

It's very easy for people to suggest alternative modes of transportation when they do not themselves rely on flying for legitimate long-distance transportation needs.

Posts like yours are stunning in their ignorance and submissiveness.

[YOY]

189. Go piss yourself in the corner.

I refuse to live with fear.

[Loge23]

195. I have nothing to hide...

therefore, the authorities can search my house anytime they want.
After all, terrorists may be hiding explosives in my attic! Is that what you mean by "precautions are probably needed"?

Sorry cstan, you are missing the point.
We are presumed to be innocent. We cannot be arbitrarily searched without a warrant or a reasonable suspicion of guilt.
We ARE free to move about the country. I don't consent to some creep looking at or touching my body without my permission.

If you're OK with giving up your rights, go right ahead - but I don't appreciate you or anyone else supporting actions that result in me giving up mine.

[Posteritatis]

199. Yawn, one more person who doesn't remember the seventies and eighties. (nt)

[daleo]

226. Which is better to cross the Atlantic

Bus or train?

How about the Pacific?

[Anakin Skywalker]

64. It's About Damn Time This Happens! More People Should Get Angry!

Remember, TSA stands for Terrorists Scaring Americans!

[ProudDad]

68. But all of those machines pump up the GDP...

That's gud for usamerica!!!!

USA! USA!! USA!!!

We're number one!!!

:sarcasm: <-- it's pretty sad when one needs to add this...but one does in a police state so well defended by its victims...

[markpkessinger]

70. President Obama's Comments Were Even More Horrifying

Asked about the TSA scanner controversy today, President Obama responded:

One of the most frustrating aspects of this fight against terrorism is that it has created a whole security apparatus around us that causes a huge inconvenience for all of us.

With all the horror stories that are being reported from around the country, President Obama thinks people are just "frustrated" at being "inconvenienced."

I've had it with this President. Is there a real Democrat out there who is willing to mount a primary challenge?

[TBF]

82. Yeah, I'm sure they aren't feeling him up before he gets on Air Force One,

nor are they molesting his family members.

[NYMdaveNYI]

84. Speaker Boner gets waived through....

http://www.indystar.com/article/20101120/LOCAL/11200334/Most-lawmakers-have-to-brave-airport-security-like-the-rest-of-us?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctexth%7CIndyStar.com%7Coptionb%7Cs

[TBF]

89. That doesn't surprise me at all. nt

[mwooldri]

153. and the late Senator Ted Kennedy gets put on a no-fly list.

Where's the sense in all this?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

114. I wonder if he'd be cool

with some goon taking naked pictures of his young daughters? After all that is what he expects other fathers to be okay with!

[_ed_]

163. The Royal Court

must'nt be bothered with the rules that apply to the rabble.

[SammyWinstonJack]

86. All of us aren't him and his family members who never be subjected to this "inconvenience"

:puke:

[Chulanowa]

124. If by "real democrat" you mean one further to the right than Obama, sure, lots of those

[TBF]

146. There are no democrats right of Obama, since he is sitting solidly in repub territory.

Honestly it's repulsive.

[Chulanowa]

228. Then you are terribly ill-informed

I'm not arguing that Obama is "far left," by any degree. But he's certainly left of center, even if he's close enough to stick a toe onto that dividing line. He's certainly not "solidly in repub territory."

Unless you're talking about Eisenhower republicans, I guess.

[newspeak]

243. actually, I don't believe he is left of center

with cabinet picks like Geithner, Rahm, Paulsen, Summers and now medal of freedom to Poppy-death squad-Bush, and Kissenger and Baker for non-proliferation conference--I see some of the same players that have aided in our nightmare.

[krabigirl]

80. This is horrible! The poor man. :( this needs to stop. But it won't :(

[Hannah Bell]

87. i was wondering about colostomy bags. are people supposed to empty them to prove there's nothing in

them?

what a horrorshow this is.

[craigmatic]

95. So his name is Tom Sawyer? His parents had to have planned that.

[alp227]

101. oh yeah, don't forget that Mark Twain's autobiography's a hot bestseller right now

Twain's autobio has been published in its entirety for the first time ever. The circumstances here could be just a coincidence: Mark Twain's autobiography is finally completely published, and a man named Tom Sawyer is humiliated by an over-invasive-yet-ineffective airport screening policy.

[JJW]

100. No limits?

US airports are going to look like historic films of Nazi German Concentration camps with naked people in lines, waiting to be examined.

[NJCher]

104. arrogant a$#$#holes at the TSA

Sawyer tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen. Instead they broke the seal and put this person in a position no one should ever have to be in. I empathize with this man.

I've read all the stories and links contributed by people on this thread and it reads like a book on Nazi Germany. The TSA people seem universally unconcerned about the passengers, treating them like objects on a conveyor line.

