(Updated regularly, that is, when Blogger isn't on the fritz)
TSA Abuse Document - Master List
by Lisa Simeone
by Lisa Simeone
If you’re looking for the most recent incidents, skip to the end of the document, or go to Page 2, link at top of this page.
I’ve been writing about TSA abuse for several years – and since August 2010 specifically about the grotesquely euphemized “enhanced patdowns." I kept warning people that these things were coming, that they were being “tested” by the TSA in two airports – Las Vegas and Boston – in preparation for a national roll-out. Few of my friends and colleagues cared.
Since October 30, 2010, when millions of passengers started being subjected to the "pat-downs," people have slowly been waking up. The expected abuse has, of course, gotten worse. Not only are we subject to groping, but many TSA agents have taken it one step further: groping inside people’s underwear, or taking them to private rooms to disrobe.
This abuse was predictable.
Lord Acton's saying about absolute power corrupting absolutely still holds. And Philip Zimbardo and Stanley Milgram amply demonstrated abuse of power in their famous experiments over 40 years ago. But many people prefer to stick their heads in the sand.
This is a compilation of stories and sources, to which I keep adding as new ones appear. Some are headlines and links only; most include text. I started including text because links can go out of date, sites can remove stories, and when you have a broken link you’re stuck. Some links contain multiple stories.
Obviously, these are only the accounts that happened to receive publicity or that were recounted to me personally. We have no idea how many other incidents there are that never get reported to anyone but family and friends. No one person can keep up with them all.
This list, which contains thousands of accounts, includes various kinds of TSA abuse – physical, sexual, financial, psychological – inappropriate questions about personal finances, passenger’s money being confiscated, harassment that forces people to miss their flights, bullying of various kinds, children being molested, groping, assault, etc. It’s in roughly chronological order, so if you’re looking for more recent incidents, skip to the end.
To those who object that some of these accounts don’t contain people’s full names: I have included links to every story. If someone doesn’t believe these accounts and wants to find out who a person is, he or she can solicit the original reporter/editor to find the poster's IP address or email address to follow up. Many people don’t want their full names exposed because they’re afraid of retaliation when they fly, or because they’re simply humiliated and don’t want to be further humiliated by having their names out in public. That’s their choice. I applaud those who aren’t afraid to use their real names, such as Sommer Gentry, Wendy Thomson, Jonathan Corbett, LeeAnne Clark, and others in the pages of TSA News, but I can also understand why not everyone does that.
Final note: I can't keep up with everything. There are surely gaps in this document, incidents I've missed, accounts I haven't listed. C'est la vie.
Final note: I can't keep up with everything. There are surely gaps in this document, incidents I've missed, accounts I haven't listed. C'est la vie.
Sorry for any spacing problems in this document. -LS
Sunday, August 22, 2010TRANSPORTATION – Associated Press'Enhanced patdown' tested at 2 airportsFederal security screeners at two airports are using an "enhanced patdown" on passengers who decline to go through full-body scanning machines, a technique that is renewing the debate over how to balance privacy and security.
The Transportation Security Administration says the technique -- a palms-forward, slide-down search -- is being tested at Logan International Airport in Boston and at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas before a national rollout. It replaces the old back-of-the-hand patdown.The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is questioning whether the new technique is effective enough to justify what it calls a "seemingly constant erosion of privacy."http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/21/AR2010082102570.html
The Transportation Security Administration says the technique -- a palms-forward, slide-down search -- is being tested at Logan International Airport in Boston and at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas before a national rollout. It replaces the old back-of-the-hand patdown.The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is questioning whether the new technique is effective enough to justify what it calls a "seemingly constant erosion of privacy."http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/21/AR2010082102570.html
Gimme a breakChicagoNovember 16th, 201010:46 am
This past Thursday while waiting to board a flight from Tucson to Chicago I witnessed two women who were thoroughly patted down per the new regs with a new twist, both women were asked if they minded a quick peek into their panties. The looks on their faces spoke a thousand words. They both apparently submitted to this intrusion, but were very unsettled. One women was 40-ish the other, older at maybe 65-70. Give me a break.
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/the-full-body-backlash/?scp=3&sq=tsa&st=cse
This past Thursday while waiting to board a flight from Tucson to Chicago I witnessed two women who were thoroughly patted down per the new regs with a new twist, both women were asked if they minded a quick peek into their panties. The looks on their faces spoke a thousand words. They both apparently submitted to this intrusion, but were very unsettled. One women was 40-ish the other, older at maybe 65-70. Give me a break.
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/the-full-body-backlash/?scp=3&sq=tsa&st=cse
(A well-known national TV reporter’s response to me about the above comment, on Nov 16, 2010, and I quote from her email: “I don't believe that for one second. Out in the open for all to see?? Come on. Even you can't believe they asked to look in someone's underwear where others could see and hear. I go thru airports two, three, four, sometimes more times each week. That is not how it's done. It simply isn't. Whoever wrote that was trying to stir something up.” A few days later, this reporter’s own colleague, a producer at ABC named Carolyn Durand, was sexually assaulted by a TSA agent at Newark airport Link below. –LS)
SkiAdcock in FlyerTalk (Nov. 10, 2010 ): Was chatting w/ someone who was at SMD2 (don't remember who), & she mentioned that when she opted out & went through the patdown that the agent pulled her pants forward & backward from her body & looked down inside her pants, both front & back! I would have gone ballistic at that point. http://www.thousandsstandingaround.org/
TSA-SEXUAL ASSAULT (her title, not mine -LS)This woman is a 30-something mother, cookbook writer, and devout Christian. She was groped on her buttocks and labia. According to her lawyer, she was sexually assaulted. http://www.ourlittlechatterboxes.com/2010/11/tsa-sexual-assault.html
Passenger says TSA agents harassed him
June 20, 2009|By Jeanne Meserve and Mike Ahlers CNNSteve Bierfeldt says the Transportation Security Administration pulled him aside for extra questioning in March. He was carrying a pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution and an iPhone capable of making audio recordings. And he used them.
On a recording a TSA agent can be heard berating Bierfeldt. One sample: "You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f**king game."Bierfeldt is director of development for the Campaign for Liberty, an outgrowth of the Ron Paul presidential campaign. He was returning from a regional conference March 29 when TSA screeners at Lambert-St. Louis (Missouri) International Airport saw a metal cash box in his carry-on bag. Inside was more than $4,700 dollars in cash -- proceeds from the sale of political merchandise like T-shirts and books.
There are no restrictions on carrying large sums of cash on flights within the United States, but the TSA allegedly took Bierfeldt to a windowless room and, along with other law enforcement agencies, questioned him for almost half an hour about the money.The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up Bierfeldt's cause and is suing Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, whose department includes the TSA. Their complaint alleges that Bierfeldt was "subjected to harassing interrogation, and unlawfully detained."
June 20, 2009|By Jeanne Meserve and Mike Ahlers CNNSteve Bierfeldt says the Transportation Security Administration pulled him aside for extra questioning in March. He was carrying a pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution and an iPhone capable of making audio recordings. And he used them.
On a recording a TSA agent can be heard berating Bierfeldt. One sample: "You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f**king game."Bierfeldt is director of development for the Campaign for Liberty, an outgrowth of the Ron Paul presidential campaign. He was returning from a regional conference March 29 when TSA screeners at Lambert-St. Louis (Missouri) International Airport saw a metal cash box in his carry-on bag. Inside was more than $4,700 dollars in cash -- proceeds from the sale of political merchandise like T-shirts and books.
There are no restrictions on carrying large sums of cash on flights within the United States, but the TSA allegedly took Bierfeldt to a windowless room and, along with other law enforcement agencies, questioned him for almost half an hour about the money.The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up Bierfeldt's cause and is suing Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, whose department includes the TSA. Their complaint alleges that Bierfeldt was "subjected to harassing interrogation, and unlawfully detained."
UPDATE: Bierfeldt sued, dropped charges when TSA finally admitted wrongdoing:
How My Lawsuit Against the TSA Made Airports Safe For the Constitution Again
How My Lawsuit Against the TSA Made Airports Safe For the Constitution Again
TSA Now Putting Hands Down Fliers’ Pants
Prison Planet.com, Tuesday, November 16, 2010
. . . Going through airport security this past weekend, radio host Owen JJ Stone, known as “OhDoctah,” related how he was told that the rules had been changed and was offered a private screening. When he asked what the procedure entailed, the TSA agent responded, “I have to go in your waistband, I have to put my hand down your pants,” after which he did precisely that.Stone chose to conduct the search in public in the fear that the TSA worker would be even more aggressive in a private room.“If you’re wearing sweat pants or baggy clothing, I was wearing sweat pants they’re not baggy, they’re sweat pants,” said Stone, adding that the agent pulled out his waistband before patting his backside and his crotch.
Prison Planet.com, Tuesday, November 16, 2010
. . . Going through airport security this past weekend, radio host Owen JJ Stone, known as “OhDoctah,” related how he was told that the rules had been changed and was offered a private screening. When he asked what the procedure entailed, the TSA agent responded, “I have to go in your waistband, I have to put my hand down your pants,” after which he did precisely that.Stone chose to conduct the search in public in the fear that the TSA worker would be even more aggressive in a private room.“If you’re wearing sweat pants or baggy clothing, I was wearing sweat pants they’re not baggy, they’re sweat pants,” said Stone, adding that the agent pulled out his waistband before patting his backside and his crotch.
. . . “I didn’t really expect her to touch my vagina through my pants,” said Kaya McLaren, an elementary schoolteacher from Cle Elum, Wash., who was patted down at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport last Saturday because the body scanner detected a tissue and a hair band in her pocket.
. . . According to information the T.S.A. has shared or published, the airport pat-downs are supposed to be conducted by officers the same sex as the traveler, and passengers can request a private screening and have a traveling companion present during the search. Agents are not permitted to look inside passengers’ underwear or reach inside a skirt . . . . [but they do anyway –LS]
Rape Survivor Devastated by TSA Enhanced Pat DownPosted on November 8, 2010 by caraschulz
http://pncminnesota.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/rape-survivor-devasted-by-tsa-enhanced-pat-down/
http://pncminnesota.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/rape-survivor-devasted-by-tsa-enhanced-pat-down/
181. HIGHLIGHT (NYT)
Kathleen, USA, November 19th, 2010, 8:11 am
This is a ridiculous policy and it needs to stop.
I fly regularly for work. Last week, even though I had set off no alarms, a TSA agent made me unbutton my shirt exposing my bra and THEN frisked me under my shirt, focusing on my breasts. She also spent a lot of time "frisking" my genital area, again *under* my skirt, which exposed my underwear. It was humiliating. I debated canceling my trip home for Thanksgiving, I was so upset about it.I complained but was told since anything that falls under the umbrella of "security procedure" there is zero recourse. So why is the TSA so far above the law? There is nothing you can do if they do something incredibly abusive.http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/business/19security.html
Kathleen, USA, November 19th, 2010, 8:11 am
This is a ridiculous policy and it needs to stop.
I fly regularly for work. Last week, even though I had set off no alarms, a TSA agent made me unbutton my shirt exposing my bra and THEN frisked me under my shirt, focusing on my breasts. She also spent a lot of time "frisking" my genital area, again *under* my skirt, which exposed my underwear. It was humiliating. I debated canceling my trip home for Thanksgiving, I was so upset about it.I complained but was told since anything that falls under the umbrella of "security procedure" there is zero recourse. So why is the TSA so far above the law? There is nothing you can do if they do something incredibly abusive.http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/business/19security.html
923. HIGHLIGHT (NYT)
Sam, Florida, November 19th, 2010, 4:56 pm
. . . I knew what to expect on the pat down put was still bothered by it. My crotch area was well probed by the TSA agent, my breats were well probed, I had to lift my shirt up while the TSA agent shoved her fingers into my the wasteband of my pants, etc.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/business/19security.html?sort=highlights&offset=2
TSA Forces Cancer Survivor Flight Attendant to Pull Out Prosthetic Breast During Patdown
http://gizmodo.com/5694534/tsa-forces-cancer-survivor-flight-attendant-to-pull-out-prosthetic-breast-during-patdown
http://gizmodo.com/5694534/tsa-forces-cancer-survivor-flight-attendant-to-pull-out-prosthetic-breast-during-patdown
Lawsuit: Airport search indecent (with update below)Posted: October 10, 2010 - 11:57pmBy Jim McBrideAn Amarillo woman is suing the federal government for intentional infliction of emotional distress after Transportation Security Administration agents allegedly humiliated the woman when her breasts were publicly exposed during an "extended search" two years ago at a Corpus Christi airport.The suit, filed earlier this year in Amarillo's U.S. District Court, alleges the woman was singled out for "extended search procedures" while preparing to board an aircraft destined for Amarillo on May 29, 2008.
The Amarillo Globe-News has declined to identify the woman for privacy reasons.
"As the TSA agent was frisking plaintiff, the agent pulled the plaintiff's blouse completely down, exposing plaintiffs' breasts to everyone in the area," the lawsuit said. "As would be expected, plaintiff was extremely embarrassed and humiliated."
The suit said the woman filed an administrative claim against the TSA, but the agency never responded, sparking the lawsuit.
The suit also claims that other TSA employees continued to joke and laugh about the incident for an extended period of time. The woman was distraught over the incident and left the screening area so an acquaintance could console her, the suit said.
When the woman re-entered the boarding area, employees once again began joking about the matter, the suit said."One male TSA employee expressed to the plaintiff that he wished he would have been there when she came through the first time and that 'he would just have to watch the video,'" the suit said.
The lawsuit claims, among other allegations, that federal employees were negligent and that employees intentionally caused the woman severe emotional distress by joking about the incident after the woman re-entered the airport screening area.
In court documents, government attorneys acknowledged that the woman went through secondary screening at a TSA checkpoint, but denied the suit's claims.
The woman's attorney, Jerry McLaughlin, said the woman, now a 23-year-old college student, believes TSA employees acted improperly after a female TSA agent pulled off the woman's top during the screening."It was kind of a bad situation. They didn't handle it correctly," he said. "One of our major complaints is that even after it occurred, they started making jokes about it."Allison Sands, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said the office does not comment on pending litigation.
http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2010-10-11/lawsuit-airport-search-indecent
The Amarillo Globe-News has declined to identify the woman for privacy reasons.
"As the TSA agent was frisking plaintiff, the agent pulled the plaintiff's blouse completely down, exposing plaintiffs' breasts to everyone in the area," the lawsuit said. "As would be expected, plaintiff was extremely embarrassed and humiliated."
The suit said the woman filed an administrative claim against the TSA, but the agency never responded, sparking the lawsuit.
The suit also claims that other TSA employees continued to joke and laugh about the incident for an extended period of time. The woman was distraught over the incident and left the screening area so an acquaintance could console her, the suit said.
When the woman re-entered the boarding area, employees once again began joking about the matter, the suit said."One male TSA employee expressed to the plaintiff that he wished he would have been there when she came through the first time and that 'he would just have to watch the video,'" the suit said.
The lawsuit claims, among other allegations, that federal employees were negligent and that employees intentionally caused the woman severe emotional distress by joking about the incident after the woman re-entered the airport screening area.
In court documents, government attorneys acknowledged that the woman went through secondary screening at a TSA checkpoint, but denied the suit's claims.
The woman's attorney, Jerry McLaughlin, said the woman, now a 23-year-old college student, believes TSA employees acted improperly after a female TSA agent pulled off the woman's top during the screening."It was kind of a bad situation. They didn't handle it correctly," he said. "One of our major complaints is that even after it occurred, they started making jokes about it."Allison Sands, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said the office does not comment on pending litigation.
http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2010-10-11/lawsuit-airport-search-indecent
UPDATE: Woman whose breasts exposed in pat-down settles with TSA. . . Murley claimed that a TSA agent pulled her blouse completely down, exposing her breasts to everyone in the area. Despite her embarrassment, the lawsuit claims that TSA employees in the area continued to joke and laugh about the incident for an extended period of time . . . the male TSA staffer said he was disappointed that he missed her blouse being yanked down, then said “he would just have to watch the video."http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41060589/ns/travel-news/http://news.lalate.com/2011/01/13/lynsie-murley-gets-tsa-settlement/
More TSA Abuses: Woman Beaten; 71-year-old man & 16-year-old girl groped, stripped – and other storieshttp://www.cogitamusblog.com/2010/10/more-tsa-abuses-woman-beaten-71-year-old-man-16-year-old-girl-groped-stripped.html
31-year-old New York marketing executive Robin Kassner beaten by airport police, thrown to the ground, suffered concussion, jailed. Reagan National Airport 2007. Charge of disorderly conduct dropped, charge of obstruction of justice still stands. Kassner is suing the TSA and airport for $10 million. Says she still suffers memory problems because of the incident.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e3d_1215742342
http://www.examiner.com/article/nyc-woman-sues-tsa-for-injuries-after-being-thrown-to-the-ground
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e3d_1215742342
http://www.examiner.com/article/nyc-woman-sues-tsa-for-injuries-after-being-thrown-to-the-ground
TSA Violates 10-Year-Old Child at Reagan National Airport
My youngest daughter is a trauma victim and severely developmentally delayed and travels in crowded places in a Convaid wheelchair stroller along with her service dog (Grizwald). . . . I told the agent when I realized what was happening that he couldn't do this to her because of her disabilities. She is a trauma victim and has had every kind of abuse a child could endure before we adopted her (including suspected sexual abuse) so having an adult male take her from us was way over the top to begin with. I told the TSA agent my daughter was a victim of trauma a number of times. I am talking some serious life threatening trauma that has caused extensive neurological damage . . . I was told to be quiet and to mind my tone. I was frantic knowing the kind of fear and damage was being done to my daughter. I also asked for a CRO and was told no! . . As a result of this encounter we are not going to be able to fly for some time to come until we can help my daughter heal from being re-traumatized by these "screeners".
http://inciid.blogspot.com/2010/08/tsa-violates-10-year-old-child-at.html
(The veracity of this account has since been called into question, and the blog page has been scrubbed from the web –LS)
My youngest daughter is a trauma victim and severely developmentally delayed and travels in crowded places in a Convaid wheelchair stroller along with her service dog (Grizwald). . . . I told the agent when I realized what was happening that he couldn't do this to her because of her disabilities. She is a trauma victim and has had every kind of abuse a child could endure before we adopted her (including suspected sexual abuse) so having an adult male take her from us was way over the top to begin with. I told the TSA agent my daughter was a victim of trauma a number of times. I am talking some serious life threatening trauma that has caused extensive neurological damage . . . I was told to be quiet and to mind my tone. I was frantic knowing the kind of fear and damage was being done to my daughter. I also asked for a CRO and was told no! . . As a result of this encounter we are not going to be able to fly for some time to come until we can help my daughter heal from being re-traumatized by these "screeners".
http://inciid.blogspot.com/2010/08/tsa-violates-10-year-old-child-at.html
(The veracity of this account has since been called into question, and the blog page has been scrubbed from the web –LS)
Local man claims TSA pat-down went too far
Thursday, November 11, 2010
By Andy Cerota
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The holiday travel season is about to get underway and if you haven't flown in a while, you may be in for a surprise. Airport security screenings are becoming more thorough, and some believe they are becoming too invasive.
With one of the busiest travel days of the year right around the corner, the backlash over the TSA's full body scanners and enhanced pat-downs is growing. A Missouri City man says what he experienced at a security checkpoint in a Florida airport was nothing short of criminal.Thomas Mollman says he'll never look at flying the same way again."I felt violated. I felt abused," Mollman said.The 54-year-old Missouri City man had recently undergone surgery and was on pain medication. He was headed home to Houston when a TSA officer stopped him as he was going through security at the Fort Lauderdale airport.
"He found the cell phone. He found my watch. I said, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not thinking too straight.' I showed him what my head looked like," said Mollman.
Mollman was patted down and taken to a body scanner, where he claims a TSA officer inappropriately touched him in what was now his third search."I was wearing shorts at the time - between the underwear, right on the skin, all the way around the back, all the way around my front, 360 degrees, touched inappropriately," he said.Mollman, who by this point is humiliated, says he was never given a reason for the invasive searches and was sent on his way."This was an assault. This was no different from a sexual assault," said KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy.Androphy says the TSA officer not only broke the law, but he violated Mollman's civil rights. Passengers who find themselves in similar situations have options.
"I would tell him stop, get over a police officer and get over a supervisor and if they didn't I would call the police over," said Androphy.Mollman says while he still plans to fly, he won't be returning to Fort Lauderdale any time soon.
The Transportation Security Administration released the following statement to us: "There's nothing punitive about it, pat-downs just make good security sense. All passengers have the right to request a private screening at any point and a traveling companion present."
Mollman says he plans on filing a complaint with the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida.The public outcry against the TSA's body scanners and intrusive pat-downs is growing. One group is calling for citizens to boycott these security measures later this month.
(Copyright ©2010 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7780727
Thursday, November 11, 2010
By Andy Cerota
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The holiday travel season is about to get underway and if you haven't flown in a while, you may be in for a surprise. Airport security screenings are becoming more thorough, and some believe they are becoming too invasive.
With one of the busiest travel days of the year right around the corner, the backlash over the TSA's full body scanners and enhanced pat-downs is growing. A Missouri City man says what he experienced at a security checkpoint in a Florida airport was nothing short of criminal.Thomas Mollman says he'll never look at flying the same way again."I felt violated. I felt abused," Mollman said.The 54-year-old Missouri City man had recently undergone surgery and was on pain medication. He was headed home to Houston when a TSA officer stopped him as he was going through security at the Fort Lauderdale airport.
"He found the cell phone. He found my watch. I said, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not thinking too straight.' I showed him what my head looked like," said Mollman.
Mollman was patted down and taken to a body scanner, where he claims a TSA officer inappropriately touched him in what was now his third search."I was wearing shorts at the time - between the underwear, right on the skin, all the way around the back, all the way around my front, 360 degrees, touched inappropriately," he said.Mollman, who by this point is humiliated, says he was never given a reason for the invasive searches and was sent on his way."This was an assault. This was no different from a sexual assault," said KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy.Androphy says the TSA officer not only broke the law, but he violated Mollman's civil rights. Passengers who find themselves in similar situations have options.
"I would tell him stop, get over a police officer and get over a supervisor and if they didn't I would call the police over," said Androphy.Mollman says while he still plans to fly, he won't be returning to Fort Lauderdale any time soon.
The Transportation Security Administration released the following statement to us: "There's nothing punitive about it, pat-downs just make good security sense. All passengers have the right to request a private screening at any point and a traveling companion present."
Mollman says he plans on filing a complaint with the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida.The public outcry against the TSA's body scanners and intrusive pat-downs is growing. One group is calling for citizens to boycott these security measures later this month.
(Copyright ©2010 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7780727
I wanted to say thank you for your concerns that you have in relations to the TSA body-image scanners that are located in some of the airports. Unfortunately, I was not given a choice of being patted down and I was told by the TSA security that I was not allowed to catch my flight back home from the Dallas airport to Va Beach unless I went through the body-image scanner. I was 6 1/2 months pregnant and TSA security made jokes about how they were going to be able to tell the sex of my unborn child. I went through the scanner crying and went to the supervisor to file a complaint. However, it didn't matter how I felt violated and humilated; instead it remained on the safety issues.
Thanks you for being my voice!!
-Tammy, November 2010
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/129651-gop-lawmaker-full-body-scanners-violate-fourth-amendment
Thanks you for being my voice!!
-Tammy, November 2010
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/129651-gop-lawmaker-full-body-scanners-violate-fourth-amendment
California DA Vows to Prosecute Airport Screeners Who Touch Travelers Inappropriately
Published November 17, 2010
The public outcry over the government's new pat-downs gained momentum Wednesday, as a California district attorney vowed to prosecute any complaints of inappropriate touching by airport security screeners and a U.S. congressman called for screeners to receive improved training.
The developments came as the head of the Transportation Security Administration, John Pistole, acknowledged that the new pat-downs are more invasive than what travelers were used to in the past.
The "enhanced" pat-downs of airline passengers who opt out of using the high-tech body scanners require screeners to touch travellers' breasts or genitals.
Airline passenger John Tyner drew national attention after recording on his cell phone an encounter with a TSA screener in which Tyner warned he would have the male screener arrested if he touched "my junk." Tyler was thrown out of San Diego International Airport and faces a $10,000 fine if he is sued by the TSA.
Steve Wagstaffe, the incoming district attorney in San Mateo County, told FoxNews.com that he would charge screeners with sexual battery for complaints of inappropriate touching with sexual or lewd intent.
But if the complaint is simply that a TSA screener went too far with a pat-down, "That's not a crime," Wagstaffe said.
"It becomes a crime when someone does that touching, reaches under the blouse and fondles breasts," he said. "That's a crime under California law."
If convicted of a misdemeanor, TSA screeners would face up to one year in the county jail; for a felony, which would involve skin-on-skin contact, they would face up to three years in state prison.
Wagstaffe said he has not received a complaint yet and he believes all the attention on airport screening will cause TSA to be more careful.
After appearing on a Fox News show, Pistole declined to comment to FoxNews.com about Wagstaffe's comments.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is calling for improved training procedures after a government report found some flaws with the oversight of TSA's training program.
"In light of recent aviation security events and the new pat down process for screening passengers, training is more important than ever in both securing the aviation system and maintaining suitable privacy and customer service standards," he said in a written statement. "Training is the critical lynchpin in an effective aviation security program. Without suitable training, technology and established screening processes are ineffective."
The Office of Inspector General in the Department of Homeland Security released a report that showed TSA did not establish a lead office to organize and coordinate the training program until 2006, and that office didn't actively start overseeing the program until 2009.
"Without a documented process for updating training based on screener performance data and changes in technology or equipment, the Transportation Security Administration may be missing opportunities to enhance its officers' skills and abilities," the report read.
In testimony to a Senate committee about TSA policies and procedures, Pistole said he has received the new pat-down, as has his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Pistole said he understands the privacy concerns but added that the government must provide the best possible security for air travelers.
TSA Molests 3-Year-Old Child at Chattanooga Metro Airporthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ByKOhAhsU
My Very Own TSA NightmareI guess there is a new category of suspect persons to the TSA: “traveling with scars."November 17, 2010 - by Andrew Ian Dodge. . . I went through the scanner fully cooperating and followed the instructions. Yet I was still taken aside as I exited the machine. No warning bells went off like with the old metal detectors, so I thought it might be random . . .
I informed the TSA officer that it was the scar from my colon cancer operation that went from my crotch to my sternum. A day later the scar still hurts from the kneading and prodding. I was informed they were checking in order to determine if I had anything sewn into my stomach. I offered to lift my shirt to show the TSA officer the still rather graphic scar, but he refused.
So in just five minutes I was told I looked like a notorious porn star by a TSA female employee and then had my scar examined by a man. I was so very pleased to be reminded of the painful and frightening (I had post-op complications including “dying several times”) experience of a few years ago.
I guess there is a new category of suspect persons to the TSA: “traveling with scars . .
Surely it would have been better had the dozens of staff on hand been inspecting packages in the holds of airplanes instead of kneading my scar."
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/my-very-own-tsa-nightmare/2/
I informed the TSA officer that it was the scar from my colon cancer operation that went from my crotch to my sternum. A day later the scar still hurts from the kneading and prodding. I was informed they were checking in order to determine if I had anything sewn into my stomach. I offered to lift my shirt to show the TSA officer the still rather graphic scar, but he refused.
So in just five minutes I was told I looked like a notorious porn star by a TSA female employee and then had my scar examined by a man. I was so very pleased to be reminded of the painful and frightening (I had post-op complications including “dying several times”) experience of a few years ago.
I guess there is a new category of suspect persons to the TSA: “traveling with scars . .
Surely it would have been better had the dozens of staff on hand been inspecting packages in the holds of airplanes instead of kneading my scar."
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/my-very-own-tsa-nightmare/2/
(Nov. 21) ABC -- A Michigan man who survived bladder cancer in 2007 has now been forced to survive humiliation at the hands of the TSA, whose airport screeners spilled urine on him during a recent security check at Detroit's airport.
Thomas Sawyer, 61, was flying to Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 7 with his wife to attend a wedding. Since having part of his bladder removed because of cancer, Sawyer wears a urostomy bag attached to a tube from his abdomen.
He said he asked TSA agents if he could be screened in private because of his medical condition. "One officer looked at another, rolled his eyes and said that they really didn't have any place to take me," the retired special education teacher told MSNBC. "After I said again that I'd like privacy, they took me to an office."
"I tried to warn him that he would hit the bag and break the seal on my bag, but he ignored me," Sawyer said. "Sure enough, the seal was broken and urine started dribbling down my shirt and my leg and into my pants.""I was just so embarrassed, so humiliated," Sawyer also told The Detroit Free Press. He's filed a complaint with the Transportation Security Administration.
http://theview.abc.go.com/forum/tsa-pat-down-leaves-passenger-covered-urine
Thomas Sawyer, 61, was flying to Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 7 with his wife to attend a wedding. Since having part of his bladder removed because of cancer, Sawyer wears a urostomy bag attached to a tube from his abdomen.
He said he asked TSA agents if he could be screened in private because of his medical condition. "One officer looked at another, rolled his eyes and said that they really didn't have any place to take me," the retired special education teacher told MSNBC. "After I said again that I'd like privacy, they took me to an office."
"I tried to warn him that he would hit the bag and break the seal on my bag, but he ignored me," Sawyer said. "Sure enough, the seal was broken and urine started dribbling down my shirt and my leg and into my pants.""I was just so embarrassed, so humiliated," Sawyer also told The Detroit Free Press. He's filed a complaint with the Transportation Security Administration.
http://theview.abc.go.com/forum/tsa-pat-down-leaves-passenger-covered-urine
TSA Forces Disabled Boy, 4, To Remove Leg Braces
February 2010
"Unfortunately, it's no joke," writes Daniel Rubin for Philly.com. The child, Ryan, was en route to Disney Land to celebrate his fourth birthday when TSA officials ruled he must clear customs without his leg braces, on his own two feet. To prevent injury, his parents walked just ahead and just behind him though security.
The boy's furious father, a police officer, complained to a TSA manager at the airport, and was told to "calm down and enjoy his vacation," Rubin writes.
Reading the TSA Web site, it would appear that the agency has very clear guidelines regarding "Prosthetic Devices, Casts, and Body Braces." Although the officers will need to examine your device or brace, they "will not ask nor require you to remove" it. In fact, the agency makes the following request of passengers: "During the screening process, please do not remove or offer to remove your prosthetic device."The TSA has apologized and agency spokesperson Ann Davis tells the Associated Press that the TSA believes the family's account.
Rubin's column chronicles other incidents of bizarre behavior by security screening personnel at the airport of the City of Brotherly Love, including a TSA worker who pretended to find a bag of white powder in a traveler's carry-on bag (the worker was fired, according to the Inquirer).
Rubin writes in a separate column, however, that he has received "scores of tips of other alleged abuses by those who work to keep us safe," and that most of the stories happened in other airports.http://www.parentdish.com/2010/02/17/airport-security-forces-boy-4-to-remove-leg-braces/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/airport_security_officials_apo.html
February 2010
"Unfortunately, it's no joke," writes Daniel Rubin for Philly.com. The child, Ryan, was en route to Disney Land to celebrate his fourth birthday when TSA officials ruled he must clear customs without his leg braces, on his own two feet. To prevent injury, his parents walked just ahead and just behind him though security.
The boy's furious father, a police officer, complained to a TSA manager at the airport, and was told to "calm down and enjoy his vacation," Rubin writes.
Reading the TSA Web site, it would appear that the agency has very clear guidelines regarding "Prosthetic Devices, Casts, and Body Braces." Although the officers will need to examine your device or brace, they "will not ask nor require you to remove" it. In fact, the agency makes the following request of passengers: "During the screening process, please do not remove or offer to remove your prosthetic device."The TSA has apologized and agency spokesperson Ann Davis tells the Associated Press that the TSA believes the family's account.
Rubin's column chronicles other incidents of bizarre behavior by security screening personnel at the airport of the City of Brotherly Love, including a TSA worker who pretended to find a bag of white powder in a traveler's carry-on bag (the worker was fired, according to the Inquirer).
Rubin writes in a separate column, however, that he has received "scores of tips of other alleged abuses by those who work to keep us safe," and that most of the stories happened in other airports.http://www.parentdish.com/2010/02/17/airport-security-forces-boy-4-to-remove-leg-braces/http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/airport_security_officials_apo.html
ADDENDUM: The boy’s father, Bob Thomas, has said that contrary to reports, the TSA did not apologize to him or his wife for what TSA agents did to their son.From comment left by Bob Thomas at the TSA Blog on February 22, 2010, at 2:52 PM:
Bob Thomas said...I am the father of the little boy, Ryan, who was forced to remove his supportive leg braces and walk through the metal detector at PHL airport. First of all, Mr. Ellis did NOT call me and offer an apology. It was during my phone conversation with the Supervisor of Customer Service that Mr. Ellis entered into the conversation. And that was only at the very end on speaker phone! Isn't that right, Bob? Secondly, the incident WAS reported to a supervisor. It was his responsibility to file a written report over this incident -not me, my wife or my disabled son. Upon our return from Florida I did attempt to find out who I could contact to file a complaint about our humiliating experience but I never received any call back or correspondence from the airport manager. I have never questioned the need for airport security. Bottom line is that the TSA failed miserably in dealing with this situation. They blatantly violated their own written screening directives in addressing individuals who are classified as "Special Needs". It is becoming more apparent that PHL has serious screening issues and inept, unqualified, untrained agents. Perhaps it's time to clean house beginning with the the airport director. After all, he is ultimately responsible for the actions of his employees.
February 22, 2010 2:52 PM
Bob Thomas said...I am the father of the little boy, Ryan, who was forced to remove his supportive leg braces and walk through the metal detector at PHL airport. First of all, Mr. Ellis did NOT call me and offer an apology. It was during my phone conversation with the Supervisor of Customer Service that Mr. Ellis entered into the conversation. And that was only at the very end on speaker phone! Isn't that right, Bob? Secondly, the incident WAS reported to a supervisor. It was his responsibility to file a written report over this incident -not me, my wife or my disabled son. Upon our return from Florida I did attempt to find out who I could contact to file a complaint about our humiliating experience but I never received any call back or correspondence from the airport manager. I have never questioned the need for airport security. Bottom line is that the TSA failed miserably in dealing with this situation. They blatantly violated their own written screening directives in addressing individuals who are classified as "Special Needs". It is becoming more apparent that PHL has serious screening issues and inept, unqualified, untrained agents. Perhaps it's time to clean house beginning with the the airport director. After all, he is ultimately responsible for the actions of his employees.
February 22, 2010 2:52 PM
USA Today: . . . In a follow-up article mostly critical of the TSA's effort, the Boston Herald offers this description of the procedure from 50-year-old Las Vegas passenger Rob Webster: "It was extremely invasive. This was a very probing-type touching - not just patting over all your areas, but actually probing and pushing and seeing if I was concealing something in my genital area."
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2010/08/tsa-enhanced-security-aclu/109307/1?csp=34travel#uslPageReturn
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2010/08/tsa-enhanced-security-aclu/109307/1?csp=34travel#uslPageReturn
Daniel Rubin: An infuriating search at Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia Inquirer, August 18, 2010
At what point does an airport search step over the line?
How about when they start going through your checks, and the police call your husband, suspicious you were clearing out the bank account?
. . . Kathy Parker, a 43-year-old Elkton, Md., woman, who was flying out of Philadelphia International Airport on Aug. 8 . . . screener started emptying her wallet. "He was taking out the receipts and looking at them," she said.
Two Philadelphia police officers joined at least four TSA officers who had gathered around her. After conferring with the TSA screeners, one of the Philadelphia officers told her he was there because her checks were numbered sequentially, which she says they were not.
"It's an indication you've embezzled these checks," she says the police officer told her. He also told her she appeared nervous. She hadn't before that moment, she says.
She protested when the officer started to walk away with the checks. "That's my money," she remembers saying. The officer's reply? "It's not your money."
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/daniel_rubin/20100818_Daniel_Rubin__An_infuriating_search_at_Philadelphia_International_Airport.html
Philadelphia Inquirer, August 18, 2010
At what point does an airport search step over the line?
How about when they start going through your checks, and the police call your husband, suspicious you were clearing out the bank account?
. . . Kathy Parker, a 43-year-old Elkton, Md., woman, who was flying out of Philadelphia International Airport on Aug. 8 . . . screener started emptying her wallet. "He was taking out the receipts and looking at them," she said.
Two Philadelphia police officers joined at least four TSA officers who had gathered around her. After conferring with the TSA screeners, one of the Philadelphia officers told her he was there because her checks were numbered sequentially, which she says they were not.
"It's an indication you've embezzled these checks," she says the police officer told her. He also told her she appeared nervous. She hadn't before that moment, she says.
She protested when the officer started to walk away with the checks. "That's my money," she remembers saying. The officer's reply? "It's not your money."
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/daniel_rubin/20100818_Daniel_Rubin__An_infuriating_search_at_Philadelphia_International_Airport.html
****** THIS VIDEO OCCURRED AT SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON NOVEMBER 19TH [2010] AT AROUND THE TIME OF 12 PM **********
Lets get the facts straight first. Before the video started the boy went through a metal detector and didn't set it off but was selected for a pat down. The boy was shy so the TSA couldn't complete the full pat on the young boy. The father tried several times to just hold the boys arms out for the TSA agent but i guess it didn't end up being enough for the guy. I was about 30 ft away so i couldn't hear their conversation if there was any. The enraged father pulled his son shirt off and gave it to the TSA agent to search, thats when this video begins.
Lets get the facts straight first. Before the video started the boy went through a metal detector and didn't set it off but was selected for a pat down. The boy was shy so the TSA couldn't complete the full pat on the young boy. The father tried several times to just hold the boys arms out for the TSA agent but i guess it didn't end up being enough for the guy. I was about 30 ft away so i couldn't hear their conversation if there was any. The enraged father pulled his son shirt off and gave it to the TSA agent to search, thats when this video begins.
After I finished videotaping the incident I went through the check point myself. I collected my things and went over to talk to the father and son. Before I could get to them a man in a black suit who had been talking with the other TSA officials approached me. He asked to speak to me and I obliged, wondering what was to come. He then proceeded to interrogate me about why I was videotaping the "procedures of the TSA". I told him that I had never seen such practices before on a young child and decided to record it.
The man being frustrated at this point demanded to know my plans with the video, of which I didn't respond. Repeatedly he asked me to delete the video, hoping his mere presence could intimidate me to obey, but I refused. By this point it became obvious that he felt TSA had done something wrong and that I caught it on tape. After the interview, I left for my gate. I called my brother who told me I should put the tape on YouTube because this had been a recent hot topic in the news.
My gate was a long way off, but about 15 minutes after arriving 2 TSA agents came and sat 15 feet or so away from me. I stood up and moved so that they were in front of me and then took a picture. A 3rd and then a 4th agent came and sat down with the others. They would occasionally glance at me and talk on their walkie-talkies. I don't know why they were there or if it was a huge coincidence but they stayed for 30-45 minutes and left just before I boarded the plan. Interesting to say the least, intimidating? Maybe a little...lukemtait | November 19, 2010 |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSQTz1bccL4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSQTz1bccL4
TSA Pat Down Went Too Far, Agency Chief Says
by David Edwards, Monday, November 22, 2010, Raw Story
The beleaguered head of the Transportation Security Administration said today that at least one airport passenger screening went too far when an officer reached inside a traveler's underwear, and the agency is open to rethinking its current protocols.
An ABC News employee [Carolyn Durand] said she was subject to a "demeaning" search at Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday morning.
"The woman who checked me reached her hands inside my underwear and felt her way around," she said. "It was basically worse than going to the gynecologist. It was embarrassing. It was demeaning. It was inappropriate."
That search was against protocols and "never" should have happened, TSA Administrator John Pistole told "Good Morning America" today.
"There should never be a situation where that happens," Pistole said. "The security officers are there to protect the traveling public. There are specific standard operating protocols which they are to follow."Pistole, reponding to complaints from passengers, has maintained that the TSA will not change its pat down procedures. But today he said the agency is "open" to changing security procedures.
"The bottom line is, we are always adapting and adjusting prior protocols in view of the intelligence and in view of the latest information we have on how the terrorists are trying to kill our people on planes," Pistole said. "If that means we need to adjust the procedures, then of course we're open to that.
Pistole said the key to travel security is finding the proper balance between protecting against very real threats -- such as the failed cargo bomb plot and the current search for two suicide bombers believed to be at large in Germany -- and protecting individual privacy, something that some passengers claim invasive pat down procedures have taken away.
In recent days, several passengers have come forward to tell shocking stories about their experiences with TSA officers.Thomas Sawyer, a bladder cancer survivor, said he was humiliated after a pat down broke his urostomy bag, leaving the 61-year-old covered in his own urine. Sawyer said he warned the TSA officials twice the pat down could break the seal.
"I was so embarrassed and so petrified of going out into the airport and people would see me and quote unquote smell me," Sawyer said. "My underwear had dropped to the floor and I'm standing there in front of them with my underwear and had to ask to pull it up."
Cathy Bossi, a long-time flight attendant and breast cancer survivor said the TSA made her take off her prosthetic breast.
"She put her full hand on my breast and said 'What is this?' I said 'It's a prosthesis because I've had a breast cancer,'" Bossi said. "And she said, 'You'll need to show me that.'"A video of a father taking his young son's shirt off so he can be searched has gone viral online with nearly half a million views in just three days.
On "Face the Nation," Secretary Passengers aren't the only ones calling for a new look at security procedures.
President Barack Obama said Saturday that he understood people's frustrations and told the TSA that there needs to be a constant refinement and "measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the American people's safety and you also have to think through are there less ways of doing it that are less intrusive."
On Face the Nation Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there's an ongoing question of assessing risk.
"I think that we have to be constantly asking ourselves, how do we calculate the risk?' And sometimes we don't calculate it correctly, we either understate it or overstate it." she said.
When asked if she would submit to a pat-down, Clinton said: "Not if I could avoid it, no. I mean, who would?"Pistole said he is "very aware" of the concerns raised by passengers and said if anyone feels their privacy was violated, they can file a complaint on the TSA's website or ask for a supervisor at the airport.
"We're here to protect you and your loved ones, especially this weekend when you're flying home," he said.
"We all wish we lived in a world where security procedures at airports weren't necessary but that just isn't the case," Pistole said in a statement Sunday.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/22/abc-producer-tsa-patdown-worse-gynecologist/
by David Edwards, Monday, November 22, 2010, Raw Story
The beleaguered head of the Transportation Security Administration said today that at least one airport passenger screening went too far when an officer reached inside a traveler's underwear, and the agency is open to rethinking its current protocols.
An ABC News employee [Carolyn Durand] said she was subject to a "demeaning" search at Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday morning.
"The woman who checked me reached her hands inside my underwear and felt her way around," she said. "It was basically worse than going to the gynecologist. It was embarrassing. It was demeaning. It was inappropriate."
That search was against protocols and "never" should have happened, TSA Administrator John Pistole told "Good Morning America" today.
"There should never be a situation where that happens," Pistole said. "The security officers are there to protect the traveling public. There are specific standard operating protocols which they are to follow."Pistole, reponding to complaints from passengers, has maintained that the TSA will not change its pat down procedures. But today he said the agency is "open" to changing security procedures.
"The bottom line is, we are always adapting and adjusting prior protocols in view of the intelligence and in view of the latest information we have on how the terrorists are trying to kill our people on planes," Pistole said. "If that means we need to adjust the procedures, then of course we're open to that.
Pistole said the key to travel security is finding the proper balance between protecting against very real threats -- such as the failed cargo bomb plot and the current search for two suicide bombers believed to be at large in Germany -- and protecting individual privacy, something that some passengers claim invasive pat down procedures have taken away.
In recent days, several passengers have come forward to tell shocking stories about their experiences with TSA officers.Thomas Sawyer, a bladder cancer survivor, said he was humiliated after a pat down broke his urostomy bag, leaving the 61-year-old covered in his own urine. Sawyer said he warned the TSA officials twice the pat down could break the seal.
"I was so embarrassed and so petrified of going out into the airport and people would see me and quote unquote smell me," Sawyer said. "My underwear had dropped to the floor and I'm standing there in front of them with my underwear and had to ask to pull it up."
Cathy Bossi, a long-time flight attendant and breast cancer survivor said the TSA made her take off her prosthetic breast.
"She put her full hand on my breast and said 'What is this?' I said 'It's a prosthesis because I've had a breast cancer,'" Bossi said. "And she said, 'You'll need to show me that.'"A video of a father taking his young son's shirt off so he can be searched has gone viral online with nearly half a million views in just three days.
On "Face the Nation," Secretary Passengers aren't the only ones calling for a new look at security procedures.
President Barack Obama said Saturday that he understood people's frustrations and told the TSA that there needs to be a constant refinement and "measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the American people's safety and you also have to think through are there less ways of doing it that are less intrusive."
On Face the Nation Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there's an ongoing question of assessing risk.
"I think that we have to be constantly asking ourselves, how do we calculate the risk?' And sometimes we don't calculate it correctly, we either understate it or overstate it." she said.
When asked if she would submit to a pat-down, Clinton said: "Not if I could avoid it, no. I mean, who would?"Pistole said he is "very aware" of the concerns raised by passengers and said if anyone feels their privacy was violated, they can file a complaint on the TSA's website or ask for a supervisor at the airport.
"We're here to protect you and your loved ones, especially this weekend when you're flying home," he said.
"We all wish we lived in a world where security procedures at airports weren't necessary but that just isn't the case," Pistole said in a statement Sunday.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/22/abc-producer-tsa-patdown-worse-gynecologist/
'Opting Out' Protest to Cause Travel Gridlock?
Geoff Freeman with the U.S. Travel Association said the new procedures has prompted an important debate about what passengers would do for the sake of national safety.
"For the first time in a post 9/11 environment, travelers are now saying they're willing to discuss risk, they're willing to discuss trade offs, that's the discussion we need to have," he said.
A grassroots internet campaign to encourage travelers to "opt out" of the full-body scans on Wednesday or the busiest travel day of the year, has officials concerned over a possible travel gridlock.
Though thousands of Facebook users have said they vowed to opt-out, some say the movement may be overstated and overblown.
"The truth is, most travelers just want to get to their destination as fast as possible," said Genevieve Shaw Brown, Senior Editor at Travelocity.
Across the nation, there are 385 of the new full-body scanners at airports, but there are 2100 total security lanes.
That equals about 80 percent of security lanes won't have the machines in place.
"Most people will go through business as usual, the metal detector that we've all become used to, taking off the shoes, pouring our liquids in to the tiny little containers, business as usual for the vast majority of people," Brown said.
ABC News' Kevin Dolak and Ryan Creed contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/tsa-responds-passenger-outrages-underwear-search-happen/story?id=12208932
Geoff Freeman with the U.S. Travel Association said the new procedures has prompted an important debate about what passengers would do for the sake of national safety.
"For the first time in a post 9/11 environment, travelers are now saying they're willing to discuss risk, they're willing to discuss trade offs, that's the discussion we need to have," he said.
A grassroots internet campaign to encourage travelers to "opt out" of the full-body scans on Wednesday or the busiest travel day of the year, has officials concerned over a possible travel gridlock.
Though thousands of Facebook users have said they vowed to opt-out, some say the movement may be overstated and overblown.
"The truth is, most travelers just want to get to their destination as fast as possible," said Genevieve Shaw Brown, Senior Editor at Travelocity.
Across the nation, there are 385 of the new full-body scanners at airports, but there are 2100 total security lanes.
That equals about 80 percent of security lanes won't have the machines in place.
"Most people will go through business as usual, the metal detector that we've all become used to, taking off the shoes, pouring our liquids in to the tiny little containers, business as usual for the vast majority of people," Brown said.
ABC News' Kevin Dolak and Ryan Creed contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/tsa-responds-passenger-outrages-underwear-search-happen/story?id=12208932
Ticket agent suspended after objecting to TSA’s search of her wallet:
I just had my second run-in with TSA while attempting to go to work. I was refused the right to go to work because after I willingly handed TSA my lunch bag (which only contained my pocketbook, 2 restaurant paper napkins, and a piece of a news page crossword puzzle), they proceeded to empty my pocketbook, piece by piece, and go through my wallet, credit card by credit card, checking every nook and cranny in both my purse and my wallet. When they began going thru my wallet, I objected. I may have lost my job because of these arrogant and ignorant individuals.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/whitehead/whitehead20.1.html
Man Arrested for Videotaping TSA Officials While Stripping Down to his UnderwearIn clear contradiction of what Transportation Security Administration officials have stated in the past, a man was arrested for videotaping TSA officials at San Diego International Airport Friday.Sam Wolanyk was also charged with "failing to complete the security process" - even though he seemed more than happy to allow them to search him when he stripped down to his underwear.
Wolanyk initially was asked to step into the see-through scanner, but opted to have them pat him down instead.
That was when he stripped down to his underwear . . . Wolanyk was then paraded through two terminals in his underwear. At one point during this interaction, he videotaped TSA officials with his iPhone, which was confiscated.The incident was confirmed by Harbor Police Sergeant Rakos who said Wolanyk was arrested on two misdemeanors, “failing to complete the security process; violation code 7.01 and illegally recording the San Diego Airport Authority (they confiscated his iPhone); violation number 7.14 (a).”
It is not clear which "violation codes" he violated. A search though several San Diego city and county codes did not produce anything remotely close to what is listed above . . . .
http://www.pixiq.com/article/san-diego-man-arrested-for-videotaping-tsa-officials
Wolanyk initially was asked to step into the see-through scanner, but opted to have them pat him down instead.
That was when he stripped down to his underwear . . . Wolanyk was then paraded through two terminals in his underwear. At one point during this interaction, he videotaped TSA officials with his iPhone, which was confiscated.The incident was confirmed by Harbor Police Sergeant Rakos who said Wolanyk was arrested on two misdemeanors, “failing to complete the security process; violation code 7.01 and illegally recording the San Diego Airport Authority (they confiscated his iPhone); violation number 7.14 (a).”
It is not clear which "violation codes" he violated. A search though several San Diego city and county codes did not produce anything remotely close to what is listed above . . . .
http://www.pixiq.com/article/san-diego-man-arrested-for-videotaping-tsa-officials
Rosemary: "I'd decided months ago that I was NOT going to be microwaved on 'medium defrost' and have my 51-year-old body ogled by a TSA employee. So the angry TSA attendant parked me next to the scanner, and I kept looking at the scanning device and wondering (and hoping) that the Plexiglas shroud blocked all the radiation generated by the machine. What a perfect punishment for someone who fears being exposed to whatever health risks: Park them NEXT to the machine so that they get mega-doses. I literally pleaded with the TSA attendant to allow me to retrieve my personal possessions and she refused. I was traveling alone (as I often do). I then pleaded with her to allow me to at least be in the line of sight of my wallet and cell phone and she again ordered me – again in a loud voice – to remain still. She was demanding, harsh, and unyielding. I kept thinking to myself, 'This is what happens when you opt out. You lose your wallet and your laptop. Very, very effective."http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=227489
Dotty: "It was nearly midnight as I entered the Las Vegas airport on a mobility scooter to fly to Hawaii for a niece's wedding. I told the TSA agent that I wouldn't go through the 'naked machine' but preferred to hobble through the metal detector. The supervisor was called and screamed at me for between 7 and 12 minutes straight, saying I was rude for being scared of her agents. She said the machine didn't show people naked and showed me a sample picture of a scan to prove it. I pointed out the man's genitals on the sample picture which made her even more angry. 'That's just because you're looking for them,' she yelled."
LIFE WITH BIG BROTHER
TSA checkpoints: Real-life horrors
'Security is one thing, license to molest people is another'
Editor's Note: Some of the links in this report lead to graphic images that have been taken from current airport security scanning procedures. Use caution in viewing the links.
Spreadin' the glove: TSA infecting U.S.?Latex coverings “have been in crotches, armpits, touching people who may be ill”November 22, 2010 11:04 pm Eastern
Those latex gloves Transportation Security Administration agents wear while giving airline passengers those infamous full-body pat-downs apparently aren't there for the safety and security of passengers – only the TSA agents.
That's the word being discussed on dozens of online forums and postings after it was noted that the agents wear the same gloves to pat down dozens, perhaps hundreds, of passengers, not changing them even though the Centers for Disease Control in its online writings has emphasized the important of clean hands to prevent the exchange of loathsome afflictions.
"Herpes via latex glove ... ewwww," wrote one participant on the independence-minded AR15 website forum.Responding to the question, "Does the TSA change latex gloves after each sexual assault?" another wrote on the same forum, "I seriously doubt it. Gloves are for their protection, not yours."Martha Donahue in a commentary at Resistnet said she'd spent 30 years in the medical industry.
"For those of you who fly and opt for the 'pat down,' you need to demand the TSA thugs change their gloves. I've been watching on the news how they operate. People are being searched [with] dirty gloves ... gloves that have been in crotches, armpits, touching people who may be ill, people who pick their noses. Do you want those gloves touching you?"These thugs are protecting themselves from you. You need to be protected from them," she wrote. "In a hospital, nursing home, in-home care, or even labs, that would never even be considered an option."
Asked today about the possibility of contamination being spread from one passenger to another on the gloves of TSA agents, a spokesman for the CDC bailed."Please contact the Dept of Homeland Security and/or TSA on this issue," the spokesman told WND.But in its online writings, the CDC repeatedly makes clear the importance of maintaining clean hands to avoid such transmission of communicable and contagious afflictions.In a forum on The Hill, writer Carol Felsenthal said agents should, simply in the course of their work, change gloves between passengers.
"Anyone who has visited a fast food joint, a doctor's office, or a hospital has watched as workers change gloves between servings or exams. And if they don't, the customer/patient would surely say something," she wrote. "How often do the TSA agents doing the 'enhanced pat-downs' change gloves?"On a TSA blog promoting the agency's actions and policies, one screener explained, "Changing gloves is fairly simple ... . When I gate screen I carry about 10-12 pairs in my pockets."
Respondents to the comment were outraged, "That's just plain disgusting and most certainly not acceptable ... procedures as set forth by the CDC for usage of gloves for protection," said one. "Reasoning being is that the bacteria count in your pockets is about the same is your mouth or armpit."
Wrote another forum participant, "Those gloves are soiled if they come out of your pockets and before handling my stuff you will be expected to obtain a clean, from the original container, pair. ... Who knows what filth inhabits your pockets!"
Officials at the city-owned Denver International Airport, some 20 miles northeast of downtown, said they had no participation in making any health policy regarding the gloves used by TSA screeners on Denver passengers, and, in fact, did not know if there was a policy . . . .
That's the word being discussed on dozens of online forums and postings after it was noted that the agents wear the same gloves to pat down dozens, perhaps hundreds, of passengers, not changing them even though the Centers for Disease Control in its online writings has emphasized the important of clean hands to prevent the exchange of loathsome afflictions.
"Herpes via latex glove ... ewwww," wrote one participant on the independence-minded AR15 website forum.Responding to the question, "Does the TSA change latex gloves after each sexual assault?" another wrote on the same forum, "I seriously doubt it. Gloves are for their protection, not yours."Martha Donahue in a commentary at Resistnet said she'd spent 30 years in the medical industry.
"For those of you who fly and opt for the 'pat down,' you need to demand the TSA thugs change their gloves. I've been watching on the news how they operate. People are being searched [with] dirty gloves ... gloves that have been in crotches, armpits, touching people who may be ill, people who pick their noses. Do you want those gloves touching you?"These thugs are protecting themselves from you. You need to be protected from them," she wrote. "In a hospital, nursing home, in-home care, or even labs, that would never even be considered an option."
Asked today about the possibility of contamination being spread from one passenger to another on the gloves of TSA agents, a spokesman for the CDC bailed."Please contact the Dept of Homeland Security and/or TSA on this issue," the spokesman told WND.But in its online writings, the CDC repeatedly makes clear the importance of maintaining clean hands to avoid such transmission of communicable and contagious afflictions.In a forum on The Hill, writer Carol Felsenthal said agents should, simply in the course of their work, change gloves between passengers.
"Anyone who has visited a fast food joint, a doctor's office, or a hospital has watched as workers change gloves between servings or exams. And if they don't, the customer/patient would surely say something," she wrote. "How often do the TSA agents doing the 'enhanced pat-downs' change gloves?"On a TSA blog promoting the agency's actions and policies, one screener explained, "Changing gloves is fairly simple ... . When I gate screen I carry about 10-12 pairs in my pockets."
Respondents to the comment were outraged, "That's just plain disgusting and most certainly not acceptable ... procedures as set forth by the CDC for usage of gloves for protection," said one. "Reasoning being is that the bacteria count in your pockets is about the same is your mouth or armpit."
Wrote another forum participant, "Those gloves are soiled if they come out of your pockets and before handling my stuff you will be expected to obtain a clean, from the original container, pair. ... Who knows what filth inhabits your pockets!"
Officials at the city-owned Denver International Airport, some 20 miles northeast of downtown, said they had no participation in making any health policy regarding the gloves used by TSA screeners on Denver passengers, and, in fact, did not know if there was a policy . . . .
. . . A passenger named Barbara wrote to WND: "Coming directly from a 2-week hospital stay, arriving in a wheelchair, unable to walk or stand, and just less than 2 hours out of the hospital, I was met by the 'security' folks who seemed angered that I couldn't walk through their scan. Instead, in front of everyone, I was groped like a rapist might attack a victim. The probing certainly did not help alleviate the intense pain I had when I arrived at the airport. Shameful and inconsiderate behavior, totally inexcusable! I am an 84-year-old white female, 4'10", 110 lbs.”
Another passenger, David, told WND he traveled to attend a sister's funeral in Los Angeles – his description of what happened to him at LAX:
"This screener made me turn all my pockets inside out, patted me down four times, being particularly attentive to my crotch and butt. I asked him if he just wanted me to strip down naked and he said go ahead. My wife then approached a nearby sheriff, who brought these violations of my privacy, and person, to a halt . . . Oh yeah, it took him half an hour to maul me, misplaced my boarding pass, and almost made me miss my flight. Security is one thing, but a license to molest people is another," he said . . .. . . Lana: Finally, a Delta agent checked again for me and said, "Yes, there is a flight I can put you on, but it leaves in 5 minutes, here is your ticket and boarding pass, RUN." So I did and [he] came with me. He told the situation to the first TSA agent and there weren't many people in that line, so I moved quickly up to the security check. A man, was scanning my OVERNIGHT bag (no big luggage at all) and my purse and motioning me through. A big stern-looking African American woman stopped him and said that she needed to pat me down, wan[d] me, go through my luggage, etc. The other TSA man told her that my flight was about to leave and that he knew that my purse and bag were fine. I was wearing open flip-flops, a cotton skirt and a t-shirt. Then my nightmare started. She had me spread my legs and she SLOWLY frisked me. Then I said, "Can I go now, my flight is so important to me, I'm attending a funeral?" That made her furious. She informed me that I was NOT co-operating with her and that she was IN CHARGE, and that crying (I was sobbing) would not do me any good at all with her. The other TSA officer begged her to let me catch my flight … she blew him off.
The result was that the woman, Lana, missed her flight and the funeral.http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=227005
Another passenger, David, told WND he traveled to attend a sister's funeral in Los Angeles – his description of what happened to him at LAX:
"This screener made me turn all my pockets inside out, patted me down four times, being particularly attentive to my crotch and butt. I asked him if he just wanted me to strip down naked and he said go ahead. My wife then approached a nearby sheriff, who brought these violations of my privacy, and person, to a halt . . . Oh yeah, it took him half an hour to maul me, misplaced my boarding pass, and almost made me miss my flight. Security is one thing, but a license to molest people is another," he said . . .. . . Lana: Finally, a Delta agent checked again for me and said, "Yes, there is a flight I can put you on, but it leaves in 5 minutes, here is your ticket and boarding pass, RUN." So I did and [he] came with me. He told the situation to the first TSA agent and there weren't many people in that line, so I moved quickly up to the security check. A man, was scanning my OVERNIGHT bag (no big luggage at all) and my purse and motioning me through. A big stern-looking African American woman stopped him and said that she needed to pat me down, wan[d] me, go through my luggage, etc. The other TSA man told her that my flight was about to leave and that he knew that my purse and bag were fine. I was wearing open flip-flops, a cotton skirt and a t-shirt. Then my nightmare started. She had me spread my legs and she SLOWLY frisked me. Then I said, "Can I go now, my flight is so important to me, I'm attending a funeral?" That made her furious. She informed me that I was NOT co-operating with her and that she was IN CHARGE, and that crying (I was sobbing) would not do me any good at all with her. The other TSA officer begged her to let me catch my flight … she blew him off.
The result was that the woman, Lana, missed her flight and the funeral.http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=227005
TSA “Thugs” Lose Case Against Woman with Applesauce – April 21, 2010(VIDEO EMBEDDED – see link below)
. . . Just another example of why we should not allow the government to “protect us”. Her mother died 3 weeks before the verdict, she was travelling with the applesauce for her elderly mother.
Arrested, handcuffed, and strip searched.
This entry was posted on April 27, 2010 at 9:41 AM and is filed under interesting reads, war at home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
http://donttreadoncat.com/2010/04/tsa-thugs-lose-case-against-woman-with-applesauce-april-21-2010/
. . . Just another example of why we should not allow the government to “protect us”. Her mother died 3 weeks before the verdict, she was travelling with the applesauce for her elderly mother.
Arrested, handcuffed, and strip searched.
This entry was posted on April 27, 2010 at 9:41 AM and is filed under interesting reads, war at home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
http://donttreadoncat.com/2010/04/tsa-thugs-lose-case-against-woman-with-applesauce-april-21-2010/
SAME STORY FROM CBS NEWS:
Airline Security "Applesauce Assault"
Nadine Hays
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20003047-504083.html
Airline Security "Applesauce Assault"
Nadine Hays
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20003047-504083.html
Am I in the Terrorist Screening Database? - by Christopher ElliottJANUARY 5, 2010
http://www.elliott.org/blog/am-i-in-the-terrorist-screening-database/
TSA Groin Searches Menstruating Womanhttp://blog.gladrags.com/2010/11/24/tsa-groin-searches-menstruating-woman/
Barefoot Blonde Reporter Gets TSA Feel Job After “Opt-Out” 2010/11/17
What happens if you decline a full body-scan? By Fran Golden
http://www.menwithfoilhats.com/2010/11/x-ray-nation-barefoot-blonde-reporter-gets-tsa-feel-job-after-opt-out/
http://www.elliott.org/blog/am-i-in-the-terrorist-screening-database/
TSA Groin Searches Menstruating Womanhttp://blog.gladrags.com/2010/11/24/tsa-groin-searches-menstruating-woman/
Barefoot Blonde Reporter Gets TSA Feel Job After “Opt-Out” 2010/11/17
What happens if you decline a full body-scan? By Fran Golden
http://www.menwithfoilhats.com/2010/11/x-ray-nation-barefoot-blonde-reporter-gets-tsa-feel-job-after-opt-out/
Hartsfield TSA worker allegedly abducts, assaults womanKing, a behavior detection officer, has been with the Transportation Security Administration for nearly five years, spokesman Jon Allen told the AJC.
http://www.ajc.com/news/clayton/hartsfield-tsa-worker-allegedly-751953.html
http://www.ajc.com/news/clayton/hartsfield-tsa-worker-allegedly-751953.html
TSA Harasses Woman, Forces Her to Miss Flight Over Breast-Milk
. . . After begging him to figure it out, they finally let me through. I called and complained to TSA and was instructed to travel with the TSA breast milk rules printed out and present them whenever there is a problem.
As my items come through security this time, I notice immediately that I was dealing with the same people from the week before. The woman tells me right away that my milk might have to go through the x-ray, and then I tell her I printed the rules. I go to grab the rules on top of my bag and she freaks out and pushes my arm away. Another guy comes over and calls for “back up” and they put in me back in the glass cage. Standing 50 ft away are the same manager and supervisor I had dealt with the previous week.
They will stall for 20 minutes before coming over to me.
Meanwhile, one of the guys comes over to me and tells me “to be quiet if I know what’s good for me.” At the end of this portion I have been locked up for just under 10 minutes. The whole ordeal takes just under 1 hour.
. . . In this segment, the TSA manager tells me I can leave security, redistribute the milk into half full containers (his completely made-up rule) and go through security all over again if I want to avoid x-rays on the milk.
With tears continuing to stream down my face, I did that.
I also missed my flight playing along with his ridiculous game. Curiously, my second screening video (another 20 minutes) has been erased . . . .
-Stacey Armato
http://www.cogitamusblog.com/2010/11/tsa-harasses-woman-forces-her-to-miss-flight-over-breast-milk.html
. . . After begging him to figure it out, they finally let me through. I called and complained to TSA and was instructed to travel with the TSA breast milk rules printed out and present them whenever there is a problem.