I liked what Penn said and hope he presses charges:

I said, "Well, it's not really the right word, but freedom is kind of a hobby with me, and I have disposable income that I'll spend to find out how to get people more of it."


Cher

[Yeahyeah]

108. The terrorists now love us for our non-freedom.We win yay.

[Johnny Harpo]

113. The TSA Is Now Out Of Control

[Beacool]

117. Oh no, the poor man.

This is just insane. Experts keep saying that it won't stop someone from planting a bomb. Why won't we learn from the Israelis? They are the best at this. What's the point of people people through so much humiliation????

x(

[Lugnut]

119. What bullshit!

This has to stop. :grr:

[lovuian]

126. this is extremely sad ...I feel so sorry for him

this is horrible

[madmax]

133. Enough of this insanity. This is the second

cancer patient I've read about who has been traumatized by this bullshit. :wtf: Children, Cancer patients, what next - internals for pregnant women to be sure they don't have a bomb in their belly but, a baby!

:mad: :mad:

[madmax]

134. What this bullshit needs is a massive class action lawsuit. nt

[Bluebear]

135. Still, Obama defends these extreme pat-downs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9598152&mesg_id=9598152

[Name removed]

145. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pecwae]

139. Truly, this makes me feel soooo safe.

Will breast cancer survivors with implants be required to reveal their breasts as well?

It's not hyperbole to call this molestation.

[IdaBriggs]

142. Already been happening. Google it. nt

[CreekDog]

212. Yes, they did, here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/19/national/main7070415.shtml

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 19, 2010
TSA Makes Cancer Victim Remove Prosthetic Breast

Flight Attendant, Cancer Survivor Says She Was Required to Remove Prosthetic From Her Bra and Show It to Agent

[Vinca]

147. 100% of urostomy bags are checked, but only 5% of the cargo.

How fucked up is that?

[Name removed]

150. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CreekDog]

211. extremely and it's stupid

and NO, it's not necessary.

[slackmaster]

149. Are we safe yet?

:nuke:

[RedCloud]

152. So let's all forget that several million did NOT have this happen to them.

Just keep playing the demagogue game for them.

'Member when the repuppetagains voted to hand 5,000,000 unemployed their death sentences?

[DFW]

154. I took two planes to come to the States last Thursday, went through 2 security checks

One was in Düsseldorf, one was in Schipol (Amsterdam). Both were thorough, both were efficient.
Neither was anything like the horror stories I've been hearing from air passengers here. This
afternoon, I fly back over from my home in Dallas (DFW). I'm very curious to see what lies in
store.

Be on the lookout toward the end of next week for the video of the Talking TSA Blues--it might
just strike a chord with a few people.

[molly77]

156. Goddess, what have WE become?

[elocs]

158. As Fearless Leader has said, it is frustrating, but necessary.

What a brilliant line. Somebody should put that on a t-shirt.

[sam sarrha]

164. Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely,.. Airport Nazis, ..you better Kowtow asshole or miss your plane

:hide: :yoiks:

[humbled_opinion]

170. Next time I fly

I am going to get myself worked up with a nice big boner in my pants and request a pat down at which time I will moan and offer a tip when it is over. I wonder if I will get arrested for sexual harassment? I think it would point out the hypocrisy of the actions of the TSA.

[RKP5637]

171. Trains, buses, subways, private cars, pedestrians will be next - searched at random, looked

suspicious. Yanked off and strip searched or worse. Once this crap starts there is no limit. This is just the beginning.

[kath]

194. Philadelphia is already doing this - more than 250,000 searched in their "Stop and Frisk" program -

last year - most of them (72%) African-American.

Lovely.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101105_U_S__lawsuit_targets_Philly_s__quot_stop-and-frisk_quot__policy.html

[RKP5637]

210. Horrible! Guilty by race, that is ridiculous. n/t

[christx30]

234. I was listening

o the local news radio station the other morning on the way to my morning job, and they were talking about a new local thing where police would have the power to stop you for absolutely no reason and ask to see your drivers license and insurance card. So you are driving to the store, staying a good 3 or 4 mph under the limit, driving responsibly, ect. A cop would STILL have the power to stop you and ask to see your ID. It's supposed to be a crackdown on illegal immigrants and people that drive without insurance (because the thought of someone that doesn't want to give State Farm $150 for September chills me to the bone).
I say that it is another 10 degrees on the pot that is slowly boiling the frog. Where does it end?

[RKP5637]

237. It's starting to get more than a little spooky. I'm afraid anything similar to

another 911 will send this country so far over the edge it will become just about a police state overnight. Civil liberties are becoming history. Just the right to be left alone minding your own business is getting to be history too. It's a bad trend ...