As my items come through security this time, I notice immediately that I was dealing with the same people from the week before. The woman tells me right away that my milk might have to go through the x-ray, and then I tell her I printed the rules. I go to grab the rules on top of my bag and she freaks out and pushes my arm away. Another guy comes over and calls for “back up” and they put in me back in the glass cage. Standing 50 ft away are the same manager and supervisor I had dealt with the previous week.
They will stall for 20 minutes before coming over to me.
Meanwhile, one of the guys comes over to me and tells me “to be quiet if I know what’s good for me.” At the end of this portion I have been locked up for just under 10 minutes. The whole ordeal takes just under 1 hour.
. . . In this segment, the TSA manager tells me I can leave security, redistribute the milk into half full containers (his completely made-up rule) and go through security all over again if I want to avoid x-rays on the milk.
With tears continuing to stream down my face, I did that.
I also missed my flight playing along with his ridiculous game. Curiously, my second screening video (another 20 minutes) has been erased . . . .
-Stacey Armato
http://www.cogitamusblog.com/2010/11/tsa-harasses-woman-forces-her-to-miss-flight-over-breast-milk.html
UPDATE: Stacy Armato files lawsuithttp://www.courthousenews.com/2011/12/16/42315.htm
$11,000 fine, arrest possible for some who refuse airport scans and pat downs
By John Lantigua
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post 8:59 a.m. EST, November 20, 2010http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-airport-scans-pat-downs-refual-20101121,0,5604032.story
1.Luis
Lincoln, NE
November 30th, 2010, 10:41 am
Here's some more anecdata: My wife, my toddler, and I were not asked to pass through AITs at OMA on 11/18, though we observed several people, apparently randomly selected, pass through them and we observed at least two Freedom Fondles take place. And on 11/26, we passed through a lane set aside for families at SJC Terminal B. We observed that the AIT in that lane appeared to be turned off. No one was asked to pass through it.http://community.nytimes.com/comments/fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/what-the-t-s-a-hasnt-told-us/?permid=22#comment22
Lincoln, NE
November 30th, 2010, 10:41 am
Here's some more anecdata: My wife, my toddler, and I were not asked to pass through AITs at OMA on 11/18, though we observed several people, apparently randomly selected, pass through them and we observed at least two Freedom Fondles take place. And on 11/26, we passed through a lane set aside for families at SJC Terminal B. We observed that the AIT in that lane appeared to be turned off. No one was asked to pass through it.http://community.nytimes.com/comments/fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/what-the-t-s-a-hasnt-told-us/?permid=22#comment22
2.
boknowsDC
November 30th, 2010, 10:41 am
I flew through Charlotte on my way to Florida, and there's not a question: the machines were physically in place but not operative at any of the several entrances I canvassed. They were roped off. No one was going through them. The TSA has ably played the media for fools. There was no chaos, because opting out wasn't an option in many places.http://community.nytimes.com/comments/fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/what-the-t-s-a-hasnt-told-us/?permid=22#comment22
boknowsDC
November 30th, 2010, 10:41 am
I flew through Charlotte on my way to Florida, and there's not a question: the machines were physically in place but not operative at any of the several entrances I canvassed. They were roped off. No one was going through them. The TSA has ably played the media for fools. There was no chaos, because opting out wasn't an option in many places.http://community.nytimes.com/comments/fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/what-the-t-s-a-hasnt-told-us/?permid=22#comment22
4.
Jackie Lawson
New York, NY
November 30th, 2010,10:43 am
Jackie Lawson
New York, NY
November 30th, 2010,10:43 am
I flew out of Reagan National in DC on Wednesday. I was asked to go through the AIT machine and declined. I was then asked to go through the regular metal detector, and when I did not set off the metal detector I was sent on my way without being given any kind of a pat down.
I am a very frequent flyer, and I have always opted out of the AIT machines whenever asked to pass through one. I had never before been spared a pat down after opting out. My guess is that I was not included in whatever "opt out" statistics were published for Reagan National Airport that day and that TSA has been fudging the numbers to make the initiative look like a failure when in reality most people were either simply not asked to go through the AIT machine or were allowed to submit to go through the non-enhanced line (sans pat-down) when they declined the AIT machine, contrary to standard TSA procedures.
The only solution for this kind of manipulation, assuming that is what occurred, is for us to make EVERY day "opt-out" day. Everyone who flies and who objects to the new technology should simply refuse to participate, every flight, every time. If that's enough people, the procedures will have to stop.
TSA Seizes Computer from Travel Blogger [and Threatens More]
Posted: December 30, 2009 10:34 PM By Blake Fleetwood
This morning two black sedans with TSA special agents came to the Connecticut home of blogger Steven Frischling and walked out with his laptop computer. They promised to return it, but later claimed that there were "bad sectors" on the drive. He is not sure when he is going to get it back. The agents were looking for the anonymous source who leaked a TSA Security Directive which advised airlines to restrict passengers from getting out of their seats, concealing their hands, or accessing carry-on luggage an hour before landing.
Frischling, home alone with three young children, was intimidated by the armed agents who had driven from Newark and Boston to central Connecticut. The agents threatened to get Frischling -- a blogger for KLM airlines -- fired from his job, confiscate all his electronic devices -- phones, computers, and iPods -- and declare him a security risk -- which would get him on the No Fly list -- unless he cooperated. Frischling -- who has worked for Life, Time, Newsweek, New York Times, and was embedded with troops in Iraq -- didn't know what to do. He couldn't reach a lawyer. The civil subpoena threatened a fine and up to a year in jail for failure to comply.. . .
So instead of catching terrorists, they go after bloggers who got ahold of their stupid security procedures that make them look like idiots. Standard big government. How about they just act like professionals and admit their SD was crap and a knee jerk reaction. Rescind the worthless procedures and focus on keeping terrorists trying to kill us all off the plane in the first place.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blake-fleetwood/exclusive-tsa-seizes-hard_b_407877.html
Posted: December 30, 2009 10:34 PM By Blake Fleetwood
This morning two black sedans with TSA special agents came to the Connecticut home of blogger Steven Frischling and walked out with his laptop computer. They promised to return it, but later claimed that there were "bad sectors" on the drive. He is not sure when he is going to get it back. The agents were looking for the anonymous source who leaked a TSA Security Directive which advised airlines to restrict passengers from getting out of their seats, concealing their hands, or accessing carry-on luggage an hour before landing.
Frischling, home alone with three young children, was intimidated by the armed agents who had driven from Newark and Boston to central Connecticut. The agents threatened to get Frischling -- a blogger for KLM airlines -- fired from his job, confiscate all his electronic devices -- phones, computers, and iPods -- and declare him a security risk -- which would get him on the No Fly list -- unless he cooperated. Frischling -- who has worked for Life, Time, Newsweek, New York Times, and was embedded with troops in Iraq -- didn't know what to do. He couldn't reach a lawyer. The civil subpoena threatened a fine and up to a year in jail for failure to comply.. . .
So instead of catching terrorists, they go after bloggers who got ahold of their stupid security procedures that make them look like idiots. Standard big government. How about they just act like professionals and admit their SD was crap and a knee jerk reaction. Rescind the worthless procedures and focus on keeping terrorists trying to kill us all off the plane in the first place.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blake-fleetwood/exclusive-tsa-seizes-hard_b_407877.html
TSA admits to punishing travelers
by Charlie Leocha on August 24, 2010
http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/tsa-admits-to-punishing-travelers/
by Charlie Leocha on August 24, 2010
http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/tsa-admits-to-punishing-travelers/
. . . In your previous discussion it was mentioned that TSA policy claims to not require removal of protheses, casts, etc. while screening. Apparently they haven't all gotten the directive. Returning on a flight home from the major bone surgery center where five days before, my college-aged son had had long-scheduled reconstructive surgery to his wrist which involved pins, screws, wires, transplanted tendon and cadaver bone, he sported a thick protective clamshell cast and was heavily medicated (obviously). TSA required that he get out of his sling, remove the cast, and then of course put it all back together. As his mother it was all I could do to remain non-confrontational--we were trying to make the last flight of the day. I could hold the sling, but only he could re-seat the cast because only he could gauge which movements were tolerable--any movement of the wrist was excruciatingly painful.All of this was ridiculous and crazy as well as clumsy. The flight was less than an hour's duration. But he was informed that he might be harboring some sort of explosive powder in the cast. Such was the zeal of the Sea-Tac TSA. Permanently employed and apparently with a growing "mandate." Don't remember the color of the terror alert level that day.
Posted by: nancy | October 03, 2010 at 08:06 PM (I know her real name –LS)
http://www.cogitamusblog.com/2010/10/more-tsa-abuses-woman-beaten-71-year-old-man-16-year-old-girl-groped-stripped.html?cid=6a00df3520d496883301348816f85a970c#comment-6a00df3520d496883301348816f85a970c
Posted by: nancy | October 03, 2010 at 08:06 PM (I know her real name –LS)
http://www.cogitamusblog.com/2010/10/more-tsa-abuses-woman-beaten-71-year-old-man-16-year-old-girl-groped-stripped.html?cid=6a00df3520d496883301348816f85a970c#comment-6a00df3520d496883301348816f85a970c
Coffee, Tea, or Should We Feel Your Pregnant Wife’s Breasts Before Throwing You in a Cell at the Airport and Then Lying About Why We Put You There?
by Nicholas MonahanDecember 21, 2002
http://lewrockwell.com/orig3/monahan1.html
Coast News Group - Carlsbad woman suing TSA over what she calls invasive search
ALBUQUERQUE — Adrienne Durso, of Carlsbad,is suing the TSA for an invasive pat-down at the Albuquerque Sunport back in August.
Durso said the TSA was "heavily concentrating on my breast area where I told her I had a mastectomy the year previous and in just seemed to go on and on."She says she felt humiliated as the extensive pat-down happened in front of her 17 year old son and hundreds of other travelers.
"I felt as though I didn't have any rights other than I had to stand there and let them do what they want to do to my body," Durso said.
She says she knew her rights had been violated so she asked to speak to a supervisor who she thought would help.
All the while her son stood by her side and couldn't remain silent anymore
"My son, who I'm very proud of spoke up and said 'I went through the metal detector and I did not get a pat-down' to which the supervisor said 'well you don't have boobs'," she said.That statement was the last straw for Durso - so she contacted the lawfirm of Drinker, Biddle and Reath. Her attorney, Alex Brodsky, says this whole ordeal violates her 4th Amendment rights which protects Americans from unreasonable search and seizure.
"We think that these searches given the invasiveness and given the extensiveness of these searches are really more akin to something like a strip search and certainly as a result we think we have a strong case," Brodsky said.
Durso says she isn't doing this for money or fame but rather for countless other Americans who take to the skies for travel.
"I thought, 'you know, surely this story must mean something to somebody, maybe this will help somebody who is trying to change the situation at airports because I don't think anybody should have to go through this," Durso said.
The TSA says it's asking government security experts if there is a way to make the security pat-down less invasive but just as thorough but they haven't commented on this case specifically.
http://thecoastnews.com/2010/12/carlsbad-woman-suing-tsa-over-what-she-calls-invasive-search/
ALBUQUERQUE — Adrienne Durso, of Carlsbad,is suing the TSA for an invasive pat-down at the Albuquerque Sunport back in August.
Durso said the TSA was "heavily concentrating on my breast area where I told her I had a mastectomy the year previous and in just seemed to go on and on."She says she felt humiliated as the extensive pat-down happened in front of her 17 year old son and hundreds of other travelers.
"I felt as though I didn't have any rights other than I had to stand there and let them do what they want to do to my body," Durso said.
She says she knew her rights had been violated so she asked to speak to a supervisor who she thought would help.
All the while her son stood by her side and couldn't remain silent anymore
"My son, who I'm very proud of spoke up and said 'I went through the metal detector and I did not get a pat-down' to which the supervisor said 'well you don't have boobs'," she said.That statement was the last straw for Durso - so she contacted the lawfirm of Drinker, Biddle and Reath. Her attorney, Alex Brodsky, says this whole ordeal violates her 4th Amendment rights which protects Americans from unreasonable search and seizure.
"We think that these searches given the invasiveness and given the extensiveness of these searches are really more akin to something like a strip search and certainly as a result we think we have a strong case," Brodsky said.
Durso says she isn't doing this for money or fame but rather for countless other Americans who take to the skies for travel.
"I thought, 'you know, surely this story must mean something to somebody, maybe this will help somebody who is trying to change the situation at airports because I don't think anybody should have to go through this," Durso said.
The TSA says it's asking government security experts if there is a way to make the security pat-down less invasive but just as thorough but they haven't commented on this case specifically.
http://thecoastnews.com/2010/12/carlsbad-woman-suing-tsa-over-what-she-calls-invasive-search/
Violated by TSA at Tampa airportPosted: Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010 by Lisa Daidone
On Dec. 3, my friend and I flew back to Charlotte from Tampa, where my friend had been to see a medical specialist.
At the Tampa airport, we were both randomly selected to go through the full-body scanner. Going through the scanner was uncomfortable and a bit creepy, but I didn't think it was a big deal until I tried to leave the scanner.
I assumed I was finished, but a female Transportation Security officer yelled at me for "trying to get away from her." She told me I had to stand in front of her - while I was still barefoot and trying to watch out for my stuff, which had gone through a different scanner - until my scan was read.
I told her I had never undergone this process and was a bit afraid, and she laughed at me and told me I didn't know what I was talking about.
The woman grabbed my wrist and said she had to look at my plastic watch. I tried to take it off and hand it to her, and she yelled at me not to interfere with her search.
Then, with no explanation, she pulled up my shirt, exposing my stomach and the top of my underwear, and stuck the top half of her fingers inside the waistband of my pants. I yanked my shirt down and told her she was not showing the top of my underwear and my naked stomach to anyone.
She put her hand up in front of me, threatened to call security and have me arrested if I "tried to get away from her again," and called security for a private screening.
I was not allowed to get my things. I was not allowed to put on my shoes. I was taken through a side door, down a dirty hall, to a dark dingy windowless storage room.
I had to pull up my shirt, and the woman put half her hand down my pants to search me. She complained that I should have cooperated originally and this would not have happened. Then I was allowed to put on my shoes and get my things.
I left the area and cried. I was touched and humiliated in ways that have never happened to me.
My friend was told nothing about me. She was made to wait, then also taken back for a private search, without being told why.
I had heard horror stories about TSA searches on the news but had no idea how bad I would feel until it was done to me. I was put in a frightening situation, had my body exposed to strangers, had nothing explained to me and felt dirty. I wasn't treated with the basic respect human beings deserve.Next time I travel, I'll drive before I even consider flying. The time saved is not worth feeling the way I still do about what was done to me.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/12/1899195/violated-by-tsa-at-tampa-airport.html
On Dec. 3, my friend and I flew back to Charlotte from Tampa, where my friend had been to see a medical specialist.
At the Tampa airport, we were both randomly selected to go through the full-body scanner. Going through the scanner was uncomfortable and a bit creepy, but I didn't think it was a big deal until I tried to leave the scanner.
I assumed I was finished, but a female Transportation Security officer yelled at me for "trying to get away from her." She told me I had to stand in front of her - while I was still barefoot and trying to watch out for my stuff, which had gone through a different scanner - until my scan was read.
I told her I had never undergone this process and was a bit afraid, and she laughed at me and told me I didn't know what I was talking about.
The woman grabbed my wrist and said she had to look at my plastic watch. I tried to take it off and hand it to her, and she yelled at me not to interfere with her search.
Then, with no explanation, she pulled up my shirt, exposing my stomach and the top of my underwear, and stuck the top half of her fingers inside the waistband of my pants. I yanked my shirt down and told her she was not showing the top of my underwear and my naked stomach to anyone.
She put her hand up in front of me, threatened to call security and have me arrested if I "tried to get away from her again," and called security for a private screening.
I was not allowed to get my things. I was not allowed to put on my shoes. I was taken through a side door, down a dirty hall, to a dark dingy windowless storage room.
I had to pull up my shirt, and the woman put half her hand down my pants to search me. She complained that I should have cooperated originally and this would not have happened. Then I was allowed to put on my shoes and get my things.
I left the area and cried. I was touched and humiliated in ways that have never happened to me.
My friend was told nothing about me. She was made to wait, then also taken back for a private search, without being told why.
I had heard horror stories about TSA searches on the news but had no idea how bad I would feel until it was done to me. I was put in a frightening situation, had my body exposed to strangers, had nothing explained to me and felt dirty. I wasn't treated with the basic respect human beings deserve.Next time I travel, I'll drive before I even consider flying. The time saved is not worth feeling the way I still do about what was done to me.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/12/12/1899195/violated-by-tsa-at-tampa-airport.html
TSA Backs Down on Shirtless Boy Story
BY THOMAS BURR AND MATT CANHAM
The Salt Lake Tribune
Published Dec 17, 2010 04:30PMIt appears Rep. Jason Chaffetz is already enjoying his new-found authority with regard to the Transportation Security Administration. The Utah Republican, who soon will take charge of the House subcommittee overseeing the agency, says he forced the TSA to come clean on an incident in which a young boy was given a pat down at Salt Lake City International Airport, prompting the child’s frustrated father to remove the boy’s shirt to allay any concerns.
TSA’s initial statement on the incident said the boy set off the alarm on the metal detector, a point disputed by a man who taped the screening and posted it online. Chaffetz says the airport’s top TSA official admitted the boy didn’t trigger the alarm and the congressman went to bat to get the agency to correct its statement.
“I said, ‘You guys knew that at the beginning. You lied at the beginning,’” Chaffetz said Friday.
The TSA’s blog now says that the boy was given a pat down because of bulky clothing and not because metal was detected.
“New information was brought to light that indicated the initial report was incorrect,” the TSA said.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50897668-76/tsa-chaffetz-says-agency.html.csp
BY THOMAS BURR AND MATT CANHAM
The Salt Lake Tribune
Published Dec 17, 2010 04:30PMIt appears Rep. Jason Chaffetz is already enjoying his new-found authority with regard to the Transportation Security Administration. The Utah Republican, who soon will take charge of the House subcommittee overseeing the agency, says he forced the TSA to come clean on an incident in which a young boy was given a pat down at Salt Lake City International Airport, prompting the child’s frustrated father to remove the boy’s shirt to allay any concerns.
TSA’s initial statement on the incident said the boy set off the alarm on the metal detector, a point disputed by a man who taped the screening and posted it online. Chaffetz says the airport’s top TSA official admitted the boy didn’t trigger the alarm and the congressman went to bat to get the agency to correct its statement.
“I said, ‘You guys knew that at the beginning. You lied at the beginning,’” Chaffetz said Friday.
The TSA’s blog now says that the boy was given a pat down because of bulky clothing and not because metal was detected.
“New information was brought to light that indicated the initial report was incorrect,” the TSA said.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50897668-76/tsa-chaffetz-says-agency.html.csp
RAPE VICTIM HANDCUFFED, ARRESTED AT AIRPORT
Claire Hirschkind couldn't go through the stripsearch scanner because of a pacemaker-type device in her chest. So she was taken to a female TSA officer to be groped.
"I told them, 'No, I'm not going to have my breasts felt,' and she said, 'Yes, you are,'" Hirschkind told KVUE in Austin.
After refusing to acquiesce, she was arrested.
"The police actually pushed me to the floor, and handcuffed me," she said. "I was crying by then. They drug me 25 yards across the floor in front of the whole security."Hirschkind had planned to visit friends in California for Christmas. Now she's banned from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/rape-victim-arrested-refusing-tsa-pat/
Claire Hirschkind couldn't go through the stripsearch scanner because of a pacemaker-type device in her chest. So she was taken to a female TSA officer to be groped.
"I told them, 'No, I'm not going to have my breasts felt,' and she said, 'Yes, you are,'" Hirschkind told KVUE in Austin.
After refusing to acquiesce, she was arrested.
"The police actually pushed me to the floor, and handcuffed me," she said. "I was crying by then. They drug me 25 yards across the floor in front of the whole security."Hirschkind had planned to visit friends in California for Christmas. Now she's banned from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/rape-victim-arrested-refusing-tsa-pat/
And as I’ve been saying from the beginning, it was only a matter of time before the TSA brought its abuse from airports to every other kind of transportation hub –LS:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/5670-tsa-airports-are-only-the-beginning
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/5670-tsa-airports-are-only-the-beginning
The ACLU has received over 1000 complaints from travelers in the United States about the TSA's new pat-downs, providing a unique vantage point on what is taking place at airports around the nation. These complaints came from men, women, and children who reported feeling humiliated and traumatized by these searches, and, in some cases, comparing their psychological impact to sexual assaults.
Recurring themes in these reports include: • The searches are extremely invasive • Many travelers are reporting intense feelings of violation and humiliation • Some report being physically hurt by the searches • Some feel their searches are punitive • Reports of gawking by agents • Reports of seemingly unnecessary repeated touching of intimate areas • Many vow not to fly any more • Any traveler may be forced to undergo one of these searches
(These quotations have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Please be aware that due to the nature of these searches, these complaints often include graphic and sometimes disturbing language.)http://www.aclu.org/passengers-stories-recent-travel/
Recurring themes in these reports include: • The searches are extremely invasive • Many travelers are reporting intense feelings of violation and humiliation • Some report being physically hurt by the searches • Some feel their searches are punitive • Reports of gawking by agents • Reports of seemingly unnecessary repeated touching of intimate areas • Many vow not to fly any more • Any traveler may be forced to undergo one of these searches
(These quotations have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Please be aware that due to the nature of these searches, these complaints often include graphic and sometimes disturbing language.)http://www.aclu.org/passengers-stories-recent-travel/
The TSA's state-mandated molestationThe humiliations of the patdown policy, which Janet Napolitano wants to expand, are an Orwellian assault on American freedomBy Jennifer Abel, The Guardian, Wednesday 29 December 2010, 18.00 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/dec/29/air-transport-terrorism
TSA bans bikini woman for ‘unusual contour’ around buttocksBy Daniel Tencer Wednesday, December 29th, 2010 -- 6:08 pm
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/tsa-bans-bikini-woman-buttocks/
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/tsa-bans-bikini-woman-buttocks/
Woman: TSA Agents Singled Me Out For My Breasts
POSTED: Tuesday, November 23, 2010
UPDATED: 1:19 pm EST November 24, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The head of the Transportation Security Administration said the agency will look further into allegations that two male TSA workers picked a woman for additional screening because of her breasts.
Eliana Sutherland recently flew from Orlando International Airport and told Local 6 she felt the two male TSA workers were staring at her breasts and chose her for additional screening because of their size.
"It was pretty obvious. One of the guys that was staring me up and down was the one who pulled me over," said Sutherland. "Not a comfortable feeling."
. . . Colleen Moskaly went through a full body scan recently while her security agents performed a pat-down on her infant son. She said, "I'm not good with people touching me and touching my son."
Copyright 2010 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and ClickOrlando.com.http://www.clickorlando.com/news/25902334/detail.html
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The head of the Transportation Security Administration said the agency will look further into allegations that two male TSA workers picked a woman for additional screening because of her breasts.
Eliana Sutherland recently flew from Orlando International Airport and told Local 6 she felt the two male TSA workers were staring at her breasts and chose her for additional screening because of their size.
"It was pretty obvious. One of the guys that was staring me up and down was the one who pulled me over," said Sutherland. "Not a comfortable feeling."
. . . Colleen Moskaly went through a full body scan recently while her security agents performed a pat-down on her infant son. She said, "I'm not good with people touching me and touching my son."
Copyright 2010 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and ClickOrlando.com.http://www.clickorlando.com/news/25902334/detail.html
TSA to Me: “You’re a Retard”
Tuesday, January 4, 2011http://omeeddariani.com/OD/OD.com/Entries/2011/1/4_TSA_to_Me__Youre_a_Retard.html
Tuesday, January 4, 2011http://omeeddariani.com/OD/OD.com/Entries/2011/1/4_TSA_to_Me__Youre_a_Retard.html
TSA strikes again – This time it’s MEMarch 14, 2011, By Fred Hoot in Airlines and TSA
Stepping into the electronic stripper, hands above my head like a common criminal, I was given a long dose of those rays. The guy examining the display seemed to be a little too interested in me.
I was asked what I had in my pocket and I told them money and that was all. They had the nerve to make me fan the money so they could see between each bill and counted it! This is a ridiculous invasion of privacy. The TSA has absolutely no reason to know that I had $87 in paper money (four $20’s, one $5 and two $1’s). I might have seen that if I had a wad of 85 $1 bills in my pocket.
After this I was then pulled aside to be wanded.
The guy operating the wand went up my leg all the way into the crotch area until he could go no further and slowly moved it back and forth. I nearly asked him if he was getting excited and nearly reminded him that the wands do not work properly when contacting the body, but I needed to get to Philadelphia.http://www.liberalfair.com/2011/03/tsa-strikes-again-–-this-time-it’s-me-–-part-1-of-2/
Stepping into the electronic stripper, hands above my head like a common criminal, I was given a long dose of those rays. The guy examining the display seemed to be a little too interested in me.
I was asked what I had in my pocket and I told them money and that was all. They had the nerve to make me fan the money so they could see between each bill and counted it! This is a ridiculous invasion of privacy. The TSA has absolutely no reason to know that I had $87 in paper money (four $20’s, one $5 and two $1’s). I might have seen that if I had a wad of 85 $1 bills in my pocket.
After this I was then pulled aside to be wanded.
The guy operating the wand went up my leg all the way into the crotch area until he could go no further and slowly moved it back and forth. I nearly asked him if he was getting excited and nearly reminded him that the wands do not work properly when contacting the body, but I needed to get to Philadelphia.http://www.liberalfair.com/2011/03/tsa-strikes-again-–-this-time-it’s-me-–-part-1-of-2/
Amputee Coalition of America unhappy with TSAAbuse and disrespect rampant
http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=205010
http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=205010
Many complaints at this WSJ page:http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2011/01/19/tsa-pat-down-changes-dont-bring-huge-complaint-increase/tab/comments/#comment-43237
Letter to White House, April 6, 2010, from 4 scientists/physicians about radiation safety concerns re scanners:http://afterthepress.com/LIBRARY/airport_xray.pdf
Posted by waterthink at 1/21/2011 9:17 p.m. #913523
Just this week, on returning from a family vacation in CA over MLK weekend, myself, my wife, and our two children were detained by the TSA because we refused to have our children go through the back-scatter machines. When my wife told them we were opting out the TSA woman at the metal detector said "Do not touch your children." I then went through the metal detector and waited with my son as my wife and daughter were escorted away. When another TSA agent came to take me and my elementary school age son to be searched, I put my arm around him and the woman yelled "DO NOT TOUCH HIM!" All four of us were then subjected to approximately 5 minute searches each. It is a truly surreal experience to watch your child being searched by uniformed agents. Really just unbelievable. I watched the people going through the line watching this and I think most were aghast. Never thought I would live to see this happen in this country. Never.
http://www.seattlepi.com/soundoff/comment.asp?articleID=433918#913523
Just this week, on returning from a family vacation in CA over MLK weekend, myself, my wife, and our two children were detained by the TSA because we refused to have our children go through the back-scatter machines. When my wife told them we were opting out the TSA woman at the metal detector said "Do not touch your children." I then went through the metal detector and waited with my son as my wife and daughter were escorted away. When another TSA agent came to take me and my elementary school age son to be searched, I put my arm around him and the woman yelled "DO NOT TOUCH HIM!" All four of us were then subjected to approximately 5 minute searches each. It is a truly surreal experience to watch your child being searched by uniformed agents. Really just unbelievable. I watched the people going through the line watching this and I think most were aghast. Never thought I would live to see this happen in this country. Never.
http://www.seattlepi.com/soundoff/comment.asp?articleID=433918#913523
Posted by SeattleMommy at 1/22/2011 1:57 a.m. #913549This past weekend, I was called "SO STUPID" by a TSA Agent. Why? My son is deaf and cannot go through the metal detectors (he has a cochlear implant and it sets them off). I get a pat down with him because he doesn't understand why he has to do it alone and it freaks him out. The agents get so irritated when I tell them this and they try to separate us. My son is FOUR. When we were walking together through the gate on the way to get our pat down, an agent made sure to say "SO STUPID" as I walked by. I could hardly believe it. I hate that we have to be treated this way. We are not criminals or idiots. There are medical reasons people cannot go through the metal detectors and I think a certain amount of civility is not too much to ask. It is disgusting to be insulted this way. Especially in front of one's child. http://www.seattlepi.com/soundoff/comment.asp?articleID=433918#913523
Undercover TSA Agents Sneak Mystery Package on Plane
The TSA is usually given media attention for its intensive screening practices and controversial body scanners at airport check-in stations. But this is the first time we’ve actually heard about TSA agents going undercover and trying to find out just how easy it really is to bypass security.This undercover mission took place at Charlotte, N.C.’s Douglas Airport where the agents were testing out JetBlue’s security. The point of the mission was to see if an unaccompanied package could be snuck onto a plane without having to go through the entire security process.The result?
The agents succeeded with great ease. The only thing that they needed was a corrupt ticket agent and $100. The TSA agent simply told the ticket agent, who is now fired, that he needed to get the package to Boston and would give him $100 for helping.Apparently, seeing the $100 was more important than the threat of what could be in the package, so the ticket agent pulled up a passenger at random and grouped the questionable package along with his possessions. The package then went through the basic luggage scanning and was set to be on its way to board the plane.
“That’s really alarming,” Anthony Amore, a former high-ranking TSA official at Logan Airport told a local Boston CBS station. “When you have multiple layers in place you hope that they all stand in the way of a terrorist or someone who wishes us harm. In this instance, many of the layers were cast aside and we were left with this one layer of checked baggage screening.”
After seeing that there are other ways that terrorists can manage to sneak explosives onto planes, the TSA will investigate how to secure the airports at all angles and not just at the front door where the regular passengers board.http://blog.brickhousesecurity.com/2011/01/19/undercover-tsa-agents-bust-jetblue/
The TSA is usually given media attention for its intensive screening practices and controversial body scanners at airport check-in stations. But this is the first time we’ve actually heard about TSA agents going undercover and trying to find out just how easy it really is to bypass security.This undercover mission took place at Charlotte, N.C.’s Douglas Airport where the agents were testing out JetBlue’s security. The point of the mission was to see if an unaccompanied package could be snuck onto a plane without having to go through the entire security process.The result?
The agents succeeded with great ease. The only thing that they needed was a corrupt ticket agent and $100. The TSA agent simply told the ticket agent, who is now fired, that he needed to get the package to Boston and would give him $100 for helping.Apparently, seeing the $100 was more important than the threat of what could be in the package, so the ticket agent pulled up a passenger at random and grouped the questionable package along with his possessions. The package then went through the basic luggage scanning and was set to be on its way to board the plane.
“That’s really alarming,” Anthony Amore, a former high-ranking TSA official at Logan Airport told a local Boston CBS station. “When you have multiple layers in place you hope that they all stand in the way of a terrorist or someone who wishes us harm. In this instance, many of the layers were cast aside and we were left with this one layer of checked baggage screening.”
After seeing that there are other ways that terrorists can manage to sneak explosives onto planes, the TSA will investigate how to secure the airports at all angles and not just at the front door where the regular passengers board.http://blog.brickhousesecurity.com/2011/01/19/undercover-tsa-agents-bust-jetblue/
Passenger cleared after TSA stare-downPosted in ID, 25th January 2011 22:27 GMT
A Seattle man has been acquitted of all charges brought against him when he refused to show ID to TSA officials and videotaped the incident at an airport security checkpoint. Prosecutors' case against Phil Mocek was so weak that he was found not guilty without testifying or calling a single witness.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/25/passenger_acquitted/
A Seattle man has been acquitted of all charges brought against him when he refused to show ID to TSA officials and videotaped the incident at an airport security checkpoint. Prosecutors' case against Phil Mocek was so weak that he was found not guilty without testifying or calling a single witness.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/25/passenger_acquitted/
Jesse “The Body” Ventura sues TSA over 4th Amendment violationsTuesday, January 25th 2011, 1:54 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/25/2011-01-25_jesse_ventura_sues_tsa_homeland_sec_over_body_scanners_patdowns.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/01/25/2011-01-25_jesse_ventura_sues_tsa_homeland_sec_over_body_scanners_patdowns.html
JESSE VENTURA LAWSUIT UPDATE – JULY 22, 2011http://www.twincities.com/ci_18533113
Amy Alkon January 29, 2011 at 10:22 am
I was sexually assaulted as a condition of flying at the Vegas airport. I had a ticket I’d paid for to San Francisco, and another ticket from SF home to LA, and an already-paid-for SF hotel room at a newspaper conference I had to be at. This was before the recent TSA stuff (last January) and I’m still disturbed by it, and I’m no priss, but an advice columnist who gets letters about people’s weird sexual issues, among other things.http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-backtracks-on-private-screeners-amid-more-lawsuits/
I was sexually assaulted as a condition of flying at the Vegas airport. I had a ticket I’d paid for to San Francisco, and another ticket from SF home to LA, and an already-paid-for SF hotel room at a newspaper conference I had to be at. This was before the recent TSA stuff (last January) and I’m still disturbed by it, and I’m no priss, but an advice columnist who gets letters about people’s weird sexual issues, among other things.http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-backtracks-on-private-screeners-amid-more-lawsuits/
This happened in *2009*before the mandatory gropefests were initiated:karen diamond July 21, 2009 at 4:03 pm
As a 64-year-old woman born in Phila, Pa. I am totally disgusted at the intrusive, offensive, and humiliating manner in which folks with joint replacements are treated by the TSA agents. I’ve had both a hip and knee replacement and bring my own scooter to the airport since I can’t walk any distance. On my first trip after surgery, I was made to get out of the scooter without my cane, walk several feet unassisted which was nearly impossible, and then a TSA agent actually pulled out my pants and looked inside my underwear. The next time I refused to get out of the scooter, and an agent felt all around my breasts with her hands. By the third trip, the agent asked if I was sensitive to touch anywhere on my body, and I said,” I’m sensitive on my entire body when a stranger touches me.” She at least used a wand but then checked my hands for bomb residue. She told me it’d make her job easier if I could tell her what a terrorist looked like, and I informed her that terrorists were able bodied and could walk. And most importantly, NO ONE goes through the extreme pain of having a joint replacement unless they want to LIVE. Does anyone feel safer due to what they are putting old people through? If you’re going to check for bomb residue, check people who can actually walk. Chris, is there anyway to deal with this humiliation?http://www.elliott.org/blog/illusionist-reveals-tsa-is-all-smoke-and-mirrors/
As a 64-year-old woman born in Phila, Pa. I am totally disgusted at the intrusive, offensive, and humiliating manner in which folks with joint replacements are treated by the TSA agents. I’ve had both a hip and knee replacement and bring my own scooter to the airport since I can’t walk any distance. On my first trip after surgery, I was made to get out of the scooter without my cane, walk several feet unassisted which was nearly impossible, and then a TSA agent actually pulled out my pants and looked inside my underwear. The next time I refused to get out of the scooter, and an agent felt all around my breasts with her hands. By the third trip, the agent asked if I was sensitive to touch anywhere on my body, and I said,” I’m sensitive on my entire body when a stranger touches me.” She at least used a wand but then checked my hands for bomb residue. She told me it’d make her job easier if I could tell her what a terrorist looked like, and I informed her that terrorists were able bodied and could walk. And most importantly, NO ONE goes through the extreme pain of having a joint replacement unless they want to LIVE. Does anyone feel safer due to what they are putting old people through? If you’re going to check for bomb residue, check people who can actually walk. Chris, is there anyway to deal with this humiliation?http://www.elliott.org/blog/illusionist-reveals-tsa-is-all-smoke-and-mirrors/
'I was going to do her!' The grubby comments by TSA agents that infuriated one female passenger
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:06 PM on 13th February 2011
It seems some airport security staff are more interested in looking at what lies underneath women’s clothes rather than respecting passengers.
Amy Sullivan, senior editor of Time magazine, was at a security checkpoint in Miami Airport on Tuesday when she opted out of passing through a backscatter scanning device - described by experts as a 'virtual strip search'.
When she went through a metal detector instead and was searched by a woman, a male Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official is alleged to have said: ‘Hey, I thought she was mine - I was going to do her!’
TSA punishes traveler for opting-out of scanner, then breaks laptophttp://www.everywhereist.com/dick-move-tsa-r-i-p-rands-laptop/
Homeland Security’s laptop seizures: Interview with Rep. SanchezSalon(link) http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/01/15/laptops
A FOIA request from the ACLU revealed that in the 18-month period beginning October 1, 2008, more than 6,600 people — roughly half of whom are American citizens — were subjected to electronic device searches at the border by DHS, all without a search warrant.
But the willingness of courts to act is unclear at best. The judiciary, with a few exceptions, has been shamelessly deferential in the post-9/11 era to even the most egregious assertions of Executive Branch power in the name of security.
Homeland Security agents do not even need to show “reasonable suspicion” to search and seize a citizens’ electronic products when re-entering their country. Some lower court judges, however, continue to rule the practice unconstitutional: see here for one federal judge’s emphatic rejection of the Obama DOJ’s arguments as to why such searches fall outside of the Bill of Rights.
In a July, 2008 Senate hearing, then-Sen. Russ Feingold hosted the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, which vehemently opposes this practice, and Feingold said this:Over the last two years, reports have surfaced that customs agents have been asking U.S. citizens to turn over their cell phones or give them the passwords to their laptops. The travelers have been given a choice between complying with the request or being kept out of their own country. They have been forced to wait for hours while customs agents reviewed and sometimes copied the contents of the electronic devices. In some cases, the laptops or cell phones were confiscated and returned weeks or even months later, with no explanation.http://bodyscannertruth.com/?p=1616
Alaska lawmaker who had mastectomy refuses TSA pat-down
BY SEAN COCKERHAM THE ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS Feb 22, 2011
Anchorage state Rep. Sharon Cissna refused an "invasive, probing" security pat-down at the Seattle airport and is driving and taking the ferry back to Alaska.Cissna was in Seattle for medical treatment and planning to fly back to Juneau on Sunday night to rejoin the legislative session. She underwent a body scan while going through airport security and was singled out for a full body pat-down because she'd had a mastectomy, said her chief of staff, Michelle Scannell.
Cissna sent out a statement late Monday saying the body scan showed scars from her breast cancer. She said she knew that meant there would be "invasive, probing hands of a stranger," and that a similar incident had happened three months earlier.
"Facing the agent I began to remember what my husband and I'd decided after the previous intensive physical search. That I never had to submit to that horror again!" she said. "It would be difficult, we agreed, but I had the choice to say no, this twisted policy did not have to be the price of flying to Juneau!"
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/22/2078860/alaska-lawmaker-who-had-mastectomy.html
Anchorage state Rep. Sharon Cissna refused an "invasive, probing" security pat-down at the Seattle airport and is driving and taking the ferry back to Alaska.Cissna was in Seattle for medical treatment and planning to fly back to Juneau on Sunday night to rejoin the legislative session. She underwent a body scan while going through airport security and was singled out for a full body pat-down because she'd had a mastectomy, said her chief of staff, Michelle Scannell.
Cissna sent out a statement late Monday saying the body scan showed scars from her breast cancer. She said she knew that meant there would be "invasive, probing hands of a stranger," and that a similar incident had happened three months earlier.
"Facing the agent I began to remember what my husband and I'd decided after the previous intensive physical search. That I never had to submit to that horror again!" she said. "It would be difficult, we agreed, but I had the choice to say no, this twisted policy did not have to be the price of flying to Juneau!"
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/22/2078860/alaska-lawmaker-who-had-mastectomy.html
Personal story told to me February 2011: Ann McDermott, sister of Catherine Connor, both of Charlotte, NC. McDermott is in her 60s. On a recent trip, she went through the scanner and was still singled out for a patdown. She said she was so upset by the aggressive groping of her breasts and genitals that she doesn’t know if she will ever fly again. She loves to travel, but she doesn’t want to go through that degrading experience again. -LS
patti Smith on February 13, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Traveled from Kauai, HI to LA yesterday and opted out of the radiation machine. Submitted to an enhanced pat down. I was touched on my genitals inappropriately. No, not touched, more like pressing inwards. I am a older woman, very American, never in my whole life treated like this. What can I do? I have logged a complaint with the TSA and ACLU. Government sanctioned sexual assault. What next – full body cavity searches?https://kittywampus.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/action-you-can-take-against-the-tsas-sexual-abuses/
Traveled from Kauai, HI to LA yesterday and opted out of the radiation machine. Submitted to an enhanced pat down. I was touched on my genitals inappropriately. No, not touched, more like pressing inwards. I am a older woman, very American, never in my whole life treated like this. What can I do? I have logged a complaint with the TSA and ACLU. Government sanctioned sexual assault. What next – full body cavity searches?https://kittywampus.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/action-you-can-take-against-the-tsas-sexual-abuses/
Sommer Gentry February 26, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Dear Amy,
I was also sexually assaulted by the TSA well before the enhanced patdowns started. I was completely unprepared for the trauma I endured at Baltimore Washington International airport in 2004. I was wearing a skirt, and I was selected for the hand-held metal detector wanding. My attacker shoved the wand under my skirt and up into my body through my underwear without any warning, without apology. The TSA never responded to the numerous complaints I filed through their official channels, the Department of Transportation, my airlines, and my congressman. I believe the screener purposely assaulted me, but I can’t be sure it wasn’t a tragic mistake. It’s been more than six years, and I am still shaken up about what happened. Thinking about a TSA patdown makes me want to vomit in fear. I have had recurrent nightmares, particularly since November when TSA declared it would intentionally handle people’s genitals. I used to be able to say to myself that this was an accident, but now I know that people are being traumatized and humiliated *on purpose*.
The worst part of my ordeal has been handling dismissive comments from people who say I’m a whiner or a wuss, that I’m lying about the way this affected me, or that I am somehow abnormal for having an extreme emotional reaction to being sexually invaded without warning by a stranger. What I’ve experienced as a result of the TSA’s abuse of my body is absolutely textbook reaction to a sexual assault: fear, flashbacks, nightmares, and all the rest. Representative Cissna said that after the TSA touched her inappropriately, she had disturbing thoughts about it for weeks. She talked over the incident with her husband and finally decided that she would never allow such a twisted and disgusting thing to be done to her again. So there you have it: the government is sexually assaulting people and causing very serious harm. What have you done today to stop it from happening to another victim?http://www.elliott.org/blog/how-to-survive-an-enhanced-tsa-pat-down/comment-page-1/#comment-64895
(Sommer Gentry is a math professor at the U.S. Naval Academy -LS)
Dear Amy,
I was also sexually assaulted by the TSA well before the enhanced patdowns started. I was completely unprepared for the trauma I endured at Baltimore Washington International airport in 2004. I was wearing a skirt, and I was selected for the hand-held metal detector wanding. My attacker shoved the wand under my skirt and up into my body through my underwear without any warning, without apology. The TSA never responded to the numerous complaints I filed through their official channels, the Department of Transportation, my airlines, and my congressman. I believe the screener purposely assaulted me, but I can’t be sure it wasn’t a tragic mistake. It’s been more than six years, and I am still shaken up about what happened. Thinking about a TSA patdown makes me want to vomit in fear. I have had recurrent nightmares, particularly since November when TSA declared it would intentionally handle people’s genitals. I used to be able to say to myself that this was an accident, but now I know that people are being traumatized and humiliated *on purpose*.
The worst part of my ordeal has been handling dismissive comments from people who say I’m a whiner or a wuss, that I’m lying about the way this affected me, or that I am somehow abnormal for having an extreme emotional reaction to being sexually invaded without warning by a stranger. What I’ve experienced as a result of the TSA’s abuse of my body is absolutely textbook reaction to a sexual assault: fear, flashbacks, nightmares, and all the rest. Representative Cissna said that after the TSA touched her inappropriately, she had disturbing thoughts about it for weeks. She talked over the incident with her husband and finally decided that she would never allow such a twisted and disgusting thing to be done to her again. So there you have it: the government is sexually assaulting people and causing very serious harm. What have you done today to stop it from happening to another victim?http://www.elliott.org/blog/how-to-survive-an-enhanced-tsa-pat-down/comment-page-1/#comment-64895
(Sommer Gentry is a math professor at the U.S. Naval Academy -LS)
mary ann gona Feb 28, 2011 at 05:13 PM:
My 35cent full body scan...at the Ft Lauderdale airport I had a lot of items going through the scanners, plus my husband was being escorted by wheelchair being released from Browood Hospital an hour and a half before our flight left for Pittsburgh so you can see it wasn't one of my better days. I went through the full body scan..why not if it protects the people flying..and was promptly stopped and told I would be subjected to a full body pat down. I reached in to my pocket and discovered a quarter and a dime which I showed to the woman, I was told to put it back in my pocket and follow two other people (who were taking my items off the belt) to a private room. I was given no explanation and I became very upset. Now I am in the room an I guess I wasn't listening to the instructions and lifted my top..I only exposed the back strap of my bra and the examiner refused to go on with the examination because I had exposed myself to her. I am now in tears..she called a supervisor in, so by this time I am apologizing to everyone..hindsight is always 20/20 and I should have refused..the woman was extremely rude..she seemed to enjoy my "breakdown"..finally she said she would continue..I just shut my eyes an let her continue. When the supervisor saw what was happening..why didn't he just wand me and let me go..obviously it was my 35cents that caused the problem. Had I gone through the doorway scanned this would have never happened..that is the end of my full body scan..and I wish I had the "smarts" to get this out to everyone..if this type of scan is ever manditory..I will be the first in line with a picket sign. The name of the agent YOLANDA PATA LTSO..supervisor JOSE BARRERA..I know a lot of people have had worse experiences but this is mine..all for 35cents!!! If it means anything I am 60 years old.
http://thetartan.org/2011/2/28/scitech/tsascanners
http://thetartan.org/2011/2/28/scitech/tsascanners
From Forbes Magazine:
Documents Reveal TSA Research Proposal To Body-Scan Pedestrians, Train Passengers - March 2, 2011 – by Andy Greenberg
Giving Transportation Security Administration agents a peek under your clothes may soon be a practice that goes well beyond airport checkpoints. Newly uncovered documents show that as early as 2006, the Department of Homeland Security has been planning pilot programs to deploy mobile scanning units that can be set up at public events and in train stations, along with mobile x-ray vans capable of scanning pedestrians on city streets.http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/03/02/docs-reveal-tsa-plan-to-body-scan-pedestrians-train-passengers/
Documents Reveal TSA Research Proposal To Body-Scan Pedestrians, Train Passengers - March 2, 2011 – by Andy Greenberg
Giving Transportation Security Administration agents a peek under your clothes may soon be a practice that goes well beyond airport checkpoints. Newly uncovered documents show that as early as 2006, the Department of Homeland Security has been planning pilot programs to deploy mobile scanning units that can be set up at public events and in train stations, along with mobile x-ray vans capable of scanning pedestrians on city streets.http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/03/02/docs-reveal-tsa-plan-to-body-scan-pedestrians-train-passengers/
From local (Arlington, VA) ABC affiliate WJLA:
I-Team: Illegal Strip Searches at Reagan National
I-Team: Illegal Strip Searches at Reagan National
. . . PASSENGERS WERE ASKED TO REMOVE THEIR CLOTHING AND EXPOSE THEIR PRIVATE PARTS DURING SECURITY SCREENINGS…A CLEAR VIOLATION OF TSA'S OWN INTERNAL GUIDELINES… OBTAINED BY THE I-TEAM.
TSA Employee: "The look on their face would almost give you the sense that they felt like they were in a sense being raped. In a sense, being victimized and to a certain extent, they were."
TSA Employee: "That really incensed me that someone felt that they could just put on some gloves and they could just violate someone to that degree."
TSA Employee: "They actually had the passenger remove the clothing that covered the sensitive area and perform a duck walk to see if something would fall out."
IN FACT, SOME OF THOSE SO-CALLED PRIVATE SCREENINGS WERE ALLEGEDLY CONDUCTED IN A VERY PUBLIC PLACE: THIS STAIRWELL…ACCESSIBLE TO OTHER PASSENGERS AND AIRPORT EMPLOYEES.. . .THE SCREENINGS WERE MOVED INTO THIS MANAGERS' OFFICE… WHERE THEY ALLEGE, UNSUSPECTING PASSENGERS WERE EITHER VIDEOTAPED OR MONITORED ON CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION.
. . . SOME TSA EMPLOYEES ALSO ALLEGE THAT THE PASSENGERS SELECTED FOR ADDITIONAL SCREENING WERE OFTEN DETERMINED WELL BEFORE THEY REACHED THE MAGNETOMETERS. Andrea McCarren: "You're saying a FEMA (website - news) le passenger would be stopped for additional screening not because she set off an alarm but because of her breast size?" TSA Employee: "Absolutely, Yes"
IN FACT, SHE SAYS SOME SCREENERS EVEN -INTENTIONALLY- SET OFF MAGNETOMETERS BY KICKING THEM . . . .
http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/post911/aviation/iteam_reaganstripsearch.html
. . . SOME TSA EMPLOYEES ALSO ALLEGE THAT THE PASSENGERS SELECTED FOR ADDITIONAL SCREENING WERE OFTEN DETERMINED WELL BEFORE THEY REACHED THE MAGNETOMETERS. Andrea McCarren: "You're saying a FEMA (website - news) le passenger would be stopped for additional screening not because she set off an alarm but because of her breast size?" TSA Employee: "Absolutely, Yes"
IN FACT, SHE SAYS SOME SCREENERS EVEN -INTENTIONALLY- SET OFF MAGNETOMETERS BY KICKING THEM . . . .
http://911research.wtc7.net/cache/post911/aviation/iteam_reaganstripsearch.html
March 12, 2011 – by Christopher Elliott (WaPo & NatGeo reporter)Last week, several readers reported an intrusive, new screening procedure being used by the TSA — activity the agency suggested was not new at all.
But this week, I received fresh reports that the TSA is stepping up its aggressive --and some say illegal — searches . . .
. . . As they went to the room, a rather large TSA officer who let them in says to them “have fun”. I must say, as shameful as it sounds for an almost 56-year-old man, I cried through the whole experience.
The one man watching held his head down low as he watched realizing what this experience was doing to me. The other continued with what I considered an illegal sexual molestation of my body.After that, they took their gloves and ran them through a machine and found nothing and said I could get the rest of my things on and go. There is nothing that an X-ray can show that would need this sexual pat down to run gloves through a machine.
http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-cried-through-the-whole-experience/
But this week, I received fresh reports that the TSA is stepping up its aggressive --and some say illegal — searches . . .
. . . As they went to the room, a rather large TSA officer who let them in says to them “have fun”. I must say, as shameful as it sounds for an almost 56-year-old man, I cried through the whole experience.
The one man watching held his head down low as he watched realizing what this experience was doing to me. The other continued with what I considered an illegal sexual molestation of my body.After that, they took their gloves and ran them through a machine and found nothing and said I could get the rest of my things on and go. There is nothing that an X-ray can show that would need this sexual pat down to run gloves through a machine.
http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-cried-through-the-whole-experience/
TSA orders 're-tests' of radiation levels on airport body scannersThe Transportation Security Administration on Friday ordered re-testing of all radiation-emitting full-body scanners after an internal review showed calculation errors, missing data, and other discrepancies on paperwork by contractors who routinely check the machines' radiation levels . . . But Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the TSA found problems with more than one-quarter of the reports it reviewed, "including gross errors about radiation emissions."
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-11/us/tsa.body.scanners_1_body-scanners-tsa-radiation-levels?_s=PM:US
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-11/us/tsa.body.scanners_1_body-scanners-tsa-radiation-levels?_s=PM:US
“. . . We were therefore surprised when, 10 minutes before take-off, a uniformed TSA Supervisor, two uniformed TSA agents, and a plain-suited Supervisory Transportation Security Officer (TSO) made their way down the aisle of the fully loaded plane to where we were seated and ordered us to go with them . . . I could thus only conclude that it had been staged for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the entire captive audience of passengers that those who do not comply quietly will be made examples of. I have subsequently been bombarded with emails detailing experiences ranging from petty humiliations to horrifying, including an inordinate number of women reporting overly intrusive groping of their breasts and pubic areas . . . .”http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110315/OPINION/103150305/1049/Revolutionary-calls-freedom-8212-where-they-America-
http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-cried-through-the-whole-experience/
http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-cried-through-the-whole-experience/
Autistic man says rights violated at Logan Airporthttp://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12003839904657/man-says-rights-violated-at-logan-airport/
Under suspicion: Millions paid to former suspectsBy The Associated Press
In recent years the federal government or its contractors have paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits filed by people who say they were unfairly detained or harassed because of terrorism fears. The payments include: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014557040_apusterrorundersuspicionsettlements.html
In recent years the federal government or its contractors have paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits filed by people who say they were unfairly detained or harassed because of terrorism fears. The payments include: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014557040_apusterrorundersuspicionsettlements.html
No excuse for what these three had to endure while at mercy of airport security
Letter by Vicki Kurtti, Jensen Beach Sunday, March 13, 2011
My daughter and grandchildren, ages 5 and 4, were flying from Palm Beach International Airport to Hartford, Conn., on US Airways March 1. Sarah was in an air-cast/boot with a severe sprain and torn ligaments . . . Sarah was required to stay in the wheelchair. That is not TSA policy. The children were separated from their mother and forced to go through a different scanner. They were crying, scared, unable to see their mother.TSA's own rules state that children will not be separated from adults. Carry-on luggage was thrown on scanner belts and left unattended. Another breach of TSA rules . . . She's hearing-impaired and was unable to hear any pages for their flight . . .
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/mar/13/letter-no-excuse-for-what-these-three-had-to-at/?print=1
Letter by Vicki Kurtti, Jensen Beach Sunday, March 13, 2011
My daughter and grandchildren, ages 5 and 4, were flying from Palm Beach International Airport to Hartford, Conn., on US Airways March 1. Sarah was in an air-cast/boot with a severe sprain and torn ligaments . . . Sarah was required to stay in the wheelchair. That is not TSA policy. The children were separated from their mother and forced to go through a different scanner. They were crying, scared, unable to see their mother.TSA's own rules state that children will not be separated from adults. Carry-on luggage was thrown on scanner belts and left unattended. Another breach of TSA rules . . . She's hearing-impaired and was unable to hear any pages for their flight . . .
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/mar/13/letter-no-excuse-for-what-these-three-had-to-at/?print=1
Intrusive airport search shouldn't come with attitude from TSA employees
Letter by Sharon_Mardis, Posted March 22, 2011
. . . As I came out of there I asked if my husband could take my belongings, which were at the end of the X-ray conveyer.
I was told "no" and that I was being argumentative. I was further uncomfortable when they called another agent who said she was going to "pat me down;" otherwise I would go for a "private screening" with a supervisor. As I dared to ask again about my personal items, one of which was my purse with money, credit cards, checkbook, etc., I was again told I was argumentative and they would call a supervisor. I did protest at this point but only to ask why I had to be subject to a "pat-down" and was told, "the image was fuzzy" . . . .
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/mar/22/letter-intrusive-airport-search-shouldnt-come/
Letter by Sharon_Mardis, Posted March 22, 2011
. . . As I came out of there I asked if my husband could take my belongings, which were at the end of the X-ray conveyer.
I was told "no" and that I was being argumentative. I was further uncomfortable when they called another agent who said she was going to "pat me down;" otherwise I would go for a "private screening" with a supervisor. As I dared to ask again about my personal items, one of which was my purse with money, credit cards, checkbook, etc., I was again told I was argumentative and they would call a supervisor. I did protest at this point but only to ask why I had to be subject to a "pat-down" and was told, "the image was fuzzy" . . . .
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/mar/22/letter-intrusive-airport-search-shouldnt-come/
TSA photocopies a man’s credit cards and other personal documentshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH45JrhyJ5A&feature=related
AND HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE OF PASSENGERS GETTING GROPED AND HARASSED – TOO MANY TO DUPLICATE HERE –LS.
Man detained and harassed by TSA at airport for carrying cash
TSA: “If you have nothing to hide, then you just tell us what it’s for; you’re going to have to have proof why you have that much money anyway . . . are you from this planet? Do you understand the question when I’m asking it? Why can’t you just answer the question? See, you acting like a child. You acting like a child. You’re going to the police station”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0SXuclz47Y&feature=related
March 23, 2011
TSA did pat down on 17-month-old toddler, in Minneapolis. Video of that incident removed from KVLY website only hours after it was reported:
TSA did pat down on 17-month-old toddler, in Minneapolis. Video of that incident removed from KVLY website only hours after it was reported:
| Baby Patted Down By TSA Airport SecurityValley News Live - 3 days ago... she and her family were going through airport security in Minneapolis heading home to Fargo. ... TSA agents were getting ready to pat her toddler down. ...Our ApologiesThe page you requested is currently unavailable. Pages on this site are constantly being revised, updated, and occasionally removed. You may have followed an outdated link or have outdated pages in your browser cache. Please use your browser's BACK button to return to the previous page. We apologize for any inconvenience. http://www.valleynewslive.com/Global/story.asp?S=14287282TSA Forbids Mom From Videotaping Them Patting Down Toddler“Update: Moments after I posted this story, the Minnesota news station removed the video and story from its site. Not sure what's going on, but I will keep up with this.” Seventeen-month-old Baby Grayson toddled through the metal detectors at the Minneapolis airport Saturday when the metal on his overalls set off the alarms. That, of course, prompted Transportation Security Administration to don their gloves and pat him down. His mother pulled out her iPhone to videotape the patdown. She was ordered to stop recording. http://www.photographyfeeder.com/content/tsa-forbids-mom-videotaping-them-patting-down-toddler |
Woman At LaGuardia Learns TSA Can Still Grope You Even AFTER You Pass Security Checkpoint –Nancy Campbell, Urban Planner, Age 33
By Chris Morran on March 28, 2011 12:30 PM
TSA Searches For Large Sums Of Cash : Why It’s Wronghttp://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/2011/03/28/tsa-searches-for-large-sums-of-cash-why-its-wrong/
Church Pastor Refuses Scan & Grope, Handcuffed and Threatened with Arresthttp://stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.com/2011/03/update.html
TSA agent arrested for molestationUpdated: Wednesday, 03 Feb 2010, 7:28 AM EST
Published : Sunday, 31 Jan 2010, 7:24 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 31 Jan 2010, 7:24 PM EST
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A TSA agent has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor after police say he tried to keep a girl as a sex slave. Police arrested 57-year-old Charles Bennett of Winter Garden on Friday. A 15-year-old girl was the one who reported him to police.
On Bennett's MySpace page he calls himself "Master Charles" and says he's into submissive females and claims he is a master of bondage dominance sadism and masochism. Neighbors tell us they are stunned to learn about Bennett's arrest and his strange interests.
Neighbors tell Fox 35 Bennett is a former Marine Gunnery Sergeant who retired after 20 years of active service. Some even told us they wrote recommendations so he could get his current TSA job.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/orange_news/013110_TSA_agent_arrested_for_molestation-
On Bennett's MySpace page he calls himself "Master Charles" and says he's into submissive females and claims he is a master of bondage dominance sadism and masochism. Neighbors tell us they are stunned to learn about Bennett's arrest and his strange interests.
Neighbors tell Fox 35 Bennett is a former Marine Gunnery Sergeant who retired after 20 years of active service. Some even told us they wrote recommendations so he could get his current TSA job.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/orange_news/013110_TSA_agent_arrested_for_molestation-
TSA Worker Arrested for Impersonating a Police OfficerMarch 8, 2011 – (orig. story from New Jersey Star Ledger)
. . . In recent weeks we have reported on the full scale epidemic of TSA criminality that is now gaining widespread media attention . . . At the same airport Mazzone works in, Newark Liberty International, there have been a spate of incidents involving TSA workers stealing money and valuables from luggage, as well as routine security failures, involving handguns being taken through security lines.
http://www.infowars.com/tsa-worker-arrested-for-impersonating-a-police-officer/
. . . In recent weeks we have reported on the full scale epidemic of TSA criminality that is now gaining widespread media attention . . . At the same airport Mazzone works in, Newark Liberty International, there have been a spate of incidents involving TSA workers stealing money and valuables from luggage, as well as routine security failures, involving handguns being taken through security lines.
http://www.infowars.com/tsa-worker-arrested-for-impersonating-a-police-officer/
TSA agent arrested for helping drug suspects sneak through security
March 7, 2011
http://www.naturalnews.com/031614_TSA_drug_smuggling.html
March 7, 2011
http://www.naturalnews.com/031614_TSA_drug_smuggling.html
Isle TSA worker arrested in theft of cash from travelersComplaints led to sting operation against Dawn Nikole Keka
March 16, 2011
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110316_Isle_TSA_worker_arrested_in_theft_of_cash_from_travelers.html
March 16, 2011
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110316_Isle_TSA_worker_arrested_in_theft_of_cash_from_travelers.html
More children getting groped (in addition to stories I’ve already documented -LS):http://www.elliott.org/blog/should-the-tsa-pat-down-kids/
Fascism in America: sexual assault by the TSAApril 8, 2011 — Geoff B:
All, after being sexually assaulted at the Denver Airport, I am joining the campaign to try to get the TSA to change its policies. At this point, if you travel by airline, you have two choices: 1)Be put in a cancer box or 2)Be sexually assaulted.
If you would like to contact me on this post, please e-mail me at geoff@millennialstar.org. I would prefer not to have comments. Thanks.
Below is the letter I wrote to the TSA. It will be sent to many public officials and news outlets.
. . . Even though I was in line for the traditional metal detector, I was picked out of line by an extremely rude TSA agent. I asked, “why are you harassing me? I was in this other line.” The rude agent called for his supervisor, who was later identified as Michael Depace. This supervisor immediately began threatening to throw me out of the airport. Keep in mind that at this time all I had done was ask a question. He said again that I needed to be searched and if I was rude to any of his employees who would throw me out of the airport.
I was taken to another area of the security area. A TSA agent with a beard (who later refused to give his name) began to sexually assault me. There is no other way to describe it. He repeatedly rubbed his hands over my buttocks and penis area. He thrust his hand down the front of my pants. All of the while Michael Depace watched with a satisfied smile on his face.
After the sexual assault ended, I asked Mr. Depace for his name and the name of his supervisor. He refused to give it to me. I then found a woman who wrote down her name on a card. Her name is Connie Levine (sp). I cannot read her writing exactly but her last name appears to start with “LE.” Connie also refused to give me any names, and called over a police officer to threaten me with arrest. I asked the officer is I was being detained, and the officer said I was not. The officer appeared to be embarrassed by the behavior of the TSA employees involved. Finally, Connie gave me her name and the name of Mr. Depace.
http://www.millennialstar.org/fascism-in-america-sexual-assault-by-the-tsa/
If you would like to contact me on this post, please e-mail me at geoff@millennialstar.org. I would prefer not to have comments. Thanks.
Below is the letter I wrote to the TSA. It will be sent to many public officials and news outlets.
. . . Even though I was in line for the traditional metal detector, I was picked out of line by an extremely rude TSA agent. I asked, “why are you harassing me? I was in this other line.” The rude agent called for his supervisor, who was later identified as Michael Depace. This supervisor immediately began threatening to throw me out of the airport. Keep in mind that at this time all I had done was ask a question. He said again that I needed to be searched and if I was rude to any of his employees who would throw me out of the airport.
I was taken to another area of the security area. A TSA agent with a beard (who later refused to give his name) began to sexually assault me. There is no other way to describe it. He repeatedly rubbed his hands over my buttocks and penis area. He thrust his hand down the front of my pants. All of the while Michael Depace watched with a satisfied smile on his face.
After the sexual assault ended, I asked Mr. Depace for his name and the name of his supervisor. He refused to give it to me. I then found a woman who wrote down her name on a card. Her name is Connie Levine (sp). I cannot read her writing exactly but her last name appears to start with “LE.” Connie also refused to give me any names, and called over a police officer to threaten me with arrest. I asked the officer is I was being detained, and the officer said I was not. The officer appeared to be embarrassed by the behavior of the TSA employees involved. Finally, Connie gave me her name and the name of Mr. Depace.
http://www.millennialstar.org/fascism-in-america-sexual-assault-by-the-tsa/
TSA security looks at people who complain about ... TSA security
By Mike M. Ahlers and Jeanne Meserve, CNN
April 15, 2011 12:57 p.m. EDT
Grope leaves Grand Rapids airline passenger in tears
"The female officer ran her hand up the inside of my leg to my groin and she did it so hard and so rough she lifted me off my heels," she says. "I think I yelped. I was in pain for about an hour afterwards. It just felt excessive and unnecessary."
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=140233
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=140233
LeeAnne Pantuso Clark
(who has commented many times at Elliott Blog about several different TSA assaults she has experienced)April 16, 2011 at 11:30 amI’m at the point now where I’m almost numb about the continued horrific abuses meted out by the TSA. As a victim myself of both physical and sexual assault at the hands of a TSA agent just last month, nothing they do surprises me anymore. We hear one terrible story after another, and they just keeping happening.
But the worst part of it is that so many Americans can’t see how wrong it is! They actually BELIEVE this crap is necessary, and somehow makes them safer! The utter insanity of the whole thing is just stunning. And the utter stupidity of the American public who buys into it is scary . . .
http://www.elliott.org/blog/another-kid-gets-the-once-over-by-tsa-what-can-the-agency-do-to-improve-its-image/comment-page-1/#comment-68447
(who has commented many times at Elliott Blog about several different TSA assaults she has experienced)April 16, 2011 at 11:30 amI’m at the point now where I’m almost numb about the continued horrific abuses meted out by the TSA. As a victim myself of both physical and sexual assault at the hands of a TSA agent just last month, nothing they do surprises me anymore. We hear one terrible story after another, and they just keeping happening.
But the worst part of it is that so many Americans can’t see how wrong it is! They actually BELIEVE this crap is necessary, and somehow makes them safer! The utter insanity of the whole thing is just stunning. And the utter stupidity of the American public who buys into it is scary . . .
http://www.elliott.org/blog/another-kid-gets-the-once-over-by-tsa-what-can-the-agency-do-to-improve-its-image/comment-page-1/#comment-68447
. . . I’d like to see you come back and state this same opinion after watching a TSO feel up your teenage daughter, or shove her hands between the legs of your elderly mother and then scream at her because she was forced to urinate on herself after waiting in a line for 90 minutes and then not allowed to use the rest room, or purposely press on your recent surgical scars until you cry out in pain. These are all things that have happened just to MY FAMILY ALONE . . . .http://www.elliott.org/blog/another-kid-gets-the-once-over-by-tsa-what-can-the-agency-do-to-improve-its-image/comment-page-1/#comment-68462
July 24, 2011: I won't have to have my vagina, labia, and pubis touched by a stranger. When I objected two weeks ago, eventually a supervisor arrived who had a modicum of decency and rationality, and he assigned another screener to screen me. This one managed to do it without jamming her thumb into my vagina, and I passed through screening and boarded my plane. Of course I had to go through an hour of physical and verbal abuse and threats of not being allowed to board my plane, but I stood my ground and eventually was able to pass through the screening without consenting to sexual molestation.http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-vote-for-your-favorite-tsa-hero-or-villain/
July 24, 2011: I won't have to have my vagina, labia, and pubis touched by a stranger. When I objected two weeks ago, eventually a supervisor arrived who had a modicum of decency and rationality, and he assigned another screener to screen me. This one managed to do it without jamming her thumb into my vagina, and I passed through screening and boarded my plane. Of course I had to go through an hour of physical and verbal abuse and threats of not being allowed to board my plane, but I stood my ground and eventually was able to pass through the screening without consenting to sexual molestation.http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-vote-for-your-favorite-tsa-hero-or-villain/
Student Handcuffed for English-Arabic Flashcards Sues TSA, FBI
By Matthew Rothschild, February 10, 2010http://www.progressive.org/mc021010.html
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-10/justice/arabic.flash.card.suit_1_arabic-flash-cards-tsa-screener?_s=PM:CRIME
By Matthew Rothschild, February 10, 2010http://www.progressive.org/mc021010.html
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-10/justice/arabic.flash.card.suit_1_arabic-flash-cards-tsa-screener?_s=PM:CRIME
Case dismissed? TSA ruined my diabetic insulin
April 21, 201
http://www.elliott.org/blog/case-dismissed-tsa-ruined-my-diabetic-insulin/
April 21, 201
http://www.elliott.org/blog/case-dismissed-tsa-ruined-my-diabetic-insulin/
Sexual assault complaint investigated at Ohio airportWoman says patdown crossed the line
Posted: 11/16/2010
By: Chris Martinez
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/national/sexual-assault-complaint-investigated-at-ohio-airport
TSA Passenger Screener Charged in Distributing Child Pornography
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/120531259.html?cmpid=15585797
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/120531259.html?cmpid=15585797
Retired FBI Agent James Wedick and His Wife, current FBI agent – personal conversation w/Lisa Simeone, April 7, 2011, at University of the District of Columbia:
Mrs. Wedick was stopped by TSA because her federally issued FBI ID has a laminated edge, which was deemed “sharp” by the TSA who said it was “potentially dangerous” and “could be used as a weapon.” Her bags were taken apart and searched. She is a federal law enforcement officer. She said her husband kept giving her meaningful looks urging her to keep cool because she was so angry at this display of stupidity.
You can’t make this stuff up. -LS
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/former-def-sec-rumsfeld-patted-down-or-chickens-come-home-to-roost.427/#post-3146
Mrs. Wedick was stopped by TSA because her federally issued FBI ID has a laminated edge, which was deemed “sharp” by the TSA who said it was “potentially dangerous” and “could be used as a weapon.” Her bags were taken apart and searched. She is a federal law enforcement officer. She said her husband kept giving her meaningful looks urging her to keep cool because she was so angry at this display of stupidity.
You can’t make this stuff up. -LS
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/former-def-sec-rumsfeld-patted-down-or-chickens-come-home-to-roost.427/#post-3146
I don’t feel safe; I feel violated, humiliated, and angry
by Wil Wheaton
April 6, 2011
Yesterday, I was touched -- in my opinion, inappropriately -- by a TSA agent at LAX.
I'm not going to talk about it in detail until I can speak with an attorney, but I've spent much of the last 24 hours replaying it over and over in my mind, and though some of the initial outrage has faded, I still feel sick and angry when I think about it . . . . I was so furious and upset, my hands shook for quite some time after the ordeal was over. I felt sick to my stomach for hours . . . .
http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2011/04/i-dont-feel-safe-i-feel-violated-humiliated-and-angry.html
by Wil Wheaton
April 6, 2011
Yesterday, I was touched -- in my opinion, inappropriately -- by a TSA agent at LAX.
I'm not going to talk about it in detail until I can speak with an attorney, but I've spent much of the last 24 hours replaying it over and over in my mind, and though some of the initial outrage has faded, I still feel sick and angry when I think about it . . . . I was so furious and upset, my hands shook for quite some time after the ordeal was over. I felt sick to my stomach for hours . . . .
http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2011/04/i-dont-feel-safe-i-feel-violated-humiliated-and-angry.html
From Amy Alkon: . . . Basically, I felt it important to make a spectacle of what they are doing to us, to make it uncomfortable for them to violate us and our rights, so I let the tears come. In fact, I sobbed my guts out. Loudly. Very loudly. The entire time the woman was searching me.
Nearing the end of this violation, I sobbed even louder as the woman, FOUR TIMES, stuck the side of her gloved hand INTO my vagina, through my pants. Between my labia. She really got up there. Four times. Back right and left, and front right and left. In my vagina. Between my labia. I was shocked -- utterly unprepared for how she got the side of her hand up there. It was government-sanctioned sexual assault.
Upon leaving, still sobbing, I yelled to the woman, "YOU RAPED ME." And I took her name to see if I could file sexual assault charges on my return. This woman, and all of those who support this system deserve no less than this sort of unpleasant experience, and from all of us. –Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/26/make_it_tough_t.html
Nearing the end of this violation, I sobbed even louder as the woman, FOUR TIMES, stuck the side of her gloved hand INTO my vagina, through my pants. Between my labia. She really got up there. Four times. Back right and left, and front right and left. In my vagina. Between my labia. I was shocked -- utterly unprepared for how she got the side of her hand up there. It was government-sanctioned sexual assault.
Upon leaving, still sobbing, I yelled to the woman, "YOU RAPED ME." And I took her name to see if I could file sexual assault charges on my return. This woman, and all of those who support this system deserve no less than this sort of unpleasant experience, and from all of us. –Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/26/make_it_tough_t.html
I filed suit against the TSA for their pat downs and nude body scanners last November. What I can tell you is that according to all I've learned, the screener was not acting in accordance with the instructions of the government. TSA screeners, via their own rules, are not to conduct a pat down in a way that leaves them inside of you.
That said, I encourage you to file a police report and seek criminal charges. My understanding is if the actions are outside of the search the screener was supposed to give, they cannot claim immunity due to government mandate.
Best of luck.
--Jon
Posted by: Jonathan Corbett at April 26, 2011 1:21 PM
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/26/make_it_tough_t.html
That said, I encourage you to file a police report and seek criminal charges. My understanding is if the actions are outside of the search the screener was supposed to give, they cannot claim immunity due to government mandate.
Best of luck.
--Jon
Posted by: Jonathan Corbett at April 26, 2011 1:21 PM
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/26/make_it_tough_t.html
Meet Susie Castillo's Vagina: Susie Castillo's TSA Experience
The former Miss USA's experience, having her vagina touched four times, echoes mine. In her words, "They're making me choose to either get molested ... or go through this machine, that's completely unhealthy and dangerous."
Here's her tearful video about her violation below, and her blog post.
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/27/meet_susie_cast.html#comments
http://www.susiecastillo.net/blog/2011/4/25/my-tsa-pat-down-experience.html
The former Miss USA's experience, having her vagina touched four times, echoes mine. In her words, "They're making me choose to either get molested ... or go through this machine, that's completely unhealthy and dangerous."
Here's her tearful video about her violation below, and her blog post.
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/27/meet_susie_cast.html#comments
http://www.susiecastillo.net/blog/2011/4/25/my-tsa-pat-down-experience.html
Pregnant Teacher Harassed By TSA On Easter Sunday Tells Her Story
http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/26/pregnant-teacher-harassed-by-tsa-on-easter-sunday-tells-her-story/
http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/26/pregnant-teacher-harassed-by-tsa-on-easter-sunday-tells-her-story/
More TSA Abuse: Father & Son Detained For Being “Too Clean”
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
GCN News has learned of yet more abuse at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration . . .
UPDATE: Brady Barraza called GCN News at 5:26 p.m. CST to let us know that he and his father have finally been released by the TSA, DHS, and FBI, and are boarding their flight to California. That makes this a total of over 18 hours of unlawful detention, abuse, and harassment. Look for a follow-up story on their ordeal soon. - Rachael Woodhouse, GCN News.http://www.gcnlive.com/wp/2011/03/22/more-tsa-abuse-father-son-detained-for-being-“too-clean”/
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
GCN News has learned of yet more abuse at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration . . .
UPDATE: Brady Barraza called GCN News at 5:26 p.m. CST to let us know that he and his father have finally been released by the TSA, DHS, and FBI, and are boarding their flight to California. That makes this a total of over 18 hours of unlawful detention, abuse, and harassment. Look for a follow-up story on their ordeal soon. - Rachael Woodhouse, GCN News.http://www.gcnlive.com/wp/2011/03/22/more-tsa-abuse-father-son-detained-for-being-“too-clean”/
ON THE ROAD; Playing Simon Says At Airport Security
By JOE SHARKEY, New York Times Published: March 29, 2011
. . . On the two occasions that I have experienced the freeze drill -- once at the Los Angeles airport and, more recently, at Atlanta -- it was clear to me that travelers believed they were required to stop and stand motionless -- even those who had cleared security and were merely within shouting distance of the checkpoint. Officers seemed to reinforce that impression, too.
The freeze issue has been getting more attention lately. On Wewontfly.com, a Web site started last year in opposition to certain T.S.A. procedures, including the more aggressive body pat-downs, a woman commented that she was recently involved in a freeze drill at the Atlanta airport.
''As we were going through the security checkpoint, one of the supervisors suddenly yelled 'freeze!' '' she wrote. ''Everyone was forced to just stand there for about a minute. We were not allowed to move, fidget, look around, speak, nothing.''
. . . ''I kind of scratch my head on this,'' said James Babb, the other co-founder of Wewontfly.com. ''All I can think of is obedience training. I kind of know what to expect from the T.S.A., but really on this, my frustration is with the public that says, 'Oh, an authority figure said freeze, so I'd better freeze,' and not ask reasonable questions.''
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/business/29road.html
By JOE SHARKEY, New York Times Published: March 29, 2011
. . . On the two occasions that I have experienced the freeze drill -- once at the Los Angeles airport and, more recently, at Atlanta -- it was clear to me that travelers believed they were required to stop and stand motionless -- even those who had cleared security and were merely within shouting distance of the checkpoint. Officers seemed to reinforce that impression, too.
The freeze issue has been getting more attention lately. On Wewontfly.com, a Web site started last year in opposition to certain T.S.A. procedures, including the more aggressive body pat-downs, a woman commented that she was recently involved in a freeze drill at the Atlanta airport.
''As we were going through the security checkpoint, one of the supervisors suddenly yelled 'freeze!' '' she wrote. ''Everyone was forced to just stand there for about a minute. We were not allowed to move, fidget, look around, speak, nothing.''
. . . ''I kind of scratch my head on this,'' said James Babb, the other co-founder of Wewontfly.com. ''All I can think of is obedience training. I kind of know what to expect from the T.S.A., but really on this, my frustration is with the public that says, 'Oh, an authority figure said freeze, so I'd better freeze,' and not ask reasonable questions.''
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/business/29road.html
TSA baby pat-down photographer: “I’ve never seen anything quite that bad”MAY 9, 2011
http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-baby-pat-down-photographer-ive-never-seen-anything-quite-that-bad/
http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-baby-pat-down-photographer-ive-never-seen-anything-quite-that-bad/
To Serve, to Protect and...to Steal
Wednesday, May 11, 2011If TSA workers steal from the people they are supposed to be protecting, how can they be trusted to keep the nation safe from terrorism?
By Spencer Wilking
Wednesday, May 11, 2011If TSA workers steal from the people they are supposed to be protecting, how can they be trusted to keep the nation safe from terrorism?
By Spencer Wilking
. . . According to Transportation Security Administration records, press reports, and court documents, Brown is one of approximately 500 TSA officers who've been fired or suspended for stealing from passenger luggage . . . Some airline representatives say theft grew exponentially with the creation of the TSA and their new powers to open and check luggage as they pleased. "When the TSA took over, we saw a dramatic spike in the increase of pilfering claims," says Scott Mueller, a baggage manager at Midwest Airlines for almost 20 years . . . "The low morale at TSA is legendary," says Ron Moore, a former TSA agent at Baltimore-Washington International Airport from 2002 to 2007. "Good people are either planning on leaving or wishing they could leave” . . . Thom Stukas, the cameraman who had $50,000 worth of equipment stolen by Pythias Brown under the guise of screening his luggage for bombs, drugs and weapons, sees a clear connection between that act and national security: "What's to stop them from taking a $100,000 bribe from somebody and putting something in the bag instead of taking something out? What's stopping them from putting a fucking bomb in there?"
http://www.nypress.com/article-22424-to-serve-to-protect-andto-steal.html
http://www.nypress.com/article-22424-to-serve-to-protect-andto-steal.html
Breast Cancer Survivor Sexually Molested by TSA at Richmond AirportPosted on April 25, 2011
http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/04/breast-cancer-survivor-sexually-molested-by-tsa-at-richmond-airport/
http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/04/breast-cancer-survivor-sexually-molested-by-tsa-at-richmond-airport/
Fake bomb eludes NY airport test: Facility's security measures fail in 5 of 7 trials"
. . . The screeners at Albany International confiscated the water bottle but missed the bomb. In all, the inspectors slipped four banned items through the main checkpoint during the test, sources said.
http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg41430.html
http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg41430.html
Baby food tests false-positive for explosives, seized by TSA agents
Bruce's mother pleaded with a TSA supervisor for more tests or to squeeze the food into another container. She said the supervisor refused.
"Oh my God," said the exasperated mom. "You're telling me we're going to starve a 7-month-old child? We're getting on a plane."
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Baby-food--121735884.html
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Baby-food--121735884.html
Official Complaint to TSA from Marilyn Bagdonas (forwarded by email to me –LS)
Delta security line at the Minneapolis Airport at approx 8AM Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
After a grueling 2 day trip and staying in a hotel paid by Delta in Minneapolis, I was exhausted when I went through security at the Delta security line at the Minneapolis Airport at approximately 8AM on Tuesday, May 17th.
After a grueling 2 day trip and staying in a hotel paid by Delta in Minneapolis, I was exhausted when I went through security at the Delta security line at the Minneapolis Airport at approximately 8AM on Tuesday, May 17th.
I was carrying the same bag and wearing the same clothes as the day before at PDX security. I expected the same easy security check in Minneapolis.
No such luck! I was confronted by a very impatient, pushy TSA female agent who wanted me to go through the Scanner. I asked questions why and she didn’t have the patience to answer… i.e. questioning my choices for a female pat down if I didn't take the scanner etc. She did not make it clear at that point if it was going to be a male or female so I chose unwillingly to go through the Scanner.
After passing through the Scanner she ordered me to go through a pat down because I had a tissue in my pocket. I told her I would not have a male do it and she ordered me into a room.
My opinion was that I was being harassed at this point.
I was shocked at the treatment and lack of information and respect. At that point I started to cry when 2 women came in and closed the door. I felt totally violated with the invasion of privacy and lack of information.
The woman who did the pat-down was very professional but the actual pat down was much too “cozy” for anyone! I think I made them uncomfortable with my crying and telling them how humiliating it was and that I didn't need a physical this year after this examination.
When we arrived at our destination in Traverse City, Michigan I was still very upset over this event and I decided to talk to the TSA supervisor. He was very comforting and informative. He told me that there is always a female checking/patting-down a female. He explained that there was a fine line between invasion of privacy and security.
I get that. I understand that.
Just by talking to this TSA supervisor in Traverse City made me feel more comfortable because he was respectful and listened to my concerns.
I am writing this because I felt totally violated by the TSA agent in Minneapolis because of the lack of respect and lack of information. It was probably one of the top 10 worst experiences in my 70 years.
I hope this can be corrected and this treatment does not continue at the Minneapolis Airport.
At this point I will be thrilled if I never see Minneapolis again! It was a great feeling flying away from this nightmare.
Police evacuate airport and seize 'terrorist' with fake bomb... pity TSA forgot to tell them it was just a drillhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389111/Bomb-Minneapolis-airport-just-drill--shame-TSA-didnt-tell-police.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
TSA Forgets To Tell Police It's Running A Bomb Test, Hilarity Ensueshttp://consumerist.com/2011/05/tsa-forgets-to-tell-police-its-running-a-bomb-test-hilarity-ensues.html
No TSA Agents At Prom Despite Court Ruling
SANTE FE, N.M. -- There were no TSA agents patting down students at the Santa Fe High School prom on Saturday night, despite a federal judge's ruling that there had to be.
SANTE FE, N.M. -- There were no TSA agents patting down students at the Santa Fe High School prom on Saturday night, despite a federal judge's ruling that there had to be.
This is after two sisters from another Santa Fe district high school said they were groped at a recent dance.
A federal judge ruled on Friday that TSA certified personnel must now supervise district pat downs, like those at dances or graduations.
Pilot to TSA: 'No Groping Me and No Naked Photos'October 15, 2010 – My name is Michael Roberts, and I am a pilot for ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., based in Houston (that is, I still am for the time being). This morning as I attempted to pass through the security line for my commute to work I was denied access to the secured area of the terminal building at Memphis International Airport.. . . Eventually the airport police were summoned . . . .
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/roberts-m1.1.1.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/roberts-m1.1.1.html
. . . Sharon Kiss, 66, has a pacemaker, but also has to fly often for her work.
"During a recent enhanced pat-down, a screener cupped my breasts and felt my genitals," she said in an e-mail to msnbc.com "To 'clear my waistband' she put her hands down my pants and groped for the waistband of my underwear.
"I expressed humiliation and was told 'You have the choice not to fly.' "
[There are also other stories of women being abused by TSA agents at this link.-LS]
Joe Worthey, 84, of Decatur, Ala., has lung cancer and is confined to a wheelchair. His wife Katie, 73, has cardiomyopathy. On their last trip through West Palm Beach (Fla.) International Airport, TSA screeners harassed the couple, they said, refusing to allow Katie to assist her husband with the screening procedures and confiscating their medicine.
Full story and other stories of abuse at this link:
More Underage Victims of TSA Coming Forwardhttp://wewontfly.com/more-underage-victims-of-tsa-coming-forward
THREE-YEAR-OLD FROM BUCKS GOT THE TSA TREATMENT AT PHLhttp://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Parents_Recall_TSA_Patdown_of_Their_three-Year-Old_Daughter_Philadelphia-119817514.html
May 28, 2011
Diana GogginI recently returned from a trip to the Hawaiian Islands on Hawaiian Air. Coming home, I flew from Kona to the Honolulu airport to transfer to a flight to San Diego, Calif. I am 73 years old and in a wheelchair, but the TSA people pulled me aside for one of those extreme searches. I was very embarrassed but endured it all without complaining. During this, they were taking my carry-on back and forth to keep examining it. Later I discovered that they had lost one of my medicines that was in a prescription box. Only the box was there.This is one of the most humiliating experiences I have been through, and it makes me want to never fly again. Diana
http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-cried-through-the-whole-experience/
Diana GogginI recently returned from a trip to the Hawaiian Islands on Hawaiian Air. Coming home, I flew from Kona to the Honolulu airport to transfer to a flight to San Diego, Calif. I am 73 years old and in a wheelchair, but the TSA people pulled me aside for one of those extreme searches. I was very embarrassed but endured it all without complaining. During this, they were taking my carry-on back and forth to keep examining it. Later I discovered that they had lost one of my medicines that was in a prescription box. Only the box was there.This is one of the most humiliating experiences I have been through, and it makes me want to never fly again. Diana
http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-cried-through-the-whole-experience/
TSA Harasses Two Texas Wounded Veterans at Airport with War Shrapnel in their BodiesThe TSA agents cornered them and bombarded them with repeated questions like, “What are you hiding in your face?” The agents did not give the wounded warriors time to explain anything and went straight into accusing them of “hiding” something in their bodies. Yeah, they are hiding something alright. They have metal in their bodies from war! My friend told me that one TSA agent came up to him and asked what he was hiding in his leg, but before my friend could answer he said that the TSA agent grabbed him, without notice, right in the crotch area as if trying to find something hidden. My friend has served many tours of duty, and I believe him when he tells me that it took everything in him not to react defensively when this agent grabbed his crotch without even letting him know he was going to be pat searched.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/forums/backlash-and-blowback/tsa-harasses-two-texas-wounded-veterans-airport-war-shrapnel-their-bodi
http://www.fieldandstream.com/forums/backlash-and-blowback/tsa-harasses-two-texas-wounded-veterans-airport-war-shrapnel-their-bodi
TSA receiving fewer theft claims, rejecting more
By Jason Whitely, WFAA, Posted on May 30, 2011 at 9:55 PM
DALLAS — As the summer travel season gets under way, the Transportation Security Administration is turning down more claims in its little-known reimbursement program for travelers who have items stolen at checkpoints or during baggage screening.
By Jason Whitely, WFAA, Posted on May 30, 2011 at 9:55 PM
DALLAS — As the summer travel season gets under way, the Transportation Security Administration is turning down more claims in its little-known reimbursement program for travelers who have items stolen at checkpoints or during baggage screening.
The TSA said it's currently reviewing 2,300 claims.
But over the last five years, the TSA began rejecting more claims — from about half of all submitted in 2005 to three-quarters of them in 2009.. . . Lowe said that's when someone must have snatched his wallet from a bin by the X-ray machine while he was separated from it.
"At this moment, the only people I can hold responsible is the TSA," Lowe concluded.
The thief got away with his identification, credit cards, and $500 in cash.
What he didn't know until now is that the TSA has quietly reimbursed tens of thousands of travelers who have experienced similar thefts.
In 2010 alone, the TSA paid out $582,721 to resolve 2,737 claims . . . .
I recently took my parents on a flight to their gandson's wedding. Both required wheel chairs although they can walk short distances using a cane. My 87 year old mother did not have a picture ID so these arrogant, abusive thugs sexually assaulted her in full view of all the passengers. They took her cane and told her to stand up with her hands in the air. She can't and started to fall over. When I grabbed her to prevent the fall, they screamed at me to get away.
Their conduct is an outrage and has nothing to do with security.Posted By Barry on May 31, 2011, 11:12 AM
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
Their conduct is an outrage and has nothing to do with security.Posted By Barry on May 31, 2011, 11:12 AM
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
I would like to hear from Folks on this comment board who feel 'safe' with TSA security who have been patted down in a locked room...just 2 strngers probing your body and you.
YOU will have absolutley no control.
This happened to me after I went thru the body scanner and they found a kleenex in my pocket...yes, it is true...a kleenex.
After my complaint, I was told that the TSA agent did not follow propler procedure...she should have patted my pockets.
Yes, YOU too, can be a victim of an abusive TSA agent and taken into a closed room and bodily probed.Posted By marlee on May 31, 2011, 2:45 PM
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
I was not only subjected to imaging, but also to groping. I was told that I moved too fast after the buzzer sounded that I thought indicated the end of the imaging session. Because of my movement, an agent who was laughing, told me I was to be subjected to a pat down. Another agent came over and proceeded to grope me. When I moved slightly because she was going up my leg, she shouted at me that she would have to start again. At this point, she decided to tell me she would be going up my legs and touching my breasts, which she hadn't bothered to mention before. Then, she yelled at me, asking me if I wanted to be searched in private. I answered yes, because I didn't want to be humiliated in front of my students, who were on a college trip with me. She was more incensed. We went into a "private" room, but my students could hear what was said. It was one of the most embarrassing and invasive situations I have had in my life. I wrote TSA a letter complaining and I received a form letter immediately, although they say that complaints go to a specialist. Right. I feel that they care.
I had the distinction of being imaged and felt up. Usually you get to choose, but I hit the jackpot. I hope that all Americans feel safer now. Unfortunately, I don't.Posted By colleen on May 31, 2011, 7:52 PM
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
I was not only subjected to imaging, but also to groping. I was told that I moved too fast after the buzzer sounded that I thought indicated the end of the imaging session. Because of my movement, an agent who was laughing, told me I was to be subjected to a pat down. Another agent came over and proceeded to grope me. When I moved slightly because she was going up my leg, she shouted at me that she would have to start again. At this point, she decided to tell me she would be going up my legs and touching my breasts, which she hadn't bothered to mention before. Then, she yelled at me, asking me if I wanted to be searched in private. I answered yes, because I didn't want to be humiliated in front of my students, who were on a college trip with me. She was more incensed. We went into a "private" room, but my students could hear what was said. It was one of the most embarrassing and invasive situations I have had in my life. I wrote TSA a letter complaining and I received a form letter immediately, although they say that complaints go to a specialist. Right. I feel that they care.
I had the distinction of being imaged and felt up. Usually you get to choose, but I hit the jackpot. I hope that all Americans feel safer now. Unfortunately, I don't.Posted By colleen on May 31, 2011, 7:52 PM
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
My husband was flying home from Boise this weekend. They unzipped his pants and proceeded to "search" his groin area, inside his clothes. This is simply not acceptable! But if you complain, you run the risk of not getting on to your flight. We don't object to security. In fact, we think it's a good idea! But TSA groping is not security, it's abuse of power. Posted By Jill Harvey on June 1, 2011, 7:49 AM
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2011/05/should_the_tsas_airport_patdow.html
Posted by Sommer Gentry at Elliott Blog June 1, 2011:This truly disturbing video shows TSA employees staring blankly, dazedly, at a woman who is screaming at the top of her lungs that they've molested her and she wants a police officer to report her assault to. These monsters truly have no shame and no human feeling left in them, to be able to ignore the trauma and distress they've caused, to shrug their shoulders at the sight of so much pain and desperation without trying in any small way to help her. I wish I believed in hell so I could vow those agents would burn in it.
http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-what-texas-standoff-with-the-feds-really-means/
http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-what-texas-standoff-with-the-feds-really-means/
RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C. — The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of a North Carolina woman who was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after she stripped down to her underwear at a Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) checkpoint to protest the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) whole body imaging scanners. Police arrested and charged Siobhán Cooke with disorderly conduct as a result of her act of protest at RDU on June 2, 2011. Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute will represent Cooke at her August 24 court appearance.
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/press_release_channel/tsa_alert_rutherford_institute_defends_female_protester_arrested_for_attemp/
https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/press_release_channel/tsa_alert_rutherford_institute_defends_female_protester_arrested_for_attemp/
TITLE OF VIDEO AT YOUTUBE: TSA SEXUALLY ASSAULTS MY MOTHER:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZdp13LFtOY
Durham Family Sues TSA Over Screening Procedures (Jonathan Blitz)
By Tom Breen | Associated Press
Published: December 03, 2010
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2010/dec/03/2/durham-family-sues-tsa-over-screening-procedures-ar-589148/
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2010/dec/03/2/durham-family-sues-tsa-over-screening-procedures-ar-589148/
March 17, 2011
Today, Jonathan Blitz filed his reply to the government’s motion to dismiss in his case, so we now have 3 cases in US district courts ready to rumble on the issue of jurisdiction.
Corbett v. US, 10-CV-24106, SDFL 11/16/2010 (11th Cir.)
Redfern v. Napolitano, 10-CV-12048, MAD 11/29/2010 (1st Cir.)
Blitz v. Napolitano, 10-CV-930, MDNC, 12/03/2010 (4th Cir.)
Blitz is a brilliant guy, and I’ve attached his public filing here, as it’s a great read. The next cases to get to this point will be in the DC and CO (10th Cir.), and I’ll update everyone as the public filings are made. –Jon
http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/briefed-blitz-redfern-and-corbett/
http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/briefed-blitz-redfern-and-corbett/
Lots of comments from people who get it and people who’ve been abused:http://tsaoutofourpants.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/hello-world/
MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010
Fuck you TSA
I refused to be irradiated, so instead I was molested. And because I had the unmitigated gall to speak my fuckin' mind about this I was then "invited" to have a conversation with a couple of fuckin' goons. Did you know that these assholes think they are protecting this country?
http://perl-yarg.blogspot.com/2010/10/fuck-you-tsa.html
Fuck you TSA
I refused to be irradiated, so instead I was molested. And because I had the unmitigated gall to speak my fuckin' mind about this I was then "invited" to have a conversation with a couple of fuckin' goons. Did you know that these assholes think they are protecting this country?
http://perl-yarg.blogspot.com/2010/10/fuck-you-tsa.html
Earl Pitts Said...I'm still waiting for responses on my last TWO complaints from BWI. One of them was escalated to a TSI, which, after giving him all the details I asked for, was never heard from again. The last one about a retaliatory secondary was completely ignored.
June 3, 2011 11:02 PMhttp://blog.tsa.gov/2011/06/response-to-phoenix-checkpoint-video.html
Slave Training. . . Finally, the screener walked appeared and barked, “Over there.” As instructed, I walked, “over there.” Someone grabbed my arm, “No, over there.” It was a two-foot distance, but I guess when you’re in charge of overseeing national security on commuter planes filled with people wearing fanny packs, every inch counts and vigalance rules. Meanwhile, I kept looking over my shoulder, at my luggage, all lonely in three gray plastic bins. “What are you looking at?” another officer scowled in my hear. “My stuff. My wallet – ” A blue gloved hand reached up, and turned my head away.http://www.queerty.com/i-was-felt-up-by-the-t-s-a-and-i-liked-it-20110606/
Dr. David Mandy: Special Needs Son Harassed by TSA at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Updated: Thursday, 09 Jun 2011, 6:15 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 08 Jun 2011, 11:10 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 08 Jun 2011, 11:10 PM EDT
. . .The family was headed through security when two TSA agents singled Drew out for a special pat down. Drew is severely mentally disabled. He's 29, but his parents said he has the mental capacity of a two-year-old, which made the experience that followed at the McNamera Terminal that much harder to deal with.
"You have got to be kidding me. I honestly felt that those two agents did not know what they were doing," Mandy told us.
Dr. Mandy claimed they asked Drew to place his feet on the yellow shoe line, something he didn't understand. They proceeded to pat his pants down, questioning the padding which was his adult diapers. When the agents asked Drew to take his hand and rub the front and back of his pants so they could swab it for explosives, his dad stepped in and tried to explain Drew was mentally challenged.
"They said, 'Please, sir, we know what we're doing,'" Mandy said . . . .
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/taryn_asher/dad-special-needs-son-harassed-by-tsa-at-detroit-metropolitan-airport-20110608-wpms
"They said, 'Please, sir, we know what we're doing,'" Mandy said . . . .
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/taryn_asher/dad-special-needs-son-harassed-by-tsa-at-detroit-metropolitan-airport-20110608-wpms
Newark TSA supervisor pleads guilty to accepting bribes
A former airport security supervisor pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and sentenced to 30 months in prison after taking kickbacks from a TSA officer who was allegedly stealing from passengers. Michael Arato . . . Al Raimi, 29, pleaded guilty to charges of theft by a government officer in February. He is currently scheduled for sentencing in September. Arato also admitted in court that he had regularly stolen money from passengers who went through his checkpoint. This is not the first time that TSA officers at Newark have come under fire for theft. In 2008, baggage screener Pythias Brown was charged with stealing over 100 items out of passengers, including a CNN camera which he reportedly tried to sell on eBay. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/307759
TSA workers face dismissal over baggage screeningWashington Post, June 10, 2011
The Transportation Security Administration is moving to fire more than 30 of its security personnel at Hawaii’s Honolulu International Airport after the discovery late last year that they were not properly screening checked bags for bombs, the TSA said Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tsa-workers-face-dismissal-over-baggage-screening/2011/06/10/AGpBxLPH_story.html
The Transportation Security Administration is moving to fire more than 30 of its security personnel at Hawaii’s Honolulu International Airport after the discovery late last year that they were not properly screening checked bags for bombs, the TSA said Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tsa-workers-face-dismissal-over-baggage-screening/2011/06/10/AGpBxLPH_story.html
Former TSA Agent in Orlando Accused Of Stealing From PassengersThis is the second arrest of a TSA agent at Orlando International Airport in just the past few weeks.
Last month, Reynal Dela Cruz was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to work.
Last month, Reynal Dela Cruz was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to work.
An x-ray image identified the gun and the agent was detained by his own co-workers. Dela Cruz told officers that he forgot it was in his bag. He has since quit his job. (He wasn’t fired.)
http://www.wftv.com/news/28117664/detail.html
http://www.wftv.com/news/28117664/detail.html
*At this point I’m going to stop including stories of TSA theft and other incompetence. There’ve been so many of them I can’t keep up, haven’t included them all up to this point anyway; logic dictates that there’s more theft and lack of cargo-screening than is being detected. Let someone else compile these accounts; I have my hands full just keeping track of sexual and other assaults. –Lisa Simeone
AMY GOODMAN of DemocracyNow: It’s interesting. I had a very similar experience, where everyone was going through the regular metal detector, and they chose me to step aside to go through the machine. And I said I didn’t want to go through that machine. And it seemed extremely punitive, what happened next. First of all, I had to wait for a very long time, and anyone who’s late for a plane knows how distressing that is. And then the level of intimacy of this body search—it’s happened to me several times. In one case, they had my arms up. They had my legs apart.
They said I wasn’t to move. And then the woman who was doing it, after touching every part she could possibly touch and find, parts people might not have known were there, she walked away. And having said several times to me to keep my arms out and not to move, I was standing there, spread-eagled, for many, many minutes, in the cold.You know, you’re not allowed to put your jacket back on or anything. And finally, another TSA agent came over, with a smile, and said, "What are you doing there?" I said, "Well, she said I can’t move." He said, "Oh, she left long ago. You can go."http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/13/former_miss_usa_winner_and_ralph
They said I wasn’t to move. And then the woman who was doing it, after touching every part she could possibly touch and find, parts people might not have known were there, she walked away. And having said several times to me to keep my arms out and not to move, I was standing there, spread-eagled, for many, many minutes, in the cold.You know, you’re not allowed to put your jacket back on or anything. And finally, another TSA agent came over, with a smile, and said, "What are you doing there?" I said, "Well, she said I can’t move." He said, "Oh, she left long ago. You can go."http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/13/former_miss_usa_winner_and_ralph
Daily Mail:
TSA workers told investigators that screeners routinely singled out Hispanic men for referral to law enforcement under trumped up suspicions, in an orchestrated scheme to pump up numbers.
. . . the report alleges that from early 2008 to late 2009, BDOs routinely looked for Hispanic male passengers, especially Mexicans and Dominicans, to see if they had proper visas or passport stamps.
The Star-Ledger wrote: 'If not, those passengers would be subjected to bag searches, pat downs, questioning and referrals to immigration with bogus behaviours invented by the screeners to cover up the real reason the passengers were singled out'.
Newark BDO Paul Animone reportedly told investigators: 'It became a joke in the unit, these individuals were called the great Mexican hunters.
Managers were accused of telling BDOs to 'make up behaviours' that warranted suspicion, in order to target 'illegal aliens'.
Local Couple Held By TSA; Miss Flight & Honeymoon Cruise
TSA on School Buses: Webcast Pushes Benefits of TSA Security Training for Student Transportershttp://www.stnonline.com/home/top-stories/3440-tsa-webinar-pushes-benefits-of-security-training-exercises-for-student-transporters
TSA Looking Into Second Stowaway Incidenthttp://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/06/16/2382942/tsa-looking-into-stowaway-incident.html
Posted at Elliott Blog by Sommer Gentry, June 19, 2011:
One of my closest friends just posted on Facebook 20 minutes ago that she was strip-searched by TSA at LAX airport. I called her immediately and got the full story. She had been delayed six days leaving Australia because of the volcanoes, and when she landed at LAX she had a string of flight delays and cancellations. She has been at LAX for over 12 hours and had boarding passes for a number of flights which were either overbooked or cancelled. She is a smoker, and she exited the secure area to smoke several times over the course of the day. The last time that she came through the checkpoint, TSA recognized that she had gone through security several times already and flagged her for a strip search. She says she was taken into a private room and had to take off all of her clothing down to her underwear. Her underwear stayed on.
[Name of woman is Nina Gilkenson. Sommer Gentry, as indicated elsewhere in this document, is a professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy. –LS]http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-take-a-picture-of-a-checkpoint-go-to-jail/
One of my closest friends just posted on Facebook 20 minutes ago that she was strip-searched by TSA at LAX airport. I called her immediately and got the full story. She had been delayed six days leaving Australia because of the volcanoes, and when she landed at LAX she had a string of flight delays and cancellations. She has been at LAX for over 12 hours and had boarding passes for a number of flights which were either overbooked or cancelled. She is a smoker, and she exited the secure area to smoke several times over the course of the day. The last time that she came through the checkpoint, TSA recognized that she had gone through security several times already and flagged her for a strip search. She says she was taken into a private room and had to take off all of her clothing down to her underwear. Her underwear stayed on.
[Name of woman is Nina Gilkenson. Sommer Gentry, as indicated elsewhere in this document, is a professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy. –LS]http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-take-a-picture-of-a-checkpoint-go-to-jail/
CNN Employee Rosemary FitzpatrickAccording to her, the airport security official ran her hands around her breasts, over her stomach, buttocks, and her inner thighs, and even touched her most private areas. The following is how Fitzpatrick described how she felt about the experience to CNN: “As an experienced traveler for work who was in tears for most of the search process, I have never experienced a more traumatic and invasive travel event!"http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/if-you-want-to-board-an-airplane-in-america-you-now-have-two-options-let-airport-security-gawk-at-your-exposed-body-or-let-airport-security-feel-you-up
Meagan Quinn: “I will not board an airplane in America until the TSA body scanners are gone. No one is seeing my naked body unless I let them. I will also not settle for being GROPED in public as an alternative.”
http://afteramerica.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/happy-thanksgiving-america-thanks-for-raping-us-tsa/
http://afteramerica.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/happy-thanksgiving-america-thanks-for-raping-us-tsa/
Home from LAX. TSA there is not so great! Going thru security I couldn't believe how rude they were us. How can you be mean to an 8-month-pregnant lady with a 1 & 2 year old? This Delta captain even stopped me after he watched how the scanner was yelling at my husband for "pushing bags through" and told me that if they ever talked to us like that again that we needed to make sure we asked for a supervisor. April 16, 2010 at 10:43pm
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=118014811547380&id=340233806173
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=118014811547380&id=340233806173
Richard Allen:I was just molested by the TSA today because I refused to go through the naked body scanners at Ft. Lauderdale airport. I asked them why it was nescessary for me to go through it. First the TSA officer said I was "randomly" selected and then claimed it was to help the line go faster, even though no one was in front in line, so I could have gone through the standard metal detector just as easily. What was worse as soon as I asked why I was randomely selected and for claification of the policy they immedialty called for a supervisor and began to treat me like a criminal. Before I was pat down, one TSA officer asked for another tsa thug to watch me like I was convicted felon, while he went to put his gloves on. The thug supervising me watched me and told me to watch what I said or I could be arrested, and then tried to stare me down and intimidate me. Apprentely, we do not only lose our 4th amendment rights but our first amendmend rights as well as soon as we buy an airline ticket. Lets just say they were not gentle with thier pat down either. I think they checked under my ball sack for Al Qaeda.March 28, 2011 at 3:44pm http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150131308224614
Laurance Tyler Misner: I just flew to Chicago 15 days ago from St. Paul. I was asked to stand in the "Electronic Body Scanning System", and told them no. I was then asked to follow the lady as 4 other TSA members aproached me. Again, I said no. They told me I would have to leave the airport, and I told them that they don't have the right to search me or even touch me, and if they did that I would sue them, TSA and the airport. I made sure to be loud enough that others stopped and watched as TSA member tried to strip me of my freedoms. As one of the TSA members reached to grab me and escort me out, another person in line stepped forward and told him if he touched me that he would be my witness in court. Another 6 citizens stepped in and said the same. I got through security and never was so much as touched...March 28, 2011 at 10:05pm http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150131308224614
Flying out of Denver, while being porno-scanned, a TSA agent offered to hold my wallet while I was scanned. Instead of "holding it", she opened it and began searching through it "looking for metal or other weapons" - in my wallet? What happened to the 4th amendment protection against illegal search & seizure? –David Kelley, November 19, 2010 12:09:15 AM EST
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/11/16/131364772/tsa-head-defends-enhanced-pat-downs-and-safety-of-scanners
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/11/16/131364772/tsa-head-defends-enhanced-pat-downs-and-safety-of-scanners
June 10, 2011Tatiana Johnson, detained by TSA; handcuffed, arrested, and jailed by airport cops for wearing ringYou Can Get Arrested For Wearing An Awesome Ring To the Airport
By Lisa Eppichhttp://www.refinery29.com/shepard-fairey-ring-does-not-obey-the-law-will-get-you-arrested-at-the-airport
By Lisa Eppichhttp://www.refinery29.com/shepard-fairey-ring-does-not-obey-the-law-will-get-you-arrested-at-the-airport
June 20, 2011
TSA Now Storming Public Places 8,000 Times a Year
(in other words, more info on the infamous VIPR teams-LS)http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/06/tsa_now_storming_public_places_8000_times_a_tear.html
Elderly woman [Lena Reppert] asked to remove adult during TSA search
June 25, 2011 11:09 AM
June 25, 2011 11:09 AM
A woman has filed a complaint with federal authorities over how her elderly mother was treated at Northwest Florida Regional Airport last weekend.
Jean Weber Destin filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after her 95-year-old mother [Lena Reppert] was detained and extensively searched last Saturday while trying to board a plane to fly to Michigan to be with family members during the final stages of her battle with leukemia.
Her mother, who was in a wheelchair, was asked to remove an adult diaper in order to complete a pat-down search.
“It’s something I couldn’t imagine happening on American soil,” Weber said Friday. “Here is my mother, 95 years old, 105 pounds, barely able to stand, and then this.”
. . . Weber said she sat outside the room during the search.
She said security personnel then came out and told her they would need for her mother to remove her Depends diaper because it was soiled and was impeding their search.
Weber wheeled her mother into a bathroom, removed her diaper, and returned. Her mother did not have another clean diaper with her, Weber said . . . .
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/mother-41324-search-adult.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/airport-security-measures-prompt-outrage-elderly-children/story?id=14081084#4
http://abcnews.go.com/US/airport-security-measures-prompt-outrage-elderly-children/story?id=14081084#4
From: Anne LaVasseur-Mullen (contact me for her email address –LS)To: Lisa Simeone
Subject: Re: Elderly woman asked to remove adult diaper during TSA search
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:25:36 -1000
Subject: Re: Elderly woman asked to remove adult diaper during TSA search
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:25:36 -1000
I was just reading this story. So ridiculous.
I went through Seattle last week and was scanned. Apparently something set off the scan reader and the young woman at the gate said she needed to examine my legs. Since I had a skirt on as usual, I lifted it barely above my knee and she started screaming at me, "Maam, don 't flash me, I am married, I'm not into want that." I told her she was ridiculous and she called over a supervisor who told me to just stand there with my hands out, no sudden movements. The young women wanded my lower half and then groped my crotch.
The supervisors told me she might need a little training in tact. I said, 'Ya think?" They would not give me her name after I had been hurriedly herded away from her. I would like to complain but fear I might end up on the no-fly list. That would not be feasible for someone who lives in Hawaii.
It is truly unbelievable.
TSA molestations and assaults on dignity continue to be out of control at US airports (contains video with testimony of two elderly women)
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/06/28/tsa-molestations-and-assaults-on-dignity-continue-to-be-out-of-control-at-us-airports/
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/06/28/tsa-molestations-and-assaults-on-dignity-continue-to-be-out-of-control-at-us-airports/
anonymousreader at 5:25 PM June 29, 2011:
Two weeks ago I flew from LA to Madison, Wisconsin with only a carry-on bag. Before going through security, I checked with airport personnell to make sure I didn't have to check my bag, since it had my cosmetics, sunscreen, and hair products in it. They said it was OK. Security in LA had no problem with it, didn't ask a question, I flew with my carry on no problem. On my way back from Wisconsin four days later, the TSA tried to force me to throw out the very same objects. (It was too late to check in a bag for my flight, so I had no other option but throw them away) When I objected and pointed out that this was inconsistent with what the TSA in Los Angeles did, they accused me of having guns & being a terrorist. At this point the airport police were called and I was totally hysterical. I was handcuffed, given a 325 dollar ticket for disorderly conduct, and missed my flight-- all for questioning the inconsistent policy and total asinine behavior of the TSA. Oh and just for kicks, I might mention that I am a caucasian female with no criminal record and an extensive education. F*** you TSA!!! I vote Greyhound from here on out.
anonymousreader at 5:27 PM June 29, 2011: Let me add that the airport police manhandled me and shoved me against a glass wall to handcuff me because I was walking towards them (thought they would be the voice of reason here) -- "walking towards them" was taken as "an implication of aggression". Oh yeah, because a little blonde lady upset over her cosmetics is gonna beat the crap out of two overweight knuckleheads with GUNS. Do those guys even think???
http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews/la-oe-goldberg-tsa-20110628/10
Olajide Noibi, Airplane Stowaway, Nabbed In LAX, But Not By TSA – Huffington Post
Olajide Noibi, Airplane Stowaway, Nabbed In LAX, But Not By TSA – Huffington Post
ABC reports that Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi was taken into custody at Los Angeles International ...
From ABC: The arrested foreign national who allegedly flew from New York to Los Angeles last week with a stolen boarding pass and ID card is a self-proclaimed "storyteller, strategist, and designer who is passionate about reaching the world for Jesus," according to one of the many websites with which he is affiliated.
Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi, 24, a Nigerian-born man who was found with the stolen ID and up to 10 old boarding passes containing various names, was arrested Wednesday after attempting to board a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta; five days after passing through layers of airport security at New York's JFK airport to board a plane with a day-old boarding pass, federal authorities said.
. . . Noibi allegedly managed to get through every layer of security with a fake ID and numerous boarding passes, at least one of which came from another passenger's pocket . . . It is unclear how Noibi managed to get through security at both airports . . . Generally speaking, though, the TSA said in its statement, "Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint. TSA's review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening.
"It is important to note that this passenger was subject to the same physical screening at the checkpoint as other passengers."
. . . It is unclear why Noibi was arrested Wednesday and not when he was discovered last week as a stowaway on Flight 415.http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/man-arrested-boarding-plane-false-id-day-boarding/story?id=13963831
Comment posted at Travel Underground:
From ABC: The arrested foreign national who allegedly flew from New York to Los Angeles last week with a stolen boarding pass and ID card is a self-proclaimed "storyteller, strategist, and designer who is passionate about reaching the world for Jesus," according to one of the many websites with which he is affiliated.
Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi, 24, a Nigerian-born man who was found with the stolen ID and up to 10 old boarding passes containing various names, was arrested Wednesday after attempting to board a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta; five days after passing through layers of airport security at New York's JFK airport to board a plane with a day-old boarding pass, federal authorities said.
. . . Noibi allegedly managed to get through every layer of security with a fake ID and numerous boarding passes, at least one of which came from another passenger's pocket . . . It is unclear how Noibi managed to get through security at both airports . . . Generally speaking, though, the TSA said in its statement, "Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint. TSA's review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening.
"It is important to note that this passenger was subject to the same physical screening at the checkpoint as other passengers."
. . . It is unclear why Noibi was arrested Wednesday and not when he was discovered last week as a stowaway on Flight 415.http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/man-arrested-boarding-plane-false-id-day-boarding/story?id=13963831
Comment posted at Travel Underground:
Barker in place. She attempted to move my belongings from one bin to another. Always thought that nothing but the laptop was supposed to be in the bin. Called her boss over. She got her hands slapped and was told to back off.
Opted out of AIT. Got the enhanced pat down. Contact made with my penis (albeit through clothing), scrotum, and perineum. Suspect it was purely retaliatory. There is absolutely no reason for a checkpoint pat down to be this intrusive. Not happy about this at all.
Disgusting behavior on the part of people who are old enough to know better. Oh well, they hover around the x-ray machines adding to their lifetime exposure account.
AngryMiller, Wednesday [June 29, 2011] at 6:51 PM, Travel Underground
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/flying-out-of-ord-today.304/
AngryMiller, Wednesday [June 29, 2011] at 6:51 PM, Travel Underground
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/flying-out-of-ord-today.304/
Quote of the Day, After Texas State Official ‘Left Sore’ From a TSA Patdown
by Kashmir Hill, Forbes, June 16, 2011
Forbes Magazine:
by Kashmir Hill, Forbes, June 16, 2011
Forbes Magazine:
Texas Public Utility Commission chairman Barry Smitherman: "You're punishing me for opting out, aren't you?"
TSA agent: "Yes, we are."http://blogs.forbes.com/kashmirhill/2011/06/16/quote-of-the-day-after-texas-state-official-left-sore-from-a-tsa-patdown/
CautiousOptimist, Guardian, UK
30 June 2011 1:08PM
I fly a lot for business. Jennifer is not being hyperbolic. On Monday I was sent through the X-ray scanner (again. I get X-rayed about twice a week.) I had inadvertently left a penny in my pocket. For that offense I had a "pat-down."
Pat-down is a real misnomer. Frankly, I had my balls cupped and squeezed, my ass completely handled, and a cursory running of the hand down my pant-leg. In his defense, the TSA agent seemed almost as embarrassed as I.I have acquaintances in the security industry. They universally refer to TSA security practices as Kabuki-theater. They are completely ineffective, as previous posters have pointed out. Let me repeat: These escalating security measures provide no benefit at all to the public.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/11382087
Pat-down is a real misnomer. Frankly, I had my balls cupped and squeezed, my ass completely handled, and a cursory running of the hand down my pant-leg. In his defense, the TSA agent seemed almost as embarrassed as I.I have acquaintances in the security industry. They universally refer to TSA security practices as Kabuki-theater. They are completely ineffective, as previous posters have pointed out. Let me repeat: These escalating security measures provide no benefit at all to the public.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/11382087
TSA Invasive Pat DownJune 30, 2011
Video by Danielle Smith, 2 mins 50 secs
very calm, composed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eebD4VeTbBM&feature=player_embedded
Video by Danielle Smith, 2 mins 50 secs
very calm, composed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eebD4VeTbBM&feature=player_embedded
We quit flying after my wife was groped at the St. Louis airport. Since Thanksgiving we’ve driven from Minneapolis to St. Louis & back 11 times to avoid further molestation by TSA. It is really disgusting to read these reports of government agents inspecting people’s diapers and colostomy bags.
Mike V., Executive Director Travel Underground
http://www.travelunderground.org
Mike V., Executive Director Travel Underground
http://www.travelunderground.org
Canadian toddler getting groped and pax told they can’t videotape:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPUaF18_XBQ&feature=player_embedded
It’s Not So Bad Until TSA Happens To You!By Maribeth Kuzmeski March 2011:
Really I didn’t pay much attention…until yesterday.
Going through security at the Milwaukee airport, I was directed to go through the body scanner. I’ve been through them many times in many airports, and I don’t even think about it. But yesterday, with a pair of simple black pants with no pockets and a fitted, long sleeve shirt on, I stepped forward, put my hands on top of my head and watched the scanner run around the outside of the glass structure. I was scanned. I took my normal position waiting for the TSA (an official looking guy with a wire in his ear) to get the message from the person watching the screening in some undisclosed location.
Next thing I know the TSA official is calling out for additional personnel. I thought for sure he was calling in the heavys because of the person waiting behind me. But then they asked me (who me?) which bags belonged to me. Suddenly, 3 TSA personnel began picking up my things announcing (a little louder than I would have liked) that they were taking them into a private room. It was frankly an embarrassing scene. Then they told me I needed to have a full body pat down (also a little louder than I would have liked). I said, “fine, please do it right here.” But they insisted that I go into the private room with the frosted windows, behind closed doors, for a next level security pat down. I kept thinking –what are they looking for? Well whatever it was – they were determined to find something. There were 2 people in the room observing my pat down in addition to the 1 woman who was the chief patter. She told me exactly what she was going to do which honestly made me want to cry. Every crevice of my body was touched with the back and side of her hands. Every crevice . . . for 7 excruciatingly long minutes.
http://www.womenonbusiness.com/it’s-not-so-bad-until-tsa-happens-to-you/
http://www.womenonbusiness.com/it’s-not-so-bad-until-tsa-happens-to-you/
Woman: Hair search by TSA discriminatory
"They are required to investigate and examine anything that poofs from the body?? That sounds like a bogus policy to me. It just sounds bogus," Adiele said.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/197146/166/Woman-Hair-search-by-TSA-discriminatory
JULY 8, 2011 10:09 AM PDT
"They are required to investigate and examine anything that poofs from the body?? That sounds like a bogus policy to me. It just sounds bogus," Adiele said.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/197146/166/Woman-Hair-search-by-TSA-discriminatory
JULY 8, 2011 10:09 AM PDT
Police: TSA worker put stolen iPad in his pants. . . a Transportation Security Administration worker allegedly had a systematic scheme for removing passengers' electronics and selling them on Craigslist . . . In total, Santiago is alleged to have stolen around $50,000 worth of passengers' possessions over a six-month period, mainly gadgets of one kind or another.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20077881-71/police-tsa-worker-put-stolen-ipad-in-his-pants/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20077881-71/police-tsa-worker-put-stolen-ipad-in-his-pants/
. . . Through my work I travel to some of the busiest airports in high-risk areas. Just this year I have been in Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Bahrain, Libya, France, Italy, and many other countries. But I have yet to feel so angry, so embarrassed or so scrutinized as I did going through airport security for a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to New York’s JFK while visiting home.. . . The supervisor happened to recognize me from television.
“Don’t you travel to dangerous places all the time? How can this bother you? Where you go, people are shooting at you,” he said.
“Yes, but this is what the terrorists wanted. They want us to live in fear,” I said.. . . I’ve watched American troops fight, and sometimes die, to drive the Taliban and al-Qaida from Afghanistan, and to secure free elections in Iraq. They have been fighting for other people to be free. I was horrified to see that despite their sacrifices we’d let ourselves become a nation that appears to be driven by fear. . . By Richard Engel, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/08/7019081-is-high-security-backfiring-in-us
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/08/7019081-is-high-security-backfiring-in-us
TSA Violates Policy by Patting Down 6-Year-OldThe head of TSA, John Pistole, has been caught lying yet again, after the TSA openly violated its own policy on child pat downs in the case of a six-year-old boy traveling to Disneyland who became upset after being hand-searched by TSA screeners. The TSA first announced that it had "eliminated pat downs for children under 12" in November last year http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/188599.html
Same story, different source: 6-Year-Old Gets Not One But TWO TSA Pat-Downs (VIDEO)
http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/122916/6_year_old_gets_not
http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/122916/6_year_old_gets_not
Police charge mother in Nashville airport altercation
Woman refused to let officers screen daughterA 41-year-old Clarksville woman was arrested after Nashville airport authorities say she was belligerent and verbally abusive to security officers, refusing for her daughter to be patted down at a security checkpoint.
Andrea Fornella Abbott allegedly yelled and swore at Transportation Security Administration agents Saturday afternoon at Nashville International Airport, saying she did not want her daughter to be “touched inappropriately or have her “crotch grabbed,” a police report states.
After the woman refused to calm down, airport police said, she was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to jail. She has been released on bond.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110713/NEWS01/307130115/Police-charge-mother-Nashville-airport-altercation
UPDATE: Mother who confronted TSA at Nashville airport set to appear in court Mondayhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20110729/NEWS03/110729012/Mother-who-confronted-TSA-Nashville-airport-set-appear-court-Monday
Andrea Fornella Abbott allegedly yelled and swore at Transportation Security Administration agents Saturday afternoon at Nashville International Airport, saying she did not want her daughter to be “touched inappropriately or have her “crotch grabbed,” a police report states.
After the woman refused to calm down, airport police said, she was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to jail. She has been released on bond.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110713/NEWS01/307130115/Police-charge-mother-Nashville-airport-altercation
UPDATE: Mother who confronted TSA at Nashville airport set to appear in court Mondayhttp://www.tennessean.com/article/20110729/NEWS03/110729012/Mother-who-confronted-TSA-Nashville-airport-set-appear-court-Monday
94-Year-Old Woman Says TSA Crossed the Line with Pat Down11:46 PM, Jul 13, 2011
After enduring many assaults by the TSA because she must fly 3 times a week, a woman finally fights back – and is charged with felony sexual assault herself:
Yukari Miyamae Gropes TSA Agent at Phoenix Airport
Yukari Miyamae UPDATE – felony charges dropped, misdemeanor charges might be pending.
And Miyamae tells her side of story: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_18564391
Yukari Miyamae UPDATE Sept 4, 2011: Miyamae May Be Fined by TSA
LONGMONT, Colo. — Yukari Miyamae, who got into an altercation with TSA agents at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport on July 14, may face a civil penalty of thousands of dollars.
In a recent post on her Facebook page (Yukari Miyamae Legal Defense Fund), she wrote, “The TSA recently sent me a letter asking for my response as they consider whether to assess a civil penalty of up to $11,000 for my alleged violation of 49 C.F.R. sec. 1540.09, which states that ‘No person may interfere with, assault, threaten or intimidate screening personal in the performance of their screening duties.’
“I have been told by my lawyer that an assessment of a civil fine by the TSA remains very possible.”
My TSA Assault:
In March 2011, early in the morning, I approached the Sea-Tac checkpoint, presented my passport, and went to the screening area nearest. I don’t think they had imaging machines yet, just a row of metal detectors. I slipped off my boots, put my carry-on things on the conveyor and waited my turn. The agent looked me up and down and motioned me through the metal detector. I did not set off the alarm but the instant I passed though, the TSO male called, "Female Assist."
I was told to leave my things alone, go put one leg in front of the other. And I got an enhanced "pat-up" checkpoint procedure without any explanation as to why. My police report states how the agent ran their hand on the inside of my leg, then lifted their straight hand up into my vulva, up between the lips of my labia, told me to “scissor my legs” the other way, and repeated this with my legs separated in the opposite direction.
My PTSD
I was sexually assaulted at knifepoint by a stranger who broke into my home when I was seventeen years old. Memories of that event have returned to me because of the TSA's practices, and what I believe to be an assault of opportunity that March morning. These elements are factors in my own PTSD, triggered by the TSA: a coercive setting, non-consensual sexual contact by a stranger, and actual penetration of my body by the hand--all present when I was attacked as a girl. In March the perpetrator was an on-duty agent of the Federal government.
Follow-Up
I reported what I believed could constitute a sexual assault to the TSA online after reaching my destination. I received an auto-generated email in reply with no point-of-contact for follow-up. In the weeks following, I tried to figure out what and who even regulates and polices such an incident at a checkpoint. Eventually I was back in the area, at a time I could file a police report, and did, with the Port of Seattle Police.
Presently the investigation is being thwarted by the TSA, by not providing information on the personnel working at the checkpoint that morning to investigators. I was told video is not kept over 30 days, (as though analog). I suggested photo IDs of TSOs on duty fitting the description could be used, so I can make a positive identification, but these have not been provided by the TSA to the police.
I am seeking help for both legal and counseling referrals. I welcome contact from others with similar stories. The ACLU did not respond initially. I have approached officials asking them to please have the TSA stop thwarting the criminal investigation.
TSA is oblivious to the danger their methods pose to the survivors of rape and sexual molestation by re-igniting the victim’s psychological trauma, stored in the body's memory. The un-American and endangering practices of the TSA must end. I hope the Committee on Oversight & Government Reform can help overhaul the methods used by the TSA, which themselves fit the definition of domestic terrorism. No one should have to re-live a rape because they fly in America.
KrazyKat, Jul 3, 2011 posted on Travel Underground
Real name Alexandra K. I know her full name & location but don’t have permission to publish.– LS.http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/ptsd.336/#post-2492
Jay Spooner:My 87-year-old wheel chair bound Mother was basically molested and almost brought to tears recently. She had just laughed and said, "What do they think I have a bomb under my butt"? 2 minutes later TSA was agonizingly moving her from side to side(she has a terrible hip) so they could "wand" under her butt. It was humiliating and disgusting. My prayers to Yukari...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Acquit-Yukari-Mihamae/193771357344518?sk=wall
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Acquit-Yukari-Mihamae/193771357344518?sk=wall
Darryl Wolfe, who works for a consulting firm in Charlotte, chose a pat-down over a scan last year and regretted it. “I was shocked by the intensity and roughness of the pat-down,” he told me. “In my mind at least, some of it was retribution for opting out. It was more like an assault.”After that, he stopped flying altogether.
http://www.elliott.org/the-navigator/tsa-watch-should-we-avoid-tsa-screening-or-embrace-it/
http://www.elliott.org/the-navigator/tsa-watch-should-we-avoid-tsa-screening-or-embrace-it/
July 2011, Woman at ORD (Chicago), crying, “I feel absolutely humiliated”Videographer told not to talk (so apparently speech is also outlawed at the whim of the TSA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVV6YRrJ5Rs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVV6YRrJ5Rs
Posted at Travel Underground:
Received two misdemeanor citations at San Diego Harbor airport today.
July 20, 2011I had a pat down, about a year and a half ago, that was a terrible experience, and this was after going through the 3D XRay machine.
Today I was cited for 7.01(b), failure to complete pre boarding screening. And 602(v)(1)pc - Avoid Screening Process . . . refused to let me leave.
Bottom line... I was going to get cited, if I did not let them touch my groin, or ass. The police told me, that it was not molestation of the person touching you didn't receive any personal enjoyment out of this. There was much debate between the police and the TSA on if I was going to be cited or not, and when one of the management heard that I was going to get two citations, he smirked and smiled, which made me sick to my stomach. I immediately called him a molesting bastard... which wiped the smirk off his face, and he looked at me in a surprised manner... and said... what did you say. And I said, you heard me, you smirking molesting bastard. It was the peak of me loosing my cool. The TSA totally is on a power trip here. You can't leave, unless we grope you. I offered to let the police pat me down. I lifted up my shirt. I offered to let them pat me down, everywhere but my privates.
I commend the harbor police... and officer Craig. He kept me sane, during all of this. Seemed sympathetic. He pushed me hard in the beginning, and said I was going to jail. And I told him, I'd rather go to jail, then have another TSA pat down. I did not go to jail, total episode, from start to getting a rental car was about three hours. TSA even told the cops, I was good to fly. So I entered the security line again, and as soon as I did, they were X-Raying Every Single Passenger... until I left the line. Then they would go back to the metal detector. Clearly its not random. I was singled out. They were determined to pat me down.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/received-two-misdemeanor-citations-at-san-diego-harbor-airport-today.475/#post-3597
I commend the harbor police... and officer Craig. He kept me sane, during all of this. Seemed sympathetic. He pushed me hard in the beginning, and said I was going to jail. And I told him, I'd rather go to jail, then have another TSA pat down. I did not go to jail, total episode, from start to getting a rental car was about three hours. TSA even told the cops, I was good to fly. So I entered the security line again, and as soon as I did, they were X-Raying Every Single Passenger... until I left the line. Then they would go back to the metal detector. Clearly its not random. I was singled out. They were determined to pat me down.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/received-two-misdemeanor-citations-at-san-diego-harbor-airport-today.475/#post-3597
Comment left at Rafu Shimpo, the Japanese daily newspaper in Los Angeles:
Agnes
July 21, 2011 | Permalink |
I am also Asian, female and only 4’10, 114 lbs and 70 years old. I was patted donw by an agent at L.A. airport. Her finger jammed up my crotch. I screamed, no manager was called. I left in tears. I encountered a TSA mgr. on my way to the gate. He confirmed that jabbing a finger up someone’s crotch is part of the procedure. I filed a complaint ‘with TSA, and I was informed my complaint was referred back to LA TSA office.