[christx30]

239. Yeah

And the retired cop that was on the show (Sargent Sam Cox, cohost of the KLBJ-AM Austin, TX morning show, and Tea Party member) was all for it. He talks out one side of his mouth, railing against government intrusion in our lives in the form of the Health Care law, ect, the from the other side of his mouth, he's talking about wanting to put MORE power in the hands of the police to stop people at random for no individual reason just to check their papers.
Pretty consistent for them, really. And he couldn't find a way to make those two (I think) opposing viewpoints jive. Couldn't justify it. Didn't understand how "The government shouldn't get into health care, but it's perfectly OK for cops to pull you over for no reason" can't be correct.

[Haole Girl]

184. This is reprehensible.

One would THINK, in cases such as this, a medical letter from the Oncologist would prevent something like this.

Awful.

[JJW]

186. This doesn't end well

Pennsylvania Homeland Security was caught spying on the Amish and other religious groups. They were also targeting regular Americans as potential eco-terrorists because of concern that fracing natural gas wells will contaminate ground water.

[Jefferson23]

188. This is insane, but hey folks, we are keeping you safe from the terrorists. NOT safe

from the bankers on Wall Street bastards ruining your life from nefarious schemes, not from the health insurance/pharma deals
nor from Big Oil, as they pollute every ocean on earth so they can continue to own their own jets to use for travel.


This is so disgusting...beyond civil words.

[Green_Lantern]

190. This story doesn't prove pat downs should be eliminated..

These TSA screeners didn't follow any of the correct protocol of dealing with passengers with medical devices.

We aren't talking about ending wanding just because a TSA agent ignores protocol and scans over a pacemaker.

The screeners who did this should be punished somehow...they won't be fired(union govt. employees can get away with murder).

[Ruperto31]

200. The solution is for the US to get out of the Middle East.

This would render the terrorism threat negligible, and would void any excuse for intrusive searches.

[Green_Lantern]

204. I doubt it since Western influence in the ME goes beyond

Just military.

Secondly Al Qaeda isn't just some nationalistic group that wants its land back.

Your solution is the equivalent of trying to be nice to militias so they won't hate the Federal govt.

[mikesm]

191. This is going to turn into a HUGE Fiasco for OBAMA

Is no one awake in the white house? This is turning into a huge problem, and it plays right into the false storyline of the repugs that Government is too big and too incompetent. This could be Obama's katrina.

Americans are emotional about this, and will retaliate in lots of different ways that will make it very hard for those of us on the left to accomplish anything substantive in rebutting the R's. Just think - The R's REFUSED to meet with the President after being invited, but all the media is talking about is the TSA fiasco. If this keeps up, the R's can do almost anything and not be noticed.

Plus, if the R's try and strip TSA of power and replace it with racial profiling, the country will cheer at this point.

Is anyone on our side paying attention to this?

[MadMaddie]

197. The TSA workers aren't even using common sense at this point

The airlines will start losing $$$$ in an already bad economy.

I believe the American citizens have finally had enough of this invasive unnecessary encroachment on our civil liberties.

[Grinchie]

201. It's really funny watching the 70 year old granny with a hip replacement try to explain

I live in Hawaii. A lot of elderly people come here during their Golden Years to try to enjoy themselves. I have seen horrible mistreatment of 60+ women by the TSA over the years. In fact, I was able to see a recruitment bulletin for the TSA at the local University a few years ago.

The rate for a TSA screener was $7.67 per hour.

If people are willing work slave for a non living wage such as this, it is no wonder they are robots.

[DFW]

206. Just came through security here at DFW airport

Pleasant surprise: same old, same old. No different from last summer. They had one of those new Chertoff scanners, but
didn't ask me to go through it, and gave me no hassle with me hand luggage, or ask me why I was wearing a winter coat
(it is about 70°F here in Dallas today).

Probably the TSA people here in Dallas are eager NOT to become part of the national negative headlines.

Fine with me.

[Ilsa]

227. They treated my friend, who was flying with her American Airlines

pilot spouse, abominably at DFW. He's a captain, she was molested by TSA in front of other passengers.

[DFW]

229. It probably depends on what terminal and what time of day

I went out of Terminal D on a Sunday afternoon. Outside of Lufthansa and KLM passengers,
there was practically no one there. On the other hand, I know a guy who is a part-time
pilot for American Airlines, and even he said the TSA at DFW was awful.

As for me, I got a more thorough check at Amsterdam this morning than I did at Dallas.

[IEATNEWT]

214. hmmm

a doller to a doughnut they want to see your papers too

[TroglodyteScholar]

217. IF HE DINT HAVE NETHING TWO HIDE, HE WOODEN BE UPSET!!11!! n/t

[Tx4obama]

235. Update: TSA chief apologizes to traveler with ostomy

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4625191