America has subcummed to, terrorizing its citizens in the name fighting terrorism, and violating our civil rights? There is no fear but fear itself – Winston Churchill. Al Queda has succedded in this pshycological war.
Yumae unforunately is another victim of TSA. I am still traumatized over the TSA violation of my body. It brought back memories!!! Unfortunately, I am still working that requires travel. May be I should start collecting Social Security instead, and sit back in my rocking chair. Yuemae, we are behind you.http://rafu.com/news/2011/07/woman-in-tsa-incident-becoming-folk-hero/#comment-43492
TSA worker stole watches, debit card from LAX bags, officials say
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/tsa-worker-stole-watches-debit-cards-from-lax-luggage-officials-say.html
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/tsa-worker-stole-watches-debit-cards-from-lax-luggage-officials-say.html
Veteran seeks apologyAMARILLO, TX - A local disabled veteran wants an apology from a U.S. government agency claiming it violated his civil rights.
About a month ago, Vietnam veteran Stephen Walker says he voluntarily took off his prosthetic arm to go through security at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. After he successfully went through screening he was told by TSA agents he would have to go through another security check, because he violated a new TSA policy.
"He couldn't give me a real answer as to what the policy was. One reason that he did give was that by taking off my limb people would have felt the TSA made me do it and that was an embarrassment for TSA." said Walker.. . . Walker has spent the last month trying to get answers about the TSA policy.
http://www.newschannel10.com/story/15131934/veteran-seeks-apology
About a month ago, Vietnam veteran Stephen Walker says he voluntarily took off his prosthetic arm to go through security at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. After he successfully went through screening he was told by TSA agents he would have to go through another security check, because he violated a new TSA policy.
"He couldn't give me a real answer as to what the policy was. One reason that he did give was that by taking off my limb people would have felt the TSA made me do it and that was an embarrassment for TSA." said Walker.. . . Walker has spent the last month trying to get answers about the TSA policy.
http://www.newschannel10.com/story/15131934/veteran-seeks-apology
Local Man Speaks Out Over TSA Airport Pat Downs
2nd Time Thomas Sawyer’s urostomy bag has been tampered with
The Dumbest TSA Agent I've Seen .. and the Crookedestby Neil Boortz
Posted: 9:32 a.m. Tuesday, May 31, 2011
I actually watched a TSA agent take my camera out of my backpack in Atlanta and quickly disappear . . .
OK … so that was a crooked agent, but how about the dumbest agent I’ve ever encountered. This guy worked at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. I suppose most of you have printed an airline boarding pass from the Internet. You get a boarding pass printed on an 8x11 piece of paper. You get your scissors, right? And you cut out the boarding pass and throw the rest of the paper away. So … what happens in Phoenix? . . . The agent – his name was Joe – wasn’t pleased that I didn’t hand him the entire 8x11 sheet the boarding pass was printed on. I pointed out to him that all of the required information was there. Name, flight, bar code … .all of it. Still, he wondered what could have been on the rest of the piece of copy paper that I threw away. “How do I know there wasn’t something else on that paper?” he said. So I had to leave security, go to the AirTran desk and have a new boarding pass printed out.http://www.boortz.com/weblogs/nealz-nuze/2011/may/31/dumbest-tsa-agent-ive-seen-and-crookedest/
Posted: 9:32 a.m. Tuesday, May 31, 2011
I actually watched a TSA agent take my camera out of my backpack in Atlanta and quickly disappear . . .
OK … so that was a crooked agent, but how about the dumbest agent I’ve ever encountered. This guy worked at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. I suppose most of you have printed an airline boarding pass from the Internet. You get a boarding pass printed on an 8x11 piece of paper. You get your scissors, right? And you cut out the boarding pass and throw the rest of the paper away. So … what happens in Phoenix? . . . The agent – his name was Joe – wasn’t pleased that I didn’t hand him the entire 8x11 sheet the boarding pass was printed on. I pointed out to him that all of the required information was there. Name, flight, bar code … .all of it. Still, he wondered what could have been on the rest of the piece of copy paper that I threw away. “How do I know there wasn’t something else on that paper?” he said. So I had to leave security, go to the AirTran desk and have a new boarding pass printed out.http://www.boortz.com/weblogs/nealz-nuze/2011/may/31/dumbest-tsa-agent-ive-seen-and-crookedest/
TSA Mistreats FlyersRights MemberIn May, FlyersRights member Carol M had an unbelievable TSA experience at Ft. Meyers International. Here, in her own words, is her story:
On May 31, 2011, I, a 75-yr-old Caucasian female with gray hair, went through the security check at Ft. Myers International (RSW).
Having a broken 5th metatarsal, I was wearing a pneumatic boot. I asked whether I should remove it, and was impatiently motioned forward by a sour-faced male TSA person. Of course, I failed the walkthrough. A female TSA person rubbed me around the middle, wiped my hands, and placed the wipe in a machine which indicated to her that I was dangerous.
She: What is on your hands?
I: Nivea hand lotion.
I was escorted into a private room where a second TSA female joined us. She felt my body all over, including crotch. After asking whether a weapon was inside, the other woman searched every nook and cranny of my handbag
All of this took considerable time. Fortunately, I am a person who cannot bear to be late for ANYTHING, and I had my friend drop me at RSW nearly 2 hours before takeoff time. Otherwise, I'd have missed my flight.
All of this took considerable time. Fortunately, I am a person who cannot bear to be late for ANYTHING, and I had my friend drop me at RSW nearly 2 hours before takeoff time. Otherwise, I'd have missed my flight.
Some weeks later, while thumbing through a travel magazine, I read that many lotion preparations contain glycerin, which is translated by the machine to NITROGLYCERIN. Ain't it all just grand? I guess I should feel lucky that I wasn't wearing a wet diaper and put on an airplane unprotected.
The entire experience made me furious. I am a natural-born citizen of this country, part of the rapidly-vanishing middle class, still paying income tax because I was fortunate enough to have a job that paid a pension AND provided a 401K. I'm paying these Nazis to insult every American who crosses their path.http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=hfwqrzcab&v=001aTnFgKol9s4tmwAJ5jVXSYpbc_4EBNN6m0nT6tZyeIEYagu0AaQpBiX8EGWORN8oOVzFh8v66brvwCKiBNemVl8FWRtBQQvF5a65EcQXltXzovJy6jD6YA%3D%3D
ABC Local KTRK: TSA agent arrested on accusations of theft (June 17 2011)
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8195687
At Oakland airport, while with my wife and child, I was selected for the scanner, which I refused due to my personal history with cancer. I opted for the patdown and while the TSA agent was very careful to have my wife stand where she could see what was happening and was careful to tell me exactly what he was going to do before he did it, I have never felt so violated in my life . . . I did not appreciate being put in a position where I felt forced to have someone's hands on my genitals. I didn't want to make a stink about it there, because I was with my wife and son and had places to go and things to do, but I couldn't help but feel that my most basic rights were violated . . . I say this as a doctoral-level clinical psychologist who works in the human rights arena around the world (hence all the travel). Personally, I take my family with me whenever I travel (wife and infant son), and I will not allow my son to be screened in that way. In my professional opinion as a trained mental health specialist, it is not appropriate to screen people in this way, and especially not children . . . .
Chris at Elliott Blog, July 23, 2011http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-vote-for-your-favorite-tsa-hero-or-villain/
Chris at Elliott Blog, July 23, 2011http://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-vote-for-your-favorite-tsa-hero-or-villain/
TSA strip-searches another elderly woman in a private room
LAX Airport: July 11, 2011 American Airlines Flight #4 to JFK
LAX Airport: July 11, 2011 American Airlines Flight #4 to JFK
Story told by daughter Patricia Gruning Higgins, posted at Film Annex by Susan Sacirbey
TSA Humiliates Amputee Mother and 4-Year-Old Son
. . . After Robby's second screening, he was directed by an imposing figure to sit in a chair and not to communicate with me. He was scared and asked me if everything was okay. He broke the "rule" and the consequence was a full body pat down. I was forced to sit in a chair and helplessly watch my scared little boy get patted down for explosives. I was angry and perplexed when they pulled back his hands and peeked into his diaper. When his ordeal was over, Robby sat quietly shaking in a chair staring at me . . . .
When they were done clearing a four year old for explosive materials, they turned their attention to me . . . I was instructed to remove my leg . . . .
http://amputeemommy.blogspot.com/2010/05/humiliation-and-now-im-angry.html
http://amputeemommy.blogspot.com/2010/05/humiliation-and-now-im-angry.html
Man punished for opting out of scanner, groped twice, fondled
Incident occurred at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Terminal 4 Gate D July 13, 2011 at approximately 3:20 PM far right security line.
. . . UPDATE: on 7/26/2011 I was finally able to contact a Police Officer with the Phoenix PD to file a report. I was told by the Phoenix PD that they do not take sexual assault reports from incidents with TSA.
http://tsaabusestory.blogspot.com/2011/07/if-you-want-to-know-what-to-expect-when.html
http://tsaabusestory.blogspot.com/2011/07/if-you-want-to-know-what-to-expect-when.html
Comment left at that same story:
Anonymous said...My 13 year old daughter recently made a trip on her own to spend some time with my parrents (her grandparents) in Florida. She was picked out for the extra screening and given a patdown. She called he mother and was hysterically cying because of the tramatizing event. When she could finally talk about it calmly she described how TSA groped her genitals and breast. The return trip was a long drive.
July 24, 2011, 6:06 PM
July 24, 2011, 6:06 PM
TSA Agent Cited for Flashing His Badge on the Highwayhttp://news.travel.aol.com/2011/07/27/tsa-agent-cited-for-flashing-his-badge-on-the-highway/?icid
More TSA Thefts, can’t keep up with them all:
Screen shot showing TSA agent crotch-grabbing Andrea Abbott’s daughter:
Mother of 9-year-old and 6-year-old separated from children at BIL (Billings Logan Airport, MT)
By Amy Rubins, July 30, 2011
By Amy Rubins, July 30, 2011
My step-daughter was supposed to fly home today from BIL-MSP. I don't know all the facts just yet but she said she refused a full body pat down so she was separated from her children and not allowed any contact with them until they all cleared screening.
They also confiscated the 6 year old's yogurt as punishment.
By the time they got to the gate flight oversold and plane downsized so they gave up their seats for another flight tomorrow. Which means they will have to go through this crap again.
Her husband is in Iraq so she's flying on her own with no other adult to help her through security so I'm trying to gather all her options for tomorrow.
Suggestions?
I am livid...
LATER COMMENT, SAME THREAD:
. . . TSO creep yells, "shut up, don't talk to your kids, don't say a word, you can't have any interaction with them during this process." Mom cocks her head and says "what did you say" TSO creep and creepette yell quite loudly, you can't have any interaction with your kids - Mom says, they're my kids and I'll speak to them if I like. They direct her to sit the kids down and wait nearby. So she wasn't out of view of her kids, although they were sitting on a bench dozens of steps behind her.
. . . This is the best part - TSO creep says verbatim "if you want to take the yogurt through security, you will need a full body pat down" mom says, nope, yogurt not that important, no pat down. He says it again, and she repeats no pat down, throw the damn yogurt away. Apparently creep and creepette were very hostile and just wanted a fight.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/mother-of-9-year-old-and-6-year-separated-from-children-at-bil.556/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/mother-of-9-year-old-and-6-year-separated-from-children-at-bil.556/
Woman Feels Violated By Airport Security Employee
August 2011A woman says she was violated at the Lubbock International Airport.
The Hobbs, New Mexico woman says a TSA worker went too far with her, during a security check.
The woman was visibly upset and shaking when she talked to KLBK, Wednesday, after the incident.
Debra Perry said the TSA employee touched her genitals and the pat down took so long, she missed her flight.
"They patted me and touched me and everything, finger through the band in my pants and she pulled forward and picked all through my pants in the front and the rear," said Perry.
Perry said she knows the employees have a job to do, but she doesn't want something this extreme to ever happen to anyone else.
We called TSA and got a recording.
We're hoping to have their response tomorrow.
TSA Confiscates Pregnant Woman's Insulin, Ice Packs
Security Tells Woman Isulin Vial Was An Explosives RiskAaron Nieman is frustrated, after his pregnant wife's insulin and ice packs were confiscated by TSA screeners at Denver International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
Security Tells Woman Isulin Vial Was An Explosives RiskAaron Nieman is frustrated, after his pregnant wife's insulin and ice packs were confiscated by TSA screeners at Denver International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
The couple has traveled around the world with her supplies and have never encountered any troubles before.His wife is traveling alone to a baby shower in Phoenix.
She asked us not to use her name for fear of security and retaliation for speaking out.http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/28773212/detail.html
Comment posted at the Seattle Times August 5, 2011 at 11:34 PM:Recently at Seatac I observed the most bizarre interview of a family at security that I have ever seen. The 3 little kids ranged in age from 4 to 8 and the TSA agent checking ID insisted on asking each of them various questions. The youngest started to cry when he talked to her but he persisted - asking her what month she was born and what her middle name was.. It was nuts.. She clearly had been taught not to talk to strangers and once she got scared and tried to hide behind her mom it just got worse and worse. They even patted her down in the second half of the line.http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/public/display.php?source_name=mbase&source_id=2015833671
JFK T4 - Assaulted by TSO for filming, forced to delete
By Mark Lyon, July 6, 2011http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-safety-security/1245208-jfk-t4-assaulted-tso-filming-forced-delete.html
I always opt out of the scanner and go for the grope . . .The past two times, however, the pat down was very aggressive. The first time, in Nashville’s BNA, the droness karate-chopped my vagina four times: once for each leg from the front, once for each leg from the back. I was so stunned, I didn’t say anything.
Sally, age 55, Lexington, Kentucky, complete story and bio info here:
http://www.fiftytolife.com/2011/tsa-pervs-gone-wild/
Sally, age 55, Lexington, Kentucky, complete story and bio info here:
http://www.fiftytolife.com/2011/tsa-pervs-gone-wild/
Luckutt: TSA pat-down the epitome of creepyBy Doni Luckutt
POSTED: 08/12/2011 01:38:16 AM MDT
UPDATED: 08/12/2011 01:44:05 AM MDT
. . . Even with these new and "unpredictable" procedures, I assume none of them would include actions like what I experienced: Virtual crotch-grabs, comments about physical features, and leaning forward so the security agent could "look down" a tank top. By the time we were finished (based on my personal experience, it was an exceptionally long pat-down), I was partially clothed and felt as if I was publicly fondled as men in other lines gawked in amazement . . . .
POSTED: 08/12/2011 01:38:16 AM MDT
UPDATED: 08/12/2011 01:44:05 AM MDT
. . . Even with these new and "unpredictable" procedures, I assume none of them would include actions like what I experienced: Virtual crotch-grabs, comments about physical features, and leaning forward so the security agent could "look down" a tank top. By the time we were finished (based on my personal experience, it was an exceptionally long pat-down), I was partially clothed and felt as if I was publicly fondled as men in other lines gawked in amazement . . . .
Denver Channel 7 (ABC): Springs Woman Says TSA Agent Groped Her Vagina: Janis Heuberger Was Flying From Colorado Springs To Las Vegas - August 12, 2011
A woman from Colorado Springs has filed a complaint with the Transportation and Security Administration, saying she felt sexually harassed by the female agent, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Janis Heuberger told the newspaper that an airport security agent in training groped her vagina last week . . . in a wheelchair because she recently broke her foot . . .
Heuberger said when the agent touched her inappropriately, she asked for a supervisor and a copy of pat down procedures for people in wheelchairs. The supervisor told Heuberger he couldn’t give her a copy of those procedures. Instead, he gave her a complaint/compliment form . . . .
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/28847665/detail.html
A woman from Colorado Springs has filed a complaint with the Transportation and Security Administration, saying she felt sexually harassed by the female agent, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Janis Heuberger told the newspaper that an airport security agent in training groped her vagina last week . . . in a wheelchair because she recently broke her foot . . .
Heuberger said when the agent touched her inappropriately, she asked for a supervisor and a copy of pat down procedures for people in wheelchairs. The supervisor told Heuberger he couldn’t give her a copy of those procedures. Instead, he gave her a complaint/compliment form . . . .
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/28847665/detail.html
Video of boy, looks to be age 6, getting groped by TSA agent as mother looks on:
TSA Detains Innocent Man, Destroys His Luggage, Evacuates Entire Palm Springs Airport
JAQUISH: TSA 10 years after 9/11
Coercive treatment fosters a passive population
By Gail A. Jaquish, The Washington Times, Monday August 29, 2011. . . Glancing at me with blatant annoyance, the TSA agent shouted, “Female pat-down!” Another TSA agent ordered me into a portable room enclosure. As I stepped inside the room, I noticed a sign taped to the door reminding TSA personnel, “Do not lock the door.” My anxiety grew as the TSA agent toyed with the lock, oddly pushing the button in and out numerous times, provoking my request for a supervisor. The supervisor arrived - a big supervisor. Big mistake. I assumed having a witness was to my benefit. I was wrong.
The supervisor immediately stated it was my “fault” I was getting a pat-down. She contemptuously added, “This was your choice.” Since I have cause for avoiding a body scanner that delivers radiation, I did not view the pat-down as my choice; but rather, the only course available in order to travel by commercial airline.
The pat-down became so invasive I voiced an objection. The TSA supervisor sneered, “Everyone gets treated the same.” But not everyone was getting a two-against-one pat-down behind a closed door. I asked the TSA agent if she thought I looked like a terrorist (wasn’t that supposed to be the point of all this?). That is when she threatened to turn me over to the police if I uttered one more word and she “guaranteed” the police would treat me worse than TSA did. Whatever I might say later, it would be the testimony of two TSA agents against mine. I took her at her word and silently submitted to the remainder of her groping.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/29/tsa-10-years-after-911/
Coercive treatment fosters a passive population
By Gail A. Jaquish, The Washington Times, Monday August 29, 2011. . . Glancing at me with blatant annoyance, the TSA agent shouted, “Female pat-down!” Another TSA agent ordered me into a portable room enclosure. As I stepped inside the room, I noticed a sign taped to the door reminding TSA personnel, “Do not lock the door.” My anxiety grew as the TSA agent toyed with the lock, oddly pushing the button in and out numerous times, provoking my request for a supervisor. The supervisor arrived - a big supervisor. Big mistake. I assumed having a witness was to my benefit. I was wrong.
The supervisor immediately stated it was my “fault” I was getting a pat-down. She contemptuously added, “This was your choice.” Since I have cause for avoiding a body scanner that delivers radiation, I did not view the pat-down as my choice; but rather, the only course available in order to travel by commercial airline.
The pat-down became so invasive I voiced an objection. The TSA supervisor sneered, “Everyone gets treated the same.” But not everyone was getting a two-against-one pat-down behind a closed door. I asked the TSA agent if she thought I looked like a terrorist (wasn’t that supposed to be the point of all this?). That is when she threatened to turn me over to the police if I uttered one more word and she “guaranteed” the police would treat me worse than TSA did. Whatever I might say later, it would be the testimony of two TSA agents against mine. I took her at her word and silently submitted to the remainder of her groping.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/29/tsa-10-years-after-911/
@esmemurphy esme murphy - WCCO
Once again husband gets full TSA pat down - son says " do we look like criminals"?
Esme Murphy is a local Minneapolis-St. Paul news anchor.
TSA Agent arrested for child sexual molestationBy Jared DuBach | Posted: Friday, August 26, 2011 8:36 amSPRING CREEK — A city officer arrested a Spring Creek man Wednesday morning at the Elko Area Regional Airport, where he works for the Transportation Security Administration, on a warrant charging six counts of lewdness with a child.
The Elko County Sheriff’s Office was notified in July of possible sexual contact between David Ralph Anderson, 61, and a girl younger than 14.
According to Elko Justice Court records, the victim told investigators that on seven to 10 occasions between 2010 and this year, Anderson allegedly taught the victim about various sexual acts and had sexual contact in the form of touching each other’s genitals.
Investigators reported Anderson also told the girl to sleep in his bed and taught her to say various vulgar words associated with body parts and sexual activities.
Investigators reported Anderson also told the girl to sleep in his bed and taught her to say various vulgar words associated with body parts and sexual activities.
In addition, the girl stated he would rub lotion all over her body, placed his hand up her shirt to touch her breasts, had her watch pornographic films with him, encouraged her to consume alcohol and would French kiss her.
Deputy District Attorney Tyler Ingram submitted a warrant request to Elko Justice of the Peace Al Kacin on Aug. 23, which was granted along with an objection to any reduction of bail.
Anderson, who is a TSA employee according to Elko County Jail records, is being held on $250,000 bail.
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_5d965fce-cff9-11e0-9d15-001cc4c002e0.html
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_5d965fce-cff9-11e0-9d15-001cc4c002e0.html
(This is the 7th TSA employee to be arrested so far on sexual-assault-related charges. –LS)
September 5, 2011
Beverly man accused of possessing child porn
By Paul Leighton, Staff Writer
BEVERLY — A former TSA worker from Beverly is accused of possessing 2,000 images of child pornography as well as videos on his computer.Andrew W. Cheever, 33, was arrested Thursday. In a hearing in federal court in Boston, Judge Judith Dein ordered him held until a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. If convicted, Cheever faces a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
As a security officer for the Transportation Security Administration, Cheever screened passengers at Logan Airport in Boston.
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x601174553/Beverly-man-accused-of-possessing-child-porn
By Paul Leighton, Staff Writer
BEVERLY — A former TSA worker from Beverly is accused of possessing 2,000 images of child pornography as well as videos on his computer.Andrew W. Cheever, 33, was arrested Thursday. In a hearing in federal court in Boston, Judge Judith Dein ordered him held until a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. If convicted, Cheever faces a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
As a security officer for the Transportation Security Administration, Cheever screened passengers at Logan Airport in Boston.
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x601174553/Beverly-man-accused-of-possessing-child-porn
Um, Shouldn't You Have Asked Me These Questions Before I Got on the Plane?By Robert Wilonsky Thu., Sep. 1 2011 at 12:33 PM
Wilonsky, a reporter, was hauled aside, as he was exiting the plane, and questioned by a Customs agent, on a domestic flight.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/09/filght_home.php
Wilonsky, a reporter, was hauled aside, as he was exiting the plane, and questioned by a Customs agent, on a domestic flight.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/09/filght_home.php
Two Minutes of Terrorist Triumph: Alone With the TSA
By Elie Mystal
09 Sep 2011
09 Sep 2011
Lawyer, after having dismissed accounts by other people of being abused by the TSA, finally gets it. He is hauled off to a private room and groped.http://abovethelaw.com/2011/09/two-minutes-of-terrorist-triumph-alone-with-the-tsa/
Once fun, flying has turned into an ordeal
By Jay Clarke
Miami Herald, September 11, 2011
Just a couple months ago, I dropped my pants at the airport.
It was my first experience being searched in a private screening room by agents of the Transportation Security Agency, which is charged with keeping us safe from terrorists.
I passed muster, but it brought home to me how much travel has changed . . . .
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/11/2393498/once-fun-flying-has-turned-into.html
Comments made by radio station WBAP (Dallas Texas) sports reporter Steve Lamb about his experience with TSA while traveling with TCU football team on a charter from Colorado Springs this past weekend. [September 2011 –LS]
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/11/2393498/once-fun-flying-has-turned-into.html
Comments made by radio station WBAP (Dallas Texas) sports reporter Steve Lamb about his experience with TSA while traveling with TCU football team on a charter from Colorado Springs this past weekend. [September 2011 –LS]
TCU charters an airplane like many sports groups and board from areas away from the main terminals.
As reported TSA showed up and it took over two hours for TSA to screen the TCU team and others traveling with the team. This was a closed manifest, no surprises on who was boarding.
Of particular concern was the treatment of the TCU team Doctor, originally from Pakistan but in the states since the 1960's.
Steve’s account of how the doctor was treated is very questionable on what TSA is doing and does point to profiling. Steve told how TSA screeners took over twenty five minutes with this person going through everything he had plus giving the third degree.http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-vs-tcu-football-team.1020/
Rough treatment by the TSA inexcusable
On Sept. 4 at the Spokane airport, my wife and I had our civil rights violated by the TSA. We are elderly, disabled, and easy targets for TSA employees. I have filed complaints with the TSA and ACLU. This stems from my metal shoulder prosthetic, which sets off their machines. We were then treated like criminals and terrorists by the TSA agents . . .
This violation of our civil rights will cause us to explore creative ways to fight back. Next time I’m wearing just a Speedo swimsuit through the checkpoint in order to keep TSA from abusing me.
I might also wear a T-shirt printed with the following: “This man is not a criminal and not a terrorist. He is a disabled American citizen with an implanted metal prosthetic. He will be abused by the TSA because of this.”
Dan Coffman
Vancouver
http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/sep/12/rough-treatment-by-tsa-inexcusable/
This violation of our civil rights will cause us to explore creative ways to fight back. Next time I’m wearing just a Speedo swimsuit through the checkpoint in order to keep TSA from abusing me.
I might also wear a T-shirt printed with the following: “This man is not a criminal and not a terrorist. He is a disabled American citizen with an implanted metal prosthetic. He will be abused by the TSA because of this.”
Dan Coffman
Vancouver
http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/sep/12/rough-treatment-by-tsa-inexcusable/
Some real Shock and Awe
by Shoshana Hebshi
Innocent woman – and two men -- racially profiled, handcuffed, taken off plane, strip-searched, and jailed in Detroit on 9/11/2011, because of passenger hysteriahttp://shebshi.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/some-real-shock-and-awe-racially-profiled-and-cuffed-in-detroit/
by Shoshana Hebshi
Innocent woman – and two men -- racially profiled, handcuffed, taken off plane, strip-searched, and jailed in Detroit on 9/11/2011, because of passenger hysteriahttp://shebshi.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/some-real-shock-and-awe-racially-profiled-and-cuffed-in-detroit/
TSA to blame in death of teen stowaway
MILTON, Mass. -- The House Committee on Homeland Security said the TSA is to blame in the death of 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale, who allegedly was a stowaway in the wheel well of an airplane.
Tisdale’s body was found in Milton. It is believed that he fell to his death from the wheel well of the plane.
Officials said it was too easy for him to hop the fence at the airport and sneak onto the airplane.“The lack of adequate perimeter security could, in worst case scenarios, result in individuals with nefarious purposes accessing secure airport areas by simply climbing over a fence, in some cases overcoming even less of a barrier. This region has witnessed firsthand the devastating results that inadequate airport fencing can lead,” said Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts.
Officials said Tisdale hopped the fence in North Carolina and stowed away on an airplane bound for Boston. He fell to his death during the plane’s decent over Milton.
(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12005390382594/tsa-to-blame-in-death-of-teen-stowaway/
Tisdale’s body was found in Milton. It is believed that he fell to his death from the wheel well of the plane.
Officials said it was too easy for him to hop the fence at the airport and sneak onto the airplane.“The lack of adequate perimeter security could, in worst case scenarios, result in individuals with nefarious purposes accessing secure airport areas by simply climbing over a fence, in some cases overcoming even less of a barrier. This region has witnessed firsthand the devastating results that inadequate airport fencing can lead,” said Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts.
Officials said Tisdale hopped the fence in North Carolina and stowed away on an airplane bound for Boston. He fell to his death during the plane’s decent over Milton.
(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12005390382594/tsa-to-blame-in-death-of-teen-stowaway/
Penny Moroney: “I was shaking and crying when I left that room”
Chicago Woman with Artificial Knees Groped by TSA Agents at St. Louis
“. . . inserted her hands between my underwear and my skin . . . I likened it to being raped”Video interview from KMOV-TV
http://www.squidoo.com/tsa-protest?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster
Chicago Woman with Artificial Knees Groped by TSA Agents at St. Louis
“. . . inserted her hands between my underwear and my skin . . . I likened it to being raped”Video interview from KMOV-TV
http://www.squidoo.com/tsa-protest?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster
TSA body-searches 90-year-old wheelchair-bound man – YouTube – Sept 7, 2011This man just flew from Central America to Atlanta, his home, his final destination - this is what he had to go through to leave the airport, not to get on a plane.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-atlanta-airport-searches-90-year-old-man-–-youtube.1086/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-atlanta-airport-searches-90-year-old-man-–-youtube.1086/
TSA relaxes air cargo screening regulations so that compliance will be higher – in other words, lots of cargo is still going through unscreened, while TSA agents are busy treating every passenger like a criminal and sticking their hands down people’s pants.
http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/110250
http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/110250
TSA tracks down passenger for hair pat-down
ATLANTA -- A passenger who had already gone through security at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was shocked when she was tracked down by TSA agents who wanted to examine her hair.
ATLANTA -- A passenger who had already gone through security at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was shocked when she was tracked down by TSA agents who wanted to examine her hair.
Isis Brantley was on the train platform headed to catch her flight to Dallas, when two TSA agents ran down the escalator behind her demanding to check her hair for explosives.
"Some random lady came up and said did they check your hair and I said, what no, and then I just kept going. I have to pat your hair down to make sure you don't have any explosives," she said.
"She took her hand and she started digging around in my hair several times and I said, 'Find the explosives? Please don't do this to me. This is humiliating and embarrassing'," Brantley said.
. . . She told Dallas NBC station KXAS she is afraid she will be harassed again the next time she flies.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/206170/40/TSA-tracks-down-passenger-for-hair-pat-down
"She took her hand and she started digging around in my hair several times and I said, 'Find the explosives? Please don't do this to me. This is humiliating and embarrassing'," Brantley said.
. . . She told Dallas NBC station KXAS she is afraid she will be harassed again the next time she flies.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/206170/40/TSA-tracks-down-passenger-for-hair-pat-down
TSA Agent Charged With Statutory RapeOf the 9 TSA sex crimes (that we know of) this year, 7 involved minors -LSRUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. - A TSA agent has been arrested in Rutherford County on charges of statutory rape.
Clifton Lyles was arrested by U.S. Marshals Tuesday night, following a grand jury indictment.
Lyles worked at Nashville International Airport.
Details about what led to his arrest were not released.
His bond was set at $10,000.
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15510568/tsa-agent-charged-with-statutory-rape
Clifton Lyles was arrested by U.S. Marshals Tuesday night, following a grand jury indictment.
Lyles worked at Nashville International Airport.
Details about what led to his arrest were not released.
His bond was set at $10,000.
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15510568/tsa-agent-charged-with-statutory-rape
"I was molested by TSA at BWI last night (Friday 23 Sept 2011)"http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/molested-with-athletic-cup.1139/
A TSA customer service representative at a major US airport recently threatened me with retaliatory screenings and improper handling of my checked luggage if I were to publically post pictures and comments about the way TSA handled my luggage. His comment? If you post pictures of your luggage on line there will be action taken against you at airports across this country by TSOs. Funny thing is that all I wanted was my tool chest relocked after luggage inspection.
-Posted Wed Sept 28, 2011 by Angry Miller, member of Travel Underground since June 20, 2011
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/questions-for-peter-pietra-tsa-chief-privacy-officer-ask-now.1178/#post-11797
-Posted Wed Sept 28, 2011 by Angry Miller, member of Travel Underground since June 20, 2011
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/questions-for-peter-pietra-tsa-chief-privacy-officer-ask-now.1178/#post-11797
TSA Humiliates Another Breast Cancer Survivor
Lori Dorn: At what point does the need for security eclipse human dignity and compassion?
Yesterday I went through the imaging scanner at JFK Terminal 4 for my Virgin America flight to San Francisco. Evidently they found something, because after the scan, I was asked to step aside to have my breast area examined. I explained to the agent that I was a breast cancer patient and had a bilateral mastectomy in April and had tissue expanders put in to make way for reconstruction at a later date.
Yesterday I went through the imaging scanner at JFK Terminal 4 for my Virgin America flight to San Francisco. Evidently they found something, because after the scan, I was asked to step aside to have my breast area examined. I explained to the agent that I was a breast cancer patient and had a bilateral mastectomy in April and had tissue expanders put in to make way for reconstruction at a later date.
I told her that I was not comfortable with having my breasts touched and that I had a card in my wallet that explains the type of expanders, serial numbers and my doctor’s information (pictured) and asked to retrieve it. This request was denied. Instead, she called over a female supervisor who told me the exam had to take place. I was again told that I could not retrieve the card and needed to submit to a physical exam in order to be cleared. She then said, “And if we don’t clear you, you don’t fly” loud enough for other passengers to hear. And they did. And they stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a TSA Supervisor.http://loridorn.me/post/10866768010/at-what-point-does-the-need-for-security-eclipse
Woman: TSA Screener Touched My 'Private Area'Janis Heuberger has filed a formal complaint with the Transportation Security Administration after she said a screener went too far
http://www.krdo.com/video/28854237/index.html
http://www.krdo.com/video/28854237/index.html
Former USAF Lt. Colonel arrested for reciting the 4th AmendmentTUE OCT 18, 2011 AT 05:59 PM PDT
“TSA Arrests Me for Using the Fourth Amendment as a Weapon”
AlbuquerqueORIGINALLY POSTED TO T. P. ALEXANDERS ON TUE OCT 18, 2011 AT 05:59 PM PDT.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/18/1027775/-TSA-Arrests-Me-for-Using-the-Fourth-Amendment-as-a-Weapon-(Tales-from-the-Edge-of-a-Revolution-2)
“TSA Arrests Me for Using the Fourth Amendment as a Weapon”
AlbuquerqueORIGINALLY POSTED TO T. P. ALEXANDERS ON TUE OCT 18, 2011 AT 05:59 PM PDT.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/18/1027775/-TSA-Arrests-Me-for-Using-the-Fourth-Amendment-as-a-Weapon-(Tales-from-the-Edge-of-a-Revolution-2)
This morning “Betty” was in the gate area at Sacramento International Airport, waiting to board her flight, with a TSA Agent approached her and asked her if she was on Facebook, and personal questions of that nature. After a moment, “Betty’s” husband, who was traveling with her realized that she was not being detained and questions, but rather than TSA Agent was flirting with her and hitting on her. “Betty,” a PhD Candidate who has been researching the TSA for part of her thesis, was not amused by this line of questioning.
10.26.2011 posted in Flying with Fish by Stephen Frischling
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/2011/10/26/tsa-screener-professionalism-crossing-the-line/
10.26.2011 posted in Flying with Fish by Stephen Frischling
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/2011/10/26/tsa-screener-professionalism-crossing-the-line/
TSA Finds Your Vibrator In Checked Suitcase, Leaves Creepy Note
By Laura Northrup on October 26, 2011 9:30 AM
THE CONSUMERIST
Bad: Having the TSA pawing through your checked luggage. Worse: The suitcase they chose to open includes a sex toy. Worse still: the person who went through your bags leaves a leering note. Specifically, they scrawl "GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL" on the notice of inspection.
Your tax dollars at work. [Feministe]
http://consumerist.com/2011/10/tsa-finds-your-vibrator-in-checked-suitcase-leaves-creepy-note.html
By Laura Northrup on October 26, 2011 9:30 AM
THE CONSUMERIST
Bad: Having the TSA pawing through your checked luggage. Worse: The suitcase they chose to open includes a sex toy. Worse still: the person who went through your bags leaves a leering note. Specifically, they scrawl "GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL" on the notice of inspection.
Your tax dollars at work. [Feministe]
http://consumerist.com/2011/10/tsa-finds-your-vibrator-in-checked-suitcase-leaves-creepy-note.html
UPDATE: Posted at 03:30 PM ET, 10/26/2011
TSA screener removed for inappropriate note
by Ed O’Keefe, Washington PostA Transportation Security Administration screener who wrote a personal message on the back of a formal inspection slip placed in a female passenger’s bag is no longer checking luggage, the agency said Wednesday. The screener at Newark Liberty International Airport wrote the message on the back of a Notice of Inspection slip that TSA places in bags that require a physical search.
An agency spokesman could not say whether the screener had been reassigned, put on leave, or fired, citing federal personnel privacy rules.
The incident is just the latest in a series of unrelated episodes involving inappropriate or criminal behavior committed by TSA screeners. Here’s a sampling:http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/tsa-screener-removed-for-inappropriate-note/2011/10/26/gIQAxl8cJM_blog.html
by Ed O’Keefe, Washington PostA Transportation Security Administration screener who wrote a personal message on the back of a formal inspection slip placed in a female passenger’s bag is no longer checking luggage, the agency said Wednesday. The screener at Newark Liberty International Airport wrote the message on the back of a Notice of Inspection slip that TSA places in bags that require a physical search.
An agency spokesman could not say whether the screener had been reassigned, put on leave, or fired, citing federal personnel privacy rules.
The incident is just the latest in a series of unrelated episodes involving inappropriate or criminal behavior committed by TSA screeners. Here’s a sampling:http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/tsa-screener-removed-for-inappropriate-note/2011/10/26/gIQAxl8cJM_blog.html
Suitcase surprise: Rebuke written on inspection notice
By Susan Gilmore for the Seattle Times.
Seth Goldberg says that when he opened his suitcase in San Diego after a flight from Seattle this month, the two "No Iraq War" signs he'd picked up at the Pike Place Market were still nestled among his clothes.
By Susan Gilmore for the Seattle Times.
Seth Goldberg says that when he opened his suitcase in San Diego after a flight from Seattle this month, the two "No Iraq War" signs he'd picked up at the Pike Place Market were still nestled among his clothes.
But there was a third sign, he said, that shocked him. Tucked in his luggage was a card from the Transportation Security Administration notifying him that his bags had been opened and inspected at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Handwritten on the side of the card was a note, "Don't appreciate your anti-American attitude!"
"I found it chilling and a little Orwellian to have received this message," said Goldberg, 41, a New Jersey resident who was in Seattle visiting longtime friend Davis Oldham, a University of Washington instructor.
Goldberg says that when he took his suitcase off the airplane in San Diego, the zipper pulls were sealed with nylon straps, which indicated TSA had inspected the luggage. It would be hard, he said, for anyone else to have gotten inside his bags.
TSA officials say they are looking into the incident. "We do not condone our employees making any kind of political comments or personal comments to any travelers," TSA spokeswoman Heather Rosenker told Reuters. "That is not acceptable."
Another glycerin false-positive, another passenger detained
"I was told I was being detained," said Myer. "Had my ID taken away and was put into a room. It was really frightening."Myer was taken away from a security checkpoint by TSA agents after a machine detected explosive materials on her hands. It turned out the culprit was everyday hand lotion.
"They had told me laughingly that this happens all the time," said Myer. "They said it's probably just lotion, but I was really unnerved."
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/17772081/glycerin-in-lotion-triggers-explosive-detectors
"I was told I was being detained," said Myer. "Had my ID taken away and was put into a room. It was really frightening."Myer was taken away from a security checkpoint by TSA agents after a machine detected explosive materials on her hands. It turned out the culprit was everyday hand lotion.
"They had told me laughingly that this happens all the time," said Myer. "They said it's probably just lotion, but I was really unnerved."
http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/17772081/glycerin-in-lotion-triggers-explosive-detectors
Muslim truck driver in Memphis fears losing his 'dream' to feds
Man says livelihood taken by TSAA Somali refugee who fled civil war in his country and became an American citizen is desperate to understand why the federal government confiscated the credentials that allowed him to earn a living driving a tanker truck.
Abdirazaq JeerJeer, who has lived in Memphis for 16 years and has been a citizen since 2000, says two federal agents came to his apartment in June and seized his Transportation Worker Identification Credential.
"I have a right to know as an American citizen what I have done," he said. "But they said no. I have done nothing. ... I don't know what the outcome will be, but at least someone will hear me."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/30/man-fears-losing-his-dream-to-feds/
Man says livelihood taken by TSAA Somali refugee who fled civil war in his country and became an American citizen is desperate to understand why the federal government confiscated the credentials that allowed him to earn a living driving a tanker truck.
Abdirazaq JeerJeer, who has lived in Memphis for 16 years and has been a citizen since 2000, says two federal agents came to his apartment in June and seized his Transportation Worker Identification Credential.
"I have a right to know as an American citizen what I have done," he said. "But they said no. I have done nothing. ... I don't know what the outcome will be, but at least someone will hear me."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/oct/30/man-fears-losing-his-dream-to-feds/
U.S. Government Glossed Over Cancer Concerns As It Rolled Out Airport X-Ray Scanners
On Sept. 23, 1998, a panel of radiation safety experts gathered at a Hilton hotel in Maryland to evaluate a new device that could detect hidden weapons and contraband. The machine, known as the Secure 1000, beamed X-rays at people to see underneath their clothing.
One after another, the experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the machine because it violated a longstanding principle in radiation safety — that humans shouldn’t be X-rayed unless there is a medical benefit.
Update (11/01/2011): This story has been updated with a comment from The Chertoff Group, from which ProPublica had sought comment before publication. Look for a PBS NewsHour story on X-ray body scanners, reported in conjunction with ProPublica, to air later this month.
http://www.propublica.org/article/u.s.-government-glossed-over-cancer-concerns-as-it-rolled-out-airport-x-ray
Update (11/01/2011): This story has been updated with a comment from The Chertoff Group, from which ProPublica had sought comment before publication. Look for a PBS NewsHour story on X-ray body scanners, reported in conjunction with ProPublica, to air later this month.
http://www.propublica.org/article/u.s.-government-glossed-over-cancer-concerns-as-it-rolled-out-airport-x-ray
With TSA's searches, there’s no limit on indignity for the flying publicJACQUIELYNN FLOYD
Published: Oct 31, 2011 11:19 PM
Saturday, the day after my 53rd birthday, I dropped my skirt before an audience of about 100 strangers in New Orleans.
If your horrified response is that I’m too old for this kind of exhibition, I agree entirely.
It was the quickest way to get through a security screening snafu . . . .
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/jacquielynn-floyd/20111031-theres-no-limit-on-indignity-for-the-flying-public.ece
Published: Oct 31, 2011 11:19 PM
Saturday, the day after my 53rd birthday, I dropped my skirt before an audience of about 100 strangers in New Orleans.
If your horrified response is that I’m too old for this kind of exhibition, I agree entirely.
It was the quickest way to get through a security screening snafu . . . .
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/jacquielynn-floyd/20111031-theres-no-limit-on-indignity-for-the-flying-public.ece
TSA's power grope; Rogue agency reaches out and touches people outside airports
Expect a lot more touching in the months ahead. "TSA conducted more than 8,000 VIPR operations in the past 12 months, including more than 3,700 operations in mass-transit and passenger-railroad venues," boasted TSA Administrator John S. Pistole in June testimony before the Senate. His 2012 budget calls for expanding VIPR by 50 percent. . . . That means more searches, but it doesn't mean more safety. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted, "TSA had measured the progress of its VIPR program in terms of the number of VIPR operations conducted, but had not yet developed measures or targets to report on the effectiveness of the operations themselves." That's a nice way to say that TSA is acting for action's sake.
http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10444284/tsas-power-grope-rogue-agency-reaches-out-and-touches-people-outside-airports
“Do the math -- that's 12,000 slated for 2012, or 36 mobile gate rapes daily.” -Mike V, TUG Founder
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/12-000-vipr-operations-in-2012.1401/
Expect a lot more touching in the months ahead. "TSA conducted more than 8,000 VIPR operations in the past 12 months, including more than 3,700 operations in mass-transit and passenger-railroad venues," boasted TSA Administrator John S. Pistole in June testimony before the Senate. His 2012 budget calls for expanding VIPR by 50 percent. . . . That means more searches, but it doesn't mean more safety. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted, "TSA had measured the progress of its VIPR program in terms of the number of VIPR operations conducted, but had not yet developed measures or targets to report on the effectiveness of the operations themselves." That's a nice way to say that TSA is acting for action's sake.
http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10444284/tsas-power-grope-rogue-agency-reaches-out-and-touches-people-outside-airports
“Do the math -- that's 12,000 slated for 2012, or 36 mobile gate rapes daily.” -Mike V, TUG Founder
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/12-000-vipr-operations-in-2012.1401/
TSA abusing yet another child. – YouTube“The pervs are still molesting kids.I've downloaded the file in case it gets pulled from You Tube and see if I can load this to Live Leak and CNN iReport.” –fisher1949, TUGhttp://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-abusing-yet-another-child-–-youtube.1378/
“This little gem was buried in a larger article. There should be little doubt as to TSA's vision of a police state with them at its center ...” –Mike V, TUG Founderhttp://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/buses-trains-and-ferries-could-also-be-considered-privileged-travel.1386/
AOL: Is The TSA Screening Drivers In Tennessee? Not Anymore
According to the TSA, buses, trains, and ferries could also be considered privileged travel. The agency was temporarily kicked out of Amtrak stations earlier this year when it screened passengers coming off a train, including patting down a 9-year-old boy.
http://autos.aol.com/article/tsa-screening-drivers-in-tennessee/
According to the TSA, buses, trains, and ferries could also be considered privileged travel. The agency was temporarily kicked out of Amtrak stations earlier this year when it screened passengers coming off a train, including patting down a 9-year-old boy.
http://autos.aol.com/article/tsa-screening-drivers-in-tennessee/
More stories of inappropriate “humor” and deliberate humiliation of passengers by TSAhttp://www.elliott.org/blog/tsa-watch-what-getting-your-freak-on-really-means-for-air-travelers/
TSA accused (again) of tampering with cremation remains
Grieving mother said cremains tampered with en route to Salt Lake
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17941404&autostart=y
Grieving mother said cremains tampered with en route to Salt Lake
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17941404&autostart=y
TSA circus shows up in Dubuque, IA, to inspect the Fenelon Place Elevator, a privately owned funicular railway that traverses all of 296 feetTSA inspectors spent about an hour that August day crawling around the hillside, taking photos and laughing, Schadle said. "The young ones rode it down and walked around the shops. It was a beautiful day. This was kind of like a break for them," she said. [Our tax dollars at work.-LS]
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hometown-dubuque-20111106,0,561245.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hometown-dubuque-20111106,0,561245.story
At least I haven’t been shot going through airport security
After TSA searched my 'groin area' and found no explosives, I felt mildly defiled. I may have been in Chicago, but it could have been cold-war Berlin or Moscow. I asked the woman next to me, 'Remember when flying used to be fun?'
By Walter Rodgers, November 4, 2011
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/1104/At-least-I-haven-t-been-shot-going-through-airport-security
After TSA searched my 'groin area' and found no explosives, I felt mildly defiled. I may have been in Chicago, but it could have been cold-war Berlin or Moscow. I asked the woman next to me, 'Remember when flying used to be fun?'
By Walter Rodgers, November 4, 2011
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/1104/At-least-I-haven-t-been-shot-going-through-airport-security
No, TSA, I will not lift my skirt for you.
Posted by Tabitha Hale, Tuesday, November 8th at 11:30AM ESTYesterday, I arrived at the airport to head from Houston, TX (IAH) back to Washington, DC (DCA). I am a frequent flyer – I know how the system works. I took off my boots and glasses, pulled my laptop out and went to walk through the metal detector. Naturally, I’d been selected to go through the scanner.
I always opt out of the scanners. It’s sort of a form of civil protest for me. It slows the process down. They get cranky. And I always do it publicly because I want everyone to see what the pat down is actually like. I also feel like they’ll be less invasive if people are watching.
She asked me to lift my dress so she could check the waistband of my tights.I felt my stomach drop. I said “I’m not lifting my dress for you. No way.” She was obviously irritated with me now and said that she would take me to the private screening area if I would like.I said “No, absolutely not. If you can’t do this in front of everyone, you should not be doing this to me.”
. . . I told her I saw no reason that they should have to lift my dress to clear me to get on a plane. I would have, however, allowed them to escort me out of the airport before they got me to lift my skirt and stick their hands down my tights. I was bracing myself to spend another night in Texas.
She sensed the rebellion in me, and it was almost like they were punishing me for not just lifting my dress and making their lives easier. She checked every inch of my neckline, sticking her fingers between my breasts because she needed to “clear” the (very slight) ruffle.
. . . The pat down in Houston yesterday was so vigorous I had to readjust my clothes when she was finished. Even my bra straps had been pulled down my shoulders in the process. I felt completely violated, immediately called a friend to recap, and took to Twitter to draw as much attention to the incident as I could. . . I fly for my job. I travel frequently. I take trains when I can, but most of the time it’s just not practical. The fact that I have to endure this type of force just to do my job is horrifying. I don’t really have another option. Most of us who travel for work don’t have a choice . . . .http://www.redstate.com/tabithahale/2011/11/08/no-tsa-i-will-not-lift-my-skirt-for-you/
Posted by Tabitha Hale, Tuesday, November 8th at 11:30AM ESTYesterday, I arrived at the airport to head from Houston, TX (IAH) back to Washington, DC (DCA). I am a frequent flyer – I know how the system works. I took off my boots and glasses, pulled my laptop out and went to walk through the metal detector. Naturally, I’d been selected to go through the scanner.
I always opt out of the scanners. It’s sort of a form of civil protest for me. It slows the process down. They get cranky. And I always do it publicly because I want everyone to see what the pat down is actually like. I also feel like they’ll be less invasive if people are watching.
She asked me to lift my dress so she could check the waistband of my tights.I felt my stomach drop. I said “I’m not lifting my dress for you. No way.” She was obviously irritated with me now and said that she would take me to the private screening area if I would like.I said “No, absolutely not. If you can’t do this in front of everyone, you should not be doing this to me.”
. . . I told her I saw no reason that they should have to lift my dress to clear me to get on a plane. I would have, however, allowed them to escort me out of the airport before they got me to lift my skirt and stick their hands down my tights. I was bracing myself to spend another night in Texas.
She sensed the rebellion in me, and it was almost like they were punishing me for not just lifting my dress and making their lives easier. She checked every inch of my neckline, sticking her fingers between my breasts because she needed to “clear” the (very slight) ruffle.
. . . The pat down in Houston yesterday was so vigorous I had to readjust my clothes when she was finished. Even my bra straps had been pulled down my shoulders in the process. I felt completely violated, immediately called a friend to recap, and took to Twitter to draw as much attention to the incident as I could. . . I fly for my job. I travel frequently. I take trains when I can, but most of the time it’s just not practical. The fact that I have to endure this type of force just to do my job is horrifying. I don’t really have another option. Most of us who travel for work don’t have a choice . . . .http://www.redstate.com/tabithahale/2011/11/08/no-tsa-i-will-not-lift-my-skirt-for-you/
It would be nice to say this is shocking, but it isn'tearlgrey (Diary) Wednesday, November 9th at 7:28AM EST (link)
I am also a woman traveler and I try to opt out of the screening. I am uncomfortable with the safety, and I find it undignifying (like we are cattle getting weighed or something).
They do punish you if you opt out I have had to wait several minutes while I watched others breeze through the normal metal dectectors. Why if they don’t have enough staff must I wait if they are letting others go through the old style ones.
They yelled at me for edging forward from my holding area so that I could monitor my belongings. When I complained I was yelled at saying “you opted out!”, as if their incompetance is my fault It is not.
I complained to the supervisor who was so condescening I wanted to deck him. No apologies whatsoever for the delay and letting my designer handbag (my only one — a gift from my mom) sit on the belt out of my sight while I was put in a holding area.http://www.redstate.com/tabithahale/2011/11/08/no-tsa-i-will-not-lift-my-skirt-for-you/
I am also a woman traveler and I try to opt out of the screening. I am uncomfortable with the safety, and I find it undignifying (like we are cattle getting weighed or something).
They do punish you if you opt out I have had to wait several minutes while I watched others breeze through the normal metal dectectors. Why if they don’t have enough staff must I wait if they are letting others go through the old style ones.
They yelled at me for edging forward from my holding area so that I could monitor my belongings. When I complained I was yelled at saying “you opted out!”, as if their incompetance is my fault It is not.
I complained to the supervisor who was so condescening I wanted to deck him. No apologies whatsoever for the delay and letting my designer handbag (my only one — a gift from my mom) sit on the belt out of my sight while I was put in a holding area.http://www.redstate.com/tabithahale/2011/11/08/no-tsa-i-will-not-lift-my-skirt-for-you/
I was told I HAD to remove my post-surgical back brace when I went through a checkpoint at OKC, even though my surgeon had told me to NOT to remove it. I tried to show them the printed-out rule that says I don't have to (I figured this would happen), but they wouldn't even LOOK at it, much less dispute it. They just insisted. I refused. So I had to undergo two extremely painful gropes, including one by a supervisor who pressed on my back brace right over my recent surgical wound, until I cried out in pain.
I wrote up this entire horrific incident over at FT. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and left me shaking and in tears. Not only was I physically assaulted to the point of crying out in pain, but I was sexually assaulted by the same supervisor, who, after running her hand up the inside of my thigh, proceeded to rub her hand over my pubis to get to the other leg, pressing in hard enough that I felt it on my clitoris. (Sorry for the graphic nature of this description, but I can think of no other words to describe what she did.) I protested loudly, but not as much as I could (and perhaps should) have. At the time I was exhausted, in pain, on strong pain meds, and in the midst of a grueling trip only a couple weeks post-op...and I just wanted to GO HOME. I basically let them have their way with me, which sickens me to this day. But I was not in any kind of physical shape to stand up for my rights.
I still have nightmares, and wish that I'd had the strength to do something about it at that time. But they caught me at my physically weakest, and were able to assault me at their whim. Just thinking about that experience still makes me feel sick to my stomach.
-LeeAnne Pantuso Clark
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/a-liberal-and-retired-usaf-lt-colonel-takes-a-stand.1303/page-3#post-14305
I wrote up this entire horrific incident over at FT. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and left me shaking and in tears. Not only was I physically assaulted to the point of crying out in pain, but I was sexually assaulted by the same supervisor, who, after running her hand up the inside of my thigh, proceeded to rub her hand over my pubis to get to the other leg, pressing in hard enough that I felt it on my clitoris. (Sorry for the graphic nature of this description, but I can think of no other words to describe what she did.) I protested loudly, but not as much as I could (and perhaps should) have. At the time I was exhausted, in pain, on strong pain meds, and in the midst of a grueling trip only a couple weeks post-op...and I just wanted to GO HOME. I basically let them have their way with me, which sickens me to this day. But I was not in any kind of physical shape to stand up for my rights.
I still have nightmares, and wish that I'd had the strength to do something about it at that time. But they caught me at my physically weakest, and were able to assault me at their whim. Just thinking about that experience still makes me feel sick to my stomach.
-LeeAnne Pantuso Clark
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/a-liberal-and-retired-usaf-lt-colonel-takes-a-stand.1303/page-3#post-14305
It's hard not to think TSA is making this up as it goes
By Mike Hashimoto, Editorial Writer
DallasNews.com 1:37 PM on Tue., Nov. 1, 2011
My lovely wife told the tale this morning of our back-to-back unfortunate experiences last week with airport security , outbound at Love Field and inbound at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong . . .
We were no more than 10 feet from where I had been patted down once, rather comprehensively, I thought. "OK, sir, now we have to pat you down again," the TSA guy says. "If you clear, you can go." Admittedly, I kind of lost it then.
Me: "Why? Do you think I picked up a bomb between here and there," pointing to the spot of the first search.
TSA guy: "It's our protocol, sir. We have to pat you down again. More intensively this time."
Me: "You gotta be kidding me." [Bad words interjected.] "What, the first guy didn't do his job?" [Bonus bad words.]
TSA guy: "Sir, this is our protocol. We have to search your luggage again, too."
Me: [More bad words.] "Really? You just did that. Did you not do a good job? Is any of this written down?"TSA guy: "Sir, this is our protocol. Please step over here." . . .
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/its-hard-not-to.html
By Mike Hashimoto, Editorial Writer
DallasNews.com 1:37 PM on Tue., Nov. 1, 2011
My lovely wife told the tale this morning of our back-to-back unfortunate experiences last week with airport security , outbound at Love Field and inbound at New Orleans' Louis Armstrong . . .
We were no more than 10 feet from where I had been patted down once, rather comprehensively, I thought. "OK, sir, now we have to pat you down again," the TSA guy says. "If you clear, you can go." Admittedly, I kind of lost it then.
Me: "Why? Do you think I picked up a bomb between here and there," pointing to the spot of the first search.
TSA guy: "It's our protocol, sir. We have to pat you down again. More intensively this time."
Me: "You gotta be kidding me." [Bad words interjected.] "What, the first guy didn't do his job?" [Bonus bad words.]
TSA guy: "Sir, this is our protocol. We have to search your luggage again, too."
Me: [More bad words.] "Really? You just did that. Did you not do a good job? Is any of this written down?"TSA guy: "Sir, this is our protocol. Please step over here." . . .
http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/its-hard-not-to.html
Claire McCaskill defends TSA “Love Pats” on 11/17/10. This was before she had to get rid of her private jet and fly commercial.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/17/national/main7063414.shtml
Now that she has to go through them she has the opposite opinion. From The Hill 11/9/11.
http://thehill.com/blogs/transporta...airport-security-procedures-divide-lawmakers-
http://thehill.com/blogs/transporta...airport-security-procedures-divide-lawmakers-
TSA Screener Professionalism and Crossing the Line
So … at what point does the TSA questioning passengers cross the line? There are stories all the time of TSA TSOs crossing the line from their job description into the realm of offending passengers. Passengers have been stopped for traveling with crutches, insulin pumps, a TSA TSO at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport informed me that my cameras could not pass through the X-Ray scanner unless they were put away in a bag … despite the fact that the cameras were on my shoulders and I was not traveling with any bag … but every once in a while a new incident of a TSA TSO crossing the line comes to my attention.
This morning an incident around 5:15am, at Sacramento International Airport, involving “ Betty” (she asked that her real name not be used in this blog post) caught my attention. This incident probably won’t make headline, or make it into the media, but for me, it is an incident that is completely unacceptable … TSA BDOs using their unfettered access to passengers, and duty to ask them questions, to go beyond professionalism and use their position to get irrelevant personal information from passengers. This morning “Betty” was in the gate area at Sacramento International Airport, waiting to board her flight, with a TSA Agent approached her and asked her if she was on Facebook, and personal questions of that nature. After a moment, “Betty’s” husband, who was traveling with her realized that she was not being detained and questions, but rather than TSA Agent was flirting with her and hitting on her. “Betty,” a PhD Candidate who has been researching the TSA for part of her thesis, was not amused by this line of questioning.
http://travel.usatoday.com/alliance/flights/boardingarea/post/2011/10/Flying-With-Fish---TSA-Screener-Professionalism-38-Crossing-The-Line/558503/1#uslPageReturn
So … at what point does the TSA questioning passengers cross the line? There are stories all the time of TSA TSOs crossing the line from their job description into the realm of offending passengers. Passengers have been stopped for traveling with crutches, insulin pumps, a TSA TSO at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport informed me that my cameras could not pass through the X-Ray scanner unless they were put away in a bag … despite the fact that the cameras were on my shoulders and I was not traveling with any bag … but every once in a while a new incident of a TSA TSO crossing the line comes to my attention.
This morning an incident around 5:15am, at Sacramento International Airport, involving “ Betty” (she asked that her real name not be used in this blog post) caught my attention. This incident probably won’t make headline, or make it into the media, but for me, it is an incident that is completely unacceptable … TSA BDOs using their unfettered access to passengers, and duty to ask them questions, to go beyond professionalism and use their position to get irrelevant personal information from passengers. This morning “Betty” was in the gate area at Sacramento International Airport, waiting to board her flight, with a TSA Agent approached her and asked her if she was on Facebook, and personal questions of that nature. After a moment, “Betty’s” husband, who was traveling with her realized that she was not being detained and questions, but rather than TSA Agent was flirting with her and hitting on her. “Betty,” a PhD Candidate who has been researching the TSA for part of her thesis, was not amused by this line of questioning.
http://travel.usatoday.com/alliance/flights/boardingarea/post/2011/10/Flying-With-Fish---TSA-Screener-Professionalism-38-Crossing-The-Line/558503/1#uslPageReturn
Kalam frisked at NY airport, India fumes, US apologisesKalam, was frisked in New York on September 29 before boarding an Air India flight.
Sources said that even after Kalam had taken his seat in the aircraft, the US security personnel forced the crew to open the door and took away the jacket and boots of the former president to check for explosives since they had forgotten to do so before his boarding. The items were later returned to Kalam.
Outraged at the frisking incident, India on Sunday threatened retaliatory action against US dignitaries unless such "unacceptable" practices were stopped.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_kalam-frisked-at-ny-airport-india-fumes-us-apologises_1611842
Sources said that even after Kalam had taken his seat in the aircraft, the US security personnel forced the crew to open the door and took away the jacket and boots of the former president to check for explosives since they had forgotten to do so before his boarding. The items were later returned to Kalam.
Outraged at the frisking incident, India on Sunday threatened retaliatory action against US dignitaries unless such "unacceptable" practices were stopped.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_kalam-frisked-at-ny-airport-india-fumes-us-apologises_1611842
Tycoon Geoffrey Edelsten's wife was 'ordered to strip naked for airport security while workers took pictures and video'[Caveat: this happened in Australia, not the U.S. – but look earlier in this document for similar accounts, especially the organized ring at Reagan National Airport where women were routinely stripped in a public stairwell by TSA agents; also the case of Shoshana Hebshi and other passengers who were hauled off planes on 9/11/2011 and strip-searched by “security” personnel –LS]Australian Customs confirmed to the Telegraph their method of photographing and recording travellers during strip-searches if suspected of having any kind of prohibited substances on their body.
Forty-eight travellers have gone through the same process as Mrs Gordon-Edelsten between 2010 and 2011.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2061066/Tycoon-Geoffrey-Edelstens-wife-ordered-strip-naked-airport-security-workers-took-pictures-video.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
'Jersey Shore': Jwoww blasts Fargo airport for treatmentSingled out for, let’s face it, her body, long after she’d passed the checkpoint, pulled into a “private” room and “searched”
http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-national/jersey-shore-jwoww-blasts-fargo-airport-for-treatment
http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-national/jersey-shore-jwoww-blasts-fargo-airport-for-treatment
Double Opt-Out at Dulles this morning, barred from my flight
Thursday, November 17, 2011I admit it, I must have done my homework badly. I was somehow under the impression that there was a scanner-free checkpoint at IAD, but when I arrived this morning every lane had the blue radiation boxes at the main checkpoint. It appeared that almost all were being sent to the Nude-o-scope. I ditched that and went instead to the small experts checkpoint on the arrivals level. One line of passengers fed into a single WTMD-or-blue-boxes setup. A male screener blocked my way through the metal detector and motioned instead to the blue boxes. I refused, saying, "Is that the machine that takes a naked picture of my body?" This man actually looked me right in the face and said, no, it doesn't take naked pictures. The TSA lies about what the scanners can do. I pointed out to him that the yellow X-ray radiation warning sticker was about one inch by one and a half inches and was placed in a spot where people entering the machine couldn't see it.
So, having refused the scanner, a woman came around and said, "Maam, I'm going to have to pat you down." I responded, "I do not consent, no, I do not consent to that," while backing away from her. Very soon I descended into emotional chaos and started sobbing loudly while testifying to everyone in the checkpoint about my prior sexual assault at the hands of TSA. They called over one police officer who talked to me as I was composing myself slightly, and sat crying in a chair near the checkpoint. They went one level up the chain to a TSM named Bryant Livingston, and I told him I was traumatized as a result of prior TSA experiences and that I refused to let someone take a naked image of me or to touch me. I asked to be allowed to go through the metal detector . . . .
-By Sommer Gentry, Professor of Mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy, other account listed elsewhere in this document as she is unafraid to use her own name about her experiences.http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/checkpoints-borders-policy-debate/1281500-double-opt-out-dulles-morning-barred-my-flight.html
Thursday, November 17, 2011I admit it, I must have done my homework badly. I was somehow under the impression that there was a scanner-free checkpoint at IAD, but when I arrived this morning every lane had the blue radiation boxes at the main checkpoint. It appeared that almost all were being sent to the Nude-o-scope. I ditched that and went instead to the small experts checkpoint on the arrivals level. One line of passengers fed into a single WTMD-or-blue-boxes setup. A male screener blocked my way through the metal detector and motioned instead to the blue boxes. I refused, saying, "Is that the machine that takes a naked picture of my body?" This man actually looked me right in the face and said, no, it doesn't take naked pictures. The TSA lies about what the scanners can do. I pointed out to him that the yellow X-ray radiation warning sticker was about one inch by one and a half inches and was placed in a spot where people entering the machine couldn't see it.
So, having refused the scanner, a woman came around and said, "Maam, I'm going to have to pat you down." I responded, "I do not consent, no, I do not consent to that," while backing away from her. Very soon I descended into emotional chaos and started sobbing loudly while testifying to everyone in the checkpoint about my prior sexual assault at the hands of TSA. They called over one police officer who talked to me as I was composing myself slightly, and sat crying in a chair near the checkpoint. They went one level up the chain to a TSM named Bryant Livingston, and I told him I was traumatized as a result of prior TSA experiences and that I refused to let someone take a naked image of me or to touch me. I asked to be allowed to go through the metal detector . . . .
-By Sommer Gentry, Professor of Mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy, other account listed elsewhere in this document as she is unafraid to use her own name about her experiences.http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/checkpoints-borders-policy-debate/1281500-double-opt-out-dulles-morning-barred-my-flight.html
Posted by LeeAnne Pantuso Clark at Travel Underground on November 21, 2011:
On Friday I received the most appalling email from a friend and former co-worker. I didn’t want to post it until I could get her on the phone and ask her permission to post because there’s some very personal details in here. I spoke to her yesterday, and she said I can post it provided I keep her anonymous. This friend of mine just had an ectopic pregnancy three weeks ago (also known as a “tubal pregnancy”). She was only one week out of the hospital, and still had a large bandage covering the abdominal incision area, as well as a thick menstrual pad due to continued bleeding, when she flew last week. She probably shouldn’t have been flying, but she had an opportunity for a long-term assignment (she does freelance marketing and graphic design from her home). So, here’s her email (I’ve deleted some parts that could identify her). Note that there are some words in there that are probably NSFW, but this is how she talks, so I’m posting what she wrote. [Excerpt, as it’s long –LS]:
WHAT? I said, “Are you telling me I’m not allowed to flinch when you shove your hand into my crotch?”
WHAT? I said, “Are you telling me I’m not allowed to flinch when you shove your hand into my crotch?”
Well that I guess was the wrong thing to say. She walked over to talk to a manager or whatever she was. They talked a while, then the manager came over and threatened to walk me out of the airport if I didn’t let them screen me. I tried telling her that I WAS letting them screen me, but that she was so rough with me that it made me flinch. The supervisor lady said, “It's been reported that you're acting hostile. You need to allow us to do our job or we can’t clear you, and being hostile like that means that we can’t do our job.” So flinching is being hostile? Does doing their job mean they have to brutally manhandle me?
At this point I was sobbing, and I just wanted to get out of there. They asked me if I wanted to go to a private room, but I was afraid they might stripsearch me or something, so I said no, I just need to sit down, I was starting to feel light-headed. But they wouldn’t let me, they said if I left the little mat with the feet-marks on it I’d have to leave the airport! I was close to throwing up at this point, and begged them to please do whatever they had to do to let me get to my plane. So the chick with the dreads then started all over again. And I mean all over. Hair, tits, stomach, crotch. The works. Why’d she have to do the whole thing again, including the parts she already did? I stood there with tears flowing down my cheeks, doing my best not to move or even flinch. And she was not gentle. Finally they let me get my stuff and leave. I didn’t even know where my stuff was, they’d moved it off the conveyer to a table on the other side of the room, thank god everything was still in there.
TSA Employee Charged in Manassas Sex Assault
A woman said in the early morning hours of November 20, she was sexually assaulted by a man who flashed a badge and was wearing a uniform in Manassas.
Manassas police have arrested an employee with the Transportation Security Administration in the crime.
Police responded to the report of a sexual assault around 3:25 a.m. on the 10500 block of Winfield Place. The victim said she and a friend were on the block when they were approached by an unknown man, who forced sexual contact on her. After interviewing the victim, police canvassed the immediate area in search of the perpetrator.
Authorities said a short distance away, they found 52-year-old Harold Glenn Rodman, who fit the victim's description. Rodman, an employee with the TSA, was exiting his house while police were canvassing, and he was taken into custody.
Rodman has been charged with aggravated sexual battery, object sexual penetration, forcible sodomy, and abduction with intent to defile.
Police said Rodman was wearing his TSA uniform during the assault.http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/TSA-Officer-Charged-in-Manassas-Sex-Assault-134257998.html
A woman said in the early morning hours of November 20, she was sexually assaulted by a man who flashed a badge and was wearing a uniform in Manassas.
Manassas police have arrested an employee with the Transportation Security Administration in the crime.
Police responded to the report of a sexual assault around 3:25 a.m. on the 10500 block of Winfield Place. The victim said she and a friend were on the block when they were approached by an unknown man, who forced sexual contact on her. After interviewing the victim, police canvassed the immediate area in search of the perpetrator.
Authorities said a short distance away, they found 52-year-old Harold Glenn Rodman, who fit the victim's description. Rodman, an employee with the TSA, was exiting his house while police were canvassing, and he was taken into custody.
Rodman has been charged with aggravated sexual battery, object sexual penetration, forcible sodomy, and abduction with intent to defile.
Police said Rodman was wearing his TSA uniform during the assault.http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/TSA-Officer-Charged-in-Manassas-Sex-Assault-134257998.html
Travelled Denver to San Francisco in November 2011 on government business. Had to go thru x-ray scanner. There was a girl about 5 or 6 years old in the scanner before me. Big woman TSA Agent barking at her "put your hands over your head!! Hands over your head NOW!" Just like the police on a cops episode. Little girl was sobbing. Finally let through. I got through alright, but was seriously disturbed by this. Is this what America is now? I drive whenever possible. Very sad.
carrie so very, Monday at 9:57 PM (November 21, 2011)
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/children-in-the-gulag.1544/#post-15550
carrie so very, Monday at 9:57 PM (November 21, 2011)
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/children-in-the-gulag.1544/#post-15550
TSA Violates PTSD Author
By Kaitlyn Gant, Sunday Nov 27, 2011, 2:55pm:Kaitlyn’s first flight since the introduction of TSA Radiation Machines and “Enhanced Pat Downs”
By Kaitlyn Gant, Sunday Nov 27, 2011, 2:55pm:Kaitlyn’s first flight since the introduction of TSA Radiation Machines and “Enhanced Pat Downs”
Today I flew for the first time since the Radiation Machines and the “Enhanced Pat Downs” came into existence in the United States. Having PTSD, I psychologically tried to prepare myself for the possibility of a pat down. It turned into a much worse nightmare than I had even tried to conjure up in my mind while trying to prepare for it. Prior to this flight I tried to convince myself that others were embellishing, that this really was not happening. That the stories of TSA feeling people up, grabbing crotches and touching breasts, with no legal impact, were not real. I wanted to deny it. Well guess what….it is real! It is worse than I had ever imagined!
The following is my experience on October 17, 2011 flying from Phoenix, AZ to Salt Lake City, Utah:
After removing my boots and stripping down to a light, fairly see through camisole which was under the suit jacket I had already taken off, removing my belt from a pair of form fitting pants (both pieces worn thoughtfully and intentionally to show there could be nothing hiding underneath), I saw the TSA guy sending everyone through the radiation machine.
I am up next in line. I tell the male TSA agent, in a low, non-confrontational voice, “I don’t want to go through the radiation machine.”
In a dramatic, loud voice, for all to hear, he states, “Now since you told me you don’t want to go through the radiation machine (yes, he did repeat radiation machine), I have to wonder why not AND now I HAVE to pull you aside for an “enhanced pat down.” Again, quietly, I said to him, “I simply don’t want the radiation exposure.”
He replies, quite loudly again, for all to hear, “Well we have to wonder what you may be hiding since you said you don’t want to go through it. If you had said nothing, then MAYBE I would have CHOSEN YOU to walk right through. BUT NOW I can’t do that.” “Next time don’t say anything!”
Now Mr. Control Freak (AKA- TSA Agent) gets on his radio calling for a “female agent needed for a female pat down.” After several calls a man wearing blue latex gloves appears. He looks at me smiling while wiggling his fingers and says, “Oh, I guess, this won’t work”. He then laughs. I stare at his perverseness in disgust. Finally, a female “agent” comes to begin the violation of my body.
Having PTSD, I started to panic about the thought of some stranger touching me. This is a huge trigger for me. I felt like vomiting. Rage seared through me as my eyes brimmed with tears. The woman kindly explained everything she was going to do. She sensed my uneasiness and even asked if I had not been through this before. Yet she proceeded in her violation of my body.
She begins, “I will be running my hand firmly and high up your thigh” (interpretation…I will be feeling your crotch). “I will be running the back of my hand down the middle of and around your chest” (interpretation…I will be fondling your breasts). “I will be checking your waistband” (interpretation…I will be pulling your waistband out and looking down your pants).
I said to her, “This is as invasive as going to a gynecologist, only I keep some of my clothes on AND I have a choice to go to one of them OR not”. Her response was, “It’s not that bad at all and it’s better than having some crazy person board the plane.”
After the airport molestation was completed, I was filled with rage. I looked around as I put my belt, jacket, and boots back on only to find no one in my camp. Everyone else seemed to be accepting and continuing on as though no violations against their body were occurring. I am certain these “Enhanced Pat Downs” are also great entertainment for the perverts who were present thinking they were seeing one woman felt up by another. The “agent” offered me a “private room” and I refused because I wanted to stay where I had witnesses if anything should happen.
I feel violated. I feel oppressed. What makes people follow along like a bunch of mindless sheep and not stand up for their rights? What makes so many laugh about being stripped of their civil liberties? What makes a society so accepting and conditioned to airport molestation? They even send their kids through to be violated. What type of message is this sending to our children?
Are we really so willfully ignorant to not see we are being terrorized on a daily basis by fellow Americans who succumb to such practices, who agree to violate their fellow American’s rights for their jobs? Really? What have we become? Are we so mind numbed by all the pharmaceuticals and dumbed down entertainment that we are now robots who do and say whatever we are told? THIS IS NOT OKAY!
I don’t know if other countries have become so desensitized and simple minded as Americans when it comes to total violations and loss of their privacy, but we as a nation should have more respect and pride. Even if I did not suffer from PTSD, I would not want a stranger feeling me up AND I certainly would not let a stranger grope my child under the guise of Airport Security.
I called my husband after this violation and, in rage, relayed the story to him with tears nearly falling. I paced frantically in the boarding area now. I felt like a caged animal. I wanted to scream. I wanted to lash out. Did no one else care about having just been felt up by a stranger? Did no one else see they were just stripped of their civil liberties and their Government is allowing this to happen to control them, not protect them?
I wanted to yell, “WILL EVERYONE WAKE UP??!!” “You simple minded idiots!! What will it take for you to wake up?” “Why do you have no voices, why do you let your Government..which is suppose to be for the people…by the people, keep stripping you of your dignity and self-respect?”
“What will it take for you to fight for your rights and your children’s rights?” “Why is this acceptable to you?” “Why don’t you feel violated like I do?” “If you don’t stand for something of significance, for something that wakes you out of your comatose mindsets then just go away to a private island where apathy, desensitization and ignorance are the norm. Then you and yours can live a mindless, worthless existence while giggling and smiling as the chains of oppression and control become ever tighter around your throats. This will be a place where you can all laugh and follow one another while each of you are being raped and pillaged by your “leaders”. Take your group think to that private island of willful ignorance and let those of us who give a damn and have a conscious left….fight for our right to live and fight for our civil liberties and peace!”
Teen stopped at airport for design on purse
17-year-old missed flight to Jacksonville after agents inspected gun design(video at link)Vanessa Gibbs, 17, claims the Transportation Security Administration stopped her at the security gate because of the design of a gun on her handbag.
Gibbs said she had no problem going through security at Jacksonville International Airport, but rather, when she headed home from Virginia.
"It's my style, it's camouflage, it has an old western gun on it," Gibbs said.
But her preference for the pistol style didn't sit well with TSA agents at the Norfolk airport.
Gibbs said she was headed back home to Jacksonville from a holiday trip when an agent flagged her purse as a security risk."She was like, 'This is a federal offense because it's in the shape of a gun,'" Gibbs said. "I'm like, 'But it's a design on a purse. How is it a federal offense?'"After agents figured out the gun was a fake, Gibbs said, TSA told her to check the bag or turn it over.
By the time security wrapped up the inspection, the pregnant teen missed her flight, and Southwest sent her to Orlando instead, worrying her mother, who was already waiting for her to arrive at JIA.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/Teen-stopped-at-airport-for-design-on-purse/-/475880/4858586/-/qijcv5/-/index.html
17-year-old missed flight to Jacksonville after agents inspected gun design(video at link)Vanessa Gibbs, 17, claims the Transportation Security Administration stopped her at the security gate because of the design of a gun on her handbag.
Gibbs said she had no problem going through security at Jacksonville International Airport, but rather, when she headed home from Virginia.
"It's my style, it's camouflage, it has an old western gun on it," Gibbs said.
But her preference for the pistol style didn't sit well with TSA agents at the Norfolk airport.
Gibbs said she was headed back home to Jacksonville from a holiday trip when an agent flagged her purse as a security risk."She was like, 'This is a federal offense because it's in the shape of a gun,'" Gibbs said. "I'm like, 'But it's a design on a purse. How is it a federal offense?'"After agents figured out the gun was a fake, Gibbs said, TSA told her to check the bag or turn it over.
By the time security wrapped up the inspection, the pregnant teen missed her flight, and Southwest sent her to Orlando instead, worrying her mother, who was already waiting for her to arrive at JIA.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/Teen-stopped-at-airport-for-design-on-purse/-/475880/4858586/-/qijcv5/-/index.html
85-year-old woman may sue TSA after being strip searched at JFK Airport
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lenore-zimmerman-85-hurt-strip-search-tsa-agents-jfk-airport-article-1.986198?localLinksEnabled=false
NEW YORK - An 84-year-old Long Island grandmother says she was injured and humiliated during a strip search at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Lenore Zimmerman of Long Beach, L.I., said she was on her way to a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when she was whisked into a private room by security who removed her clothes.Zimmerman, who is 4'11", told the New York Daily News she is hunched over, walks with a walker, weighs 110 pounds and is going to be 85 years old in July. "Do I look like a terrorist?" she asked.
Zimmerman says she was searched after she asked to forgo advanced image technology screening equipment because she worried it would interfere with her defibrillator.Z
The retired receptionist said she normally gets patted down at airline security. But this time, Zimmerman said, two female agents escorted her to a private area.
At one point, Zimmerman said, a metal bar of her walker banged against her leg and blood trickled from a gash. "My sock was soaked with blood. I was bleeding like a pig."
But, she said, the TSA agents showed no sympathy. Zimmerman said she got no response when she asked them, "Why are you doing this?"http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57336167/84-year-old-claims-tsa-strip-search/
“They took me into a private room and pulled down my slacks and pulled down my underwear” without explanation or apology, Zimmerman told ABC News.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/strip-searched-grandma-says-tsa-removed-her-underwear/
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lenore-zimmerman-85-hurt-strip-search-tsa-agents-jfk-airport-article-1.986198?localLinksEnabled=false
NEW YORK - An 84-year-old Long Island grandmother says she was injured and humiliated during a strip search at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Lenore Zimmerman of Long Beach, L.I., said she was on her way to a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when she was whisked into a private room by security who removed her clothes.Zimmerman, who is 4'11", told the New York Daily News she is hunched over, walks with a walker, weighs 110 pounds and is going to be 85 years old in July. "Do I look like a terrorist?" she asked.
Zimmerman says she was searched after she asked to forgo advanced image technology screening equipment because she worried it would interfere with her defibrillator.Z
The retired receptionist said she normally gets patted down at airline security. But this time, Zimmerman said, two female agents escorted her to a private area.
At one point, Zimmerman said, a metal bar of her walker banged against her leg and blood trickled from a gash. "My sock was soaked with blood. I was bleeding like a pig."
But, she said, the TSA agents showed no sympathy. Zimmerman said she got no response when she asked them, "Why are you doing this?"http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57336167/84-year-old-claims-tsa-strip-search/
“They took me into a private room and pulled down my slacks and pulled down my underwear” without explanation or apology, Zimmerman told ABC News.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/strip-searched-grandma-says-tsa-removed-her-underwear/
Posted by Lew Rockwell on November 23, 2010 07:02 PM
Recently, Ron Paul had to go through his first invasive pat-down at the airport; his knee replacements bar him from the gulagoscan. This is one of the most well-mannered men I know, but after four very hard jabs to his genitals, he asked the blue-gloved TSA agent: "How can you live with yourself, feeling up strange men all day long?"
"I love my job," sneered the goon.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/71025.html
"I love my job," sneered the goon.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/71025.html
Yet another elderly woman strip-searched by TSA. . . From her home in Sunrise, Florida, 88-year-old Ruth Sherman says she knows for a fact senior citizens are being violated at a screening checkpoint at JFK.“I felt like I was invaded,” she told CBS 2′s Dave Carlin.
Sherman says week-long Thanksgiving holiday with family in New York ended with an ordeal that started when the screeners wanted to check the bulge from Sherman’s colostomy bag.
“This is private for me. It’s bad enough that I have it,” she said. “I had to pull from my sweatpants and I had to pull my underwear, my underwear down.”“You don’t do that anybody,” she added. “I felt like I was invaded.”
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/12/04/another-elderly-woman-says-she-was-exposed-at-kennedy-airport/
Sherman says week-long Thanksgiving holiday with family in New York ended with an ordeal that started when the screeners wanted to check the bulge from Sherman’s colostomy bag.
“This is private for me. It’s bad enough that I have it,” she said. “I had to pull from my sweatpants and I had to pull my underwear, my underwear down.”“You don’t do that anybody,” she added. “I felt like I was invaded.”
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/12/04/another-elderly-woman-says-she-was-exposed-at-kennedy-airport/
And still another woman strip-searched. . . Linda Kallish, 66, of Boynton Beach, was scheduled to be on the same flight as Zimmerman. Because she is diabetic, she has a glucose monitor that checks her blood sugar every five minutes strapped to one leg and an insulin pump strapped on the other.
After she set off the metal detector, a female TSA officer ordered her into a private room and told her to take her pants off, Kallish said. She said the officer didn't touch her.
"So I took my pants off and showed it to her," Kallish said. "She just looked at it and said, 'Have a nice trip.'"What really bothered her, Kallish said, is that while waiting to be screened, her medical items went through the metal detector and moved out of her sight, and she wasn't allowed to retrieve them."The whole thing is lousy," Kallish said. "I've have never had to do that before. I have flown many times before, and I have never had to take my pants down."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-tsa-strip-searches-20111205,0,6653714.story?page=2&track=rss
After she set off the metal detector, a female TSA officer ordered her into a private room and told her to take her pants off, Kallish said. She said the officer didn't touch her.
"So I took my pants off and showed it to her," Kallish said. "She just looked at it and said, 'Have a nice trip.'"What really bothered her, Kallish said, is that while waiting to be screened, her medical items went through the metal detector and moved out of her sight, and she wasn't allowed to retrieve them."The whole thing is lousy," Kallish said. "I've have never had to do that before. I have flown many times before, and I have never had to take my pants down."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-tsa-strip-searches-20111205,0,6653714.story?page=2&track=rss
Law enforcement officials confirmed to ABC News that the women were strip searched by TSA agents.
A senior law enforcement official who has worked at New York's JFK airport for years told ABC News that the incidents expose the security agency to mockery.
"Any law enforcement professional with any time experience would tell you that if you can't tell the difference between an 80-year-old with a health issue and someone who might need further screening, then this kind of behavior makes us the laughing stock of law enforcement worldwide," said the senior official. "These [passengers] were only guilty of buying a ticket."
TSA gropes frail 91-year-old YouTube – YouTube
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-pat-down-frail-91-year-old-youtube-youtube.1657/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-pat-down-frail-91-year-old-youtube-youtube.1657/
NBC: Missing money serves as warning to passengers
Posted: Dec 06, 2011 4:39 PM EST
Posted: Dec 06, 2011 4:39 PM EST
Updated: Dec 06, 2011 5:20 PM EST
By Steve Campion, NBC2 Reporter
"It was all in disarray. It was all a mess. There was a tag saying that they had inspected it," said Punta Gorda resident Lisa LaFlamme.
LaFlamme told us missing from her husband's luggage after a flight from the Punta Gorda airport was $500. Money that was set aside to help pay for the cake and church at his daughter's wedding.
The couple claims the money went missing after it passed through TSA security.
"Their first response was our employees never steal," said LaFlamme.The couple contacted TSA to see if security cameras are in place to prevent employees from taking people's belongings after they go behind closed doors. LaFlamme said she was told no.
A TSA spokesperson told us out of security concerns they couldn't disclose that information.
"If it's sitting there just in front of them, it's too easy to take," countered LaFlamme.
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16202342/missing-money-serves-as-warning-to-fliers
A TSA spokesperson told us out of security concerns they couldn't disclose that information.
"If it's sitting there just in front of them, it's too easy to take," countered LaFlamme.
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16202342/missing-money-serves-as-warning-to-fliers
Al Miller · Top Commenter · Memphis State University:
I agree with you 200%....BUT if you have to use a commercial conveyance for travel, the TSA has the authority to deny that.... I was recently held up at the Memphis airport; although I declared I have a full-knee replacement; he insisted on feeling my entire body. A simple wand-scan of my body would have disclosed any other item; if it didn't, then it wouldn't have set off the alarm... This is not just a feminist issue, as a male, I don't like anyone feeling my body unless it's my wife
-Thursday, December 8, 2011
http://www.naturalnews.com/034354_FBI_rape_definition.html
-Thursday, December 8, 2011
http://www.naturalnews.com/034354_FBI_rape_definition.html
Flyingfish knows he’s allowed to photograph TSA checkpoints from public areas in the airport. He knows this because it is the TSA’s publicly stated position.
But a refused-to-identify-himself TSA agent and a state trooper at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport don’t know this, so they detained Flyingfish, told him he was in big trouble… that he had, in fact, committed a “federal offense.”Flyingfish called the TSA’s Office of Strategic Communications at (571)227-2829, and within 20 minutes, Flyingfish had been released with an apology. This is an admirable degree of integrity and responsiveness from a busy federal agency.
I just wish they were as efficient at actually explaining TSA policy to their own staff.I’ve just added the Office of Strategic Communications to my speed dial, along with the TSA Office of Civil Rights at (571)227-1917.
http://landofthefreeish.com/tsa/call-the-tsas-office-of-strategic-communications/
But a refused-to-identify-himself TSA agent and a state trooper at Hartford’s Bradley International Airport don’t know this, so they detained Flyingfish, told him he was in big trouble… that he had, in fact, committed a “federal offense.”Flyingfish called the TSA’s Office of Strategic Communications at (571)227-2829, and within 20 minutes, Flyingfish had been released with an apology. This is an admirable degree of integrity and responsiveness from a busy federal agency.
I just wish they were as efficient at actually explaining TSA policy to their own staff.I’ve just added the Office of Strategic Communications to my speed dial, along with the TSA Office of Civil Rights at (571)227-1917.
http://landofthefreeish.com/tsa/call-the-tsas-office-of-strategic-communications/
I know, a very old event, but still noteworthy. Just found the site here to relay this story. I was flying back home the evening of February 28, 2011 from Phoenix Sky Harbor after a long weekend of Spring Training (baseball).
I went through TSA rope-a-dope on both ends without incident and in record time, without so much as an ill question or glare. (I was shocked.) No "pron scanners" or anything where I went through. Literally 90 seconds after entry, I was already putting my shoes back on.
Went down the hall and sat in some comfortable chairs down the concourse where another TSA area discharged its people into the "secure" (if there is such a word) area in the airport. Here a "pron" scanner was in operation and being used. I sat here about 40 minutes. One after another I watched the festivities. In total EIGHT different women were scanned, in all of their glory. Every one of them was between the ages of 20-40, not overweight, most of "voluptuous" figure (to say they were large breasted in a nice way). There was a male screener selecting who would get scanned. I thought, what are the odds of this occurring naturally --- no men, no older women, no "smaller" women. (This was before the "blocky figures" the screeners on the video end see.) I also remembered these machines were reported to have a diagnostic mode where a USB port was active...
Put two and two together....It's not hard to imagine what they were doing.
Report it? They bald faced lie to the public every day.
We, the public DO notice these things.
-TexasPatriot, Sunday, December 11, 2011, 5:30pm
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/february-tsa-abuses.1706/
-TexasPatriot, Sunday, December 11, 2011, 5:30pm
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/february-tsa-abuses.1706/
More moronic behavior by the TSA
As a frequent traveler in and out of Denver International Airport, Kathleen Triou considers herself well-versed in the requirements of what items she can take through security.
But she was confounded Dec. 15 when a Transportation Security Administration agent had her in a jam over, well, raspberry jam.
"It was jam. Just homemade jam in a tiny mason jar," said Triou, a marketing executive from San Francisco who received the goodie as a gift from a colleague. "They said it has the potential to be bomb material."Triou tried to explain. "I told the agent, ‘It’s not gel, not perfume, not cosmetics, just jam.’ You could see the seeds in it," she said. But the TSA agent would hear none of it and "continued to insist it could not pass through security as it could be bomb material."
Astounded by the sticky situation and wanting to at least show family members the neatly decorated jar of jam, Triou asked if she could snap a picture of it with her phone.
"No," she says the agents told her.
By this point, the agent had gotten her supervisor involved.
"So now they say I can’t take a picture of the jam because we’re in a secure area." [this is a lie –LS]
Triou said the TSA agents then told her she could exit the secure area and take a photo of it."At that point, it would have taken at least another 15 minutes to go back through security," said Triou. "It just wasn’t worth it. But what’s worse is that if this is potentially ‘bomb material,’ why do they just discard it in a trash can off to the side?"
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/53164435-68/jam-triou-security-tsa.html.csp
But she was confounded Dec. 15 when a Transportation Security Administration agent had her in a jam over, well, raspberry jam.
"It was jam. Just homemade jam in a tiny mason jar," said Triou, a marketing executive from San Francisco who received the goodie as a gift from a colleague. "They said it has the potential to be bomb material."Triou tried to explain. "I told the agent, ‘It’s not gel, not perfume, not cosmetics, just jam.’ You could see the seeds in it," she said. But the TSA agent would hear none of it and "continued to insist it could not pass through security as it could be bomb material."
Astounded by the sticky situation and wanting to at least show family members the neatly decorated jar of jam, Triou asked if she could snap a picture of it with her phone.
"No," she says the agents told her.
By this point, the agent had gotten her supervisor involved.
"So now they say I can’t take a picture of the jam because we’re in a secure area." [this is a lie –LS]
Triou said the TSA agents then told her she could exit the secure area and take a photo of it."At that point, it would have taken at least another 15 minutes to go back through security," said Triou. "It just wasn’t worth it. But what’s worse is that if this is potentially ‘bomb material,’ why do they just discard it in a trash can off to the side?"
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/53164435-68/jam-triou-security-tsa.html.csp
Comment left at FlyerTalk December 24, 2011:. . . The only thing a passenger can do is go through the complaint process, which is useless. After I was blocked from seeing my luggage during screening at the Oakland airport, I complained. The result was being held there for five minutes, still out of sight of my luggage, and getting a harsh retaliatory pat-down. I filled out a comment card, then left a voicemail at the phone number, and finally mailed a complaint letter. Only the mailed complaint got a response, a phone call: "That shouldn't happen. Since it shouldn't, there is nothing we will do about it."
-eastport
-eastport
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: DC area and San Francisco
Programs: SWA A-List, OnePass, AA, U-MP, more
[And too many accounts of TSA clerks confiscating holiday cupcakes, fruitcake, and jelly/jam/preserves to include here – readers can Google the stories on their own – LS]
. . . Then a TSA inspector came over and started yelling at me that I had violated security protocal because all wheelchair users had to have their bags opened for visual inspection and I wasn't supposed to run my mom's bag through the scanner. I tried to remain calm and explain that I hadn't been told any differently nor were any signs posted so I followed the procedures that we use in Houston. She then told me that Houston is doing that wrong and I needed to give her all my mom's things. She became upset yet again when I told her that I had some of my mom's things in my bag and vice versa. She started screaming that I had committed a serious security breach because disabled passengers were not allowed to "cross-pack" because of the visual inspection.-Dee
June 26th, 2011, 09:08 PM
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1436019
. . . The highlight of the call was when a representative of an organization for the blind - who travels 2 - 3 times a week - reported that, when going through security with his guide dog, he invariably cleared but the dog's harness triggered the dog's need for "secondary screening" (pat-downs) at which point he was asked - "over a dozen times - the sex of the dog, so that the pat-down could be done by a same-sex TSO! [Transportation Security Officer.] Not only that, but he had reports of this happening to a number of other people. At which point, the call hosts made clear they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.-fmichael, Senior Member
6-15-2011, 6:35pm
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread151877.html
June 26th, 2011, 09:08 PM
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1436019
. . . The highlight of the call was when a representative of an organization for the blind - who travels 2 - 3 times a week - reported that, when going through security with his guide dog, he invariably cleared but the dog's harness triggered the dog's need for "secondary screening" (pat-downs) at which point he was asked - "over a dozen times - the sex of the dog, so that the pat-down could be done by a same-sex TSO! [Transportation Security Officer.] Not only that, but he had reports of this happening to a number of other people. At which point, the call hosts made clear they didn't know whether to laugh or cry.-fmichael, Senior Member
6-15-2011, 6:35pm
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread151877.html
Yet another TSA employee doesn’t know or lies about the rules on photography
Testing TSA Photo Policy At Miami International Airport Again (includes video)by Carlos Miller, December 26, 2011
Carlos Miller is a Miami multimedia journalist who has been arrested twice for taking pictures of cops. He’s beaten both cases, including a resisting arrest conviction that he had reversed on appeal pro se.
http://www.pixiq.com/article/testing-tsa-photo-policy-at-miami-international-airport-again
Testing TSA Photo Policy At Miami International Airport Again (includes video)by Carlos Miller, December 26, 2011
Carlos Miller is a Miami multimedia journalist who has been arrested twice for taking pictures of cops. He’s beaten both cases, including a resisting arrest conviction that he had reversed on appeal pro se.
http://www.pixiq.com/article/testing-tsa-photo-policy-at-miami-international-airport-again
Two columns from The Atlantic on the TSA’s power plays and abuse, including the harassing and groping of a 3-year-old disabled child with a feeding tube.James Fallows
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/your-boxing-day-tsa-report/250505/
Steve Clemons
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/tsa-blues-during-holidays/250502/
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/your-boxing-day-tsa-report/250505/
Steve Clemons
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/tsa-blues-during-holidays/250502/
WOOD TV (28 Dec 2011): Chemical in candy set off airport alarm: TSA checkpoint shut down for about 20 minutes:
A TSA checkpoint at Gerald R. Ford International Airport was shut down on Wednesday afternoon after chemical sensors were triggered. TSA employees shut down the checkpoint while they attempted to determine the cause of the alarm. The bag of one person going through the checkpoint contained some candy and also a suspicious-looking iPod.
. . . I would like to set the record straight. I, along with 7 other people on my small commuter flight alone missed our flight. According to American Airlines officials, TSA never alerted the airline to the delay and this could have been avoided with minimal communication between TSA and the airline. There were no other flights available that would get me to Honolulu today yet, so American Airlines re-booked me on the next available flight tomorrow morning.
A TSA checkpoint at Gerald R. Ford International Airport was shut down on Wednesday afternoon after chemical sensors were triggered. TSA employees shut down the checkpoint while they attempted to determine the cause of the alarm. The bag of one person going through the checkpoint contained some candy and also a suspicious-looking iPod.
. . . I would like to set the record straight. I, along with 7 other people on my small commuter flight alone missed our flight. According to American Airlines officials, TSA never alerted the airline to the delay and this could have been avoided with minimal communication between TSA and the airline. There were no other flights available that would get me to Honolulu today yet, so American Airlines re-booked me on the next available flight tomorrow morning.
TSA required everyone to exit the security line and wait in an area about 20-30 feet away. I heard all the boarding calls for my flight and alerted a TSA agent who indicated that they didn't know if flights would be held. There was no organized reopening of the line and no preference was given to those who needed to catch flights or to those who had already been waiting in line, so I waited in a now much longer line and watched my flight leave from the security line as I stood by helplessly. Had they given preference to departing flights, I would be halfway back to Honolulu by now.
TSA also refused to communicate the reason for the closure even after the security line was reopened. American Airlines officials were visibly displeased by the handling of the incident by TSA.
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/chemical-in-candy-set-off-airport-alarm
Here's one more story of TSA insanity.
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/chemical-in-candy-set-off-airport-alarm
Here's one more story of TSA insanity.
My husband has MS and has difficulty walking and standing. He travels with a motorized scooter.
The first few times we flew, we asked the screeners what they wanted us to do. They told my husband to drive his scooter through the metal detector (this was before the scanners.)
Surprise, surprise! The metal detector went off. Now they had to do a full search on my husband.
I tried to explain that the scooter is made of metal, and it was the scooter that set off the alarm. I suggested that they should let my husband walk through the metal detector to see if he sets it off. That concept was far too complicated for them to understand. They got really nasty with me.
We had resigned ourselves to the fact that my husband would always be searched until an incident in Phoenix. The agent was really aggressive and rough...pulling, jerking, and prodding my husband. He was so rough I was afraid he would knock my husband down. I started to walk over and ask him to be careful not to hurt my husband.
Of course, they all went crazy and started screaming at me to get back. So I asked another agent to please tell the other agent that my husband is fragile and please don't be so rough. She absolutely refused to do that.
At that point, I knew there was nothing I could do. I just started collecting our belongings and put my faith in God to protect my husband.
Fortunately, my husband was not injured. He told me later that he had asked the agent to let him sit down. The agent was nasty and said "Why do you need to sit down"? (Duh...he came in a wheel chair) but eventually he let my husband sit down.
So the next time we flew, we got up to the metal detector and we didn't ask anybody what to do. My husband just got up and walked through the metal detector and left the scooter for the screeners to deal with. No more scary and inconvenient searches.
Fortunately, my husband is able to walk for short periods of time. Otherwise, he would have been searched every time.
Now we refuse to fly with the scanners and the grope downs. It's just too dangerous. We won't go through the scanners, and we don't want to risk the grope downs.
-Daisimae, December 30, 2011
http://tsanewsblog.com/586/news/tsa-abuse-has-been-going-on-for-years-heres-my-story/#comment-397528639
-Daisimae, December 30, 2011
http://tsanewsblog.com/586/news/tsa-abuse-has-been-going-on-for-years-heres-my-story/#comment-397528639
TSA abuse has been going on for years – here’s my story
by WENDY THOMSON on DECEMBER 29, 2011
http://tsanewsblog.com/586/news/tsa-abuse-has-been-going-on-for-years-heres-my-story/
My sister had a stroke 8 years ago and as I left her side to grab a sandwich for her she was pulled into secondary inspection. Her stroke left her completely paralyzed on the right side and unable to talk. The TSA agent was in her face: Whats your name. Where do you live. Where are you traveling to. I was incensed. Her Swouthest escrort did nothing to assist mysister. I yelled at the TSA agent and told her she was out of line. I told her she couldn't spak and what was the purpose of the inspection when it was clear that she is disabled. I told her she couldn't talk because she had a stroke. She told me to step back or she would have me arrested. I did so until they made her try to walk. She can't walk without her cane. I handed her the cane and said she can't walk without this and btw she is under guardianship with the state of Wisconsin and the least possible threat to the U.S. Security. Her plane is boarding and can we please go now? She told me to take it up with her supervisor and then grabbed her cane and began dismantling it. It was atrociously wrong on so many levels.
-Maggiebleu, December 31, 2011
. . . They took away my blind step daughter's cane and did the same thing. She was blind and completely disoriented to where she was, and these jerks were barking orders. A later complaint to the station manager for the goons didn't result in any positive actions, just the usual platitudes that we'll look into it and take care of it. But it KEPT HAPPENING.
-TexasPatriot1, January 2, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/586/news/tsa-abuse-has-been-going-on-for-years-heres-my-story/#comment-396854021
Army sergeant accused of carrying C4 in luggage released
http://tsanewsblog.com/586/news/tsa-abuse-has-been-going-on-for-years-heres-my-story/
My sister had a stroke 8 years ago and as I left her side to grab a sandwich for her she was pulled into secondary inspection. Her stroke left her completely paralyzed on the right side and unable to talk. The TSA agent was in her face: Whats your name. Where do you live. Where are you traveling to. I was incensed. Her Swouthest escrort did nothing to assist mysister. I yelled at the TSA agent and told her she was out of line. I told her she couldn't spak and what was the purpose of the inspection when it was clear that she is disabled. I told her she couldn't talk because she had a stroke. She told me to step back or she would have me arrested. I did so until they made her try to walk. She can't walk without her cane. I handed her the cane and said she can't walk without this and btw she is under guardianship with the state of Wisconsin and the least possible threat to the U.S. Security. Her plane is boarding and can we please go now? She told me to take it up with her supervisor and then grabbed her cane and began dismantling it. It was atrociously wrong on so many levels.
-Maggiebleu, December 31, 2011
. . . They took away my blind step daughter's cane and did the same thing. She was blind and completely disoriented to where she was, and these jerks were barking orders. A later complaint to the station manager for the goons didn't result in any positive actions, just the usual platitudes that we'll look into it and take care of it. But it KEPT HAPPENING.
-TexasPatriot1, January 2, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/586/news/tsa-abuse-has-been-going-on-for-years-heres-my-story/#comment-396854021
Army sergeant accused of carrying C4 in luggage released
Sgt. Trey Atwater has been in federal custody after the discovery of the explosives in his luggage on New Year’s Eve. Atwater was detained at the Midland, (TX) International Airport after TSA agents detected the explosives in his bags. The FBI arrested Atwater, of Hope Mills, N.C. on charges of attempting to carry concealed explosives onto an aircraft. He has claimed he used the explosives as a demolition expert while serving in Afghanistan, but didn’t know they were still in his bag. Atwater had also been detained days earlier at the Fayetteville, N.C., airport after security agents found a military smoke grenade in his carry-on bag. News reports have said screeners at the Fayetteville airport may have missed the C-4 in the earlier screening that revealed the smoke grenade.
http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/25389
I was assaulted at a TSA checkpoint. When I acted to defend myself, I was accused of "assaulting a federal officer".
I was assaulted at a TSA checkpoint. When I acted to defend myself, I was accused of "assaulting a federal officer".
The police were called. I was detained. I was denied access to my shoes, my belt, my belongings were removed from my sight. When I protested I was mocked, threatened with arrest, and told to "shut the fuck up". These are not exaggerations. Now, I know that what happens to others is far, far worse, but this is the attitude these people in these positions have.
When I later attempted to obtain the police report and surveillance video, the request was denied by the airport authority because I was not a citizen of the state in which it happened. The law that was cited referred to criminals who had been disenfranchised. I've had precisely 1 speeding ticket as my only interaction with The Law, and the government attempted to cover up its own malfeasance by likening me to a common criminal.
I hired an attorney in that state who used his "citizenship", since mine is apparently no good, to obtain the police report and video surveillance. The police report is clear that my record is clean, I am no threat, and posed no immediate danger to flight security or TSA or law enforcement personnel. The video surveillance is also clear that high-ranking TSA officials provided false and misleading testimony to police on the scene. They lied, and the police and airport were complicit in attempting to cover it up.
That's all I'm going to say publicly about my current situation. I only offered it as supporting evidence that these people put in positions to "protect" us and "keep us safe" are doing nothing of the sort.
-barbell, Original Member and Coach at Travel Underground (others at TUG know his real name –LS)
Saturday, January 7, 2012http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/im-simply-heartsick.1883/#post-19910
-barbell, Original Member and Coach at Travel Underground (others at TUG know his real name –LS)
Saturday, January 7, 2012http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/im-simply-heartsick.1883/#post-19910
TSA's VIPR Teams Now Conducting 'Suspicionless Searches' at Train Stationshttp://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/6/142218/4826/travel/TSA%27s+VIPR+Teams+Now+Conducting+%27Suspicionless+Searches%27+at+Train+Stations
TSA OFFICIAL NAILED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
By Jim Kouri, Published 01/14/2012 - 6:29 a.m. CST
Minnetta Walker of Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and faces 2 years in federal prison to be followed by one year of supervised released, according to a report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
The 43-year old Walker was employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as a Behavior Detection Officer, assigned to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (Buffalo Airport) in Cheektowaga, New York.
Many observers of this case believe her punishment doesn't reflect the seriousness of her crime as a federal enforcement officer.
Assisting drug traffickers.http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/National_News/TSA_OFFICIAL_NAILED_ON_CORRUPTION_CHARGES/55007
By Jim Kouri, Published 01/14/2012 - 6:29 a.m. CST
Minnetta Walker of Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and faces 2 years in federal prison to be followed by one year of supervised released, according to a report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
The 43-year old Walker was employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as a Behavior Detection Officer, assigned to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (Buffalo Airport) in Cheektowaga, New York.
Many observers of this case believe her punishment doesn't reflect the seriousness of her crime as a federal enforcement officer.
Assisting drug traffickers.http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/News/National_News/TSA_OFFICIAL_NAILED_ON_CORRUPTION_CHARGES/55007
Just How Rich Is the TSA Getting From Your Forgotten Change?
$400,000
http://gizmodo.com/5876099/just-how-rich-is-the-tsa-getting-from-your-forgotten-change
$400,000
http://gizmodo.com/5876099/just-how-rich-is-the-tsa-getting-from-your-forgotten-change
Last year the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) collected $376,480.39. It seems that TSA is just keeping the money. The Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA) has waded into this issue, joining a two-year-old effort to have the money donated to charities such as the USO airport lounges and non-profit airport help desks rather than serve as a reward to TSA.
Any use of the money by TSA seems distasteful. It’s not their money. In fact, it is money left by harassed passengers and should certainly not go to TSA as a reward for invasive searches. The best home for this money is a charity that helps passengers navigate the airport and airline jumble. The money can be spent to help military travelers through the USO, it can help everyday travelers through airport help desks, and perhaps it can be used to help spread the word about new passenger rights, airline customer service numbers, DOT complaint contacts, and so on, through well-placed posters in airports.
http://tsanewsblog.com/811/news/should-tsa-keep-our-change/
Any use of the money by TSA seems distasteful. It’s not their money. In fact, it is money left by harassed passengers and should certainly not go to TSA as a reward for invasive searches. The best home for this money is a charity that helps passengers navigate the airport and airline jumble. The money can be spent to help military travelers through the USO, it can help everyday travelers through airport help desks, and perhaps it can be used to help spread the word about new passenger rights, airline customer service numbers, DOT complaint contacts, and so on, through well-placed posters in airports.
http://tsanewsblog.com/811/news/should-tsa-keep-our-change/
TSA Air Marshal Arrested in Mugging of Boston Occupier
By Quinn Norton January 13, 2012, 11:00 am
TSA air marshal Adam Marshall was arrested by the Boston police department at 3:50 a.m. on Dec. 10 after he allegedly argued with members of Occupy, called some of them prostitutes, struck one of Occupy’s organizers in the face, grabbed her iPhone, and then fled.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/air-marshal-arrested-occupy/
By Quinn Norton January 13, 2012, 11:00 am
TSA air marshal Adam Marshall was arrested by the Boston police department at 3:50 a.m. on Dec. 10 after he allegedly argued with members of Occupy, called some of them prostitutes, struck one of Occupy’s organizers in the face, grabbed her iPhone, and then fled.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/air-marshal-arrested-occupy/
SA agent busted in laptop ‘lift’By PHILIP MESSING
Last Updated: 2:42 AM, January 13, 2012
A federal TSA screener at La Guardia Airport was arrested for allegedly swiping a pricey laptop from a college student at a security gate.
http://m.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/tsa_agent_busted_in_laptop_lift_AfCLbveTbNHslpbBLiYRQP
Last Updated: 2:42 AM, January 13, 2012
A federal TSA screener at La Guardia Airport was arrested for allegedly swiping a pricey laptop from a college student at a security gate.
http://m.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/tsa_agent_busted_in_laptop_lift_AfCLbveTbNHslpbBLiYRQP
I have a young friend that was strip searched two years ago by the TSA. She is a heavy girl (probably 60 pounds overweight), and was pleading and crying to be left alone, and they ignored her pleas and made her strip down to her undies (in a private room). She hasn't flown since. Really did a number on her. It's very, very sad.People claim that this is NOT sexual molestation - and they are WRONG. If you saw my friend's mental state when she talks about this, you'd see how damaging this is.
Writer and Book Author Rosemary ThorntonPosted Thursday, January 19, 2012http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/screening-of-elderly-ladies-at-jkf-exceeded-tsa-guidelines.1966/page-2#post-20949
Writer and Book Author Rosemary ThorntonPosted Thursday, January 19, 2012http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/screening-of-elderly-ladies-at-jkf-exceeded-tsa-guidelines.1966/page-2#post-20949
WSVN (20 Jan 2012): TSA agent and wife arrested in iPad thefts
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21006480109349/tsa-officer-and-wife-arrested-in-ipad-thefts/
(As ever, multiply this by god-knows-how-many for all the ones who don’t get caught –LS)
On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 9:16 AM, Jack Mahoney <jackpmiii@att.net> wrote:
Dear Mr. Elliott,
I traveled on the 13th of January from Miami to Boston . . .
. . . When at Boston/Logan airport for my return home to Miami on the 16th of
January, I observed the same procedure for the full body screening and was
stopped by a male TSA agent as I exited the machine who said that he needed
to inspect me.
He asked me to hand him my cash, which he seemed to count the amount that I
was traveling with, bill by bill, asked if I was wearing a watch which was
evident and had me hand it to him, his comment was that the watch is heavy
and I replied by saying that the weight is comfortable for me to wear. I
wear glasses and have a leather and sterling neck cord for them when I am
not wearing them and it assists me so that I do not misplace them. The TSA
agent asked about the neck cord and took some time to inspect it while it
was still around my neck and then stated that he needed to pat me down.
I have never experienced a pat down before but this gentleman ran his
hands, palm side to my body, over my upper torso from my shoulders, arms,
chest and stomach rather slowly. I have observed others do a pat down with
the back of their hands and feel like this was more than what I should have
been subject to. There was another agent, female, standing behind this
gentleman looking rather impassively in another direction while I was being
inspected in front of the entire passenger area. I am feeling that his
actions were inappropriate.
I travel 3 to 4 times a year to Boston as well as other travel throughout
the year and have never experienced this in the past.
Jack Mahoney[in an email to Christopher Elliott –LS]
My wife has had multiple joint replacements due to her Rheumatoid Arthritis. She carries a card in her wallet that explains her metallic implants. Last year, we planned a trip to see our son in Las Vegas. We went through the screening procedures and as a result, my wife's artificial joints set off bells, whistles, alarms and lights. My wife had her card for them to see; not good enough they were going to do a "private" screening of my wife. I informed the TSA official to get his supervisor and a uniformed officer.When they arrived, I explained to the officer what the problem was and then informed the officer and the TSA supervisor that should anyone attempt to do a "private" screening on my wife will be charged with assault and as a citizen, with a police officer present, that this was my right under the law.The TSA supervisor threatened me with arrest; I called his bluff and he backed off. The only way to stop this madness is first make the airlines suffer even more with less air travel. Take a bus or a train, or rent a car, anything but going through the nonsense at the airport. Secondly and probably most importantly, know your rights; read up on the Constitution, stand your ground, make a scene, whatever you have to do to embarrass the TSA and this current administration.
The next time I have to fly, I will strip to my boxers in front of God and everybody if that is what it takes to prove that I am not a Muslim terrorist; I will not however allow my wife to go through that horror again.
-Radical Rabbi, Tuesday, January 24, 2012
http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/23/tsas-intrusions-undermine-security/?page=2#comment-419502677
The next time I have to fly, I will strip to my boxers in front of God and everybody if that is what it takes to prove that I am not a Muslim terrorist; I will not however allow my wife to go through that horror again.
-Radical Rabbi, Tuesday, January 24, 2012
http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/23/tsas-intrusions-undermine-security/?page=2#comment-419502677
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul detained at Nashville airport, made to miss flighthttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/us-usa-congress-randpaul-idUSTRE80M1HM20120123
TSA Officers Confuse Insulin Pump for Gun at LAX, Declare 'Security Breach'By Simone Wilson Fri., Jan. 27 2012 at 1:05 PM
"Sources" tell the Times that the lady's flight was delayed for up to an hour as cops detained their suspect (yes, detained) and questioned her about her mysterious baggage.
Meaning an entire flock of passengers had to wait almost 45 minutes for three different agencies to track down a woman with an insulin pump. Can't wait to see how the super-hip TSA Blog handles this one.
Apparently, though, the flying-with-diabetes-in-post-911-America problem is not a new one. A blogger for Diabetes Mine tackled it back in summer 2010, declaring a lose-lose situation . . . .
"Sources" tell the Times that the lady's flight was delayed for up to an hour as cops detained their suspect (yes, detained) and questioned her about her mysterious baggage.
Meaning an entire flock of passengers had to wait almost 45 minutes for three different agencies to track down a woman with an insulin pump. Can't wait to see how the super-hip TSA Blog handles this one.
Apparently, though, the flying-with-diabetes-in-post-911-America problem is not a new one. A blogger for Diabetes Mine tackled it back in summer 2010, declaring a lose-lose situation . . . .
Comment left by reader at same article:. . . With the first TSA agent she told him she was diabetic and was wearing an insulin pump prior to entering the body scanner. After the scanning she was told to go over to another TSA agent (a woman). Again, with this agent she informed her that she was wearing a pump and pulled it out to show the agent. Yes, let me say this again. The pump was taken out from under her clothing and shown to the TSA agent!! The agent then turned to the body scanning agent and asked if she was ok. He said yes. The woman TSA agent then told the woman she was ok to go. The woman then asked if it was ok to go---making sure that she understood correctly that she could go. And, again, the TSA agent said yes you can go. OK can someone please tell me what more a person must do to really know if it's ok to go. Isn't twice enough!!
Yes she was DETAINED not just screened again. They seached all of her bags thoroughly (her clothes are now nicely wrinkled). She was questioned some of the police officers were nice some less than nice. She showed them the device along with the doctors note (Oh, the woman had informed the original TSA agents that she had a doctors note. I'm not sure whether the agents asked to see it---if they didn't then isn't that their screw up). It took awhile before everyone felt sure that this was, in fact, an insulin pump. I was told that in the end the police officers told the woman that she had done nothing wrong and this was entirely on the TSA . . . . http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/01/tsa_insulin_pump_gun_lax.php
Yes she was DETAINED not just screened again. They seached all of her bags thoroughly (her clothes are now nicely wrinkled). She was questioned some of the police officers were nice some less than nice. She showed them the device along with the doctors note (Oh, the woman had informed the original TSA agents that she had a doctors note. I'm not sure whether the agents asked to see it---if they didn't then isn't that their screw up). It took awhile before everyone felt sure that this was, in fact, an insulin pump. I was told that in the end the police officers told the woman that she had done nothing wrong and this was entirely on the TSA . . . . http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/01/tsa_insulin_pump_gun_lax.php
La Guardia TSA “forgets” about possible pipe bombsTSA officials have been blasted for 'outrageous' bungling after it emerged that they found two possible pipe bombs in a passenger’s luggage at New York's La Guardia Airport yesterday - but waited six hours before telling the police.
The suspicious objects were kept in a public area used by hundreds of passengers, and at one point were left casually resting on a radiator.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094287/TSA-agents-2-pipe-bombs-airport-waited-6-HOURS-calling-cops.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The suspicious objects were kept in a public area used by hundreds of passengers, and at one point were left casually resting on a radiator.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094287/TSA-agents-2-pipe-bombs-airport-waited-6-HOURS-calling-cops.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
TSA agent arrested at D/FW Airport for stealing iPads
D/FW AIRPORT - Police arrested Clayton Keith Dovel, a Transportation Security Administration baggage inspector at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Terminal E, for stealing iPads from checked luggage. Dovel works in the terminal, but unlike the security checkpoints where passengers are screened, the 35-year-old TSA employee works in an out-of-sight position in what's called the "Resolution Room" where checked luggage is screened by hand. That's where police say they think Dovel took iPads that travelers packed away.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/TSA-agent-arrested-at-DFW-Airport-for-stealing-iPads-138455504.html
D/FW AIRPORT - Police arrested Clayton Keith Dovel, a Transportation Security Administration baggage inspector at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Terminal E, for stealing iPads from checked luggage. Dovel works in the terminal, but unlike the security checkpoints where passengers are screened, the 35-year-old TSA employee works in an out-of-sight position in what's called the "Resolution Room" where checked luggage is screened by hand. That's where police say they think Dovel took iPads that travelers packed away.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/TSA-agent-arrested-at-DFW-Airport-for-stealing-iPads-138455504.html
Eight TSA agents suspended at Newark Airport for 'sleeping on job and stealing from luggage'
Some screeners even spotted 'not checking luggage'
Some screeners even spotted 'not checking luggage'
Hidden cameras 'caught' staff at Newark Terminal B
One screener expected to be sacked after blunder
Terminal is eighth-worst in world, recent survey said
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094017/Eight-TSA-agents-suspended-Newark-Airport-sleeping-job-stealing-luggage.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094017/Eight-TSA-agents-suspended-Newark-Airport-sleeping-job-stealing-luggage.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
TSA agent charged with JFK theft, latest in series
NEW YORK — A Transportation Security Administration agent stole $5,000 in cash from a passenger's jacket as he was going through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said Thursday, the latest in a string of thefts that has embarrassed the agency.
Alexandra Schmid took the cash from a Bangladeshi passenger's jacket as it went along an X-ray conveyor belt Wednesday night in Terminal 4, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's police force.
Surveillance video showed Schmid taking the money from a jacket pocket, wrapping the money in a plastic glove and taking it to a bathroom, Della Fave said.
The money hasn't been recovered, he said. Police are investigating whether Schmid gave it to another person in the bathroom.
Wednesday's arrest came the same day that a federal judge sentenced former TSA screener Ricky German to eight months in prison for trying to steal a laptop from a passenger at the Memphis airport in December 2010. German was convicted of theft by a government employee, depriving a citizen of his rights and making false statements.
The cases are part of a series of recent theft allegations against TSA employees:— Last month, an agent who worked searching checked luggage at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was suspended after the owner of a stolen iPad used the tracking feature on the device to locate it at the agent's home. Police found seven other iPads there.
—On Jan. 10, former TSA agent Paul Yashou pleaded guilty to stealing a $15,000 watch from a passenger's belongings at Los Angeles International Airport in May. He is awaiting sentencing.
— Two other former TSA agents at JFK were sentenced on Jan. 10 to six months in jail and five years' probation for stealing $40,000 from a piece of luggage in January 2011. The agents, Coumar Persad and Davon Webb, had pleaded guilty to grand larceny, obstructing governmental administration and official misconduct.
— Also in January, authorities charged an agent at Miami International Airport with swiping items and luggage and smuggling them out of the airport in a hidden pocket of his work jacket. He was arrested after one of the items, an iPad, was spotted for sale on Craigslist. Another TSA employee was arrested in July at nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after an airline employee reported that the man slipped an iPad into his pants.
— In December, police charged a TSA screener at New York's LaGuardia Airport with lifting a laptop after a Detroit-bound passenger left it behind at the security station.
— Earlier last year, a TSA supervisor and one of his officers pleaded guilty in a scheme that lifted $10,000 to $30,000 from passengers' belongings at Newark Liberty International Airport. A federal judge sentenced the supervisor, Michael Arato, to 2½ years in prison and his subordinate, Al Raimi, to six months of home confinement.
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP9e3edbb58b4148f1bcf4de10d01479c1.html
Alexandra Schmid took the cash from a Bangladeshi passenger's jacket as it went along an X-ray conveyor belt Wednesday night in Terminal 4, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's police force.
Surveillance video showed Schmid taking the money from a jacket pocket, wrapping the money in a plastic glove and taking it to a bathroom, Della Fave said.
The money hasn't been recovered, he said. Police are investigating whether Schmid gave it to another person in the bathroom.
Wednesday's arrest came the same day that a federal judge sentenced former TSA screener Ricky German to eight months in prison for trying to steal a laptop from a passenger at the Memphis airport in December 2010. German was convicted of theft by a government employee, depriving a citizen of his rights and making false statements.
The cases are part of a series of recent theft allegations against TSA employees:— Last month, an agent who worked searching checked luggage at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was suspended after the owner of a stolen iPad used the tracking feature on the device to locate it at the agent's home. Police found seven other iPads there.
—On Jan. 10, former TSA agent Paul Yashou pleaded guilty to stealing a $15,000 watch from a passenger's belongings at Los Angeles International Airport in May. He is awaiting sentencing.
— Two other former TSA agents at JFK were sentenced on Jan. 10 to six months in jail and five years' probation for stealing $40,000 from a piece of luggage in January 2011. The agents, Coumar Persad and Davon Webb, had pleaded guilty to grand larceny, obstructing governmental administration and official misconduct.
— Also in January, authorities charged an agent at Miami International Airport with swiping items and luggage and smuggling them out of the airport in a hidden pocket of his work jacket. He was arrested after one of the items, an iPad, was spotted for sale on Craigslist. Another TSA employee was arrested in July at nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after an airline employee reported that the man slipped an iPad into his pants.
— In December, police charged a TSA screener at New York's LaGuardia Airport with lifting a laptop after a Detroit-bound passenger left it behind at the security station.
— Earlier last year, a TSA supervisor and one of his officers pleaded guilty in a scheme that lifted $10,000 to $30,000 from passengers' belongings at Newark Liberty International Airport. A federal judge sentenced the supervisor, Michael Arato, to 2½ years in prison and his subordinate, Al Raimi, to six months of home confinement.
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP9e3edbb58b4148f1bcf4de10d01479c1.html
Newark in knots amid TSA blundersBy PHILIP MESSING
Last Updated: 12:33 AM, February 2, 2012
Last Updated: 12:33 AM, February 2, 2012
A series of stupid screw-ups by screeners at Newark Airport yesterday closed down a terminal for three hours, delayed 11 flights, and forced the rescreening of nearly 200 angry people, The Post has learned.
The comedy of errors began about 11 a.m. when a Transportation Security Administration agent decided a passenger’s bag had to be rescreened.
But somehow, the wrong bag was picked up — and the owner of the suspect luggage was allowed to carry it through security.
Seven minutes later, after realizing the mistake and discovering that nobody could describe the owner of the bag, the agents closed the checkpoint to review security video.
Entire terminal closed, people delayed, missed flights, everyone re-screened.
Woman found – innocuous passenger with harmless bottle of perfume.
Women say they’re singled out by TSA
February 3, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/1432/news/women-say-theyre-singled-out-by-tsa/
February 3, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/1432/news/women-say-theyre-singled-out-by-tsa/
TSA pulls down man's pants. Man arrested for Public Indecency and Disorderly Conduct.YouTube Video Uploaded by JayveMontgomery on Jan 31, 2012 about incident in June 2011:On June 19, 2011, after the Transportation Security Agency pulled my pants down, I was arrested at BNA for refusing to pick up my pants until I was informed as to whether the search was complete. I never got the answer to my request, "Is the search over?" The resolution search that I agreed to after my 3"x4" microfiber cloth had been picked up as an anomaly in the millimeter wave scanner, is the same search that Senator Rand Paul (KY) refused. I am a frequent flyer, having A-list status with Southwest and flying through Nashville 3 dozen times in the past 2 years. I now opt out of the millimeter wave scanner and maintain an informal record of the search procedures of the TSA. The grab and pull of my pant legs seen in this video was not necessary as all the TSA searches I have received before and after the incident have proven.I am looking for a lawyer to sue the TSA. The charges of Disorderly Conduct and Public Indecency are unjust. One officer, Robbie Keeler, was heard stating, "I think we're stretchin' it on the Public Indecency, but what the hell?! Have him tell it to the commissioner. I would like to charge the all officers involved, Officer Hardini Carter and Officer Robert Merritt, round up the pack. TSA agents Seth James and Lee (badge# 74020) are also liable. The first thing Agent Lee said upon standing up after pulling down my pants was, "Pick up your pants." When I asked, "Is the search over?", his response was, "Pick up your pants, sir!" His supervisor Seth James, could only offer snide remarks and the same "Pick up your pants!" command. I explained, "Is the search over? Because if the search is over, I will pull up my pants and grab my stuff." The TSA Agents and the Police Officers had no intention of respecting my right to know whether the search was complete.
This video was obtained by requesting it from Bob Watson and Terri Barnhart. The TSA records at double time. 714p_thru_725p_11-01025_061911.mpg
This video was obtained by requesting it from Bob Watson and Terri Barnhart. The TSA records at double time. 714p_thru_725p_11-01025_061911.mpg
As you are watching the video remember these questions:
As American citizens, have we or have we not, the right to know whether a search we voluntarily submit for is complete or if it shall continue indefinitely?
Is it TSA policy to submit American citizens to submission by dehumanization?
Am I prepared with the phone number of a friend or relative with a land line telephone, in the event that I attempt to keep my dignity at the airport?
Are the police liable for false arrest when they themselves reviewed the surveillance video and thought the charge of Public Indecency to be a stretch?
Watch out Americans. There are government agencies that do not respect your right, nor you dignity.
I am looking for a lawyer who believes in justice for American citizens. It has taken me nearly 8 months to even post this video on youtube and start to solicit the lawyer help, because the psychological toll this incident has taken can be unruly at times.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7XCIvDpawI
TSA Cover-up Investigation
by Wendey Halloran - Feb. 3, 2012 09:08 PM
by Wendey Halloran - Feb. 3, 2012 09:08 PM
12 News Investigative Reporter
A loaded gun went through security at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, a 12 News investigation revealed.
A loaded gun went through security at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, a 12 News investigation revealed.
The incident, which happened on December 27, 2008, involved a cover-up and policy violations by Transportation Security Administration managers and remained hidden from public knowledge for three years.
A whistleblower says, "There are people that are in high management at TSA that were involved in a major cover-up."
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2012/02/03/20120203arizona-tsa-investigation-gun-coverup.html
Here's what the report shows the Agent documented:
Here's what the report shows the Agent documented:
At 12:11 p.m. the TSA manager enters lane 5 reporting for work. At 12:13 p.m. he puts his briefcase on the conveyor belt for screening. At 12:16 p.m. he enters the checkpoint through the walk-through magnetometer. Then at 12:17 p.m. as the briefcase moves into the X-ray scanner, the TSA manager demonstrates anxiety over his property in the X-ray tube. At 12:17 p.m. a Lead Transportation Security Officer signals to Supervisory Transportation Security Officer Mike Hales, the firearm signal with his hands. At 12:18 p.m. Hales recognizes the employee who brought the gun and responds to him in lane 5. Hales then signals towards the supervisor's desk appearing to stop the required call to the Phoenix Police Department, Airport Bureau.
At 12:19 p.m. Hales takes the briefcase from the X-ray. One minute later, Hales and the TSA manager exit the checkpoint and walk into the airport side of the checkpoint off camera. The TSA manager then walks out of the airport, still carrying the loaded gun with one in the chamber and a magazine.
The whistleblower maintains, "This was a cover-up, this was despicable. It's the most egregious thing I've ever seen while I've been with the TSA."http://www.azcentral.com/12news/new...a-tsa-investigation-gun-coverup.html#comments
On becoming an 'opt-out'
by Danny Schechter
13 February 2012
I had been debating with myself, and a few friends, about whether or not to accept an invitation to attend a film conference in Iran. The argument against going is that by travelling there, you validate a dictatorial police state.
But with so few American journalists going to Tehran these days, I felt a higher duty to attend. The first step in the long trip from New York was getting in line for an inspection by that uniformed Army called the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), a $5bn agency that insists it is only there to keep us safe.
Talk about a police state.
There is no question that one consequence of its rigorous procedures is to teach the public how to be compliant and follow orders. It's a manifestation of a certain "friendly fascism" ushered in by 9/11, what the Right denounces in other areas as a nanny state.
. . . Humiliation or retaliation?
While all my stuff was going through one machine, I was steered to another, one of those supposedly safe body scanners where I was supposed to stand, hands up, as if I were being busted or guilty of something. I decided then and there to seek an alternative. In TSA parlance, I became an "opt-out" and now had to go through a "standard male pat". The problem was that there was no one there to do it, so I ended up standing around for 10-15 minutes, no doubt as an example to those who don't follow orders.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/20122310107509725.html
by Danny Schechter
13 February 2012
I had been debating with myself, and a few friends, about whether or not to accept an invitation to attend a film conference in Iran. The argument against going is that by travelling there, you validate a dictatorial police state.
But with so few American journalists going to Tehran these days, I felt a higher duty to attend. The first step in the long trip from New York was getting in line for an inspection by that uniformed Army called the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), a $5bn agency that insists it is only there to keep us safe.
Talk about a police state.
There is no question that one consequence of its rigorous procedures is to teach the public how to be compliant and follow orders. It's a manifestation of a certain "friendly fascism" ushered in by 9/11, what the Right denounces in other areas as a nanny state.
. . . Humiliation or retaliation?
While all my stuff was going through one machine, I was steered to another, one of those supposedly safe body scanners where I was supposed to stand, hands up, as if I were being busted or guilty of something. I decided then and there to seek an alternative. In TSA parlance, I became an "opt-out" and now had to go through a "standard male pat". The problem was that there was no one there to do it, so I ended up standing around for 10-15 minutes, no doubt as an example to those who don't follow orders.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/20122310107509725.html
I have my own long story about recently having to be patted down repeatedly (after my first pat down and suitcase search) inexplicably and mistakenly set their faulty TSA machines off. The protocol after a TSA machine has gone off is for all personal items, including toiletries and underwear to be emptied, hand searched, and then loaded into bins separately. Then I had to be patted down more thoroughly by a different independent TSA a second time which had to be witnessed by others. My suitcase was torn apart but a second TSA machine mistakenly went off. Finally the 3rd machine worked and after an hour of this search delay, just as I thought they were going to strip me nude, I had to throw all my stuff back in and run through the airport with my shoes untied to make my plane.It would make a funny story if I was a stand-up comedian but otherwise it was a nightmare.
The "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say was that the TSA searches occurred as I was heading to give a speech on "civil liberties vs national security". Ha!
-Colleen Rowley, Feb 11, 2012http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/20122310107509725.html#comment-435681769
The "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say was that the TSA searches occurred as I was heading to give a speech on "civil liberties vs national security". Ha!
-Colleen Rowley, Feb 11, 2012http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/20122310107509725.html#comment-435681769
Security breach – again – prompts shut-down of terminal and rescreenings – again -- at Newark airport – again Saturday Feb 11, 2012
Passengers in a section of Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport had to be rescreened at a security checkpoint Saturday evening after a 32-year-old man walked unchecked through an area reserved for passengers exiting planes.
. . . Saturday’s incident echoed the 2010 case of Rutgers doctoral student Haisong Jiang, who was fined $3,000 by the Transportation Security Administration after ducking past security to kiss his girlfriend goodbye. Jiang, too, had walked through an area reserved for exiting passengers. That incident caused a six-hour shutdown of Terminal C and the rescreening of passengers.
. . .Earlier this month Newark’s Terminal A was locked down for two hours after screeners lost track of a carry-on bag flagged for additional security checks. A passenger who had picked up the bag was rescreened without incident. http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/airports_aviation/021112_Man_eager_to_greet_wife_causes_security_breach_at_Newark_airport.html
Passengers in a section of Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport had to be rescreened at a security checkpoint Saturday evening after a 32-year-old man walked unchecked through an area reserved for passengers exiting planes.
. . . Saturday’s incident echoed the 2010 case of Rutgers doctoral student Haisong Jiang, who was fined $3,000 by the Transportation Security Administration after ducking past security to kiss his girlfriend goodbye. Jiang, too, had walked through an area reserved for exiting passengers. That incident caused a six-hour shutdown of Terminal C and the rescreening of passengers.
. . .Earlier this month Newark’s Terminal A was locked down for two hours after screeners lost track of a carry-on bag flagged for additional security checks. A passenger who had picked up the bag was rescreened without incident. http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/airports_aviation/021112_Man_eager_to_greet_wife_causes_security_breach_at_Newark_airport.html
As I write this, I have just been assaulted by a TSA agent. I went throught their little machine and was waiting to be allowed to leave. The TSA agent then said to me I have to check this area, ok? Before she had even said this she had already grabbed my breast. She did not check me with the back of her hand, she did not give me a chance to do or say anything. I am the victim of sexual assault before and this was extremely traumatic. I will likely have nightmares for weeks and will need to change business plans as I do not feel able to fly again.
Posted by Rebecca on 02/13 at 09:48 AMFebruary 13, 2012http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/assault-by-tsa/
Posted by Rebecca on 02/13 at 09:48 AMFebruary 13, 2012http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/assault-by-tsa/
TSA Tampa Florida Airport, Tampa, Florida Complaints & Reviews - stolen money
TSA Agent steals $100 from passengerhttp://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/tsa-tampa-florida-airport-tampa-florida-c588223.html#c1168487
TSA Agent steals $100 from passengerhttp://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/tsa-tampa-florida-airport-tampa-florida-c588223.html#c1168487
A new take on courtesy, dignity, and respect from the TSA
by Seth Miller
. . . Yes, the agency that maintains as a primary treating "all passengers with courtesy, dignity, and respect during the security screening processes" was, in fact, reaching down some guys pants out in the middle of the airport.
I was dumbfounded. I still am, quite frankly.
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2012/02/a-new-take-on-courtesy-dignity-and-respect-from-the-tsa/
by Seth Miller
. . . Yes, the agency that maintains as a primary treating "all passengers with courtesy, dignity, and respect during the security screening processes" was, in fact, reaching down some guys pants out in the middle of the airport.
I was dumbfounded. I still am, quite frankly.
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2012/02/a-new-take-on-courtesy-dignity-and-respect-from-the-tsa/
Woman: TSA workers think I'm 'cute,' scanned me three times at Dallas airport
“Guys, it is not blurry, I'm letting her go.”Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 6:00 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 9:43 AM
“Guys, it is not blurry, I'm letting her go.”Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 6:00 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 9:43 AM
A Dallas woman says she was forced to undergo three body scans by TSA workers because she has a "cute" figure - and she's not the only woman complaining about passenger "peep shows" at America’s airports.
The passenger, Ellen Terrell, is among a host of women who suspect they were randomly selected for body scans not because of any threat they posed, but because TSA workers wanted a closer look at their physiques, according to an investigation by CBS 11 in Dallas of more than 500 passenger complaints about the TSA."I feel I was targeted by the TSA employee to go through the see-you-naked machine because I am a semi-attractive female," according to one of the complaints reviewed by CBS.
Terrell’s story was brought to light by the Texas station during its investigation into the treatment of female passengers by the TSA. The report aired earlier this month.
According to the station, Terrell and her husband, Charlie, were traveling out of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport when her ordeal took place.
Terrell told the station she was "randomly selected" for a scan. The agent, she said, was communicating by microphone with TSA staffers in another room, whom Terrell alleged were trying repeatedly to record a better image of her.
The female agent asked her to enter the machine three times in the incident several months ago. But the agent eventually lost patience with the requests coming from the other room, she told CBS 11.
"She's talking into her microphone and she says 'it is not blurry, letting her go' and she says 'come on out,'" Terrell told the station.
CBS 11 said other female travelers can certainly relate to Terrell's experiences These are among the complaints filed by other women, CBS 11 reported:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-body-scanned-times-tsa-dallas-airport-i-a-cute-figure-article-1.1022803?localLinksEnabled=false
The passenger, Ellen Terrell, is among a host of women who suspect they were randomly selected for body scans not because of any threat they posed, but because TSA workers wanted a closer look at their physiques, according to an investigation by CBS 11 in Dallas of more than 500 passenger complaints about the TSA."I feel I was targeted by the TSA employee to go through the see-you-naked machine because I am a semi-attractive female," according to one of the complaints reviewed by CBS.
Terrell’s story was brought to light by the Texas station during its investigation into the treatment of female passengers by the TSA. The report aired earlier this month.
According to the station, Terrell and her husband, Charlie, were traveling out of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport when her ordeal took place.
Terrell told the station she was "randomly selected" for a scan. The agent, she said, was communicating by microphone with TSA staffers in another room, whom Terrell alleged were trying repeatedly to record a better image of her.
The female agent asked her to enter the machine three times in the incident several months ago. But the agent eventually lost patience with the requests coming from the other room, she told CBS 11.
"She's talking into her microphone and she says 'it is not blurry, letting her go' and she says 'come on out,'" Terrell told the station.
CBS 11 said other female travelers can certainly relate to Terrell's experiences These are among the complaints filed by other women, CBS 11 reported:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-body-scanned-times-tsa-dallas-airport-i-a-cute-figure-article-1.1022803?localLinksEnabled=false
RELATED: GABRIELLE UNION'S HAIR WEAVE FLAGGED BY TSA, THE ACTRESS SAYShttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-body-scanned-times-tsa-dallas-airport-i-a-cute-figure-article-1.1022803#ixzz1mT0E0Iya
“The Transportation Security Administration released surveillance video of what authorities say shows an unidentified man stealing a pricey Rolex watch that was left behind on a screening conveyor belt at a Florida airport.”More theft, this time with video proof. The TSA makes us vulnerable to theft. We have no way of knowing how many hundreds or thousands of times this happens. There's not a reporter to document every case. We can only extrapolate based on anecdotal evidence and logic.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/15/video-shows-rolex-watch-being-stolen-at-florida-airport-authorities-say/?test=latestnews#
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/15/video-shows-rolex-watch-being-stolen-at-florida-airport-authorities-say/?test=latestnews#
TSA Tampa Florida Airport - TheftPosted 2012-02-14 by Leonard Reizfeld
I traveled through security at Tampa Airport at approximately 7:30 pm on February 12, 2012. My blue back pack went through the metal detector and I had forgotten a can of sunscreen. I had put my wallet in the bag to make life easier. My bag was pulled from the line and an officer asked if he could go through my bag in front of me. I gave my permission and observed him. After finding the sunscreen and removing it, he took my bag back to the x ray machine. It seemed to take quite a while for my backpack to be returned to me. Today I discovered that a $100 bill which was emergency money was missing from my wallet.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/tsa-tampa-florida-airport-tampa-florida-c588223.html#c1168487
I traveled through security at Tampa Airport at approximately 7:30 pm on February 12, 2012. My blue back pack went through the metal detector and I had forgotten a can of sunscreen. I had put my wallet in the bag to make life easier. My bag was pulled from the line and an officer asked if he could go through my bag in front of me. I gave my permission and observed him. After finding the sunscreen and removing it, he took my bag back to the x ray machine. It seemed to take quite a while for my backpack to be returned to me. Today I discovered that a $100 bill which was emergency money was missing from my wallet.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/tsa-tampa-florida-airport-tampa-florida-c588223.html#c1168487
More complaints, including theft, about TSA – over 200 at this link as of February 17, 2012
http://www.complaintsboard.com/?search=tsa
http://www.complaintsboard.com/?search=tsa
On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 2:01 PM, emkahler@att.net <emkahler@att.net> wrote:
> I am relatively well-preserved 64-year-old woman who went through the body
> scanner at the San Diego Airport, hoping to get back to Austin, Tx without
> incident. As soon as I stepped out of the scanner, to which I acceded so
> that I could get home without a problem, I was told by a very young,
> apologetic male TSA agent that his older female superior had flagged my
> ponytail as a possible threat. After taking it down and shaking my hair
> out, I decided flying was out for me. This simply isn't right, it isn't
> keeping America safe, and American citizens shouldn't stand for it. I know.
> My relatives immigrated from Germany.
Email to Christopher Elliott, co-editor of TSA News.
Email to Christopher Elliott, co-editor of TSA News.
TSA Employee Charged With BriberyFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2012Shannon Gilliam, 29, of Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania was charged by information, unsealed today, with bribery, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Gilliam was employed as a Security Training Instructor with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and was assigned to the Philadelphia International Airport. Gilliam’s full-time responsibility was to conduct training for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) and to administer mandatory screening proficiency tests to TSOs who handle passenger and baggage screening at the Philadelphia International Airport. TSOs had to receive passing grades on annual, mandatory screening proficiency tests in order to continue employment as passenger and baggage screeners with TSA.
According to the information, between August and October of 2011, Gilliam accepted a bribe of $200 in exchange for ensuring a passing grade on the mandatory, annual certification examination by taking the test for the payee.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/pae/News/2012/Feb/gilliam_information.pdf
February 16, 2012Shannon Gilliam, 29, of Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania was charged by information, unsealed today, with bribery, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Gilliam was employed as a Security Training Instructor with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and was assigned to the Philadelphia International Airport. Gilliam’s full-time responsibility was to conduct training for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) and to administer mandatory screening proficiency tests to TSOs who handle passenger and baggage screening at the Philadelphia International Airport. TSOs had to receive passing grades on annual, mandatory screening proficiency tests in order to continue employment as passenger and baggage screeners with TSA.
According to the information, between August and October of 2011, Gilliam accepted a bribe of $200 in exchange for ensuring a passing grade on the mandatory, annual certification examination by taking the test for the payee.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/pae/News/2012/Feb/gilliam_information.pdf
TSA rummages through medicinesWhy I hate the TSA, Part MLVI
By Kyrie O’Connor, Deputy Managing Editor, Features, Houston Chronicle
By Kyrie O’Connor, Deputy Managing Editor, Features, Houston Chronicle
. . . But this time was different. I am of an age where I have one of those day-of-the-week pill boxes, the SMTWTFS kind. I know: dork. But it makes life simpler. Most of the daily pills are vitamins, but not all. I also, for reasons unclear even to me, had a warehouse-store-size bottle of aspirin in my suitcase.
Here’s the great part. When I got to my hotel and opened the suitcase, I discovered that TSA Guy had opened the aspirin bottle AND the pill dispenser AND closed neither. So my suitcase was filled with vitamins and pills and aspirin everywhere — in shoes, in bags, in pockets. Everywhere. Bad enough that I had to spend an hour cleaning up the mess, but I had to re-sort the daily pills into their compartments and hope I didn’t lose any.
Somebody’s got to explain this to me. I don’t much fit the profile of a drug dealer and, well, aspirin is aspirin and looks like aspirin. And really? The pill box? Really? And is that the best use of TSA time? Also, not closing them up again? Really?
My love for you is not growing, TSA.
http://blog.chron.com/memo/2012/02/why-i-hate-the-tsa-part-mlvi/
http://blog.chron.com/memo/2012/02/why-i-hate-the-tsa-part-mlvi/
TSA instructor accused of bribery
And another one
Derogatory 'Jeopardy' board launches TSA probe - CNN
Holy Cow Jenny TSA Sexual Assault Nipplegate Episode
Orlando International Airport
Video made Feb 21, 2012 by Jennifer Elaine Sisk“Holy Cow Jennifer” YouTube Channel
“On 2/19/2012 (I stated the wrong date in my video sorry) My breast was exposed by TSA as I was sexually assaulted and completely humiliated. Jennifer Elaine Sisk aka Jenny”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sthYZIf_xTA&feature=player_embedded
“On 2/19/2012 (I stated the wrong date in my video sorry) My breast was exposed by TSA as I was sexually assaulted and completely humiliated. Jennifer Elaine Sisk aka Jenny”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sthYZIf_xTA&feature=player_embedded
Jewelry stolen from carry-on during screening/patdownI recently returned from my 13-day vacation in Sarasota on 2/20/12 only to discover my precious jewelry was missing from my bag when I got home! It never left my side, other than going through security when I was pulled aside to be patted down, and then pulled aside again to have the sand tested in my other bag! I KNOW for a fact my precious Diamond/Gold Journey Necklace ($1200), my White Gold Diamond Loop earrings ($250) and my 18k Gold Mesh Bracelet ($600) were in my leather Satchel w/laptop, in the original 4"x4" Littman Jewelry Box when I left the hotel! :-( How do we stop these theives?? Better yet, how do we get over the fact that these people are in complete control of our lives and can take whatever they please from our baggage!! I am STILL mourning the loss of this jewelry, for BOTH the monetary value AND the sentimental value!!
Laurie Devaren, Friday, February 24, 2012 at 4:34 AM
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/jewelry-stolen-from-carry-on-during-screening-pat-down.2241/
Another minor security breach – again -- causes entire terminal to be dumped -- again
Friday, February 24, 2012A security breach at John F. Kennedy International Airport created delays Friday morning at Terminal 7.
CBS Station WCBS reports that at 6 a.m. a passenger in the terminal was flagged by TSA. The passenger went through a security checkpoint without being pulled aside and screened.
At this time, all passengers in Terminal 7 had to be re-screened.By 7:40 a.m. the issue was resolved and passengers were allowed to board their flights, though residual delays lingered.On Twitter, passengers stuck at the airport complained about the disruption: "JFK is insanity right now. Absolutely nothing is moving. People sleeping on luggage," tweeted Shanna Carpenter.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57384337/security-breach-at-jfk-airport/
Friday, February 24, 2012A security breach at John F. Kennedy International Airport created delays Friday morning at Terminal 7.
CBS Station WCBS reports that at 6 a.m. a passenger in the terminal was flagged by TSA. The passenger went through a security checkpoint without being pulled aside and screened.
At this time, all passengers in Terminal 7 had to be re-screened.By 7:40 a.m. the issue was resolved and passengers were allowed to board their flights, though residual delays lingered.On Twitter, passengers stuck at the airport complained about the disruption: "JFK is insanity right now. Absolutely nothing is moving. People sleeping on luggage," tweeted Shanna Carpenter.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57384337/security-breach-at-jfk-airport/
Another security “breach” – another terminal closed
SFO terminal reopens after oxygen bottles cause scare
USA Today, February 25, 2012Police evacuated a portion of one terminal at San Francisco International Airport after a suspicious package was spotted during a security screening. The terminal reopened about two hours later after no threat was found.
SFO terminal reopens after oxygen bottles cause scare
USA Today, February 25, 2012Police evacuated a portion of one terminal at San Francisco International Airport after a suspicious package was spotted during a security screening. The terminal reopened about two hours later after no threat was found.
Update at 8:10 p.m. ET: Authorities now say the suspicious items were two oxygen bottles in the carry-on bag of an elderly passenger in a wheelchair, KCBS reports.
TSA screeners became suspicious when the passenger said she was unaware of what was in the bag because she had not packed it. After the bomb squad determined the bottles posed no danger, the passenger was allowed to continue her trip.
Delta said 1,200 passengers on six flights were delayed by the temporary shutdown.
TSA screeners became suspicious when the passenger said she was unaware of what was in the bag because she had not packed it. After the bomb squad determined the bottles posed no danger, the passenger was allowed to continue her trip.
Delta said 1,200 passengers on six flights were delayed by the temporary shutdown.
And yet another:
Five people pass through unattended security checkpoint at Sacramento airportFebruary 25, 2012
Thus necessitating the closing down of yet another terminal, the re-screening of yet more people, the delay of yet more flights – that’s 6 such similar incidents in the past 5 weeks
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/25/4290758/sacramento-airport-security-checkpoint.html
Five people pass through unattended security checkpoint at Sacramento airportFebruary 25, 2012
Thus necessitating the closing down of yet another terminal, the re-screening of yet more people, the delay of yet more flights – that’s 6 such similar incidents in the past 5 weeks
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/25/4290758/sacramento-airport-security-checkpoint.html
I was violated by the TSA in Phoenixposted February 28, 2012
So last night we head back to the Phoenix airport. The missus, my boy, and his buddy all make it through the screening. I get the full body scanner treatment. Next thing you know I am asked to step aside. The TSA guy gets on the radio and is saying "Can I have a category red" or something like that. Two other male TSA guys come over and ask me to go over to the side area. The one guy, who is a higher rank as evidenced by the three strips on his epaulets, tells me that there was an "anomaly" detected by the scanning machine. He says that they have to do a private pat down.
Now, I know this is bull**** for two reasons. First, I am very familiar with TSA procedures having worked at a major airport with the TSA behind the scenes and I have friends who still work at the airport with TSA. The TSA does random pat downs of people without any "anomaly" showing up on the scanner. This is part of their standard procedures to pull somebody aside and give them the full treatment without anything suspicious appearing anywhere. Secondly, I am wearing loose shorts, tennis shoes, a polo shirt and nothing else. Every item I had I put in my carry on so as not to have anything on me. But, I don't want to delay things too much so I agree. We go over to this glass booth with frosted windows and go inside.
The supervisor starts up with this long winded explanation of what he has to do. I tell him that he can skip the monologue, I know that he is going to do a pat down and that I am very familiar with the process. He asks why and this is where my background comes out. The supervisor didn't even acknowledge it and it made no difference. He never even cracks a smile and keeps right on blabbing. I put up with it because I know he has to do it for legal reasons. Then the pat down begins. Now, I've done literally thousands of them myself. However, for the police the pat down includes patting around the groin area and for females, around the breasts. It is very thorough and mildly intrusive. Not so the TSA pat down. They actually pat down your ass and touch your groin on top of your clothes three times. When they go up your leg, they bobble your jewels a couple of times with the edge of their hands.As much as I was cooperating, I was steadily becoming pissed . . . .
FOX11 Investigates: LAX Molester
FOX 11 Investigative Video Report
Updated: Tuesday, 28 Feb 2012, 7:49 AM PST
Published : Monday, 27 Feb 2012, 11:40 PM PST
Airport police at LAX are supposed to protect the frequent flying public, but one officer, Michael Stauton is being investigated by the the District Attorney on assault charges.
We are told, if an airport officer or TSA worker says they need to take you to a private area to be searched, you have the right to request a witness.
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/investigative/fox-11-investigates-lax-molester-2012-02-27
FOX 11 Investigative Video Report
Updated: Tuesday, 28 Feb 2012, 7:49 AM PST
Published : Monday, 27 Feb 2012, 11:40 PM PST
Airport police at LAX are supposed to protect the frequent flying public, but one officer, Michael Stauton is being investigated by the the District Attorney on assault charges.
We are told, if an airport officer or TSA worker says they need to take you to a private area to be searched, you have the right to request a witness.
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/investigative/fox-11-investigates-lax-molester-2012-02-27
KITV4 Exclusive: TSA Admits Breast Pump Mistake(Rare instance of TSA admitting it’s wrong)March 1, 2012Transportation Safety Administration officials admit one of their agents at Kauai's Lihue Airport made a mistake by telling a Maui mother she could not carry her breast pump onboard the plane, while the milk bottles were empty. In an exclusive interview with KITV4 News, Amy Strand said she was traveling from Lihue to Maui Wednesday afternoon on business when she was flagged for additional screening. Strand with traveling with 9-month-old daughter Eva, and was carrying an electric breast feeding pump. Strand told her she could not bring the breast pump with her because the bottles were empty. When Strand asked for a private area to plug the machine into, to pump her breast milk, the agent reportedly told her to "go into the women's bathroom." ...
“There was a TSA agent in there using the restroom and I asked her if there was a private place to pump, and she said no,” Strand said. “I had to stand at the sink in my heels and dress pumping as travelers came and went. I was humiliated and fighting back tears. It confuses me why an ice pack and breast pump were a threat to national security.”http://www.kitv.com/news/30586280/detail.html
“There was a TSA agent in there using the restroom and I asked her if there was a private place to pump, and she said no,” Strand said. “I had to stand at the sink in my heels and dress pumping as travelers came and went. I was humiliated and fighting back tears. It confuses me why an ice pack and breast pump were a threat to national security.”http://www.kitv.com/news/30586280/detail.html
I had to go through Kauai twice with my breast pump and each time they gave me a hard time! The first time, they said they needed to test the milk that I had in there. I told the supervisor that they didn't need to. She declared that she never heard such a thing so I pulled up my Ipad the TSA website and READ it to her then let her read it! She huffled and said that they reserve the right to still check so I had to open all my bottles of breast milk, which had vaccuumed sealed, and expose them to the air and those morons breathing on it to be tested! They also claimed because I more than 3z in the bottles. She then took my name down so that if I complained, they would know who I was. The next time I went through, I had 3 oz in each bottle and they still made me go through the scanner again because of my 'gel pack' for the breast pump!
-Christy Mike Amanda Gabriel
http://www.kitv.com/news/30586280/detail.html
-Christy Mike Amanda Gabriel
http://www.kitv.com/news/30586280/detail.html
Model forced to expose bra during airport screeningAustralian lingerie model Miranda Kerr submitted to a security check at LAX Thursday and wound up revealing her lacy bra to fellow travelers. Maybe, the TSA should change its name to the Tn'A. What exactly is the purpose of forcing supermodels to disrobe in front of an airport full of strangers? Is this truly stopping terrorism? Either way, the 28-year-old wife of actor Orlando Bloom was dressed fashionably in an all-black ensemble when she went through a security checkpoint at LAX. Some people may enjoy a supermodel following the same rules as everyone else. But, face it: the TSA screening rules are moronic.
Last month, before getting on a plane headed for the Super Bowl in Indianopolis, Playboy Playmate Holly Madison endured a similarly embarassing scene at LAX. Fellow passengers ogled the sexy star of Holly's World while she undressed in front of them. Does this make you feel safer on airplanes?
http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981158191
Last month, before getting on a plane headed for the Super Bowl in Indianopolis, Playboy Playmate Holly Madison endured a similarly embarassing scene at LAX. Fellow passengers ogled the sexy star of Holly's World while she undressed in front of them. Does this make you feel safer on airplanes?
http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981158191
MORE WOMEN SPEAKING OUT ABOUT HUMILIATING EXPERIENCES WITH TSA
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=3072
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=3072
Tsa. Did body search. Clean gloves many pair. Came up explosives on me and me breaking up in tears all over the place. All tsa ladies were wonderful but how stupid all this energy was WASTED on ME thought i wad going to miss flight i became separated from my crap including watch and credentials
I'm still reeling from the tsa experience. first they couldn't hunt someone
down to do the pat down. Tom just went through the metal detector and
i don't know how we ended up with the scanners. bob went through but
i didn't want to...and you know the first woman i was with told me that
if she flew, she wouldn't go through them either. i told her I would
be worried about herself and the job standing right near them continuously
and that she should wear a gismo to read the output she sucks up. her
eyes lit up and she agreed.
that was only the start. she said they have to use new gloves every time
to get a fresh reading from the clothing.
When i failed they put me in the little room and i figured everything would
be ok but i failed there too!!!!! in BIG LETTERS!!!! by then there's a group
of tsa and i hear them saying they got one. maybe referring to lotion or
bomb material...didn't specify.
Later they tried to calm me down by saying it could be anything. WHAT???
I told them this was pretty stupid because they were wasting a lot of both
of our time. yatta, yatta.
- Patricia, 65-year-old grandmother. Incident happened at Chicago ORD flight 3694 March 1st to Newark, NJ. Flight was scheduled to depart at 12:10 but was delayed an hour.http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/a-cop-reports-i-was-violated-by-the-tsa-in-phoenix.2292/
- Patricia, 65-year-old grandmother. Incident happened at Chicago ORD flight 3694 March 1st to Newark, NJ. Flight was scheduled to depart at 12:10 but was delayed an hour.http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/a-cop-reports-i-was-violated-by-the-tsa-in-phoenix.2292/
As I write this, March 4, 2012, here’s the 7th similar incident in the past 6 weeks – entire terminal shut down, hundreds of people re-screened, dozens of flights missed/delayed, while the Keystone Kops run around: two in Newark, one in LA, two now in New York, one in San Francisco, and one in Sacramento. -LS
Lady With Dagger In Bag Gets Past TSA AT JFK Airport
The screening area at JetBlue's Terminal 5 was shut down for two hours and eventually the Port Authority police arrested Gabrielle Olsen, 26. The Post reports, "TSA agents had initially flagged her for having a bottle of liquid in her bag. The screeners confiscated the bottle but missed the antique knife, police sources said. It wasn’t until after she had departed the security-check area at 6:09 a.m. that the knife was identified on a screening-machine X-ray.
http://gothamist.com/2012/03/04/lady_with_dagger_in_bag_gets_past_t.php
Okay, it’s now one day later, March 5, 2012, and there has now been an 8th such incident, this one again at JFK, during a peak travel time –LSJFK terminal security checkpoint briefly closedThe TSA says a security checkpoint at a Kennedy Airport terminal was closed briefly after a passenger left the area before completing the screening. The incident occurred at a Jet Blue terminal. The checkpoint was closed from 7:10 a.m. to 7:32 a.m. Monday.
The screening area at JetBlue's Terminal 5 was shut down for two hours and eventually the Port Authority police arrested Gabrielle Olsen, 26. The Post reports, "TSA agents had initially flagged her for having a bottle of liquid in her bag. The screeners confiscated the bottle but missed the antique knife, police sources said. It wasn’t until after she had departed the security-check area at 6:09 a.m. that the knife was identified on a screening-machine X-ray.
http://gothamist.com/2012/03/04/lady_with_dagger_in_bag_gets_past_t.php
Okay, it’s now one day later, March 5, 2012, and there has now been an 8th such incident, this one again at JFK, during a peak travel time –LSJFK terminal security checkpoint briefly closedThe TSA says a security checkpoint at a Kennedy Airport terminal was closed briefly after a passenger left the area before completing the screening. The incident occurred at a Jet Blue terminal. The checkpoint was closed from 7:10 a.m. to 7:32 a.m. Monday.
The agency says the passenger was located past the checkpoint, rescreened and cleared to travel. All other passengers also were rescreened and the checkpoint was reopened.
http://www.wcax.com/story/17079254/jfk-terminal-security-checkpoint-briefly-closed
State ID wrongly rejected at airport
An 81-year-old Columbia Heights woman flying home recently got snagged in the Transportation Security Administration's dragnet at the airport in Fort Myers, Fla. Her son, Michael Jaruch, told Whistleblower that when his mother showed her state-issued nondriver ID card at the security checkpoint, the TSA agent rejected it because it had no expiration date.
http://www.startribune.com/local/141514893.html
http://www.wcax.com/story/17079254/jfk-terminal-security-checkpoint-briefly-closed
State ID wrongly rejected at airport
An 81-year-old Columbia Heights woman flying home recently got snagged in the Transportation Security Administration's dragnet at the airport in Fort Myers, Fla. Her son, Michael Jaruch, told Whistleblower that when his mother showed her state-issued nondriver ID card at the security checkpoint, the TSA agent rejected it because it had no expiration date.
http://www.startribune.com/local/141514893.html
Apparently a redditor, marvellously named Gynoceros, was travelling through Newark airport when the TSA confiscated his Giottos Rocket air puffer. This device is popular among photographers for its ability to gently blow away dust from delicate camera and lens parts. However, it apparently bears too strong a resemblance to a cartoon bomb to make it past security.“FYI — If you attempt to fly with a Giottos Rocket Blower (you know, rubber bulb you squeeze to force air down a nozzle to blow dust off your sensor — no metal, no moving parts), the TSA may confiscate it because it “looks like a bomb”, no questions asked.
Just f**king happened to me in Newark. I knew I’d get robbed in Newark one day.”
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/03/add-the-giottos-rocket-to-your-list-of-silly-things-banned-by-the-tsa/
Just f**king happened to me in Newark. I knew I’d get robbed in Newark one day.”
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/03/add-the-giottos-rocket-to-your-list-of-silly-things-banned-by-the-tsa/
Airport security not so secure for stolen iPad, travel writer learnsPosted Online: March 10, 2012, 6:00 pm
By Ellen Creager
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=584651
By Ellen Creager
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=584651
TSA Shake-down of quadruple amputee at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport (with video)Seeing is believing.
If this reporter had any doubts regarding the validity of all those outrageous tales of the TSA groping and abusing everyday American travellers, those doubts were crushed this past weekend.
Whilst entering security at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport, I opted out of the TSA’s naked body scanner, requesting instead to have an ‘enhanced pat-down’ at which time I was summarily escorted to a side area where one other traveller was sitting, both of us waiting for a full security check-out by TSA agents. This other traveller was none other than math teacher, motivational speaker, and Phoenix resident Jeff Lewis. He also happens to be a quadruple amputee who travels regularly and is well known by TSA agents at this airport. Nonetheless, Jeff is stopped each time he travels through, where the TSA devote extra special attention to checking his person along with all four of his artificial prosthetics for explosives and other phantom menaces that theoretically could be hidden somewhere.
http://www.infowars.com/outrageous-tsa-shake-down-quadruple-amputee-at-phoenix-airport/
http://www.infowars.com/outrageous-tsa-shake-down-quadruple-amputee-at-phoenix-airport/
Video by Kristen MeghanUploaded by ksterny on Mar 7, 2012I spent 9 years in the Air Force, I have a security clearance . . . I have PTSD, and my PTSD is due to sexual assault . . . I do not think I should have to stand in an x-ray scanner, with my arms spread wide open, as if a gun is pointed at me, so that some pervert looking at a screen . . . some random stranger who sees more than my gynecologist sees . . . and having to stand again so some person can feel my breasts, inside my cleavage, under my breasts, along the insides of my thighs, and near my labia. Up until the March on the White House, I hadn’t flown in two years, I refused to put myself through this, not just because it violated my rights but I would’ve bit the bullet for that one . . . I feared I would have a public breakdown. I’m a very strong person. But those of you who struggle with PTSD, you have triggers, you have triggers that set you off, and when I feel restricted, when I – it’s almost a claustrophobic feeling. So I would never stand in the x-ray scannaer with my arms held out, because I know I would either end up getting arrested or I would be publicly humiliated because I’d be shaking and crying. I can’t fathom the idea of why I cannot board an airplane without being sexually assaulted. Folks, it is sexual assault. It’s an unwarranted touch, comment, forceful use. I’m not asking to enter a nuclear facility where I should be, you know, patted down. I’m trying to get on a fucking plane. And for those of you who think you have the right to just tell those of us with disabilities – whether it’s a false hip, a false breast, or dealing with this form of PTSD – that we are wrong for not wanting to subject ourselves to that, you really should look at yourself in the mirror. There’s many people for many reasons who have avoided flying, and there are many people who refuse to comply with these procedures. So I just ask you: what do you think about when people say, ‘if you don’t like it, don’t fly – take your car, take the train.’ But folks, pretty soon it’s gonna be in the trains, and they’re gonna be on the streets . . . this is no joke. And I’m here to help wake you up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3TilB8p6Zc&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3TilB8p6Zc&feature=player_embedded
When a Phone Disappears at Airport Security, No One’s in Charge
Jerry Cain put his iPhone into the side pocket of his laptop bag and placed it in the X-ray machine at San Francisco International Airport in December, but moments later when he retrieved his bag and headed to his flight, he discovered the phone was gone.
He immediately returned to the security checkpoint and scoured the area, to no avail. Then he asked the gate’s security agents for help. No phones had been turned in, they said, and sent him away . . .
. . . Then I asked about filing a report, and insisted that the supervisor take my name and cellphone number, in case the phone was discovered. He reacted by instructing a gate agent to confiscate my belongings and to X-ray and search them, to see if I possessed the missing phone.Stunned, we left the checkpoint feeling frazzled and angry and decidedly poorer. The phone would cost $700 to replace.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/travel/the-case-of-a-stolen-iphone-at-a-san-francisco-airport.html
Jerry Cain put his iPhone into the side pocket of his laptop bag and placed it in the X-ray machine at San Francisco International Airport in December, but moments later when he retrieved his bag and headed to his flight, he discovered the phone was gone.
He immediately returned to the security checkpoint and scoured the area, to no avail. Then he asked the gate’s security agents for help. No phones had been turned in, they said, and sent him away . . .
. . . Then I asked about filing a report, and insisted that the supervisor take my name and cellphone number, in case the phone was discovered. He reacted by instructing a gate agent to confiscate my belongings and to X-ray and search them, to see if I possessed the missing phone.Stunned, we left the checkpoint feeling frazzled and angry and decidedly poorer. The phone would cost $700 to replace.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/travel/the-case-of-a-stolen-iphone-at-a-san-francisco-airport.html
Child Abuse
uploaded March 17, 2012TSA swabs, manhandles, terrifies 3-year-old child in wheelchair at Chicago O’Hare
- child is trembling, asks father for hug – TSA tells parents “Don’t touch your child”(Child’s name is Rocco DuBiel, father is Matt DuBiel)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNO-AzPxS4U&feature=player_embedded
uploaded March 17, 2012TSA swabs, manhandles, terrifies 3-year-old child in wheelchair at Chicago O’Hare
- child is trembling, asks father for hug – TSA tells parents “Don’t touch your child”(Child’s name is Rocco DuBiel, father is Matt DuBiel)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNO-AzPxS4U&feature=player_embedded
TSA agent from Baltimore County indicted on federal child porn chargesA former TSA agent from Baltimore County has been indicted on federal child porn charges. Michael Scott Wilson, of Perry Hall, was previously charged in Baltimore County on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography and was scheduled for trial in April. But court record show those charges were dropped last week.
Wilson's attorney, Robert Bonsib, says similar charges have been filed against his client in federal court. A records search shows that in February, the 41-year-old man was indicted on two counts of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court.
According to court documents, Wilson was allegedly found in possession of a video, "depicting a prepubescent female engaged in masturbation and anal sex with an adult male". Those same documents show Wilson was also in possession of an image of a naked teenage girl. At the time of his arrest in Baltimore County last fall, Wilson was employed as a TSA agent at BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport. His attorney says Wilson is not back with the agency.
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/crime_checker/baltimore_county_crime/former-tsa-agent-from-baltimore-county-indicted-on-federal-porn-charges
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/crime_checker/baltimore_county_crime/former-tsa-agent-from-baltimore-county-indicted-on-federal-porn-charges
Uniformed TSA screener busted in drug raid
A TSA screener at Newark Airport was recently busted in a major heroin den near her workplace — still wearing her spiffy, government-issued uniform, authorities said. Samirah Saunders, 22, and two other women were collared in the March 6 raid at 86 Wainwright St. in Newark, just around the corner from an elementary school and a spot where cops found a load of ready-for-street-sale heroin, according to sources and court records. Two other suspects, Gavin Barker, 23, and Mariyah Sanders, 20, were also arrested.
It wasn’t clear whether Saunders was still on duty or was going to or from work. She’s accused of helping to distribute the 1,400 packets of heroin, stamped “Green Lantern” and “P Dope” in green ink, confiscated from the apartment, according to court records. The fact that the pad was near a school resulted in Saunders’ being hit with an additional felony charge of possessing or distributing heroin within 1,000 feet of a school.
In her mug shot, a somber Saunders was still wearing her blue TSA uniform blouse, adorned with black epaulets.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/uniformed_tsa_screener_busted_in_RuJhwOv5tdqOWIgao5GMkI
A TSA screener at Newark Airport was recently busted in a major heroin den near her workplace — still wearing her spiffy, government-issued uniform, authorities said. Samirah Saunders, 22, and two other women were collared in the March 6 raid at 86 Wainwright St. in Newark, just around the corner from an elementary school and a spot where cops found a load of ready-for-street-sale heroin, according to sources and court records. Two other suspects, Gavin Barker, 23, and Mariyah Sanders, 20, were also arrested.
It wasn’t clear whether Saunders was still on duty or was going to or from work. She’s accused of helping to distribute the 1,400 packets of heroin, stamped “Green Lantern” and “P Dope” in green ink, confiscated from the apartment, according to court records. The fact that the pad was near a school resulted in Saunders’ being hit with an additional felony charge of possessing or distributing heroin within 1,000 feet of a school.
In her mug shot, a somber Saunders was still wearing her blue TSA uniform blouse, adorned with black epaulets.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/uniformed_tsa_screener_busted_in_RuJhwOv5tdqOWIgao5GMkI
TSA agent arrested for involvement in meth ..
Mar 21, 2012 6:30 PM CST
A Transportation Security Agent at Nashville International Airport remains behind bars Wednesday in connection to a Maury County meth operation.
Members of the Maury County drug task force made the discovery at an apartment Tuesday night in Columbia, during a normal probation and parole check on one of the residents.
However, what the officers discovered was the pungent smell of an alleged "cook" in progress.
Police said two people were taken into custody, including Erin Barger, a 29-year-old TSA screener.
http://m.wkrn.com/default.aspx?pid=2705&wnfeedurl=http://www.wkrn.com/story/17215103/tsa-agent-arrested-for-involvement-in-meth-operation?clienttype%3drssstory
http://m.wkrn.com/default.aspx?pid=2705&wnfeedurl=http://www.wkrn.com/story/17215103/tsa-agent-arrested-for-involvement-in-meth-operation?clienttype%3drssstory
TSA agent’s ignorance costs Marine mementoUnwilling to believe a U.S. Marine about a wooden paddle he was carrying, the TSA confiscated it. . . He was wearing civilian clothes but said he was a Marine coming back from overseas. He tried to explain that the paddle was special. He couldn’t understand why he was able to take it with him on the longer international flight but not on the short domestic flight. He asked if he could speak to the captain and crew to see if they would object to him carrying it with him.
She told him she understood somewhat but she was not letting him proceed with it.
She had a grip on the paddle, and she called out to others, “He’s not listening. Where’s security?”
At that point, Walden reluctantly relinquished the paddle. He didn’t want to cause an incident.
The TSA worker assured him she would hand-deliver the paddle, that it would be placed with checked items and would get to him.
But at the San Diego airport, the paddle never showed up. He waited, made calls, and spent hours trying to find the irreplaceable paddle.
For nearly four years, the paddle had disappeared . . . .http://www.kansas.com/2012/03/23/2268393/a-powerful-symbol-comes-back-to.html
She told him she understood somewhat but she was not letting him proceed with it.
She had a grip on the paddle, and she called out to others, “He’s not listening. Where’s security?”
At that point, Walden reluctantly relinquished the paddle. He didn’t want to cause an incident.
The TSA worker assured him she would hand-deliver the paddle, that it would be placed with checked items and would get to him.
But at the San Diego airport, the paddle never showed up. He waited, made calls, and spent hours trying to find the irreplaceable paddle.
For nearly four years, the paddle had disappeared . . . .http://www.kansas.com/2012/03/23/2268393/a-powerful-symbol-comes-back-to.html
Man forced to take off pants in public to satisfy TSA. . . at KBDL getting onto a plane, I told TSA that I had a HIP replacement and that I would most certainly set off the ALARMS... I was told to walk through the metal detector anyway. Sure as the Sun sets...ALARMS started going off with FLASHING RED LIGHTS...kind of embarrassing if you ask me. I was then told to remove my belt. I said I am not wearing a belt, The TSA agent called me a LIAR. So to satisfy his need to know, I lifted my shirt and said see I am NOT wearing a belt. I was then forced into a private viewing area for a complete pat down, and was told to show my SCAR from my surgery. I said are you kidding.
Sir if you do not comply we will detain you. So down went the pants and down went the underwear and I said see!-Thomas Hynes, Hartford, CT, March 25, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/934/news/police-taser-man-at-sacramento-tsa-checkpoint/#comment-475861237
Sir if you do not comply we will detain you. So down went the pants and down went the underwear and I said see!-Thomas Hynes, Hartford, CT, March 25, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/934/news/police-taser-man-at-sacramento-tsa-checkpoint/#comment-475861237
I've been opting out of the scanners ever since the TSA at LAX took advantage of the fact that I can't see then when I'm in the scanner to steal a $1500 watch. (Eventually, an LAX TSA Officer, Paul Yashau was arrested for stealing watches, but mine was never recovered.)
-Reuven Avram, posted March 25, 2012
http://www.elliott.org/the-navigator/tsa-body-scanners-apparent-flaw-raises-airport-security-concerns/#comment-476209503
-Reuven Avram, posted March 25, 2012
http://www.elliott.org/the-navigator/tsa-body-scanners-apparent-flaw-raises-airport-security-concerns/#comment-476209503
Okay, it’s now March 28 2012, as I type this, and there has now been a 9th such incident in the past 3 months of closing down an entire terminal –LS:
BWI terminal shut down after security gaffe
WASHINGTON - A terminal was shut down at BWI Marshall Airport Tuesday evening after a woman got past security without being fully screened.
The passenger was carrying a hand grenade lighter in her bag, ABC 7 reports. She had accidentally left it in there before going through security.
A BWI spokesman says the Transportation Security Administration asked them to shut down piers A and B around 8:50 p.m. until the woman could be found and re-screened.
The shutdown lasted about 30 minutes, but operations have since returned to normal.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=86&sid=2804345
WASHINGTON - A terminal was shut down at BWI Marshall Airport Tuesday evening after a woman got past security without being fully screened.
The passenger was carrying a hand grenade lighter in her bag, ABC 7 reports. She had accidentally left it in there before going through security.
A BWI spokesman says the Transportation Security Administration asked them to shut down piers A and B around 8:50 p.m. until the woman could be found and re-screened.
The shutdown lasted about 30 minutes, but operations have since returned to normal.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=86&sid=2804345
TSA Manager arrested for running prostitution ringSILVER SPRING, Md. - Montgomery County Police have arrested a TSA manager for running a prostitution ring out of a Silver Spring hotel. Bryant Livingston was arrested at his job at Dulles International Airport where he worked as a morning shift manager.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/tsa-manager-arrested-for-running-prostitution-ring-032812#ixzz1qRU4BAoW
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/tsa-manager-arrested-for-running-prostitution-ring-032812#ixzz1qRU4BAoW
And sexual assault victim Sommer Gentry (quoted elsewhere in this document) has had dealings with this now-arrested TSA agent:. . . In fact, a Transportation Security Manager did present himself at the checkpoint that day to see to it that I was either electronically strip-searched or sexually fondled to his satisfaction. That man’s name was Bryant Livingston. I still have his card on my desk.
http://tsanewsblog.com/2204/news/tsa-agents-arrested-at-dulles-airport/
http://tsanewsblog.com/2204/news/tsa-agents-arrested-at-dulles-airport/
Radio/TV host and author Amy Goodman:
While flying the past few weekends, I refused to go through the scanners, which is every passenger’s right, although the option is almost never indicated anywhere (the Collins bill also requires clear signage). I was made to wait while TSA employees were clearly available to conduct what is euphemistically called an “enhanced pat-down.” The agent’s aggressive questioning of my decision to “opt out” was matched only by her aggressive pat-down when I would not give in.
Arriving back in New York, a friend who had just flown in from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport recounted how the TSA agent had her hands down the front of my friend’s pants and said, “Feels like you’ve lost some weight”!http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/forget_fear_of_flying_fear_airport_screening_20120328/
Arriving back in New York, a friend who had just flown in from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport recounted how the TSA agent had her hands down the front of my friend’s pants and said, “Feels like you’ve lost some weight”!http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/forget_fear_of_flying_fear_airport_screening_20120328/
Wow, I'm a 17 year old girl who just got back from a school trip on Sunday night, just a few days before you posted this. Our group flew from Dulles on the way out... And wouldn't you know, every single girl (15-18 years old) was body scanned and/or patted down, but zero of the boys were. I felt uncomfortable but was assuming they had a reason, but /this/...this makes me feel scared and angry and violated. Who knows why, maybe they had a reason or maybe they just wanted to look at a bunch of naked young women.
posted by Kate, March 28, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/2204/news/tsa-agents-arrested-at-dulles-airport/#comment-479817789
posted by Kate, March 28, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/2204/news/tsa-agents-arrested-at-dulles-airport/#comment-479817789
I hate the TSA! When I was at Fort Lauderdale in 2010 they were separating the women from men and I was to tired to opt out and when in the box. When I a tsa man was talking to the box and said to me "Why don't you do some jumping jacks for us."
I was 23 at the time I'm 5ft tall and 105 pounds. I was flying alone.
When I got to the terminal I wrote the tsa a nasty letter. They took months and "investigated" and said there wasn't footage to produce any further.
I remember the way he said it and his voice. The rest of the time I felt completely uncomformably and unsafe
-posted by Evil TSA, March 29, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/2204/news/tsa-agents-arrested-at-dulles-airport/#comment-480086183
I was 23 at the time I'm 5ft tall and 105 pounds. I was flying alone.
When I got to the terminal I wrote the tsa a nasty letter. They took months and "investigated" and said there wasn't footage to produce any further.
I remember the way he said it and his voice. The rest of the time I felt completely uncomformably and unsafe
-posted by Evil TSA, March 29, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/2204/news/tsa-agents-arrested-at-dulles-airport/#comment-480086183
Rep. Issa recites Facebook TSA complaints
By Keith Laing - 03/26/12 04:50 PM ET
During a joint hearing of Issa's Oversight committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Issa asked the agency to respond directly to online complaints. "We opened up this hearing to Facebook," Issa said before launching into the first of four online complaints he read.
By Keith Laing - 03/26/12 04:50 PM ET
During a joint hearing of Issa's Oversight committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Issa asked the agency to respond directly to online complaints. "We opened up this hearing to Facebook," Issa said before launching into the first of four online complaints he read.
"For example Joe Corica," Issa continued. "He's a U.S. Marine. He was flying in his "Dress Blues" -D uniform. He was forced to remove my trousers in full view of other passengers because the 'shirt stays' beneath were scaring a TSA employee. It didn't matter that he explained what it was, and it didn't matter that they were something that he undoubtedly would have seen many times before if he was were veteran."
Issa then read the comments of a Facebook posted named Regan Shea, who he said wrote "I am a disabled person and have been targeted for groping. My wife travels with a portable oxygen concentrator and her use of the machine means she gets pawed by hand every time we travel.”
Next he read a post from a woman named Julia Rachiele, who Issa said wrote “the TSA has taken away my freedom to travel. Because I wear a medical device that cannot go through and amount of radiation, I would be subject to the "enhanced pat-down" procedure every time.
The final comment read by Issa was posted under the name "I Am Wendy." Issa said the post read: "I have worn an artificial leg since I was 4 - I am now 61. I used to travel a lot for work but gave up after being assaulted by the TSA constantly, even to the point of having by breasts checked instead of the prosthesis." [This is Wendy Thomson, founder of Freedom to Travel USA – LS]
Issa said during Monday's hearing that his office received over 350 Facebook comments about TSA.
http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/tsa/218207-rep-issa-recites-facebook-tsa-complaints
http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/tsa/218207-rep-issa-recites-facebook-tsa-complaints
Another terminal dump – this is the 10th in three months – LS:Web Pro News: Student’s Science Project Shuts Down Dallas Airport: TSA and air marshals detain 11 students and professors
Dallas Love Field was shut down after a Southwest Airlines plane to Amarillo was found to have a suspicious device on board. The device turned out to be science project robot that was accidentally left on the plane. That didn’t stop air marshals and Love Field security from detaining the students and their professor. An amateur video posted on YouTube shows several people being led away from the scene in handcuffs.http://www.webpronews.com/students-science-project-shuts-down-dallas-airport-2012-04
Dallas Love Field was shut down after a Southwest Airlines plane to Amarillo was found to have a suspicious device on board. The device turned out to be science project robot that was accidentally left on the plane. That didn’t stop air marshals and Love Field security from detaining the students and their professor. An amateur video posted on YouTube shows several people being led away from the scene in handcuffs.http://www.webpronews.com/students-science-project-shuts-down-dallas-airport-2012-04
‘Scalding’ reply at JFKPosted: 2:05 AM, April 4, 2012
A TSA screener was arrested at JFK Airport for hurling a cup of hot coffee at an American Airlines pilot who told her and some colleagues to tone down a profanity- laced conversation in a terminal, sources said yesterday.The dust-up occurred at about 5 a.m. on March 28, when airman Steven Trivett, 54, who was off-duty, was exiting Terminal 8 and overheard the banter, according to Port Authority police sources.
Trivett, of Butler, Tenn., told them they should “conduct themselves more professionally in uniform and not use profanity or the n-word,” a source explained.
A TSA screener was arrested at JFK Airport for hurling a cup of hot coffee at an American Airlines pilot who told her and some colleagues to tone down a profanity- laced conversation in a terminal, sources said yesterday.The dust-up occurred at about 5 a.m. on March 28, when airman Steven Trivett, 54, who was off-duty, was exiting Terminal 8 and overheard the banter, according to Port Authority police sources.
Trivett, of Butler, Tenn., told them they should “conduct themselves more professionally in uniform and not use profanity or the n-word,” a source explained.
One screener told him to “mind his own business” and cursed him out.
Trivett then identified himself as a “TSA officer” who is an armed pilot.
When he tried to grab at the ID tags of screener Lateisha El, 30, she pushed him and tossed a “full cup” of hot coffee on him, police say.
Trivett was not seriously injured. El, of Brooklyn’s East New York, was given a desk-appearance ticket on harassment and misdemeanor-assault charges.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/scalding_reply_at_jfk_1MPVUvXcIMbxUzbYoH5HGP
Out of chronological order – Past arrests/criminal activity, dating back to 2002:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/scalding_reply_at_jfk_1MPVUvXcIMbxUzbYoH5HGP
Out of chronological order – Past arrests/criminal activity, dating back to 2002:
4 Former airport security employees charged with stealing from luggage
DETROIT (AP) — Four former employees of the Transportation Security Administration have been charged with stealing and reselling laptop computers and other electronic devices from passengers' luggage at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted Tawann Alek Hayes, 21, of Westland; Shawn Edward Gordon, 21, of Southfield; Edwin Joshua Sturdivant, 22, of Detroit; and Joseph Byron Reynolds, 46, of Detroit.http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2004-04-28-security-charges_x.htm
Arrested TSA Chief Is Ex-Secret Service Agent
[FINAL Edition], The Washington Post - Washington, D.C.
Author: Greg Schneider
Date: Jan 3, 2004
Start Page: A.11; Section: A SECTION; Text Word Count: 339
[Charles Brady], 49, declined yesterday to comment on his situation or to clear up the mystery of whether the arrest took place when he was supposed to have been at work.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washing...Chief Is Ex-Secret Service Agent&pqatl=google
[Charles Brady], 49, declined yesterday to comment on his situation or to clear up the mystery of whether the arrest took place when he was supposed to have been at work.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washing...Chief Is Ex-Secret Service Agent&pqatl=google
Published on July 14, 2004
Airport baggage screener charged with stealing drugs
TSA employee allegedly took prescription pills from bags
A federal baggage screener at Spokane International Airport was arrested Tuesday for allegedly taking prescription medication from a passenger�s luggage.
Transportation Security Administration employee Wendy Susan Swanson was caught stealing prescription drugs from two bags while under surveillance, court documents state. The airport police chief contacted the Drug Enforcement Agency in June to report that a TSA employee, later identified as Swanson . . . .
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we...page=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
WSVN - Skip to comments.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Workers (TSA) Accused Of Stealing From Passengers
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we...page=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
WSVN - Skip to comments.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Workers (TSA) Accused Of Stealing From Passengers
Posted on Tuesday, June 29, 2004 10:59:48 PM by Moonman62
FORT LAUDERDALE – Four employees at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were arrested for taking items from passenger’s bags.
The men arrested were Aldo Santa-Cruz, Harford Howell, Tito Santos-Flores, and Carlos Cruz.
. . . Investigators say the workers stole jewelry, laptops and even cash. Some of the employees even sold the goods and stashed them in backpacks.
. . . Investigators say the workers stole jewelry, laptops and even cash. Some of the employees even sold the goods and stashed them in backpacks.
Investigators say the thefts went on for about a year and a half and one of the victims was actress Shirley Maclaine.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1162747/posts
Screener at Mid Continent Airport accused of stealing money from a passenger during a security check.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1162747/posts
Screener at Mid Continent Airport accused of stealing money from a passenger during a security check.
Posted: 5:44 PM Sep 1, 2004
Reporter: Cara Kumari
September 1 - A screener at Mid Continent Airport is arrested, accused of stealing money from a passenger during a security check.
September 1 - A screener at Mid Continent Airport is arrested, accused of stealing money from a passenger during a security check.
The former screener now faces federal theft charges and up to a year in prison.
Since September 11, a lot of trust is put in the hands of TSA screeners.
But the U.S. Attorney's office says 33-year-old Chad Butler violated that trust when he allegedly stole $500 in cash from a passenger while checking her at the gate.
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/987691.html
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/987691.html
An airport screener who is a registered sex offender faces life in prison after a weekend rampage in which he fired shots throughout his apartment complex and then set fire to one of the buildings, officials said.Nathaniel Lee Kewanyama, 22, screened passengers at Hobby Airport. He was employed by Max Aero, a Houston-based airport security company contracted to do business at Hobby.A spokesman for Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said Tuesday that anyone with a criminal history would be barred from performing security duties under the new guidelines.
(Contracted with TSA or pre-TSA? –LS)http://articles.cnn.com/2002-08-13/...r-airport-security-burglary-charges?_s=PM:LAW
(Contracted with TSA or pre-TSA? –LS)http://articles.cnn.com/2002-08-13/...r-airport-security-burglary-charges?_s=PM:LAW
Connecticut Airport Checkpoint Screener Arrested for Concealing Criminal History
December 06, 2002
Christian D. Rosania of Manchester, CT, a security checkpoint screener at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT, was arrested for concealing his criminal record on his employment application with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Rosania had three previous arrests and four convictions, including sexual assault, threatening, and breach of peace. The investigation was conducted jointly by OIG and the Social Security Administration OIG, with assistance from TSA.
http://www.oig.dot.gov/library-item/3053
http://www.oig.dot.gov/library-item/3053
Screeners With Criminal Records – Nov 19, 2004
But executives in the airline industry and local police officials say the problem is not small at all. ABC News has learned that at New York's three major airports -- John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia -- 400 of the first 2,000 screeners hired had criminal records. In some cases, it seemed that the TSA hired screeners without first completing background checks. In others, screeners were apparently subjected to basic background checks, without detailed follow-up investigations.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=266573#.T3qcb9mbWKU
[This is the 11th such security breach and terminal dump in the past 3 months – LS]
Security breach forces evacuation of Newark Airport's Terminal BA 64-year-old British man unwittingly walked past a distracted TSA agent at a security checkpoint in Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday afternoon, forcing a temporary evacuation of the terminal, authorities said.
The incident was the latest of several embarrassing lapses that have raised questions about security at the airport, one of three where hijacked flights originated on 9/11 a decade ago.
Thursday’s evacuation of Terminal B lasted more than an hour while Port Authority police interviewed the man, reviewed surveillance video and swept the terminal with bomb-sniffing dogs, said Al Della Fave, an agency spokesman.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/Security_breach_forces_evacuation_of_Newark_Liberty_International_Airports_Terminal_B.html
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=266573#.T3qcb9mbWKU
[This is the 11th such security breach and terminal dump in the past 3 months – LS]
Security breach forces evacuation of Newark Airport's Terminal BA 64-year-old British man unwittingly walked past a distracted TSA agent at a security checkpoint in Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday afternoon, forcing a temporary evacuation of the terminal, authorities said.
The incident was the latest of several embarrassing lapses that have raised questions about security at the airport, one of three where hijacked flights originated on 9/11 a decade ago.
Thursday’s evacuation of Terminal B lasted more than an hour while Port Authority police interviewed the man, reviewed surveillance video and swept the terminal with bomb-sniffing dogs, said Al Della Fave, an agency spokesman.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/Security_breach_forces_evacuation_of_Newark_Liberty_International_Airports_Terminal_B.html
Almost arrested while trying to file a complaint with TSA in San Antonio Airport
by Andrew Hodel, April 4, 2012After being pushed, intimidated and told I have no first amendment right during a TSA pat down I was let through security.
by Andrew Hodel, April 4, 2012After being pushed, intimidated and told I have no first amendment right during a TSA pat down I was let through security.
15 minutes later I tried to file a complaint and was met with resistance, to the point where they almost try to arrest me. If you listen closely before the big officer comes up at the end, you will hear the officer start to tell me I am under arrest then stop himself.Perhaps the TSA wants to keep complaints low and has resorted to intimidation to do so?
I feel my personal rights were violated in the following ways:
* Intimidation and threats contrary to the law used to try and suppress my first amendment right.
* TSA Agents told me that my property was not mine while in the TSA "security zone", and that I did not own my bags, they did.
* The TSA would not allow me to use a video camera and record while they were touching my genitals. As we all know, it would be an impossible task for me to demand they don't record my every move yet they seem to believe it works the other way.
* Threats used against me which are again contrary to the law in regards to my right to record in an airport once passed security.
* The most important point, note the TSA boss with the mustache. Older gentleman with dyed dark facial hair. You will see where he tells me I am lucky that I have a flight and that if I didn't I would be arrested. I cannot accept that the person in charge of the TSA for an entire airport the size of San Antonio would engage in such childish tactics, trying to scare me from being a problem in the future.
Here's a video from moments prior where they lie about the law, try to intimidate me and tell me to put my camera away:http://youtu.be/no7qhku0sFo This wasn't during the pat down, but between the pat down and this video.
Here is the video where they bully me to the point of having to run away for fear of being arrested, exactly what they wanted:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoMjIUsYa5g
I never got to talk to a manager.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/almost-arrested-while-trying-to-file-a-complaint-with-tsa-in-san-antonio-airport.2719/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/almost-arrested-while-trying-to-file-a-complaint-with-tsa-in-san-antonio-airport.2719/
I took my 89 year old father who is VERY hard of hearing and easily confused through. I specifically told them they had to face him and speak a little louder or he wouldn't hear them. the agent stoop behind him and then gor torked when my father didn't follow his instructions...because he couldn't hear him. He actually grabbed my fathers arms and forcefully lifted them so he could wand him. I lost my temper and gave him an earful....what a jerk.
-Nell Fox, April 9, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-elliott/are-tsa-agents-too-rude-poll_b_1411803.html
-Nell Fox, April 9, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-elliott/are-tsa-agents-too-rude-poll_b_1411803.html
TSA agent among 55 caught in kid porn netApril 11, 2012
That makes 12 sex crimes in the past 16 months-LS
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061123719&srvc=rss
http://tsanewsblog.com/2444/news/another-tsa-agent-charged-with-child-porn/
That makes 12 sex crimes in the past 16 months-LS
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061123719&srvc=rss
http://tsanewsblog.com/2444/news/another-tsa-agent-charged-with-child-porn/
During a recent trip to San Francisco, I was unprepared to be somewhat molested by airport security.by Meaghan Ziemba, Associate Editor, PD&D
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
http://www.manufacturing.net/blogs/2012/04/excuse-me-miss…-do-you-mind-if-i-touch-you-there
Another TSA employee stealing iPadsD/FW AIRPORT - Police suspect Clayton Keith Dovel, a Transportation Security Administration baggage inspector at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Terminal E, of stealing iPads from checked luggage.Dovel works in the terminal, but unlike the security checkpoints where passengers are screened, the 35-year-old TSA employee works in an out-of-sight position in what's called the "Resolution Room" where checked luggage is screened by hand.
That's where police say they think Dovel took iPads that travelers packed away.
It's uncertain how many cases Dovel's arrest might solve, or whether the TSA will let him return to a trusted position.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/TSA-agent-arrested-at-DFW-Airport-for-stealing-iPads-138455504.html
Las Vegas Review-JournalA Britney Spears drag star contends the Transportation Security Administration is guilty of a double standard: Why were his silicone chicken cutlet breast enhancers a screening issue when women routinely "roll through airports with them?" Derrick Barry said he was turned away at McCarran International Airport on Friday because the cutlets exceeded TSA's liquid limit of 3.4 ounces for most carry-on items.. . . Barry said he was bounced back and forth and held up for an hour over the issue and nearly missed his flight to Tampa, Fla., where he had a gig Friday night.
"I'm not a terrorist threat by having silicone cutlets in my carry-on baggage," he said. "If a woman walks through if they are on her carry-on or bra, she goes right through."http://www.lvrj.com/news/britney-copycat-tsa-was-a-drag-147485325.html
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
http://www.manufacturing.net/blogs/2012/04/excuse-me-miss…-do-you-mind-if-i-touch-you-there
Another TSA employee stealing iPadsD/FW AIRPORT - Police suspect Clayton Keith Dovel, a Transportation Security Administration baggage inspector at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Terminal E, of stealing iPads from checked luggage.Dovel works in the terminal, but unlike the security checkpoints where passengers are screened, the 35-year-old TSA employee works in an out-of-sight position in what's called the "Resolution Room" where checked luggage is screened by hand.
That's where police say they think Dovel took iPads that travelers packed away.
It's uncertain how many cases Dovel's arrest might solve, or whether the TSA will let him return to a trusted position.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/TSA-agent-arrested-at-DFW-Airport-for-stealing-iPads-138455504.html
Las Vegas Review-JournalA Britney Spears drag star contends the Transportation Security Administration is guilty of a double standard: Why were his silicone chicken cutlet breast enhancers a screening issue when women routinely "roll through airports with them?" Derrick Barry said he was turned away at McCarran International Airport on Friday because the cutlets exceeded TSA's liquid limit of 3.4 ounces for most carry-on items.. . . Barry said he was bounced back and forth and held up for an hour over the issue and nearly missed his flight to Tampa, Fla., where he had a gig Friday night.
"I'm not a terrorist threat by having silicone cutlets in my carry-on baggage," he said. "If a woman walks through if they are on her carry-on or bra, she goes right through."http://www.lvrj.com/news/britney-copycat-tsa-was-a-drag-147485325.html
12th such terminal shut-down in the past 3 months –LS:An investigation into a suspicious package shut down a security checkpoint and grounded some flights at Armstrong International Airport for about an hour Saturday morning.
A spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration said the incident was triggered at the Concourse B checkpoint. During a screening, security workers noticed an item inside a passenger's carry-on bag, which they considered suspicious.
All flights at Concourse B were grounded at that time.
Explosive experts were called in to investigate and determined that the item was not a threat. The TSA spokesperson would not elaborate on what the item was.
http://www.bayoubuzz.com/louisiana-local-news/151-new-orleans/486908-armstrong-airport-investigation-prompts-temporary-checkpoint-closure-saturday-morning
TSA officials froze all operations at the airport during this period.http://www.fox8live.com/story/17451034/a
A spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration said the incident was triggered at the Concourse B checkpoint. During a screening, security workers noticed an item inside a passenger's carry-on bag, which they considered suspicious.
All flights at Concourse B were grounded at that time.
Explosive experts were called in to investigate and determined that the item was not a threat. The TSA spokesperson would not elaborate on what the item was.
http://www.bayoubuzz.com/louisiana-local-news/151-new-orleans/486908-armstrong-airport-investigation-prompts-temporary-checkpoint-closure-saturday-morning
TSA officials froze all operations at the airport during this period.http://www.fox8live.com/story/17451034/a
TSA ID checkers & mind readers miss big catch, murderer escapes to EcuadorUsing a fake passport, [Luis] Guaman got past TSA and immigration officials in New York and headed back to Ecuador, where he was eventually captured and held on passport violations, not as an alleged murder suspect.
http://www.enterprisenews.com/opinions/x1082436982/COMMENTARY-Headline-can-go-here
http://www.enterprisenews.com/opinions/x1082436982/COMMENTARY-Headline-can-go-here
The Denver Channel: 82-year-old Farmer Tests Positives for Explosives at airport: detained while police investigatedHe had fertilizer on his hands.
(This is a common occurrence, with fertilizer and with glycerin, i.e., hand lotion. –LS)http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30887440/detail.html
(This is a common occurrence, with fertilizer and with glycerin, i.e., hand lotion. –LS)http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30887440/detail.html
Video shows agonising TSA pat-down - as woman sobs in 'sexual violation' at hands of TSA agent
16 April 2012A traveller's sobs were left ignored this weekend, as she was subjected to an invasive pat-down despite her cries - in another blow to the TSA.
16 April 2012A traveller's sobs were left ignored this weekend, as she was subjected to an invasive pat-down despite her cries - in another blow to the TSA.
A video posted to YouTube captures the weeping woman’s ordeal during the security checkpoint at an airport in Madison, Wisconsin.
Jim Hoft, who runs the political blog Gateway Pundit, posted the video on the site, as well as YouTube yesterday.
Mr Hoft wrote: 'This morning at a Midwest airport I witnessed this poor woman suffering through this horrible sexual violation'.
Mr Hoft wrote: 'This morning at a Midwest airport I witnessed this poor woman suffering through this horrible sexual violation'.
It's the latest in a long line of disturbing behaviour during security checkpoints.
Loud sobs can be heard as the woman, wearing a pink sweater, is patted down by a female TSA agent.
Loud sobs can be heard as the woman, wearing a pink sweater, is patted down by a female TSA agent.
The woman’s hands are shaking as the agent moves her hands down the woman’s legs.
The woman is then left alone, and can be seen hunching over, her arms crossed over her body in humiliation.
The woman is then left alone, and can be seen hunching over, her arms crossed over her body in humiliation.
In his blog, Hoft raises the notion that the woman may be experiencing a post-traumatic stress episode.
Another terminal dump – 13th in the past 3 months -LS:Stamford Advocate: Tractor-trailer solvent causes airport evacuationA passenger carrying a cleaning solvent that he uses on his tractor trailer truck caused the near two-hour evacuation of Westchester County Airport late Sunday afternoon. About 1,000 people arriving and leaving on flights as well as those family and friends meeting or dropping off people at the airport were inconvenienced, an airport official said.
Airport manager Peter Scherrer said the suspicious bag being loaded onto a flight to Atlanta was screened by TSA just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/policereports/article/Westchester-airport-reopens-after-evacuation-3483773.php
Airport manager Peter Scherrer said the suspicious bag being loaded onto a flight to Atlanta was screened by TSA just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/policereports/article/Westchester-airport-reopens-after-evacuation-3483773.php
The TSA’s T and A FocusPosted by Thomas DiLorenzo on April 16, 2012 12:44 PM
I've been flying a lot recently, and observe a TSA outrage every single time I'm at an airport. The two latest:
A young woman went through the porno-tron machine in front of me and the machine made two yellow marks on her behind in her body image, which is now on display in stick figure form right there where you can see it. Alarm! Alarm! A female TSA goon was summoned. She told the young woman to stand still while she proceeded to grab and squeeze both butt cheeks several times before saying "all clear." I'm guessing about 50 people were standing around watching the TSA pervert grab the young woman's ass like she was kneading pizza dough. You can't imagine how relieved we all were when the TSA pervert allowed the young woman to proceed to the gate, not having found a bomb implanted in her butt cheeks.
Then just this morning a TSA goon said she wanted to search my bag. She did, and the following "conversation" ensued:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/110078.html
A young woman went through the porno-tron machine in front of me and the machine made two yellow marks on her behind in her body image, which is now on display in stick figure form right there where you can see it. Alarm! Alarm! A female TSA goon was summoned. She told the young woman to stand still while she proceeded to grab and squeeze both butt cheeks several times before saying "all clear." I'm guessing about 50 people were standing around watching the TSA pervert grab the young woman's ass like she was kneading pizza dough. You can't imagine how relieved we all were when the TSA pervert allowed the young woman to proceed to the gate, not having found a bomb implanted in her butt cheeks.
Then just this morning a TSA goon said she wanted to search my bag. She did, and the following "conversation" ensued:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/110078.html
Seniors get the TSA runaround, lose $300by Marney Rich Keenan, Detroit News, April 18, 2012
Omer Petti and Madge Woodward expected the alarms to go off at the airport security's metal detector when they were flying home to Detroit after visiting family recently near San Diego.
After all, Petti, who is 95 years old, has two artificial knees and Woodward, at 85, has had her hip replaced. But they sure didn't expect to be subjected to accusations, extreme pat-downs, and most importantly, to be missing $300 in cash.
. . . Petti says a security officer asked him to remove Kleenex and $300 in folded bills that he had in his pocket and send it through the detector. "I hesitated and said: 'You really want me to put my bills in there?' " Petti said. The officer said yes, so Petti put the cash into a fifth bin. Then he and Woodward proceeded through the metal detector.After both set off alarms, they were patted down. Then, a security officer did a litmus test on Petti's clothing, which tested positive for nitrates. Petti explained that he carries nitroglycerin pills for his heart. Nonetheless, Petti was taken to a private room for yet another pat-down by a different officer while the same security officer emptied their carry-on bags and rifled through every item.
"When I was patted down, I've never before been touched in every part of my body before," Woodward said.. . . Finally, they were released and told to retrieve their belongings. But only four bins were handed over to them. When Petti inquired about his $300, a senior security official was called over. Petti says this officer insinuated that they were mistaken about the missing cash, instructing the two to take off their shoes again, check their pockets again. "When I told him we were going to miss our flight he asked me if I was objecting or refusing his request." Petti says. "I said: 'No, I'd do anything I was asked, I would just like to know where my $300 went.' "
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120418/OPINION03/204180345/1409/METRO/Seniors-get-TSA-runaround-lose-300
"When I was patted down, I've never before been touched in every part of my body before," Woodward said.. . . Finally, they were released and told to retrieve their belongings. But only four bins were handed over to them. When Petti inquired about his $300, a senior security official was called over. Petti says this officer insinuated that they were mistaken about the missing cash, instructing the two to take off their shoes again, check their pockets again. "When I told him we were going to miss our flight he asked me if I was objecting or refusing his request." Petti says. "I said: 'No, I'd do anything I was asked, I would just like to know where my $300 went.' "
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120418/OPINION03/204180345/1409/METRO/Seniors-get-TSA-runaround-lose-300
My niece was born December of 2001, so when her and my sister (my sister was in the Navy, and was on military leave to bring my niece home) flew from Seattle to Anchorage they INSISTED that my sister take my niece DIAPER off to search for bombs (she was 3 months old). ARE YOU KIDDING!? mind you my sister had all of her military identification, and military identification for my niece. Ridiculous! Find something that works!
-Hmwjoy84, April 19, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/2485/news/it-is-to-weep-tsa-pat-down-of-woman-in-madison/#comment-501388165
-Hmwjoy84, April 19, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/2485/news/it-is-to-weep-tsa-pat-down-of-woman-in-madison/#comment-501388165
My wife was selected for extra screening. There was no metal-detecting wand available, or so we were told, so a female attendant literally groped and fondled my wife for a solid four-plus minutes. It was embarrassing for all involved. My wife said that if she was put in this position again, she would simply strip off all her clothes rather than be groped. Perhaps if the TSA was subject to private competition, it wouldn't treat citizens as serfs, or operate with a blithely indifferent attitude toward the very people it is allegedly in place to protect.
Anthony L. Laporte
Houstonhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304356604577340053912080364.html
Anthony L. Laporte
Houstonhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304356604577340053912080364.html
Solat14
Good for him. Something needs to be done about the way the TSA goes about screening. I travel for work constantly, and every day I see women being fondled excessively (and I mean excessively). For example, on Monday a TSA agent in Chicago pulled a very attractive young woman aside for a "pat down" search. This guy spent the next 5 minutes giving this woman an intense breast exam. I guess he wanted to see if she was hiding something in those DD's. It was so over the top she was bawling. He rubbed and squeezed until he was satisfied, or he needed to go change pants. These undereducated overzealous cop wannabe's get their rocks off in the name of safety and it's shameful. These women need to start filming their searches and suing the TSA in droves.
April 19, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/18/travel/oregon-airport-naked-protest/#comment-502327905
TSA steals legal medical marijuana from Fairbanks man, charges him
FAIRBANKS — A prominent Fairbanks engineer faces a misdemeanor drug possession charge after he allegedly called the Transportation Security Administration to accuse an agency official of taking marijuana he said was for medical use from a checked bag.
TSA steals legal medical marijuana from Fairbanks man, charges him
FAIRBANKS — A prominent Fairbanks engineer faces a misdemeanor drug possession charge after he allegedly called the Transportation Security Administration to accuse an agency official of taking marijuana he said was for medical use from a checked bag.
John Michael Hargesheimer, 62, founder and principal in charge of Fairbanks-based engineering firm Nortech, checked a bag on March 28 that contained a marijuana brownie, two pipes, and about 2.5 grams of marijuana in a film canister and pill bottle, according to a criminal complaint filed against him last week. A TSA officer found the items, confiscated them, alerted state airport police and put the bag on the plane without the items.
That evening, according to the complaint, Hargesheimer called TSA, asked to speak to a supervisor and reported that a TSA officer had stolen his marijuana. The TSA official told him airport police had seized it, not stolen it.
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/18301559/article-Fairbanks-man-charged-after-TSA-search-uncovers-marijuana
My 5th Grader Was Groped By TSA
My 5th Grader Was Groped By TSA
Posted: 04/19/2012 4:36 pm
Jacob Wisnik is a 10-year-old who has had diabetes for as long as he can remember. He wears a pump that delivers insulin as he needs it, and he's gotten used to the ways this is a hassle in his life. He has even gotten used to the fact that he sets off the scanner at airports and has to be patted down by security agents. But his hard won composure was shaken this weekend while going through security at O'Hare airport. He was "put through borderline humiliation," says his mother, Eva, who wrote to me from the car coming back from the airport, still shaken by having to stand by while her 5th grader was marched through the terminal by armed guards, put in a private examination room, then poked and prodded.
As it happens, Jack was wearing a new kind of pump, one that could not go through the bag scanner and had to stay clipped to his person via his belt. When he flew to Chicago he'd put that clip to the side, near his hip. But on the trip home it was clipped right in front, over his groin. He set off the machine and was told by officers that he could not touch or move the pump, his mother says, and that the only option was a pat-down of his genital area.
. . . My mom kept asking whether I could move the pump or go back through the screener, but they said no. My mom had to come with me to be screened, and my 12-year-old sister said 'what do I do?' because all of our stuff was on the conveyer belt. She looked scared. I felt more humiliated than scared. When a thousand eyes are watching you because they think you may be a deadly threat it is so uncomfortable and humiliating. I marched to the screening room barefoot. I suppose they were trying to follow regulations, but I was on the verge crying. O'Hare airport's TSA officers need sensitivity training. When I was getting my "pat down" I thought of all the times I have been told to not let anyone go near my private parts. How was this ok today? How do we make sure no other child has to go through this humiliating experience?
-- Jacob Wisnik, 10http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/airport-security-pat-downs_b_1432606.html
Jacob Wisnik is a 10-year-old who has had diabetes for as long as he can remember. He wears a pump that delivers insulin as he needs it, and he's gotten used to the ways this is a hassle in his life. He has even gotten used to the fact that he sets off the scanner at airports and has to be patted down by security agents. But his hard won composure was shaken this weekend while going through security at O'Hare airport. He was "put through borderline humiliation," says his mother, Eva, who wrote to me from the car coming back from the airport, still shaken by having to stand by while her 5th grader was marched through the terminal by armed guards, put in a private examination room, then poked and prodded.
As it happens, Jack was wearing a new kind of pump, one that could not go through the bag scanner and had to stay clipped to his person via his belt. When he flew to Chicago he'd put that clip to the side, near his hip. But on the trip home it was clipped right in front, over his groin. He set off the machine and was told by officers that he could not touch or move the pump, his mother says, and that the only option was a pat-down of his genital area.
. . . My mom kept asking whether I could move the pump or go back through the screener, but they said no. My mom had to come with me to be screened, and my 12-year-old sister said 'what do I do?' because all of our stuff was on the conveyer belt. She looked scared. I felt more humiliated than scared. When a thousand eyes are watching you because they think you may be a deadly threat it is so uncomfortable and humiliating. I marched to the screening room barefoot. I suppose they were trying to follow regulations, but I was on the verge crying. O'Hare airport's TSA officers need sensitivity training. When I was getting my "pat down" I thought of all the times I have been told to not let anyone go near my private parts. How was this ok today? How do we make sure no other child has to go through this humiliating experience?
-- Jacob Wisnik, 10http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/airport-security-pat-downs_b_1432606.html
Yet another child abused by TSA – Isabella Brademeyer; mother Michelle; grandmother Lori Croft
Yesterday we brought you the story of a 10-year-old boy who was groped by the TSA. Last month we brought you the story of a 3-year-old in a wheelchair. Over time, we’ve brought you stories of TSA agents arrested for child porn, sexual assault, and too many other crimes to keep up with. Today, we bring you the story of a 4-year-old.
The child was traveling with her family when her grandmother got singled out for extra TSA attention. While the grandmother was being detained, the 4-year-old girl ran over to her and gave her a hug.
Wrong move.
In a familiar scenario, the TSA screamed at her and her grandmother. The girl’s mother, Michelle Brademeyer of Montana, tells the story:
http://tsanewsblog.com/2572/news/yet-another-child-abused-by-tsa/
Another link: http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/04/24/tsa_2.html
Yesterday we brought you the story of a 10-year-old boy who was groped by the TSA. Last month we brought you the story of a 3-year-old in a wheelchair. Over time, we’ve brought you stories of TSA agents arrested for child porn, sexual assault, and too many other crimes to keep up with. Today, we bring you the story of a 4-year-old.
The child was traveling with her family when her grandmother got singled out for extra TSA attention. While the grandmother was being detained, the 4-year-old girl ran over to her and gave her a hug.
Wrong move.
In a familiar scenario, the TSA screamed at her and her grandmother. The girl’s mother, Michelle Brademeyer of Montana, tells the story:
http://tsanewsblog.com/2572/news/yet-another-child-abused-by-tsa/
Another link: http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/04/24/tsa_2.html
I-TEAM : Congressman Canseco says he was assaulted during TSA pat-down
U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco said he was assaulted by a TSA agent at the San Antonio International Airport.
U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco said he was assaulted by a TSA agent at the San Antonio International Airport.
The Texas Congressman said the security agent went too far during a pat-down earlier this month.
"The agent was very aggressive in his pat-down, and he was patting me down where no one is supposed to go,” said Canseco. “It got very uncomfortable so I moved his hand away. That stopped everything and brought in supervisors and everyone else."
Canseco told the KENS 5 I-Team the agent said he too was assaulted when Canseco pushed his hand away.
According to TSA, neither man was cited.
A week later when going through the San Antonio International Airport, Canseco was once again selected for a pat-down.
"I did not see it as a coincidence,” he said. “I asked them why are you going to pat me down again, so we discussed it further and after discussing it further, they patted me down."
However, before the discussion was over, San Antonio Police Department officers were called to the security check point area.
http://www.kens5.com/news/local/I-TEAM--Congressman-Canseco-says-TSA-agent-assaulted-him-during-a-pat-down-148756365.html
Family misses flight after TSA screeners target disabled 7-year-old
By Noreen O’Donnell Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Traveling from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Florida, the Frank family was yanked out of line as it boarded the plane in a dispute over how 7-year-old Dina had been screened. The little girl, who has cerebral palsy, walks with crutches and leg braces.
http://www.kens5.com/news/local/I-TEAM--Congressman-Canseco-says-TSA-agent-assaulted-him-during-a-pat-down-148756365.html
Family misses flight after TSA screeners target disabled 7-year-old
By Noreen O’Donnell Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Traveling from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Florida, the Frank family was yanked out of line as it boarded the plane in a dispute over how 7-year-old Dina had been screened. The little girl, who has cerebral palsy, walks with crutches and leg braces.
“They make our lives completely difficult,” said her father, Dr. Joshua Frank, a Long Island pediatrician. “She’s not a threat to national security.”
Flying is always difficult for the family, but this week was particularly dreadful . . .
With her crutches and orthotics, Dina cannot walk through metal detectors and instead is patted down by security agents. The girl, who is also developmentally disabled, is often frightened by the procedure, her father said.
Marcy Frank usually asks the agents to introduce themselves to her daughter, but those on duty on Monday were exceptionally aggressive, Joshua Frank said, and he began to videotape them with his iPhone.
“And the woman started screaming at me and cursing me and threatening me,” he said.
Eventually, a supervisor decided it was sufficient to inspect Dina’s crutches and allowed the family to leave for the gate.
They were there for an hour before the agents reappeared with a manager to tell them that proper protocol had not been followed, and that Dina had to be screened after all, the Franks said. After initially offering to pat her down at the gate, they insisted she return to the security area, Joshua Frank said.
. . . With Dina now in her wheelchair, Frank raced her across the JetBlue terminal, but by then, the family had missed its plane. The Franks caught a subsequent flight.
The TSA did not respond to a request for comment.
“They’re harassing people,” Joshua Frank said. “This is totally misguided policy. Yes, I understand that TSA is in charge of national security and there’s all these threats.”
http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/04/25/042512-news-tsa-complaint-1-3/
http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/04/25/042512-news-tsa-complaint-1-3/
4 TSA screeners at LAX arrested for allegedly taking bribes
By Art Marroquin Staff Writer
Posted: 04/25/2012 12:52:51 PM PDT
Four Transportation Security Administration screeners have been arrested for allegedly accepting $2,400 in bribes to allow large shipments of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana to pass through Los Angeles International Airport over a six-month span, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.
Additionally, at least one suspected drug courier is expected to surrender to authorities Thursday, another was already in state custody and a third alleged courier remains at large, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
TSA screeners Joy White of Compton and Naral Richardson and Duane Eleby, both of Los Angeles, were arrested this morning on federal narcotics trafficking and bribery charges, Mrozek said. John Whitfield of Los Angeles was arrested Tuesday night on the same charges.http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/california/ci_20478662/4-tsa-screeners-at-lax-arrested-allegedly-taking
Hillsboro woman upset over TSA's handling of son's remainsApril 27, 2012
HILLSBORO, Ore.
. . . Making matters even worse is the ordeal, she said, she and her family went through in Minneapolis after picking up Eli's remains.
"It was embarrassing," said Denise. "It was devastating."
Denise was trying to take the remains through a TSA checkpoint at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport when the X-ray machine went off.
"The bag is brought over and they start taking out my clothes and setting them aside and then they reach inside and grab the remains," said Denise.
By this point Denise is sick. For the first time, in front of hundreds of other passengers, she is forced to see the box holding her son's remains.
"He pulls it out and starts swabbing it and flipping it around and he's looking around the seam and there's a lip and I said, 'don't do that.'"
The whole time Denise had paperwork from the funeral home. She said the agent never asked to see it.
"They lacked compassion," said Denise. "The lacked their due diligence to make sure they give honor and respect to my son's remains."http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Hillsboro-woman-upset-over-TSAs-handling-of-sons-remains-149335135.html
Improperly Inspected Baby Causes Evacuation Of Newark Airport Terminal(This is the 14th such terminal dump in the past 4 months. –LS)A busy terminal at Newark International Airport was evacuated and shut down for over an hour this afternoon after TSA screeners decided that a baby had slipped through security without a proper inspection. TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tells us the incident occurred at 1:30 p.m. at the C-1 Terminal Checkpoint. As Farbstein describes it, the incident was caused by what might be considered a clever way to sneak something through a metal detector:
“This occurred when a mother and baby went through a metal detector and the machine alarmed. The mother handed the child to the father, who had already been screened. The mother was then cleared without the baby. The parents and baby left the checkpoint and headed to their gate. Since the baby was not properly screened, TSA officers began to look for the family in the secure area of the terminal. Per protocol, TSA also notified Port Authority Police of the situation.”
“This occurred when a mother and baby went through a metal detector and the machine alarmed. The mother handed the child to the father, who had already been screened. The mother was then cleared without the baby. The parents and baby left the checkpoint and headed to their gate. Since the baby was not properly screened, TSA officers began to look for the family in the secure area of the terminal. Per protocol, TSA also notified Port Authority Police of the situation.”
Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman tells us, "Over 30 minutes after an unscreened passenger went through a TSA checkpoint, the TSA notified us ...
http://gothamist.com/2012/04/27/improperly_inspected_baby_causes_ne.php
http://gothamist.com/2012/04/27/improperly_inspected_baby_causes_ne.php
Suspicious Bag Empties MSP Airport Terminal 2(This is the 15th such terminal dump in the past 4 months. –LS)
According to Hogan, the bag’s owner claimed it was a water filtration device and that the wires were not related. That passenger was released and rebooked on another flight.
The evacuation was lifted, and passengers were being allowed into the terminal by 7 a.m.
The passenger was not immediately charged, but the TSA may decide to bring up civil charges against the passenger due to the disruption his device caused. Hogan said the device led to a similar evacuation in Long Beach, Calif. back in 2009.
All flights were held during the approximately 90-minute closure. There were no reported flight cancellations, only delays.
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/04/27/terminal-2-evacuated-at-msp-airport/
TSA to My Mother-in-Law: 'There's an Anomaly in the Crotch Area'
by Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, April 27, 2012She entered the machine and struck the humiliating pose one is forced to strike -- hands up, as in an armed robbery -- and then walked out, when she was asked by a TSA agent, in a voice loud enough for several people to hear, "Are you wearing a sanitary napkin?"
by Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, April 27, 2012She entered the machine and struck the humiliating pose one is forced to strike -- hands up, as in an armed robbery -- and then walked out, when she was asked by a TSA agent, in a voice loud enough for several people to hear, "Are you wearing a sanitary napkin?"
Remember, she's 79.
My mother-in-law answered, "No. Why do you ask?"
The TSA agent responded: "Well, are you wearing anything else down there?"
Yes, "down there."
She said no, at which point, the friend with whom she was traveling, also a not-young volunteer library advocate, came over and asked if there was a problem.
The TSA agent said, again, in full voice, "There's an anomaly in the crotch area."
My mother-in-law said, "As far as I know I don't have any anomalies in the crotch area."
The TSA agent told her she would have to go through the scanner again. She demurred, saying she didn't like the machine very much. The agent told her she could opt for a pat-down. My mother-in-law refused to be frisked, figuring, correctly, that "they were going to pat-down my crotch area. I mean, there wasn't an anomaly in the chest area."
So she went through the scanner again. Of course, this time -- one minute later -- the TSA found no "anomalies," and she was free to go.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/tsa-to-my-mother-in-law-theres-an-anomaly-in-the-crotch-area/256450/
The airlines have lost another customer - my chiropractor. Every time she flies she's chosen for additional security. Hadn't flown in two years but finally knuckled under from pressure from her family to visit them in Florida. This time she was groped both going and coming back. Why? Not a clue. One time she was asked about her "nationality". She's a little bit of a woman maybe not quite 5 feet tall, olive complexion, black hair, maybe 100 pounds. If she's being profiled because of how she looks it's a mystery to me because she certainly doesn't look like what I would consider "foreign" - but wait, the TSA doesn't profile does it...... In any event she's done flying the "friendly skies". Many thanks to those of you who participated in a previous discussion about how women can dress in order to provide some protection during the TSA's sexual assault as my chiropractor took advantage of that knowledge before going on her trip.-Monica47
April 27, 2012
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/truly-suspicious-behavior-as-opposed-to-actions-that-distress-tsa-goons.2939/#post-30772
The airlines have lost another customer - my chiropractor. Every time she flies she's chosen for additional security. Hadn't flown in two years but finally knuckled under from pressure from her family to visit them in Florida. This time she was groped both going and coming back. Why? Not a clue. One time she was asked about her "nationality". She's a little bit of a woman maybe not quite 5 feet tall, olive complexion, black hair, maybe 100 pounds. If she's being profiled because of how she looks it's a mystery to me because she certainly doesn't look like what I would consider "foreign" - but wait, the TSA doesn't profile does it...... In any event she's done flying the "friendly skies". Many thanks to those of you who participated in a previous discussion about how women can dress in order to provide some protection during the TSA's sexual assault as my chiropractor took advantage of that knowledge before going on her trip.-Monica47
April 27, 2012
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/truly-suspicious-behavior-as-opposed-to-actions-that-distress-tsa-goons.2939/#post-30772
Returning form a very long SGN-ICN-ORD-DTW flight ... All my remaing TC's ( $ 2300.00 ) and $ 600.00 in cash were stolen from my carry on. This happened at Term 3 checkpoint 6 on 26 April in the morning. As I was wipedout from the longggg flt. I wasn't aware of the theft until I got home in Mich... The way they did it is really simple..... you can't see your bag as it goes through the xray.... this is due to the set up of the machines... The money was in a sealed envelope inside a leather foilo with my travel papers and passport secured with 2 purple heavy rubber bands... when I opened my carryon at home there was one rubber band securing the folio.. The tas person stood between me and the xray so I couldn't see my bag.... I am buying a new heavy duty carry on and a good lock.... And the beat goes on !!!!
-MikeW68, Founding Member, Travel Underground, posted April 30, 2012
-MikeW68, Founding Member, Travel Underground, posted April 30, 2012
Doesn't to any good to fight them, tried to get the b----at Dulles that knocked my down in my walking boot and tore the ligament in my good leg arrested for assault and Loudoun County would not even let me talk to the judge, told me it was a federal problem as they worked for TSA, they told my Virginia congressman that I "tripped over a chair". The idiots sent me thru the metal detector with a walking boot that was 95% metal and then felt me up and called me a terroist. Did I mention my spouse works for the government and I was travelling with him for his job to Berlin, oh and he is a federal police officer so there are guns and bullets in my home. Still waiting for the FOIA information, they have 30 days, it has been a year. No response from the HEAD of TSA or their useless ombudsman either. Welcome to air travel in the US. Never have caught anyonel leaving, they are all entering the country, but they steal, rob, take bribes to pass drugs and get to feel you up for free!!!
-Susan Bowman, posted at The Atlantic, April 28, 2012http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/tsa-to-my-mother-in-law-theres-an-anomaly-in-the-crotch-area/256450/#comment-512199188
-Susan Bowman, posted at The Atlantic, April 28, 2012http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/tsa-to-my-mother-in-law-theres-an-anomaly-in-the-crotch-area/256450/#comment-512199188
Another passenger charged after being assaulted by TSA. . . Carol Jean Price, 59 years old, of Fort Myers, Florida, had already passed through the security gauntlet and was at her gate ready to board. As we’ve reported repeatedly at TSA News, TSA agents often accost passengers at the gate and haul them aside for yet another “random” search. A search that includes groping.
That’s what happened to Price.
Objecting to being pawed, she called for a supervisor. When the TSA supervisor showed up, Price attempted to show the supervisor what was done to her. She was promptly arrested for battery and “resisting an officer.”
http://tsanewsblog.com/2726/news/another-passenger-charged-after-being-assaulted-by-tsa/
That’s what happened to Price.
Objecting to being pawed, she called for a supervisor. When the TSA supervisor showed up, Price attempted to show the supervisor what was done to her. She was promptly arrested for battery and “resisting an officer.”
http://tsanewsblog.com/2726/news/another-passenger-charged-after-being-assaulted-by-tsa/
I have been lied to, violated, stolen from and traumatized. I refrain from flying except when I have little option...my job or fly. Since I shake when going through security I really expect further violations to my person and dignity. This is not the America I know or love but willing to work for change.
-Rosemary Mulligan, May 2, 2012
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/greetings.2921/#post-31465
-Rosemary Mulligan, May 2, 2012
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/greetings.2921/#post-31465
This teacher didn't just steal 149 oxycodone pills. How do I know? The medications she stole belonged to me.There is a policy that you can give your medications to a TSA agent for hand screening. They can refuse, however if they accept them, there is an eyes on at all times policy until they return them to the correct passenger. In this case, I was headed cross country for life and death surgery unable to walk with other serious health issues. My father traveling as my caretaker asked the TSA agent to hand inspect a gallon ziplock bag of schedule II narcotics. He took them, my father even reminded him they were to be in line of sight vision until my hand pat down was completed and it was TSA responsibility to get them back to me after the pat down. I just read many of the posts above and they made awful assumptions. I can say thankfully, three months later, I can now walk with a walker however a long way from normal. My nerves are still terribly inflamed. The school teacher wasn't charged with anything but the oxycodone because the TSA agents caught up to her. She apparently said it was a mistake and gave the gallon bag back. TSA radioed back to the gate to tell me they had my medicine since I was crying uncontrollably. They came running off the tram to give them to me. I was so happy until I noticed the box of fentanyl patches was empty. I then told the TSA and an Orlando Police Officer that she stole at least a full box of fentanyl patches. My father then checked the bag and discovered that the bottle of 150 oxycodone was missing. They could not return my oxycodone because she had mixed them with another bottle of medication. So that is the facts and my only question to the Police would be why couldn't they have photographed all that she really stole and charged her for stealing all the medication she did. That would have made her a high drug trafficker and it would have been appropriate. However if they would to have kept all the contents, I probably wouldn't have survived to get to surgery. Yes, TSA screwed up big time and according to her lawyer, TSA ISN't even taking that responsibility trying to say my Dad inadvertently forgot them when I was the only person TSA was to return them to after the hand pat down according to their own rules.
-TUG member “on beachside” – posted May 3, 2012
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-procedures-facilitate-drug-theft.2024/#post-31505
-TUG member “on beachside” – posted May 3, 2012
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-procedures-facilitate-drug-theft.2024/#post-31505
My husband has electrodes implanted in both sides of his brain. We were warned NEVER to go through airport scanners or other scanning devices because there was a chance they could trigger an electronic burst into the brain that could kill the patient.Our connecting flight had been late so we were the last to go through security. When I told the guard that my husband couldn't go through the scanners, he said with a laugh, "Have you every tried it? while simultaneously shoving him through. As it happened, it didn't kill him and as far as we know didn't do any damage, but according to medical experts it could have.I regret to this day not taking the time to complain to higher-ups, but if I had we'd have missed our plane and it the trip itself was hard enough on my husband without prolonging it.
-Meg Wright
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/megwright/rand-paul-tsa-groping_n_1470820_151896084.html
-Meg Wright
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/megwright/rand-paul-tsa-groping_n_1470820_151896084.html
My 80 y/o parents and I just returned to L.I. from a Southwest flight from Tampa. When we went through the TSA security checkpoint my mother was singled out and declared a "hit". This was after we went through their detection equipment. After watching these agents unprofessionally milling around and bantering amongst themselves I grew increasingly disgusted and was once again reminded of what a politically correct folly this whole thing has become. Mind you, my mother has recently had her second knee replacement and they had her standing on the yellow "footprint" marking with her hands in the air. They had her in this position for quite some time until I heard a female agent say they needed to "search her". Being a NYS Trooper and understanding the whole safety issue, I respectfully inquired to a TSA agent that was standing by what was going on. He said something about "gunpowder" or "fertilizer" detected on her. He also said it might be "hand cream or lotion and that is was probably nothing". My mother was eventually led into a room and searched.
My father, in a wheelchair, was also singled out. He had a small carry-on duffel bag that was taken from his lap. The bag was taken out of his presence and the contents were x-rayed and rummaged through. It was returned to him. We eventually were all on on way to the gate and thankfully we allowed ourselves plenty of time for our flight.
Upon return home my father realized that his plastic soap caddy in his shaving kit (inside the duffel bag) was missing. Inside the soap caddy was his Army dog tags that he kept for the past almost 60 years. He always kept them with him and never went anywhere without them. There was nothing else contained in the soap caddy but the dog tags. NOTHING !
My father is heartbroken and PISSED! And so am I! When he called me this evening to tell me, he actually used the "f" word to describe his anger. I can count on one hand the times that I have ever heard him utter that word.
-wheelswithinwheels, posted May 3, 2012, 12:22 AM
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3050931-tsa-outrage.html
-wheelswithinwheels, posted May 3, 2012, 12:22 AM
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3050931-tsa-outrage.html
Illegal detention
My folks flew to Italy with my grandmother last year. She is 92 and speaks very little English. She can walk but they got her a wheel chair at the airport. When they checked in they said they would take her aside and meet my parents at the gate. She had to go to a special area. Long story short after about an hour of my dad going apes**T on any airport employee he could find they finally wheel her out 5 minutes prior to boarding. We never got the whole story but apparently they put her in a room and left her there alone. She cried out for help and nobody came. Worst part was she wet herself because she couldn't get out and nobody was around. So she flew 7 hours t Italy like that.-posted by wugak, at Corvette Forum, May 3, 2012, 11:32 AM
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3050931-tsa-outrage-2.html#post1580717419
My folks flew to Italy with my grandmother last year. She is 92 and speaks very little English. She can walk but they got her a wheel chair at the airport. When they checked in they said they would take her aside and meet my parents at the gate. She had to go to a special area. Long story short after about an hour of my dad going apes**T on any airport employee he could find they finally wheel her out 5 minutes prior to boarding. We never got the whole story but apparently they put her in a room and left her there alone. She cried out for help and nobody came. Worst part was she wet herself because she couldn't get out and nobody was around. So she flew 7 hours t Italy like that.-posted by wugak, at Corvette Forum, May 3, 2012, 11:32 AM
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3050931-tsa-outrage-2.html#post1580717419
When I was coming home from Spain, we changed planes in Philadelphia for Baltimore. There, I observed a crippled man in leg braces being searched - they made him take off his leg braces and get up and stand away from his wheel chair while his wife protested vigorously outside the cubicle in which this was taking place. The gentleman didn't object, he was trying to be a good citizen, and he probably wanted to show he could do what was asked of him. It was humiliating for the rest of us to watch. I don't have your moral strength, I suppose, to stop flying, but I will protest this sort of treatment by TSA. Should I contact the TSA, or someone like Dutch Ruppersberger?
-Jacqui Lampell, email to Lisa Simeone, Saturday, May 5, 2012, 11:43 AM
-Jacqui Lampell, email to Lisa Simeone, Saturday, May 5, 2012, 11:43 AM
Shortly after the TSA started I was selected for secondary screening at the gate. They had me take everything out of my pockets including my wallet that had my cash and all my receipts from the trip. The two agents grabbed my wallet and started going through it. I moved to where I could see what they were doing, and was screamed at and told that if I did not go back to where I had been standing when I emptied my pockets I was going to jail. Not wanting to miss the flight, I complied but sent a letter of complaint to the TSA the next day. I never heard from them, no apology, not response of any kind.
-Ray, posted at Pro Publica, Saturday, May 4, 2012, 6:23 PM
http://www.propublica.org/article/tsa-reveals-passenger-complaints-four-years-later
-Ray, posted at Pro Publica, Saturday, May 4, 2012, 6:23 PM
http://www.propublica.org/article/tsa-reveals-passenger-complaints-four-years-later
On May 6th we were flying back from Atlanta GA, seeing my son and his fiancé graduate from the University of Georgia.
I was traveling with my 80 something old mother, who happens to be 4"10" tall and weighs 98 lb. After passing through the screening device we were told that she will have to undergo a full body search. When I asked if this was necessary and suggested that they look for real terrorists I was threatened with security. By that time my mother was visibly shaken. When I reached out to help her walk and comfort her, I was told not to touch her and if I did I too would have to undergo body search!
My mother was crying and asking if she were going to jail. She was born in former Yugoslavia. She was married to an Orthodox priest and was used to persecution and detainment without a cause. One of her proudest moment was about 10 yrs ago, when she became an American citizen. I am saddened to say that this incident had shattered her faith in our American legal system. We thought that under our constitution we had rights? Clearly, we were treated like criminals and were not given any explanation of why this was done! At the end, my mother’s name was written down in the log and she is probably on some list by now.
-Dee Hyer, Monday, May 7, 2012, 1:35 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-elliott/is-the-tsa-worth-saving-p_b_1489915.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-elliott/is-the-tsa-worth-saving-p_b_1489915.html
May 6, 2012
I am giving up flying. For the last time I have had my scrotum patted down by the Transportation Security Administration. This happened on April 23. Asking why I was being groped, I was told the X-ray backscatter machine showed two anomalies. Pat-down was normal.
My wife usually has her breasts patted down because she wears underwire bras. She is 68. Since she has two metal knees, the TSA person sticks a wand up her dress as if she is getting a pelvic exam. What law allows poorly educated and unskilled people to examine my wife’s and my private areas?
The traveling public are not criminals (mostly). My guess is that if every congressman and senator were treated this way, the law would be changed. Out of curiosity, where in the Constitution does it say the government can have us examined this way?
I am 73 years old. It is highly unlikely that I am a terrorist. It is the TSA who are terrorizing me in the name of a questionable law.
Edward H. Parker Jr.
Spokanehttp://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/may/06/terrorized-by-tsa/
TSA damages teen’s insulin pump, blames herTeen Blames TSA For Broken Insulin Pump
Diabetic Teen: $10,000 Pump Ruined By TSA Full Body Scan
Amanda Kost, reporterPOSTED: 10:23 pm MDT May 7, 2012
DENVER -- 16-year-old Savannah Barry said her $10,000 insulin pump was broken in the time it took for a TSA full-body scan.
I am giving up flying. For the last time I have had my scrotum patted down by the Transportation Security Administration. This happened on April 23. Asking why I was being groped, I was told the X-ray backscatter machine showed two anomalies. Pat-down was normal.
My wife usually has her breasts patted down because she wears underwire bras. She is 68. Since she has two metal knees, the TSA person sticks a wand up her dress as if she is getting a pelvic exam. What law allows poorly educated and unskilled people to examine my wife’s and my private areas?
The traveling public are not criminals (mostly). My guess is that if every congressman and senator were treated this way, the law would be changed. Out of curiosity, where in the Constitution does it say the government can have us examined this way?
I am 73 years old. It is highly unlikely that I am a terrorist. It is the TSA who are terrorizing me in the name of a questionable law.
Edward H. Parker Jr.
Spokanehttp://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/may/06/terrorized-by-tsa/
TSA damages teen’s insulin pump, blames herTeen Blames TSA For Broken Insulin Pump
Diabetic Teen: $10,000 Pump Ruined By TSA Full Body Scan
Amanda Kost, reporterPOSTED: 10:23 pm MDT May 7, 2012
DENVER -- 16-year-old Savannah Barry said her $10,000 insulin pump was broken in the time it took for a TSA full-body scan.
"Coming off an insulin pump is rough. You never know what is going to happen," said Barry.
The diabetic teen said she had to transition to insulin shots the moment her plane landed in Denver. Barry shared her story with 7NEWS after she returned from a school trip to Salt Lake City.
"It’s unacceptable and I don’t want other people to feel the way that I felt. I was humiliated, absolutely humiliated," said Barry.
"It’s unacceptable and I don’t want other people to feel the way that I felt. I was humiliated, absolutely humiliated," said Barry.
Barry said she approached a TSA agent with a letter from her physician in hand. That letter explained her special medical needs while traveling by air. She said she pointed out her insulin pump and the TSA agent directed her to the full body scan.
"I was like, 'Are you sure that I can go through with this insulin pump? It’s not going to hurt the pump at all?' And she was like, ‘No, no you’re fine.’ So I went through with my pump. Some part of me knew that it wasn’t okay, but when someone in a position of authority is telling you it is, you think that it’s right,” said Barry.
The teen was ushered through the scan, but said she still had to go through a full body pat-down because of fruit juice she had to control blood-sugar levels.
"At that point I was really frustrated because what I really wanted was the pat-down in the first place," said Barry.
"When they saw her juice, they panicked and they didn’t know what to do. A diabetic is going to need a source of sugar, preferably liquid. I can assure you she’s not going to blow up a 737 with an insulin pump and three Capri Sun Juice(s)," said Savannah's mother, Sandra Barry.http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/31025318/detail.html
Security supervisor used dead man’s ID while working at Newark Airport
A Nigerian man used the identity of a murder victim to hide his status as an illegal immigrant while working undetected for decades as a security guard and then a security supervisor at one of the United States' busiest airports, authorities said today in announcing his arrest. The arrest of Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole came on the day a federal report found the Transportation Security Administration's handling of security breaches at the airport, Newark Liberty International, deficient.
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/security_supervisor_used_dead.html
A Nigerian man used the identity of a murder victim to hide his status as an illegal immigrant while working undetected for decades as a security guard and then a security supervisor at one of the United States' busiest airports, authorities said today in announcing his arrest. The arrest of Bimbo Olumuyiwa Oyewole came on the day a federal report found the Transportation Security Administration's handling of security breaches at the airport, Newark Liberty International, deficient.
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/security_supervisor_used_dead.html
TSA agents conduct “Full Monty” patdown on Henry Kissinger89 years old -- Made to stand up from his wheelchair . . . “He stood with his suit jacket off, and he was wearing suspenders,” freelance reporter Matthew Cole told the Post. “They gave him the full pat-down. None of the agents seemed to know who he was.” Cole added that Kissinger was given “the full Monty” search.
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/05/14/tsa-agents-conduct-full-monty-pat-down-on-henry-kissinger/
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/05/14/tsa-agents-conduct-full-monty-pat-down-on-henry-kissinger/
Geraldo Rivera: “manually raped” by a screenerMay 11, 2012
Geraldo Rivera joined Fox & Friends this morning to react to the story of an 18-month-old baby girl being removed off a plane for having her name on a no-fly list, but made news himself when he said, by way of explaining that he was actually on the no-fly list for some time too, that the last time he flew to Afghanistan he “got manually raped” by the screener, who seemed to Geraldo to be “getting off on it” and even becoming a “bit more intimate” as Geraldo grew more agitated and irritated.Geraldo says he only got off the no-fly list after “kicking and screaming and embarrassing the TSA on their utter incompetence,” leaving little hope of a formal process to get off the list being any easier. A clip of the interview:
http://reason.com/blog/2012/05/11/geraldo-rivera-manually-raped-by-airport
Geraldo Rivera joined Fox & Friends this morning to react to the story of an 18-month-old baby girl being removed off a plane for having her name on a no-fly list, but made news himself when he said, by way of explaining that he was actually on the no-fly list for some time too, that the last time he flew to Afghanistan he “got manually raped” by the screener, who seemed to Geraldo to be “getting off on it” and even becoming a “bit more intimate” as Geraldo grew more agitated and irritated.Geraldo says he only got off the no-fly list after “kicking and screaming and embarrassing the TSA on their utter incompetence,” leaving little hope of a formal process to get off the list being any easier. A clip of the interview:
http://reason.com/blog/2012/05/11/geraldo-rivera-manually-raped-by-airport
TSA puts disabled war vet through extra screeningMay 12, 2012
"Afghan War vet, maybe 20 y[ea]rs old, in wh[ee]lchair, no legs, shrapnel scars on arms--forced [to] lean on each side, do extra screening," radio host Laura Ingraham tweeted this afternoon. She noted that TSA officials at Baltimore Washington International Airport conducted the screening around 8:50 am today.
http://newsok.com/tsa-puts-disabled-war-vet-through-extra-screening/article/feed/381634
Up close and personal with the TSA
By Monica Osborne
May 15, 2012Rather than walk through a machine that may cause harm to my body, I prefer to ask questions. When told to walk through the body scanner, I informed the TSA agent that I could not submit to that form of screening, but that I would walk through a metal detector and have all of my items searched. The next step would be the infamous pat-down. I knew of one man who successfully opted out, and so we decided to see if we, too, could opt out of both.
We could not. As soon as we explained that we could submit to neither the pat down nor the body-scan, the TSA shut down the entire line behind us, effectively decreasing the efficiency of their overall screening procedures and doubling the wait time for other travelers. Members of the LAPD arrived to deal with the “issue”: two people standing shoeless, respectfully asking questions.
The TSA Web site states that travelers are entitled to ask questions about the process, but the more questions we asked, the more we felt we were being penalized. It was an absurd situation in which to find ourselves — I a Jewish Studies professor and my companion a nice Jewish comedy director — and my emotions bordered simultaneously on laughter and tears as I realized with horror that we had created a spectacle. We were being used to create a spectacle of fear in what amounts to little more than the TSA security theater. I shuddered as I realized I was flanked by apathy and fear. People all around us continued to thoughtlessly walk through body-scanners and receive pat-downs. Those who were not altogether apathetic watched us with expressions of fear.
A revelation: It was not security that was being peddled, but rather fear and paranoia, all to create for the public an illusion of security.
. . . I opted to fly and found myself standing before a line of 12 to 15 men and one female terminal manager. A female TSA agent began to explain the procedure. I asked her if she would be touching my genitals, and she confirmed that she would be touching my “labia.” I was told to raise my arms, and standing in front of multiple men, my long blouse (which I had worn over black footless tights) was pulled up, exposing my entire bare midriff as well as the bottom portion of my bra. I forced myself to look into the faces of all the men who stood there, bearing witness to my humiliation. I continued to look, as the TSA agent pulled my tights away from my body and ran her fingers around my bare waistline.. . . A colleague, his wife, and their 7-month-old daughter, Hazel, were flying from Charlotte, N.C., to Providence, R.I., for Thanksgiving in 2010. My friend and his wife discussed refusing the scanner, but considering the difficulty of making a 14-hour car ride with a baby, his wife insisted that they “comply.” Out of respect for his wife’s desire to get home for her first Thanksgiving with her new baby, my friend agreed to undergo whatever invasion of privacy the TSA insisted on. He went through the metal detector after disassembling his daughter’s stroller. While he reassembled it on the other side, the agents asked his wife to remove their daughter’s pink cardigan sweater-vest. The mother complied, and the agent felt Hazel’s little torso, presumably for an explosive device.The next time the family flew, they passed through the metal detectors unmolested. But my colleague will never forget watching the family in front of them: “I watched the passive father, who was watching his 14-year-old daughter with her arms extended and her feet shoulders width apart while a TSA agent, a woman, with disposable plastic gloves felt around the young girl’s waistband. Needless to say, I wish I hadn’t seen it, and I’m glad I didn’t make eye contact with that father.”
. . . Last year before Pesach, he and his wife and their 3-year-old son traveled from Los Angeles to Vancouver. As Ouriel prepared to enter the body-scanner, TSA agents approached Gabrielle and told her that her son, Eliyahu Yosef Hassan, would need to undergo additional screening procedures. She was told to point out Eliyahu’s bags and personal items; being only 3 years old, however, he had no personal items. Eliyahu was then taken from his mother and brought to a special screening area where a large woman roughly “patted” him down, grasping at his genitals and demonstrating indifference to his fearful and hysterical sobs. Gabrielle was prohibited from holding her son’s little hand. Despite TSA regulations that do not permit children to be separated from parents, she was forbidden from standing near him because he might “pass” something to her.Additionally, TSA agents have withheld from Gabrielle the offer of a private screening room and patted her down in public by putting their hands underneath her skirt and against her legs, as well as lifting her clothing and running their hands underneath the underwire of her bra.
http://www.jewishjournal.com/cover_story/article/up_close_and_personal_with_the_tsa_20120515/
"Afghan War vet, maybe 20 y[ea]rs old, in wh[ee]lchair, no legs, shrapnel scars on arms--forced [to] lean on each side, do extra screening," radio host Laura Ingraham tweeted this afternoon. She noted that TSA officials at Baltimore Washington International Airport conducted the screening around 8:50 am today.
http://newsok.com/tsa-puts-disabled-war-vet-through-extra-screening/article/feed/381634
Up close and personal with the TSA
By Monica Osborne
May 15, 2012Rather than walk through a machine that may cause harm to my body, I prefer to ask questions. When told to walk through the body scanner, I informed the TSA agent that I could not submit to that form of screening, but that I would walk through a metal detector and have all of my items searched. The next step would be the infamous pat-down. I knew of one man who successfully opted out, and so we decided to see if we, too, could opt out of both.
We could not. As soon as we explained that we could submit to neither the pat down nor the body-scan, the TSA shut down the entire line behind us, effectively decreasing the efficiency of their overall screening procedures and doubling the wait time for other travelers. Members of the LAPD arrived to deal with the “issue”: two people standing shoeless, respectfully asking questions.
The TSA Web site states that travelers are entitled to ask questions about the process, but the more questions we asked, the more we felt we were being penalized. It was an absurd situation in which to find ourselves — I a Jewish Studies professor and my companion a nice Jewish comedy director — and my emotions bordered simultaneously on laughter and tears as I realized with horror that we had created a spectacle. We were being used to create a spectacle of fear in what amounts to little more than the TSA security theater. I shuddered as I realized I was flanked by apathy and fear. People all around us continued to thoughtlessly walk through body-scanners and receive pat-downs. Those who were not altogether apathetic watched us with expressions of fear.
A revelation: It was not security that was being peddled, but rather fear and paranoia, all to create for the public an illusion of security.
. . . I opted to fly and found myself standing before a line of 12 to 15 men and one female terminal manager. A female TSA agent began to explain the procedure. I asked her if she would be touching my genitals, and she confirmed that she would be touching my “labia.” I was told to raise my arms, and standing in front of multiple men, my long blouse (which I had worn over black footless tights) was pulled up, exposing my entire bare midriff as well as the bottom portion of my bra. I forced myself to look into the faces of all the men who stood there, bearing witness to my humiliation. I continued to look, as the TSA agent pulled my tights away from my body and ran her fingers around my bare waistline.. . . A colleague, his wife, and their 7-month-old daughter, Hazel, were flying from Charlotte, N.C., to Providence, R.I., for Thanksgiving in 2010. My friend and his wife discussed refusing the scanner, but considering the difficulty of making a 14-hour car ride with a baby, his wife insisted that they “comply.” Out of respect for his wife’s desire to get home for her first Thanksgiving with her new baby, my friend agreed to undergo whatever invasion of privacy the TSA insisted on. He went through the metal detector after disassembling his daughter’s stroller. While he reassembled it on the other side, the agents asked his wife to remove their daughter’s pink cardigan sweater-vest. The mother complied, and the agent felt Hazel’s little torso, presumably for an explosive device.The next time the family flew, they passed through the metal detectors unmolested. But my colleague will never forget watching the family in front of them: “I watched the passive father, who was watching his 14-year-old daughter with her arms extended and her feet shoulders width apart while a TSA agent, a woman, with disposable plastic gloves felt around the young girl’s waistband. Needless to say, I wish I hadn’t seen it, and I’m glad I didn’t make eye contact with that father.”
. . . Last year before Pesach, he and his wife and their 3-year-old son traveled from Los Angeles to Vancouver. As Ouriel prepared to enter the body-scanner, TSA agents approached Gabrielle and told her that her son, Eliyahu Yosef Hassan, would need to undergo additional screening procedures. She was told to point out Eliyahu’s bags and personal items; being only 3 years old, however, he had no personal items. Eliyahu was then taken from his mother and brought to a special screening area where a large woman roughly “patted” him down, grasping at his genitals and demonstrating indifference to his fearful and hysterical sobs. Gabrielle was prohibited from holding her son’s little hand. Despite TSA regulations that do not permit children to be separated from parents, she was forbidden from standing near him because he might “pass” something to her.Additionally, TSA agents have withheld from Gabrielle the offer of a private screening room and patted her down in public by putting their hands underneath her skirt and against her legs, as well as lifting her clothing and running their hands underneath the underwire of her bra.
http://www.jewishjournal.com/cover_story/article/up_close_and_personal_with_the_tsa_20120515/
May 24, 2012
A Phoenix woman claims she was humiliated by TSA when she tried to go through security wearing a prosthetic breast.
A Phoenix woman claims she was humiliated by TSA when she tried to go through security wearing a prosthetic breast.
Cindy Gates is a cancer survivor who had a mastectomy two and a half years ago. She was leaving from Sky Harbor Airport a couple of weeks ago when she said was scrutinized for the prosthetic breast.
"I told them when I went through the scanner that it would show up differently," Gates said. The agent wanted to do a pat down but I asked for a private screening and she said 'no.' She then started feeling my breast."
Gates said she was then told she would need to remove the breast and again was a refused a private room to do so. She said she got so upset she took the prosthetic breast out and tossed it on the table.
"I was so upset," she said.
A new low: TSA steals from Army officer on leaveby Deborah Newell Tornello, TSA News, on MAY 24, 2012A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a member of the military, an officer and mother . . . For obvious reasons, I’ll keep her identity and exact words private, but I’ll share with you the substance of her message . . . . My correspondent was in the States on leave from Afghanistan, and while here, she’d flown from her hometown to a larger US city in order to visit family and go shopping with her mother. When she returned home and begun to unpack, she discovered her checked bag had been searched by the TSA.The standard slip of paper informing her of this was there. What wasn’t there, however, were the outfits she’d just bought for her little daughter. Also missing: the pretty new bras she’d treated herself to on her shopping trip.http://tsanewsblog.com/3236/news/a-new-low-tsa-steals-from-army-officer-on-leave/
I-Team: Priest Removed From Ministry Due To Sex Abuse Allegations Now Works At PHLPHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The CBS 3 I-Team has learned that a Catholic priest who was removed from the ministry over sex abuse allegations now holds a sensitive security post at Philadelphia International Airport.The security checkpoint between Terminals D and E is a busy place where thousands of people – including lots of kids – pass through every day. But you might not believe who the I-Team observed working as a TSA supervisor at that checkpoint this week: Thomas Harkins.
Until 2002, Harkins was a Catholic priest working at churches across South Jersey. But the Diocese of Camden removed him from ministry because it found he sexually abused two young girls. Now, in a new lawsuit, a third woman is claiming she also is one of Harkins’ victims.
The I-Team asked Harkins about the suit as he was leaving his shift at the airport.
“I have nothing to say,” was Harkins’ reply.
The new lawsuit, filed in federal court against the Camden Diocese says quite a bit. It accuses Harkins of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl 10 to 15 times in 1980 and 1981. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the alleged victim, claims the abuse occurred while Harkins was a priest at Saint Anthony of Padua parish in Hammonton, NJ, with one assault even occurring in Harkins’ bedroom at the rectory.
. . . He then used his TSA badge to walk into a restricted area where our cameras could not follow.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/05/24/i-team-priest-removed-from-ministry-due-to-sex-abuse-allegations-works-at-phl/
Until 2002, Harkins was a Catholic priest working at churches across South Jersey. But the Diocese of Camden removed him from ministry because it found he sexually abused two young girls. Now, in a new lawsuit, a third woman is claiming she also is one of Harkins’ victims.
The I-Team asked Harkins about the suit as he was leaving his shift at the airport.
“I have nothing to say,” was Harkins’ reply.
The new lawsuit, filed in federal court against the Camden Diocese says quite a bit. It accuses Harkins of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl 10 to 15 times in 1980 and 1981. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the alleged victim, claims the abuse occurred while Harkins was a priest at Saint Anthony of Padua parish in Hammonton, NJ, with one assault even occurring in Harkins’ bedroom at the rectory.
. . . He then used his TSA badge to walk into a restricted area where our cameras could not follow.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/05/24/i-team-priest-removed-from-ministry-due-to-sex-abuse-allegations-works-at-phl/
Airport security a confusing experience for travelerby Dick Hughes, Editor, Statesman JournalMay 24, 2012. . . “I’ll ask the questions. You don’t,” she informed me.
“Stop being emotional,” she continued, a comment to which there is no good response.
My instant thought was, “I’m not being emotional,” but I dared not say that. She’d already labeled me as disrespectful.
“Get your hands out my face!” the manager ordered.Sorry. May I step back so I’m not so close?
“No! You can’t move.”Then would you mind moving back so we’re not so close?
“No!”
“If you continue to refuse to comply, I’ll call the police and have you taken out of here in handcuffs. Is that what you want?”No.
If I knew what she wanted of me, I’d gladly comply.
“Are you refusing to comply? Will you comply?”I wondered: If this was how the TSA treated me, what would happen to a person with mental illness or language disabilities.
dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com
P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309; or (503) 399-6727
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120524/COLUMN0704/305240019/Airport-security-confusing-experience-traveler
Bono Mack, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade ... explained that she was stopped by four TSA screeners and two police officers who screened her carry-on bag and mistook an iPhone charger for a bullet.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120525/BUSINESS01/205250308/American-tourism-campaign-endorsed?odyssey=nav|head
“Get your hands out my face!” the manager ordered.Sorry. May I step back so I’m not so close?
“No! You can’t move.”Then would you mind moving back so we’re not so close?
“No!”
“If you continue to refuse to comply, I’ll call the police and have you taken out of here in handcuffs. Is that what you want?”No.
If I knew what she wanted of me, I’d gladly comply.
“Are you refusing to comply? Will you comply?”I wondered: If this was how the TSA treated me, what would happen to a person with mental illness or language disabilities.
dhughes@StatesmanJournal.com
P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309; or (503) 399-6727
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120524/COLUMN0704/305240019/Airport-security-confusing-experience-traveler
Bono Mack, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade ... explained that she was stopped by four TSA screeners and two police officers who screened her carry-on bag and mistook an iPhone charger for a bullet.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120525/BUSINESS01/205250308/American-tourism-campaign-endorsed?odyssey=nav|head
After opt'ing out and getting a 25 minute delay going through security, multiple full body searches, my luggage left out (with my purse etc.) where anyone could take it while they told me severely to stay on the seat they put me on... and oh then, when they finally realized I wasn't going to sit down until they did something about my luggage, they ran it thru AGAIN. Oh good solution, now it's back where it was. Perfect. Yes, that was clearly a solution. The level of intelligence displayed was, well... I don't have a polite word for it. My luggage was x-rayed four times (all that does is make me think the person running the x-ray can't get it right the first time), wiped down once, hand searched once and I got two full searches, one 'in private'... all just because I didn't want to get back scattered. If they wanted to make me despise them and truly KNOW they were completely incompetent, they succeeded. They have so many darned false positives with those wipes it's pathetic, I don't think my luggage has ever passed that. This was the first time they also wiped ME down with those... including under my arms. HOW my deodorant is a security risk is beyond me. I've been through Israel's security inspections, this organization is ridiculous and needs to be gotten rid of.
-Erin Contour, June 3, 2012http://www.elliott.org/blog/meltdowns-the-tsa-forgot-to-mention/#comment-546422970
-Erin Contour, June 3, 2012http://www.elliott.org/blog/meltdowns-the-tsa-forgot-to-mention/#comment-546422970
A Bozeman man says TSA agents at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport went to far while conducting a security check on his 73-year-old mother Saturday.
"Putting their hands on her breasts, under her bra, between her thighs, in her thighs. I mean this is a senior citizen for god's sake. I understand some security issues, but this bordering on obscene," said Eli Anselmany (Eli Anselmi). June 3, 2012http://www.kbzk.com/news/man-claims-his-mother-was-mistreated-by-tsa-at-bozeman-yellowstone-int-l-airport/
My Conversation with TSA
Published on May 29, 2012, by Marc C.I can’t say I expected much of a response when I sent my complaint e-mail to TSA after the disturbing experience of having my genitals groped the other night on my way home from a holiday weekend. Less than 12 hours after sending my email detailing my experience and asking whether this was in line with policy, I received a phone call from the TSA Supervisor of the airport at which the incident occurred. I didn’t record the conversation but I’ll recap it here to the best of my ability. Needless to say, my jaw hit the floor several times.
WARNING: Unlike TSA I do use graphic detail to describe the pat down, so if you’re uncomfortable reading about the male anatomy, I suggest you skip this blog and just take my word that TSA policy advocates sexual assault.Wanting to be clear on what is meant by “resistance”, I pressed for more specifics. “To be clear, when you are saying the word ‘resistance’, you are referring to my testicles, is that correct?”
“Yes, that is correct”, the Supervisor confirmed.
“And is it also policy for the agent performing the pat down to go inside my pants and touch my penis?”
“Yes, that is the policy”, the Supervisor confirmed. “We have to make sure that’s really what you’re packing down there”.
“So just to confirm, you are telling me that it is TSA policy to grope male genitalia during a TSA pat down?”, I explicitly asked in order to be sure he was clear about what he was claiming to be TSA policy.
“Yes, that is the policy”.http://lionsofliberty.com/2012/05/29/my-conversation-with-tsa/
Published on May 29, 2012, by Marc C.I can’t say I expected much of a response when I sent my complaint e-mail to TSA after the disturbing experience of having my genitals groped the other night on my way home from a holiday weekend. Less than 12 hours after sending my email detailing my experience and asking whether this was in line with policy, I received a phone call from the TSA Supervisor of the airport at which the incident occurred. I didn’t record the conversation but I’ll recap it here to the best of my ability. Needless to say, my jaw hit the floor several times.
WARNING: Unlike TSA I do use graphic detail to describe the pat down, so if you’re uncomfortable reading about the male anatomy, I suggest you skip this blog and just take my word that TSA policy advocates sexual assault.Wanting to be clear on what is meant by “resistance”, I pressed for more specifics. “To be clear, when you are saying the word ‘resistance’, you are referring to my testicles, is that correct?”
“Yes, that is correct”, the Supervisor confirmed.
“And is it also policy for the agent performing the pat down to go inside my pants and touch my penis?”
“Yes, that is the policy”, the Supervisor confirmed. “We have to make sure that’s really what you’re packing down there”.
“So just to confirm, you are telling me that it is TSA policy to grope male genitalia during a TSA pat down?”, I explicitly asked in order to be sure he was clear about what he was claiming to be TSA policy.
“Yes, that is the policy”.http://lionsofliberty.com/2012/05/29/my-conversation-with-tsa/
Yet another airport evacuation – I can’t keep track of them all anymore – it’s now over a dozen and I give up -LS:Terminal 2 evacuated, light rail and roads to airport closedJune 3, 2012
Officials at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport evacuated Terminal 2 after a suspicious package was found on Sunday.
Officials at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport evacuated Terminal 2 after a suspicious package was found on Sunday.
The evacuation also closed light rail and vehicle traffic to and from the airport.
Passengers in the ticket area were evacuated and sent to baggage claim, but people are also gathering in the parking lot, FOX 9 News has confirmed.
At about 4:30 p.m., the TSA found a suspicious item in a package or bag that was being inspected in the checked bag area. Officials said a CTX machine also found the item to be suspicious.
The Bloomington Bomb Squad was called to the scene.
After two hours, the airport began allowing people back inside.
A Sun Country flight was delayed during the evacuation, but it is unclear whether that is related.
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18688098/terminal-2-evacuated-light-rail-and-roads-to-airport-closed
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18688098/terminal-2-evacuated-light-rail-and-roads-to-airport-closed
Parolee arrested for allegedly sneaking onto commuter flight
http://www.cbs8.com/story/18656054/man-released-from-jail-boards-flight-without-a-ticket
http://www.cbs8.com/story/18656054/man-released-from-jail-boards-flight-without-a-ticket
Digital Journal: Man boards flight without a ticket, avoids TSA security
. . . It was learned Rory managed to escape U.S. Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) security screening by walking through one of the airport's emergency doors which gave him access to the tarmac. Reportedly, an alarm did sound when the door opened, but he'd run off and blended in with the passengers.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325862
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325862
A false sense of securityby Gillian Tett, Financial Times
June 2, 2012
Last week, my hand luggage mysteriously vanished as it went through those X-ray machines in JFK. And, to my shock, I have subsequently discovered that there is no way of telling what happened, since “improved” CCTV only covers part of the airport . . .
. . . My own story was grimly revealing. Last month, late one Friday night, I flew to England on American Airlines, via JFK. Since I was travelling to family celebrations, I had most of my favourite clothes with me in a black wheelie bag, which I took as hand luggage, ironically because I did not want to risk losing my belongings (according to a recent CBS report there are more than 200 reported thefts a day from checked luggage at JFK).Since it was late at night, the airport was half-empty, so I navigated the ticket line with ease and, half asleep, loaded my black bags on to the X-ray machine. But then, as I went into the body scanners, I looked away. And when I re-emerged, my black wheelie bag had completely disappeared.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6c4508b2-aab5-11e1-9331-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1wvymM0lt
June 2, 2012
Last week, my hand luggage mysteriously vanished as it went through those X-ray machines in JFK. And, to my shock, I have subsequently discovered that there is no way of telling what happened, since “improved” CCTV only covers part of the airport . . .
. . . My own story was grimly revealing. Last month, late one Friday night, I flew to England on American Airlines, via JFK. Since I was travelling to family celebrations, I had most of my favourite clothes with me in a black wheelie bag, which I took as hand luggage, ironically because I did not want to risk losing my belongings (according to a recent CBS report there are more than 200 reported thefts a day from checked luggage at JFK).Since it was late at night, the airport was half-empty, so I navigated the ticket line with ease and, half asleep, loaded my black bags on to the X-ray machine. But then, as I went into the body scanners, I looked away. And when I re-emerged, my black wheelie bag had completely disappeared.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6c4508b2-aab5-11e1-9331-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1wvymM0lt
Yet another terminal evacuationMay 30, 2012
Large knife let through JFK Airport security on busy Memorial Day holiday
At the end of the Memorial Day weekend as thousands of people were trying to get home, a large knife made it through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport and was almost taken aboard a plane.
Sources said the security breach and the subsequent search for the 19-year-old with the knife shut down Terminal 4, leaving hundreds of passengers forced to wait in long lines.http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/18653477/large-knife-let-through-jfk-airport-security-on-busy-memorial-day-holiday
Large knife let through JFK Airport security on busy Memorial Day holiday
At the end of the Memorial Day weekend as thousands of people were trying to get home, a large knife made it through security at John F. Kennedy International Airport and was almost taken aboard a plane.
Sources said the security breach and the subsequent search for the 19-year-old with the knife shut down Terminal 4, leaving hundreds of passengers forced to wait in long lines.http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/18653477/large-knife-let-through-jfk-airport-security-on-busy-memorial-day-holiday
Yet another terminal dumpSuspicious bag prompts evacuation of Terminal 6 at LAX, causes 2-hour delay
What turned out to be a microphone prompted the partial evacuation of Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday morning.
“At approximately 7 a.m., Los Angeles Airport Police responded to a report of a suspicious bag at Terminal 6,” Sgt. Belinda Nettles said. “At approximately 9 a.m., Terminal 6 was repopulated and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening check points were re-opened.”
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/06/05/suspicious-bag-prompts-evacuation-of-terminal-6-at-lax/
What turned out to be a microphone prompted the partial evacuation of Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday morning.
“At approximately 7 a.m., Los Angeles Airport Police responded to a report of a suspicious bag at Terminal 6,” Sgt. Belinda Nettles said. “At approximately 9 a.m., Terminal 6 was repopulated and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening check points were re-opened.”
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/06/05/suspicious-bag-prompts-evacuation-of-terminal-6-at-lax/
TSA Forbids Blogger From Video Recording Them Fondling her Husband's Genitals
Sunday, June 10, 2012
[Husband groped, twice. TSA agent lied about wife’s right to photograph/videotape.]by Dana Loesch
The incident took place earlier today in Providence, Rhode Island. Perhaps T. F. Green Airport but that is not specified in her blog post.
. . . They zipped up his luggage and directed us to a private room.
***
The TSA agent informed us, as he snapped on his blue latex gloves, that he would be performing another pat-down, this time using the front of his hands, and he would be touching Chris’s “groin.” It was at this point I began asking questions. He became aggravated and asked for me to turn off my camera. I asked once more about photos and video for clarification, and he stated that the reason I could not film them touching my husband’s genitals through his shorts was due to “security reasons.” The other agent in the room spoke into his shoulder walkie about security. I complied and turned off my phone. When I asked for the agent’s name a second time, he informed me that if I would like, he would call security. The agent demanded that I put my phone away entirely and get it out of my hands and would not start the intrusive screening procedure until I had done so.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-forbids-blogger-from-video-recording-them-fondling-her-husbands-genitals.3678/
Sunday, June 10, 2012
[Husband groped, twice. TSA agent lied about wife’s right to photograph/videotape.]by Dana Loesch
The incident took place earlier today in Providence, Rhode Island. Perhaps T. F. Green Airport but that is not specified in her blog post.
. . . They zipped up his luggage and directed us to a private room.
***
The TSA agent informed us, as he snapped on his blue latex gloves, that he would be performing another pat-down, this time using the front of his hands, and he would be touching Chris’s “groin.” It was at this point I began asking questions. He became aggravated and asked for me to turn off my camera. I asked once more about photos and video for clarification, and he stated that the reason I could not film them touching my husband’s genitals through his shorts was due to “security reasons.” The other agent in the room spoke into his shoulder walkie about security. I complied and turned off my phone. When I asked for the agent’s name a second time, he informed me that if I would like, he would call security. The agent demanded that I put my phone away entirely and get it out of my hands and would not start the intrusive screening procedure until I had done so.
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-forbids-blogger-from-video-recording-them-fondling-her-husbands-genitals.3678/
TSA agent gropes bare skin of young pregnant woman at LAXA Transportation Security Administration agent stops Shay McCall and her Chihuahua during the screening process at Los Angeles International Airport. (Photo: Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times / September 2, 2011)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/la-fi-tsa-service-20120608,0,6503046.story
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/la-fi-tsa-service-20120608,0,6503046.story
Claim of unprofessional TSA conduct in Atlanta
Date: 2 June 2012
Airline: AirTran, flight 31
Location: Atlanta, GA
I was detained by two TSA black females to a private room. The females were very disrespectful to me as a senior citizen. I was treated like a common criminal because I was layered. I am anemic and I do layer myself to keep from getting extremely cold as advised by my doctors. I can understand them doing their jobs but where is professionalism, respect, and dignity for people especially for seniors as myself? You may have not trained them to be professional and respectful but this should have been taught somewhere in their lives.
The young lady at the computer made a remark; "Y'all should know how to dress yourselves when you come here." This statement was made very disrespectfully to me. The other female did the searching and she continuously stared at me; looking me up & down after the completion of the search. I tried to remain quiet and professional and waiting for them to release me to get on the train to my boarding gate. For 2-3 minutes of silence and stares from the female attendants; I was finally released.
Even after I was found not a threat I should have been immediately released and not just stared yet for that period of time. The one that searched me remarked very sarcastically "have a good day". This was the first time I traveled this airline and will be the last time. As mentioned earlier, I don't mind the employees doing their jobs but with professionalism and respect.
I spoke with my lawyer and was informed that if I didn't receive a response from someone that he will be making the contacts himself. No one apologized to me at all. I have been having sleepless nights since this has happened. I am a heart patient w/high blood pressure. I am very stressed out over this situation.
-Delores
I got felt up also just for refusing to get backscattered twice (publicly and more thoroughly privately) AND delayed 25 minutes or more AND had my luggage scanned 3x, wiped down and hand searched... because they couldn't get it right the first time? Incompetence. I'll definitely be happy to start recording names along with my stories. There is NO reason for this abuse.
-Erin Contour, June 11, 2012http://tsanewsblog.com/3475/news/more-tsa-rights-abuse-porn/#comment-554734770
-Erin Contour, June 11, 2012http://tsanewsblog.com/3475/news/more-tsa-rights-abuse-porn/#comment-554734770
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 ( 3:52 PM)
Back turned, Fist in the air every time they play the National Anthem. That should be a national protest. Recently flying I watched a TSA agent at Savannah Airport unbuckle a 85-year-old mans pants which FELL TO THE GROUND leaving him standing there in boxers. Everyone saw it and was horrified because the TSA wench walked away without helping him. He couldn't bend over and pull them up without sitting down. There was nowhere to sit down. I helped him pull up his pants while EIGHT TSA OFFICERS giggled. Fist up, back turned till the TSA is regulated to stop treating elderly and infirm passengers with ABSOLUTELY DISREGARD and like animals. It doesn't matter what's legal. It matters what's HUMAN AND CIVIL and these pigs at TSA are neither.
GZED, Huffington Post, June 13, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/GZED/jesse-ventura-tsa_n_1593114_161045369.html
GZED, Huffington Post, June 13, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/GZED/jesse-ventura-tsa_n_1593114_161045369.html
Airport TSA search cause for ire
June 16, 2012
At the Central Illinois Regional Airport recently, seven TSA officers rummaged every item in my one suitcase and carry-on.
I was singled out from a line of Disney passengers as a suspect. CIRA can boast keeping Bloomington-Normal safe from any suspected terrorists traveling as tourists from here.
An A+ Rewards passenger, I fly from CIRA multiple times a year. My luggage contained nothing unique or unusual.
Why should I be shocked and indignant of TSA scrutiny this trip? To my chagrin, my privacy and dignity, however, were deeply damaged.
Agents passing the wand over bras and panties, as well as mussing up every other article of clothing and all personal items, caused me little offense. However, being patted down in front of fellow passengers raised some ire. It was offered I go behind a screen for the “pat down,” but I wanted witnesses. Following a 30-minute, finite search, TSA found nothing to further my delay.
A voice from the loudspeaker threatened that the door to the plane would be closed in five minutes. TSA officials offered to help me repack. Watching them unpack my luggage and leaving items strung end-to-end on the surveillance belt, I refused their assistance. Instead, I grabbed an armload, crammed my case closed and ran to board the plane.
Norma Brown
Dear TSA: I am not your customer
By Art Carden, June 16, 2012
On my last flight out of Memphis, Tenn., I noticed TSA "Customer Service" comment cards available after I got through the screening. After opting out of the scan and getting the Champagne Room Treatment from a gloved gentleman who saw no problem with being paid to touch me in ways that would have gotten him arrested for sexual assault in virtually any other context, I decided to fill one out.
. . . " 'Subject' is a more appropriate term than 'customer.' I am a "customer" of the airlines I fly. The TSA stands between me and the airline with a credible threat that they will not let us conduct business unless I go through a ludicrous song-and-dance routine that involves partially disrobing and then either being subjected to nude imaging or a full-on groping that involves hand-to-genital contact . . . .
Art Carden is an assistant professor of economics at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2012/06/sunday-reflection-dear-tsa-i-am-not-your-customer/706841
By Art Carden, June 16, 2012
On my last flight out of Memphis, Tenn., I noticed TSA "Customer Service" comment cards available after I got through the screening. After opting out of the scan and getting the Champagne Room Treatment from a gloved gentleman who saw no problem with being paid to touch me in ways that would have gotten him arrested for sexual assault in virtually any other context, I decided to fill one out.
. . . " 'Subject' is a more appropriate term than 'customer.' I am a "customer" of the airlines I fly. The TSA stands between me and the airline with a credible threat that they will not let us conduct business unless I go through a ludicrous song-and-dance routine that involves partially disrobing and then either being subjected to nude imaging or a full-on groping that involves hand-to-genital contact . . . .
Art Carden is an assistant professor of economics at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2012/06/sunday-reflection-dear-tsa-i-am-not-your-customer/706841
Usually I refuse to fly because of the TSA. While annoying I can deal with the decreased service of airlines (food? legroom?) but this stuff they are doing to let the terrorists win is where I draw the line. Before the nake-o-skopes the TSA was just annoying, now they are power-mad ... especially since Obama supported the naked-o-skopes. So I simply refuse to fly, half out of my personal feelings, half as a sympathy protest for the people their policies affect the most (previously sexually assaulted, pre-operative/non-operative transgendered people, etc).
Anyway, this weekend my in-laws and spouse wanted to visit their family for the weekend and were flying to do so. Against my better judgement I agreed to go along. Flying out from DC was no problem (just an x-ray) aside from the silliness of having to take off my shoes but flying back from Logan was when the 'fun' started.
I noticed they were putting EVERYONE through the scanner so when they motioned me to it I said 'I opt out'. Immediately after I said so there was a shout from the agent "WE HAVE AN OPT-OUT!!" I was also directed to stand next to the scanner. Right next to where everyone would walk by me, an implied 'this is what happens when you do not act like sheep'.
I informed the male agent that it was my right to be patted down by someone of the same gender (I could hear several female agents in the area). His reply to me ended with 'sir'. While most people would just brush this off as a lip of the tongue I am a transsexual woman. I could not help noticing the slight but also knew that I could not call the TSA on it as gender identity is not a federally protected class.
Sometime after another woman opted out ("WE HAVE ANOTHER OPT-OUT!!") they finally found an agent who could do the pat-down. Really TSA? You are that short-staffed when I could see plenty of you around? She then got my things and led me somewhere else for the pat down.
As people here probably know. The pat down was well beyond what the police do when they capture known criminals. In any other circumstance it would be a clear case of sexual assault. I was tempted to ask for dinner and a movie in return.
Everything was not over yet. Leaving the area I got quizzical looks from my group why I had taken so long and explained I opted out as I refuse to go through their scanners. The reply was they wished I had said so ahead of time. Letting me see yet one more tool the TSA uses to encourage people not to opt out: peer pressure.
-Kara Harkins, June 18, 2012, 5:30 AMhttp://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-just-wants-to-intimidate-not-to-opt-out.3794/
-Kara Harkins, June 18, 2012, 5:30 AMhttp://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-just-wants-to-intimidate-not-to-opt-out.3794/
And yet another terminal dump – that makes well over a dozen in the past few months – I can’t keep up anymore -LS
Hundreds of air passengers and staff were evacuated from a terminal at New York City's Kennedy Airport after a metal detector malfunctioned at one of the security checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration says it closed Kennedy's Terminal 7 for about two hours Saturday morning after discovering the equipment problem and realizing that people had been let through without being properly screened. Procedures call for the entire terminal to be emptied and the passengers re-checked whenever that happens. Some travelers have posted photographs on Twitter showing the terminal lobby jammed with people waiting to get back in. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the screening checkpoints were reopened to passengers by 11:45 a.m. The terminal is used by British Airways, United, and other airlines.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57459361/tsa-screening-problem-forces-evacuation-at-jfk/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57459361/tsa-screening-problem-forces-evacuation-at-jfk/
A terminal at New York's JFK Airport had to be evacuated and hundreds of passengers marched back through security screening Saturday, all because one Transport Security Administration (TSA) agent failed to realize his metal detector had been unplugged, sources said.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/24/jfk-airport-evacuated-after-tsa-agent-metal-detector-found-to-be-unplugged/
Sexual assault at O’Hare AirportChristopher Elliott and I know the identity of this man. We have confirmed it through personal contact and sleuthing on the web. He wrote to us in email and he posted the same story anonymously at Travel Underground. –LS
From: K (identity protected by Chris & Lisa)
Date: June 25, 2012 8:07:02 PM EDT
To: "tsanewsblog@gmail.com" <tsanewsblog@gmail.com>
Subject: I was violated by the TSA
Reply-To:
Dear TSA news,
You are doing a great job with this blog. I hope more people pay attention to the stories here.
I had a bad experience yesterday at O'Hare airport. I felt extremely violated. By a TSA agent, of course.
I'd like to tell my story to your blog if you would publish it. Anonymously. I'm not trying to hide my identity from you - from my email, I'm sure you could easily find out who I am. I haven't decided whether to file an official complaint/lawsuit yet.
Thank you
K
Link to his story at Travel Underground:Nightmare at O’HareThis happened yesterday (Sunday) morning, before a flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh (Flt# AA4142) . . . .
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/nightmare-at-ohare.3911/
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/24/jfk-airport-evacuated-after-tsa-agent-metal-detector-found-to-be-unplugged/
Sexual assault at O’Hare AirportChristopher Elliott and I know the identity of this man. We have confirmed it through personal contact and sleuthing on the web. He wrote to us in email and he posted the same story anonymously at Travel Underground. –LS
From: K (identity protected by Chris & Lisa)
Date: June 25, 2012 8:07:02 PM EDT
To: "tsanewsblog@gmail.com" <tsanewsblog@gmail.com>
Subject: I was violated by the TSA
Reply-To:
Dear TSA news,
You are doing a great job with this blog. I hope more people pay attention to the stories here.
I had a bad experience yesterday at O'Hare airport. I felt extremely violated. By a TSA agent, of course.
I'd like to tell my story to your blog if you would publish it. Anonymously. I'm not trying to hide my identity from you - from my email, I'm sure you could easily find out who I am. I haven't decided whether to file an official complaint/lawsuit yet.
Thank you
K
Link to his story at Travel Underground:Nightmare at O’HareThis happened yesterday (Sunday) morning, before a flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh (Flt# AA4142) . . . .
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/nightmare-at-ohare.3911/
TSA leaves Grandpa’s Ashes on Floor: Indianapolis Man Furious Over Treatment At Florida Airport Checkpoint – June 25, 2012Jar marked “Human Remains.”
"They opened up my bag, and I told them, 'Please, be careful. These are my grandpa's ashes,'" Gross told RTV6's Norman Cox. " She picked up the jar. She opened it up." I was told later on that she had no right to even open it, that they could have used other devices, like an X-ray machine. So she opened it up. She used her finger and was sifting through it. And then she accidentally spilled it."
Gross says about a quarter to a third of the contents spilled on the floor, leaving him frantically trying to gather up as much as he could while anxious passengers waited behind him."She didn't apologize. She started laughing. I was on my hands and knees picking up bone fragments. I couldn't pick up all, everything that was lost. I mean, there was a long line behind me." TSA rules say a crematory container in carry-on baggage must pass through the X-ray machine at the security checkpoint. But the agency's own website says human remains are to be opened under, “no circumstances.”
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/31224633/detail.html
"They opened up my bag, and I told them, 'Please, be careful. These are my grandpa's ashes,'" Gross told RTV6's Norman Cox. " She picked up the jar. She opened it up." I was told later on that she had no right to even open it, that they could have used other devices, like an X-ray machine. So she opened it up. She used her finger and was sifting through it. And then she accidentally spilled it."
Gross says about a quarter to a third of the contents spilled on the floor, leaving him frantically trying to gather up as much as he could while anxious passengers waited behind him."She didn't apologize. She started laughing. I was on my hands and knees picking up bone fragments. I couldn't pick up all, everything that was lost. I mean, there was a long line behind me." TSA rules say a crematory container in carry-on baggage must pass through the X-ray machine at the security checkpoint. But the agency's own website says human remains are to be opened under, “no circumstances.”
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/31224633/detail.html
TSA screener @ MSP invents "24-hour no-fly list,” causes international passenger to miss flighthttp://www.elliott.org/blog/whos-responsible-for-my-missed-connection/
William Shatner, other celebrities also humiliated by TSA
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, on JUNE 28, 2012
In an apparent attempt to make light of the fact that an 81-year-old man was forced to stand in public with his pants around his ankles, the Toronto Sun reported that actor William Shatner was chosen for a “random” search at LAX (Los Angeles).
Apparently the newspaper thinks it’s amusing that Shatner “was left nursing a bruised ego.”
Yeah, because it’s so amusing when a government agency demand that you be stripped, groped, and publicly humiliated. Hardy-har-har, I laugh about it all the time!
Plenty of other celebrities have also been singled out by the TSA; there are more all the time. And still more. And more. I guess this shows that they’re “just like you and me.” Or maybe the blue-shirted wonders just want to poke and prod the rich and famous.
Since I’ve spent the past few years defending anyone and everyone, no matter their social status, from TSA abuse, I will also defend William Shatner.
It’s not funny to watch someone, including a famous someone, have to stand half-naked in public. And anyone who thinks it is might want to delve into a little history — perhaps of 1930s Germany — and psychotherapy.
http://tsanewsblog.com/3751/news/william-shatner-other-celebrities-also-humiliated-by-tsa/
Apparently the newspaper thinks it’s amusing that Shatner “was left nursing a bruised ego.”
Yeah, because it’s so amusing when a government agency demand that you be stripped, groped, and publicly humiliated. Hardy-har-har, I laugh about it all the time!
Plenty of other celebrities have also been singled out by the TSA; there are more all the time. And still more. And more. I guess this shows that they’re “just like you and me.” Or maybe the blue-shirted wonders just want to poke and prod the rich and famous.
Since I’ve spent the past few years defending anyone and everyone, no matter their social status, from TSA abuse, I will also defend William Shatner.
It’s not funny to watch someone, including a famous someone, have to stand half-naked in public. And anyone who thinks it is might want to delve into a little history — perhaps of 1930s Germany — and psychotherapy.
http://tsanewsblog.com/3751/news/william-shatner-other-celebrities-also-humiliated-by-tsa/
“Another groped victim of TSA”May 23rd I was traveling alone and in a wheelchair from Washington, DC [Reagan National] to Portland, ME. I had to "walk" through the "radiation machine" twice....never heard of that but then, it has been almost 40 years since I have flown and had no idea what the TSA even was other than that they sometimes did patdowns. From what I read, I went through 3 of these patdowns in addition to twice through the radiation. 2 of them involved the groping and even slight penetration in the stories I've been reading. I am filing complaints although I doubt anything will come of it. I am an activist and the TSA was asking tons of questions as to why I was in Washington and what I had done, which hotel I stayed in, etc. Didn't know they could "interrogate", too. Can they legally do so? They said I was a 2-alarm...does anyone know what that means. I asked and kept asking but no one listened or responded. Could that have been the reason they thought they had "probable cause". My wheelchair became an object of real interest- they broke it in the process of removing parts so they could take samples of a supposed "explosive". Asked tons of medical questions. Has anybody made complaints and to who? Results?
The straw that broke the camel's back? - - probably when the female TSA worker cupped my breasts (she had already done the "under the bra band" and back of her hand touching but this was a brazen, unexplained cupping of my breasts (over my clothing, thank goodness) and she quite quietly said, "are these yours". Of course I just said, "yes" but what I wanted to say was "yes, they are all mine and so is that guy over there's penis" but I was respectful.
-E.A. Fecto
June, 28, 2012
Story told in two separate places at these two links:
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/another-groped-victim-of-tsa.3962/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/hello-from-bets.3963/#post-36545
The straw that broke the camel's back? - - probably when the female TSA worker cupped my breasts (she had already done the "under the bra band" and back of her hand touching but this was a brazen, unexplained cupping of my breasts (over my clothing, thank goodness) and she quite quietly said, "are these yours". Of course I just said, "yes" but what I wanted to say was "yes, they are all mine and so is that guy over there's penis" but I was respectful.
-E.A. Fecto
June, 28, 2012
Story told in two separate places at these two links:
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/another-groped-victim-of-tsa.3962/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/hello-from-bets.3963/#post-36545
Spokesman-Review: TSA settles lawsuit from prosecutor [$225K for injuring a handicapped passenger]
July 2, 2012
July 2, 2012
The Transportation Security Administration has paid Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen $225,000 for medical bills resulting from a fall in 2008 during an airport screening.
Rasmussen, who walked with a cane following childhood polio, filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million in 2010 following an incident on April 4, 2008, at the Spokane International Airport. As he was being screened, Rasmussen alleged that he was told to sit but didn’t know a chair had been pulled away. As a result he fell, causing back and hip injuries.
Rasmussen said government attorneys disputed the hip injuries but agreed the fall caused back injuries, which in turn required surgery. Since the fall, Rasmussen often now relies on wheelchair for mobility, he said.
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/2012/jul/02/tsa-settles-lawsuit-prosecutor/
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/2012/jul/02/tsa-settles-lawsuit-prosecutor/
TSA continues to harass passengers with medical conditionshttp://tsanewsblog.com/3826/news/tsa-continues-to-harass-passengers-with-medical-conditions/
Have a drink? The TSA wants some of thathttp://tsanewsblog.com/3839/news/have-a-drink-the-tsa-wants-some-of-that/
Invasive TSA: Screening procedures border on abuseBY SUE NEANDER
Posted: 07/07/2012 01:03:29 AM PDT
Last week, our group from Vacaville had the unfortunate experience of having one of our members not only given incorrect information about where to be screened if you have had a hip replacement. Because the agent did not direct our friend to the AIT body scanner, she was sent to the regular scanner, which indicated metal in/on her body. So she was redirected to a plexiglass box in the middle of the screening area, where she was caged for at least 10 minutes. I say "caged" because a good size football player's shoulders would probably get stuck in a box that narrow.
Last week, our group from Vacaville had the unfortunate experience of having one of our members not only given incorrect information about where to be screened if you have had a hip replacement. Because the agent did not direct our friend to the AIT body scanner, she was sent to the regular scanner, which indicated metal in/on her body. So she was redirected to a plexiglass box in the middle of the screening area, where she was caged for at least 10 minutes. I say "caged" because a good size football player's shoulders would probably get stuck in a box that narrow.
Next, a very stern, older female TSA agent came over and told our friend she needed to walk over to the pat-down area. At no time was our friend offered a private screening. Instead, she then was subjected to invasive, humiliating probing in public by the TSA agent.http://www.thereporter.com/opinion/ci_21026592/invasive-tsa-screening-procedures-border-abuse
TSA Gaterape Manchester, VT Airport - Detained for 1.5hrs and forced through pornoscanner
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-gaterape-manchester-airport-detained-for-1-5hrs-an-forced-through-pornoscanner.4090/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/tsa-gaterape-manchester-airport-detained-for-1-5hrs-an-forced-through-pornoscanner.4090/
TSA mocks deaf man, steals from himIn the latest low (that we know of, that is — one can only imagine how many more we don’t), a deaf man was going through security when he was called, to his face and in front of everyone else, a “fucking deafie” by TSA agents, who laughed at him, then proceeded to paw through his bags and lie to him about what he was allowed to take on board.
The offending article: candy. Which the TSA agents then ate.
http://tsanewsblog.com/3931/news/tsa-mocks-deaf-man-steals-from-him/
The offending article: candy. Which the TSA agents then ate.
http://tsanewsblog.com/3931/news/tsa-mocks-deaf-man-steals-from-him/
Security, valet working for Cleveland Hotel is accused of raping two guestsABC News Channel 5, Cleveland, OH Posted July 3, 2012
. . . Sources said two victims were returning to their hotel room after a bachelorette party when Solomon Baba, 23, and Kevin Kozieracki, 37, followed the women back to their room.
. . . NewsChannel 5 has also learned that Kozierack is a Transportation Security Officer at Akron Canton Airport. TSA officials said he has been removed from screening functions.
. . . Sources said two victims were returning to their hotel room after a bachelorette party when Solomon Baba, 23, and Kevin Kozieracki, 37, followed the women back to their room.
. . . NewsChannel 5 has also learned that Kozierack is a Transportation Security Officer at Akron Canton Airport. TSA officials said he has been removed from screening functions.
Both men are currently behind bars at the Cuyahoga County Jail.
Both men were arraigned on the charges on June 19 where they pleaded not guilty. They're scheduled to appear in court again on July 5.
Make-A-Wish kid hassled by TSA
July 2012This photo was posted on Reddit and has been picked up by other discussion boards on the web. Its caption reads:
This is my friend’s son being searched by the TSA, note he has cancer and he is on his way to make a wish trip to Disneyland.
Other commenters at Reddit chime in with stories of their own about being disabled and harassed by the TSA.
http://tsanewsblog.com/3940/news/make-a-wish-kid-hassled-by-tsa/
July 2012This photo was posted on Reddit and has been picked up by other discussion boards on the web. Its caption reads:
This is my friend’s son being searched by the TSA, note he has cancer and he is on his way to make a wish trip to Disneyland.
Other commenters at Reddit chime in with stories of their own about being disabled and harassed by the TSA.
http://tsanewsblog.com/3940/news/make-a-wish-kid-hassled-by-tsa/
Recently, I had a horrendous experience at Boston's Logan Airport. I wear leg braces and use 2 canes. I am well aware that the braces set off airport metal detectors and wear shorts to facilitate the security check.
Long pauses at the Logan's security checkpoint's x-ray machine initially made me aware that there was some kind of problem. The operator would stare at the x-ray for a long period of time and then send the item back. People's belonging were scattered throughout the line--some made it through, some didn't.
At 4:00PM, I finally got to the front of the line and as expected my knee braces set off the metal detector. I stood and waited to be patted down longer than I've waited at other airports. I was swabbed and the guard looked confused as she fiddled with the substance tester. I was forced to continue standing. It was clear that she did not know how to operate the machine. She finally said she received an alert and called for another person to deal with it
My belongings had been separated from me. Due to send backs at the x-ray machine, they had also been scattered throughout the line. I was made to stand and wait until the alert person finally showed up. I was taken to a separate room and received another pat down. A substance test was done on a second tester. It was negative this time. I was told that all my belongings had to be tested because of the first test failure.I was forced to stand while my belongings were tested with the second tester. The first machine was testing people positive and I was repeatedly bumped so they and their belongings could be retested on the second machine. The first tester was eventually declared broken. They did a lot of fiddling with the second tester.
The security people disappeared for long periods of time. When they were there, they did very little testing of my belongings and a lot of provoking and taunting. The guard testing my belongings babbled incessantly. The supervisor told the person who was testing my belongings to quit bumping me, and the guard actually bumped me right in front of him. The supervisor of the supervisor showed up and the guard finally quit babbling and started testing my belongings. My canes were not substance tested even though I offered them to the guard. I left the security checkpoint at 5:10 PM.
I had a long time to observe the security people at "work". I grew very concerned for the security at Logan Airport. Either the x-ray and substance tester were not working right or security didn't know how to operate them properly. Instead of making our airports safe, this security checkpoint had become a place for bullies to taunt and provoke a person with obvious medical issues. They did this with ease which leads me to believe that they do it a lot. I was picked because I was an easy target. It was an appalling abuse of authority.
I was in excruciating pain by the time I boarded the plane and could not walk the next day. Boston needs a secure airport staffed by competent professionals.
Janet Golio, Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 2:40 PM
[Janet Golio wrote this signing her full name; subsequently, she removed her last name and replaced it with the initial “G.” I am leaving the original because that’s how it appeared for at least 24 hours. –LS]
[Janet Golio wrote this signing her full name; subsequently, she removed her last name and replaced it with the initial “G.” I am leaving the original because that’s how it appeared for at least 24 hours. –LS]
| 94-Year-Old Woman Gets Pat-Down in North Carolina |
Marian Peterson, 94, was going through airport security in Raleigh, NC., was taken out of her wheelchair and patted down by TSA agents for what she said lasted for over 10 minutes. Peterson was trying to board a flight home to Florida.
"They groped her. All of her body. Her crotch, her breasts. And everything else," the woman's son Joe Peterson told ABC affiliate WTVD.Peterson's daughter described the episode that resulted in her elderly mother being forced to stand with her legs spread apart.
"[The TSA agent] said it would be in-depth. She started the pat down, and at that point, she asked mom to spread her legs. She stood there with her legs spread and she checked every place thoroughly," Malone told WTVD.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/airport-security-measures-prompt-outrage-elderly-children/story?id=14081084#1
Former TSA worker sentenced for sexually assaulting girl
July 11, 2012
BRENTWOOD — A Londonderry man who worked for the Transportation Security Administration was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a young girl.
"They groped her. All of her body. Her crotch, her breasts. And everything else," the woman's son Joe Peterson told ABC affiliate WTVD.Peterson's daughter described the episode that resulted in her elderly mother being forced to stand with her legs spread apart.
"[The TSA agent] said it would be in-depth. She started the pat down, and at that point, she asked mom to spread her legs. She stood there with her legs spread and she checked every place thoroughly," Malone told WTVD.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/airport-security-measures-prompt-outrage-elderly-children/story?id=14081084#1
Former TSA worker sentenced for sexually assaulting girl
July 11, 2012
BRENTWOOD — A Londonderry man who worked for the Transportation Security Administration was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a young girl.
Dwayne Valerio, 45, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault on Friday, leaving it up to a judge to hand down a sentence.
Valerio was arrested March 25, 2011, after an investigation by Londonderry police. The assaults occurred in Londonderry between 2003 and 2008. The girl, now 13, told a girlfriend last year about being sexually assaulted. It was then reported to Londonderry police.
Valerio was arrested March 25, 2011, after an investigation by Londonderry police. The assaults occurred in Londonderry between 2003 and 2008. The girl, now 13, told a girlfriend last year about being sexually assaulted. It was then reported to Londonderry police.
Before his arrest, Valerio worked as a Transportation Security Administration officer at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, but prosecutors say the assault had no connection to his job.http://www.unionleader.com/article/20120711/NEWS03/707129920
Author tries to make light of what happened to her:
Author tries to make light of what happened to her:
Naples News: Andrea's Antics: I may need a cigarette following my airport pat down
by Andrea Cooper, July 13, 2012
by Andrea Cooper, July 13, 2012
. . . So, she put on her latex gloves, like the gynecologist and proctologist. So right away I am thinking, "Uh oh!" She began to pat me up and down and all around, including my — as my prudish aunt used to call them — mammary glands. But it was when she asked me to step one foot forward that we changed from getting to know one another to dating.
Yup, she got private with my privates! Off on a bench putting his shoes back on, my husband watched the little affair. He didn't know whether to be jealous or be a hero and rescue me. So, he stood there with his mouth hanging open. Since I was wearing a dress which was now up to my thighs, I was regretting not taking the time in the shower that morning to shave my legs.
I said, "How do shy people react when you are doing this?" She said curtly, "Do you want a private room?" Well, I knew I was at a dangerous crossroads, my dear sweet readers. I could say, "Are you asking to marry me?" or "Isn't that illegal in all states but Nevada?" or "You are lovely but I prefer men — George Clooney in particular." But I knew this may not be funny to the very serious woman with her hands on the inside of my thighs. So I said, "No" and watched two women nervously hurrying to put on their little orthopedic shoes, before the security agent started dating them.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jul/13/andreas-antics-i-may-need-a-cigarette-following/
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jul/13/andreas-antics-i-may-need-a-cigarette-following/
PJG writes:
About a year ago I was going through the commuter terminal in San Diego and noticed the metal detectors were closed off and everyone was being directed to go through the Rapiscanners. I'm a frequent flier and up until then I made sure everything I wore through security was metal free and wouldn't set off the detector just so I wouldn't have to deal with secondary searches involving the scanners that I've read so much about here on Boing Boing. Also, it wasn't long before this I had a suspicious mole on my arm removed so I wasn't keen on increasing my already moderate risk of getting skin cancer. I politely told the TSA agent that I wanted to opt out of the scanner for the pat down.
There weren't many agents available and I had to wait a while, my husband was already through and wondering where I was. About a dozen people passed me as I stood near the entrance to the scanners, (a couple of families with little kids) and it probably would have taken longer if I hadn't been paged over the intercom (my credit card had fallen out of my husband's bag, I asked him to hold onto it while I dug for my passport in the line up). The TSA agent was clearly annoyed and finally asked another agent to take me to the secondary screening area where I was to get patted down.I had gotten pat downs before and had no problem with it, but this was prior to the more aggressive pat down policies that were recently put in place. The woman was indeed aggressive, barking questions at me about medical devices (I told her I had an internal implant on my spine and she didn't seem to understand what that meant until I explained that it was UNDER the skin); she didn't pat down but pressed hard, almost pushing me over a few times as she flattened her hands on my butt and back. And of course, the genital area thwack. I thought I was braced for this, thought I had all the right things to say, but after it was done I was physically shaking, in shock. And I was angry.I bitched about it on Twitter and when I got home, wrote complaint letters to both the TSA and Alaska Airlines but the responses were disinterested at best. TSA: "we did everything proper", Alaska: "Sorry, nothing we can do, you should complain to the TSA." And every trip to the US since has been a massive stress fest. In fact, I've actively avoided going to the US by air unless absolutely necessary. It's also why a part of me is glad to be missing SDCC this year.I just can't understand why so many are okay with this happening. Police aren't allowed to do half of this shit but jumped up security guards can? What the fuck is happening to the country?
July 10, 2012
http://boingboing.net/2012/07/09/tsa-mocks-deaf-man-as-fcki.html#comment-582851611
About a year ago I was going through the commuter terminal in San Diego and noticed the metal detectors were closed off and everyone was being directed to go through the Rapiscanners. I'm a frequent flier and up until then I made sure everything I wore through security was metal free and wouldn't set off the detector just so I wouldn't have to deal with secondary searches involving the scanners that I've read so much about here on Boing Boing. Also, it wasn't long before this I had a suspicious mole on my arm removed so I wasn't keen on increasing my already moderate risk of getting skin cancer. I politely told the TSA agent that I wanted to opt out of the scanner for the pat down.
There weren't many agents available and I had to wait a while, my husband was already through and wondering where I was. About a dozen people passed me as I stood near the entrance to the scanners, (a couple of families with little kids) and it probably would have taken longer if I hadn't been paged over the intercom (my credit card had fallen out of my husband's bag, I asked him to hold onto it while I dug for my passport in the line up). The TSA agent was clearly annoyed and finally asked another agent to take me to the secondary screening area where I was to get patted down.I had gotten pat downs before and had no problem with it, but this was prior to the more aggressive pat down policies that were recently put in place. The woman was indeed aggressive, barking questions at me about medical devices (I told her I had an internal implant on my spine and she didn't seem to understand what that meant until I explained that it was UNDER the skin); she didn't pat down but pressed hard, almost pushing me over a few times as she flattened her hands on my butt and back. And of course, the genital area thwack. I thought I was braced for this, thought I had all the right things to say, but after it was done I was physically shaking, in shock. And I was angry.I bitched about it on Twitter and when I got home, wrote complaint letters to both the TSA and Alaska Airlines but the responses were disinterested at best. TSA: "we did everything proper", Alaska: "Sorry, nothing we can do, you should complain to the TSA." And every trip to the US since has been a massive stress fest. In fact, I've actively avoided going to the US by air unless absolutely necessary. It's also why a part of me is glad to be missing SDCC this year.I just can't understand why so many are okay with this happening. Police aren't allowed to do half of this shit but jumped up security guards can? What the fuck is happening to the country?
July 10, 2012
http://boingboing.net/2012/07/09/tsa-mocks-deaf-man-as-fcki.html#comment-582851611
A TSA supervisor recently offered me a choice between throwing away my infant's dinner because it was too liquidy, or keeping it sealed and submitting my entire family (wife, children, myself) to pat-downs and thorough searches of all our belongings. The TSOs who performed the searches (yes, I accepted) were indeed apologetic. One flat out said (once the supervisor was out of earshot) that he thought it was unnecessary and stupid--as he swabbed my four year old for explosive residue. But the supervisor was totally out of line. His behavior had nothing to do with keeping people safe and everything to do with lording his power over my wife and me.
-LinkMan
July 10, 2012
http://boingboing.net/2012/07/09/tsa-mocks-deaf-man-as-fcki.html#comment-582793911
-LinkMan
July 10, 2012
http://boingboing.net/2012/07/09/tsa-mocks-deaf-man-as-fcki.html#comment-582793911
TSA strip-searches another woman, messes with feeding tubeJuly 19, 2012TSA agents have, yet again, strip-searched another woman. But that wasn’t enough. They also endangered her life by handling her feeding tube.
Melinda Deaton was detained by TSA agents at Dallas Love Field Airport, said her husband, John Deaton. She has to travel back and forth between her home in Texas and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for medical care:
“They had physically stripped her and saw the tube coming out of her stomach, and they decided that they needed to check it for explosives, so they had to physically handle the tube,” Deaton recalled, adding that swabbing the tube for explosives put his wife at a risk for infections.“Any time you put a harsh substance on it, you run the risk of contamination,” he explained. “They put stuff on there that we don’t know what it is and identify. She has a weak immune system as part of her medical condition, and it can be very fatal to her.”
http://tsanewsblog.com/4016/news/tsa-strip-searches-another-woman-messes-with-feeding-tube/
Melinda Deaton was detained by TSA agents at Dallas Love Field Airport, said her husband, John Deaton. She has to travel back and forth between her home in Texas and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for medical care:
“They had physically stripped her and saw the tube coming out of her stomach, and they decided that they needed to check it for explosives, so they had to physically handle the tube,” Deaton recalled, adding that swabbing the tube for explosives put his wife at a risk for infections.“Any time you put a harsh substance on it, you run the risk of contamination,” he explained. “They put stuff on there that we don’t know what it is and identify. She has a weak immune system as part of her medical condition, and it can be very fatal to her.”
http://tsanewsblog.com/4016/news/tsa-strip-searches-another-woman-messes-with-feeding-tube/
Disabled man says TSA screening forced him to miss flightJuly 18, 2012An elderly disabled Florida man is stuck in Des Moines because he says TSA agents forced him to miss his flight.
When you think “Terrorist”, Primo Meza is probably not the guy you’re picturing. Still, the elderly handicapped Florida man was detained by TSA agents so long he had to miss his flight home.
Meza uses an oxygen machine, and the batteries have to be charged for it to work. As Meza and his step daughter were getting ready to board their plane after visiting his sick sister here in Des Moines, they were stopped by Transportation Security Administration workers because Meza’s pacemaker set off one of their alarms.
In the time it took agents to determine Meza was not a security threat, his batteries depleted to the point where it was not safe for him to fly home. His daughter says she tried to plug in the machine during the screening process, but was told she couldn’t.
”When I tried to walk towards him they surrounded me and told me I couldn’t touch him and I said I need..I told them like five times I needed to plug him in so that he didn’t lose his battery life.” Tonya Gahagan said, and they adamantly said I could not.”
”They scanned me three times.” Meza recalls, “Twice, and then they took me into a private room and they scanned me again. Same way they did out there.”
”They scanned me three times.” Meza recalls, “Twice, and then they took me into a private room and they scanned me again. Same way they did out there.”
A TSA spokeswoman says electrical outlets in screening areas can only be used for screening. She says Meza was told he could charge his batteries after the 20-minute screening, but by then it was too late because he was supposed to be on the plane by then.
TSA officer charged with terrorizing, domestic violenceA screening officer at Devils Lake Regional Airport is accused of assaulting his roommate and threatening him with a handgun – his second arrest for domestic violence within a year.
Robert Don Jensen, 40, of Brinsmade, was charged last week in Benson County District Court with felony terrorizing and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and ingesting a controlled substance. Authorities alleged his urine tested positive for THC, the active chemical in marijuana.
He remains employed by the federal Transportation Security Administration, said John Hursey, TSA federal security director.
He remains employed by the federal Transportation Security Administration, said John Hursey, TSA federal security director.
TSA harasses two disabled children in PhiladelphiaObserved by LeeAnne Clark, July 22, 2012, posted at Travel Underground July 23, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/4306/news/tsa-harasses-two-disabled-children-in-philadelphia/
http://tsanewsblog.com/4306/news/tsa-harasses-two-disabled-children-in-philadelphia/
TSA officer arrested for disorderly conduct July 28, 2012A Transportation Security Administration officer from Miami found herself under arrest in Key West over the weekend after reportedly grabbing a phone away from a bystander videotaping the officer and a friend.
Witnesses told Key West police that Milagros Casanas and a friend "were very intoxicated" as they negotiated the 200 block of Duval Street in the early-morning hours Sunday.
Casanas was arrested around 1:15 a.m. after police were flagged down and reported seeing Casanas "attacking another woman...who was trying to get away. Casanas continued while people tried to pull her off," according to a report prepared by Sgt. Joseph Tripp.
Casanas, 35, is a "lead transportation security officer" at Miami Internal Airport, according to TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
http://www.keysnet.com/2012/07/28/466591/tsa-officer-arrested-for-disorderly.html
Witnesses told Key West police that Milagros Casanas and a friend "were very intoxicated" as they negotiated the 200 block of Duval Street in the early-morning hours Sunday.
Casanas was arrested around 1:15 a.m. after police were flagged down and reported seeing Casanas "attacking another woman...who was trying to get away. Casanas continued while people tried to pull her off," according to a report prepared by Sgt. Joseph Tripp.
Casanas, 35, is a "lead transportation security officer" at Miami Internal Airport, according to TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
http://www.keysnet.com/2012/07/28/466591/tsa-officer-arrested-for-disorderly.html
[That makes 94 TSA agents arrested in the past 20 months. –LS, 28 July 2012]
TSA Finds Water Filter in Luggage at Sky Harbor, Says It "Looks Like a Pipe Bomb"by Matthew Hendley, Mon July 30, 2012
You're admitting that the TSA cannot tell the difference between a water filtration system and a pipe bomb? Something is seriously messed up here, and it's not passengers flying with water filtration systems.
Great. With all the money spent on you guys you can´t tell a pipe bomb from a water filtration system, and evacuate terminals because of them?? And you admit it??
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/07/tsa_finds_water_filter_in_lugg.php
You're admitting that the TSA cannot tell the difference between a water filtration system and a pipe bomb? Something is seriously messed up here, and it's not passengers flying with water filtration systems.
Great. With all the money spent on you guys you can´t tell a pipe bomb from a water filtration system, and evacuate terminals because of them?? And you admit it??
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/07/tsa_finds_water_filter_in_lugg.php
A pat down that ended my wife up in the ERby BrennanDunn, Flyertalk, posted Monday, August 6, 2012, 17:18 am
My wife and I had a horrific experience traveling out of FLL yesterday.
My wife and I had a horrific experience traveling out of FLL yesterday.
Five years ago, she was violently sexually assaulted by three men and was threatened with death. She made it, and tried to bury it for three years. After nightmares, flashbacks, and cutting she told me everything two years ago, and since then has been seeing professional counseling and taking medication. The incident happened in FL, but we now live elsewhere.
We were back in FL due to a death in the family - whenever we're there, she's always on edge (understandably). The security checkpoint had a backscatter and a metal detector active. I always opt-out, and unfortunately I was chosen to go through the metal detector instead of her. My wife was sent towards the backscatter, and told the TSO she didn't want to go through that. I then overheard the TSO graphically describing that "they will need to touch your privates..." (I know TSOs routinely scare people into going through the nude-o-scopes.) That just about did it for my wife, and she started shaking, sweating, and ended up going through the backscatter.
And then they discovered an "anomaly" in her bra, so she needed to be patted down on her breasts. This freaked her out even more. She asked for a private room and for me to be there, and it was obvious that this pissed off the female assist TSO. As she started shaking and sobbing in the room as the TSO began to touch her breasts, I gently touched her arm. Big mistake - the TSO yelled that I couldn't touch her and that I'd need to go through screening again.
I was furious, but my wife wanted to just get out of the checkpoint and to our gate. She popped some pills and was hoping it would all go away... But it didn't. Once we got to our home airport, she vomited in the bathroom and asked me to take her to the ER. Last night she checked into our local hospital, and they're wanting to transfer her to a psychiatric ward for a few days until she stabilizes.
Is this worth it? Had she been permitted to go through the metal detector, she would have been fine. But the language of the TSOs and lack of sympathy towards anyone with mental health issues is repulsive. Every mental health professional we've talked to despises what the TSA is doing.
Do rape victims or other people suffering with PTSD have any rights, or is it the usual "if you don't like it, don't fly!" bull?http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/checkpoints-borders-policy-debate/1374235-pat-down-ended-my-wife-up-er.html
U.S. Attorney's Office Press Release: Ex-TSA Officers Indicted for Conspiring and Attempting to Smuggle Drugs Through Hartfield-Jackson (Atlanta)August 7, 2012http://www.fbi.gov/atlanta/press-releases/2012/ex-tsa-officers-indicted-for-conspiring-and-attempting-to-smuggle-drugs-through-hartfield-jackson
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Ex-TSA workers indicted in airport drug-smuggling
[Tally so far, as of August 8, 2012: 97 screeners arrested in less than two years. –LS]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Ex-TSA workers indicted in airport drug-smuggling
[Tally so far, as of August 8, 2012: 97 screeners arrested in less than two years. –LS]
Fox 4 Now: TSA whistleblower raises concerns about security at RSW
August 7, 2012This veteran TSA security officer was in good standing when he left for personal reasons and now wants the public to know what he claims is really going on at RSW.
August 7, 2012This veteran TSA security officer was in good standing when he left for personal reasons and now wants the public to know what he claims is really going on at RSW.
Jim: "They're supervisors and they don't do those things so they just stand around."
According to Jim, agents are afraid to report problems to their supervisors.
Jim: "It's a management by fear atmosphere that you work in. The people are scared to death."
http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/165346696.html
http://www.fox4now.com/news/local/165346696.html
Ozarks First: 'Suspicious Device' at Springfield Airport Turns Out to be Voltage Adaptor
August 8, 2012
August 8, 2012
Kent Boyd, spokesman for the airport, says around 12:30 p.m. TSA inspectors came across a device they thought was a pipe bomb. "That brought the entire inspection process to a halt," he says. "The administrative offices were evacuated because they're right over that room. And the fire department, City of Springfield Bomb Squad were called. They determined it was a voltage regulator, for taking overseas so you can plug in your hairdryer."http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=685692
August 10, 2012 (10:39 AM) –jt2babyrnTSA drives me crazy, I have listed two of my recent experience in the last 2 weeks, I can fly with my contact solution out of one airport and on the return leg the airport will take it away from me and discard it. The following week I flew out of a local airport and the TSA were rude and disrespectful to me during the pat down and I had to say I felt violated when the female fondled my breast area and jamed her had up my crotch. When I objected to this treatment they then went through my roll on and literally emptied my purse and roll on bag and just crammed the contents bag into the bag, and were not careful and tossed my iPad back into the grey bin from where they were standing after checking it for explosives and broke a piece of my property and were not in the least concerned nor did they say they were sorry. The just shrugged their shoulders and walked away.So No I dont' think they are doing a good job. I am getting to the point that I just expect disrespect for my person and my property from the TSA.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/jt2babyrn/gallup-poll-majority-say-_n_1759698_176063334.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/jt2babyrn/gallup-poll-majority-say-_n_1759698_176063334.html
Recent TSA sex crimes:
TSA agent Jose E. Salgado among 55 caught in child pornography arrests
The Boston Herald - Christine McConville - Wednesday, April 11, 2012
TSA agent Paul David Rains charged in online child-predator sting
Orlando Sentinel - Arelis R. Hernandez- December 15, 2011
Harold Rodman, TSA worker, arrested for sexual assault
WJLA News - Gail Pennybacker - November 21, 2011
Orlando airport (MCO) TSA employee Paul David Rains faces child pornography charges
Orlando Sentinel - Jeff Weiner - November 1, 2011
TSA Manager Bryant Jermaine Livingston Arrested for Running Prostitution Ring
MyFoxDC - John Henrehan - March 28, 2011
Md. TSA Agent Michael Scott Wilson Charged With Child Pornography
ABC2News - Joce Sterman - March 18, 2012
Nashville TSA Agent Clifton Lyles Charged With Statutory Rape
WTVF - Staff - September 20, 2011
TSA employee Andrew W. Cheever faces child pornography charge
MyFoxBoston - Staff - September 2, 2011
TSA Screener David Ralph Anderson Charged with Lewdness and Child Molestation
Elko Daily Free Press -Jared DuBach - August 26, 2011
TSA Screener Randall Scott King arrested for kidnapping and attempted rape of 14 year old in ATL
Lagrangenews - Staff Reports - November 23, 2010
PHL TSA Screener Thomas Gordon Jr Charged with Child Pornography
Fox Nation - John Shiffman - The Inquirer - April 23, 2011
Orlando TSA agent Charles Henry Bennett Arrested For Attempting To Make 15 year old Girl His 'Sex Slave'
The Huffington Post - Staff - May 25, 2011
TSA Agent Dwayne Valerio Arrested for Rape of Juvenile in Londonderry NH
Eagle Tribune - Jillian Jorgensen - April 2, 2011
Logan TSA employee Sean Shanahan accused of raping 14-year-old girl
WHDHTV - Staff - March 9, 2011
Disgraced Catholic priest who was defrocked after 'sexually abusing two young girls' now works as a TSA airport screener
CBS3 Philadelphia - Ben Simmoneau - May 24, 2012
JFK TSA "agents" force me to stop recording Part 1
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/jfk-tsa-agents-force-me-to-stop-recording-part-1.4545/
http://www.travelunderground.org/index.php?threads/jfk-tsa-agents-force-me-to-stop-recording-part-1.4545/
TSA hassles pilot, calls cops
Manchester, NH, August 10, 2012
Southwest pilot John Mcghie, TSA agent Bob Harbaugh; argument; TSA-Harbaugh touches pilot-Mcghie; pilot wanted assault charges filed, which police refused to do; when situation is reversed, passengers always get charged with assault; more links at story:
http://tsanewsblog.com/4871/news/tsa-hassles-pilot-calls-cops/
Manchester, NH, August 10, 2012
Southwest pilot John Mcghie, TSA agent Bob Harbaugh; argument; TSA-Harbaugh touches pilot-Mcghie; pilot wanted assault charges filed, which police refused to do; when situation is reversed, passengers always get charged with assault; more links at story:
http://tsanewsblog.com/4871/news/tsa-hassles-pilot-calls-cops/
Stranded Jet Skier walks across JFK runways, into terminal undetectedMonday, August 13, 2012
A jet-skier who became stranded in Jamaica Bay easily breached JFK's security system by walking undetected through two runways and into a terminal.
Daniel Castillo of Queens swam to shore and then walked past motion sensors and closed-circuit cameras of the airport's state-of--the art Perimeter Intrusion Detection System [by Raytheon].
The $100 million system is meant to safeguard against terrorists.
Castillo climbed an eight-foot-tall perimeter fence and made his way to Terminal 3, Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.. He approached a Delta Airlines worker, who alerted authorities, the paper said.
[Then he was arrested for “criminal trespass.” Guess he should’ve drowned instead. –LS]
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Security-Breach-JFK-Jetski-Jamaica-Bay-Airline-165959376.html
A jet-skier who became stranded in Jamaica Bay easily breached JFK's security system by walking undetected through two runways and into a terminal.
Daniel Castillo of Queens swam to shore and then walked past motion sensors and closed-circuit cameras of the airport's state-of--the art Perimeter Intrusion Detection System [by Raytheon].
The $100 million system is meant to safeguard against terrorists.
Castillo climbed an eight-foot-tall perimeter fence and made his way to Terminal 3, Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.. He approached a Delta Airlines worker, who alerted authorities, the paper said.
[Then he was arrested for “criminal trespass.” Guess he should’ve drowned instead. –LS]
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Security-Breach-JFK-Jetski-Jamaica-Bay-Airline-165959376.html
Racial profiling by TSA
August 13, 2012
After repeated reports about racial and ethnic profiling by the TSA, from the “Mexicutioners” of Honolulu to the “Mexican hunters” of Newark, not to mention countless personal reports by passengers, finally we have a front-page story in the New York Times about this practice. And finally we have TSA employees themselves blowing the whistle.
In a story titled “Racial Profiling Rife at Airport, U.S. Officers Say,” thirty TSA agents come clean about a program that passengers have been complaining about for years.
http://tsanewsblog.com/4833/news/racial-profiling-by-tsa/
August 13, 2012
After repeated reports about racial and ethnic profiling by the TSA, from the “Mexicutioners” of Honolulu to the “Mexican hunters” of Newark, not to mention countless personal reports by passengers, finally we have a front-page story in the New York Times about this practice. And finally we have TSA employees themselves blowing the whistle.
In a story titled “Racial Profiling Rife at Airport, U.S. Officers Say,” thirty TSA agents come clean about a program that passengers have been complaining about for years.
http://tsanewsblog.com/4833/news/racial-profiling-by-tsa/
Reminder: TSA still asking women to “Raise your skirt”
No, women still haven’t gotten used to this TSA practice. And it’s still offensive, humiliating, degrading, and makes being a woman an unfortunate preexisting condition (thanks, Nancy!). The TSA asked a female passenger at Philadelphia International Airport this morning to raise her skirt after she passed through the metal detector. The passenger who is in her mid-40s and a frequent flier was preparing for a domestic flight at 8:15 AM. As a seasoned traveler who flies weekly for business, she explains:
No, women still haven’t gotten used to this TSA practice. And it’s still offensive, humiliating, degrading, and makes being a woman an unfortunate preexisting condition (thanks, Nancy!). The TSA asked a female passenger at Philadelphia International Airport this morning to raise her skirt after she passed through the metal detector. The passenger who is in her mid-40s and a frequent flier was preparing for a domestic flight at 8:15 AM. As a seasoned traveler who flies weekly for business, she explains:
“As I got towards the front of the queue there was one agent checking boarding passes and IDs while many other agents stood around or talked to him instead of moving people through. There were about 200 people waiting at any time to move through. So now I make it to the security zone. I quickly remove my light jacket and slip on shoes. I already had my toiletries and laptop out. I am trained and know the routine. I am wearing only a t-shirt and knit skirt. I was wearing less than most doctors visits require. As I stepped through the metal detector I was shocked as the agent asked me to raise my skirt. This has never ever happened to me before. I guess I should have been thankful that my skirt didn’t prompt a thorough feel up to the crotch. The woman offered no explanation as to why I had to raise my skirt. As a very modest and religious woman, I choose to wear less revealing garments that come to my knees, I did not relish having to lift up my skirt and basically expose the bottom of my underwear, I felt personally and religiously violated.”
The TSA website does not require women to lift their skirts and skirts are not even mentioned in the Travel Assistant.
http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2012/07/09/reminder-tsa-still-asking-women-to-raise-your-skirt/
“. . . According to information the T.S.A. has shared or published, the airport pat-downs are supposed to be conducted by officers the same sex as the traveler, and passengers can request a private screening and have a traveling companion present during the search. Agents are not permitted to look inside passengers’ underwear or reach inside a skirt . . . .” [but they do anyway, as countless examples in this document attest –LS]
The TSA Needs to Be Put in Check
By Tom Vellner, Boston Magazine, August 17, 2012My own cousin shared a story with me about her trying experience at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport last week. After a male TSA agent described the pat-down to her as “touching your breasts and vagina and putting her hands inside your shirt and pants,” she calmly objected and asked to speak to a manager. The TSA’s response? According to my cousin, they handcuffed her for being uncooperative and detained her in a room for nearly an hour. She missed her flight and was told that if she “made a scene at security” again, she would be banned from the airport.http://blogs.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/2012/08/17/tsa-logan-airport-racial-profiling/#comment-179961
By Tom Vellner, Boston Magazine, August 17, 2012My own cousin shared a story with me about her trying experience at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport last week. After a male TSA agent described the pat-down to her as “touching your breasts and vagina and putting her hands inside your shirt and pants,” she calmly objected and asked to speak to a manager. The TSA’s response? According to my cousin, they handcuffed her for being uncooperative and detained her in a room for nearly an hour. She missed her flight and was told that if she “made a scene at security” again, she would be banned from the airport.http://blogs.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/2012/08/17/tsa-logan-airport-racial-profiling/#comment-179961
August 15, 2012
Ego-Death on Concourse C
Steve Gunn: Just say no when the TSA asks you to 'chat'
Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2012, 11:16 AM
Muskegon Chronicle
I came face-to-face with Big Brother the other day, and it was a frightening experience.
. . . Not because I had anything to hide. It was because we live in a free country where innocent people are supposedly protected from unwarranted government intrusion and harassment.
Muskegon Chronicle
I came face-to-face with Big Brother the other day, and it was a frightening experience.
. . . Not because I had anything to hide. It was because we live in a free country where innocent people are supposedly protected from unwarranted government intrusion and harassment.
At that point the agent yelled out, "We have another refusal." One of my bags was seized and I was momentarily detained and given a hand-swab, which I believe was to test for residue from bomb-making materials.
I passed the bomb test and was told I could move on, but I hung around a moment and told everyone within listening range what I thought about this terrifying experience.
So, this is what we've come to. The federal government now has a need to know where citizens are going and what they are doing before they are allowed to peacefully pass. I'm starting to wonder what separates us from Russia or Cuba.
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2012/08/steve_gunn_37.html
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2012/08/steve_gunn_37.html
At Last, I’ve Been Groped By TSA!
by Adrienne, “Jr Deputy Accountant”
August 22, 2012
I've waited years for this moment. While my sketchy business-like boyfriend has gotten his bits scanned and 99 year old grandmas are pulled out of the line to get extra pat downs, I've mostly glided through TSA except for that time I didn't have government ID trying to get home to San Francisco from Dallas. Well no more, people, it's official: JDA has been groped!
by Adrienne, “Jr Deputy Accountant”
August 22, 2012
I've waited years for this moment. While my sketchy business-like boyfriend has gotten his bits scanned and 99 year old grandmas are pulled out of the line to get extra pat downs, I've mostly glided through TSA except for that time I didn't have government ID trying to get home to San Francisco from Dallas. Well no more, people, it's official: JDA has been groped!
Not only was I groped but I was scanned, dusted for explosives and found a nice little note from TSA in my luggage that told me they felt compelled to check my stuff out.
http://www.jrdeputyaccountant.com/2012/08/at-last-ive-been-groped-by-tsa.html
http://www.jrdeputyaccountant.com/2012/08/at-last-ive-been-groped-by-tsa.html
TSA's Clever New Security Protocol: Nosy Questions About Your Vacation
by J. D. Tuccile, Managing Editor, 24/7 News at Reason.com
Aug. 23, 2012 9:00 pm
Over at the ACLU's Blog of Rights, Devon Chaffee writes of her most recent experience passing through airport security in Burlington, Vermont:
by J. D. Tuccile, Managing Editor, 24/7 News at Reason.com
Aug. 23, 2012 9:00 pm
Over at the ACLU's Blog of Rights, Devon Chaffee writes of her most recent experience passing through airport security in Burlington, Vermont:
The agent then turned to me with grin that was a bit perky for even my taste given the early hour. “So where are you folks off to?” he energetically inquired.
I like to think that I’m a friendly person, so I answered him, expecting a brief innocuous exchange about the Washington DC heat and the scourge of Capitol Hill gridlock. Instead, the agent responded to my answer with a barrage of questions about where in Vermont we had stayed, how long we had traveled, and why we had traveled there. I could feel a suspicious expression involuntarily creep across my face. The New Englander inside me was screaming“you don’t know this person from a hole in the wall and you certainly don’t want to divulge to him the details of your family vacation!” And yet it seemed that the more discomfort I expressed, the more persistent the agent’s questioning became, following us down the line, grilling me unrelentingly about our vacation plans and baggage status.http://reason.com/blog/2012/08/23/tsas-clever-new-security-protocol-questi
I like to think that I’m a friendly person, so I answered him, expecting a brief innocuous exchange about the Washington DC heat and the scourge of Capitol Hill gridlock. Instead, the agent responded to my answer with a barrage of questions about where in Vermont we had stayed, how long we had traveled, and why we had traveled there. I could feel a suspicious expression involuntarily creep across my face. The New Englander inside me was screaming“you don’t know this person from a hole in the wall and you certainly don’t want to divulge to him the details of your family vacation!” And yet it seemed that the more discomfort I expressed, the more persistent the agent’s questioning became, following us down the line, grilling me unrelentingly about our vacation plans and baggage status.http://reason.com/blog/2012/08/23/tsas-clever-new-security-protocol-questi
Ron Paul Family Detained by TSA Again
Thursday, 30 August 2012For the second time this year, the Paul family has been harassed by the Transportation Security Administration. Rep. Ron Paul, his wife, and granddaughter were stopped by eight TSA workers at a small airport in Clearwater, Florida, and told they must be screened. According to the agents, the screening was necessary because Mitt Romney "might be nearby."Observers say the implication was that the Paul family poses a threat to the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.
The agents inspected Paul’s credentials and demanded to check the airplane for explosives.
The entire incident came to an end once Ron Paul’s wife, Carol, refused to be screened by TSA personnel, asserting that she wore a pacemaker, and a Paul aide began taking video of the ordeal on his cell phone.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/12663-ron-paul-family-detained-by-tsa-again
Thursday, 30 August 2012For the second time this year, the Paul family has been harassed by the Transportation Security Administration. Rep. Ron Paul, his wife, and granddaughter were stopped by eight TSA workers at a small airport in Clearwater, Florida, and told they must be screened. According to the agents, the screening was necessary because Mitt Romney "might be nearby."Observers say the implication was that the Paul family poses a threat to the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.
The agents inspected Paul’s credentials and demanded to check the airplane for explosives.
The entire incident came to an end once Ron Paul’s wife, Carol, refused to be screened by TSA personnel, asserting that she wore a pacemaker, and a Paul aide began taking video of the ordeal on his cell phone.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/12663-ron-paul-family-detained-by-tsa-again
Readers Respond: Have You Opted Out of Airport Body Scanners and Had a TSA Patdown?
Responses: 41Typical comment:
I was randomly selected by tsa at Orlando airport for no reason. I was not given the option of AIT. I was groped and violated for no reason. Evidently you can receive this treatment without setting off alarms or refusing to go through AIT scanner machines. I can't believe that Americans are ok with people being treated this way.
http://studenttravel.about.com/u/ua/airportsecurityrules/Comment-on-Tsa-Patdown.htm
I was randomly selected by tsa at Orlando airport for no reason. I was not given the option of AIT. I was groped and violated for no reason. Evidently you can receive this treatment without setting off alarms or refusing to go through AIT scanner machines. I can't believe that Americans are ok with people being treated this way.
http://studenttravel.about.com/u/ua/airportsecurityrules/Comment-on-Tsa-Patdown.htm
TSA agent admits on videotape that he is retaliating against passenger – nothing to do with security, everything to do with punishment
TSA retaliation
September 6, 2012http://tsanewsblog.com/5765/news/tsa-retaliation/
TSA retaliation
September 6, 2012http://tsanewsblog.com/5765/news/tsa-retaliation/
TSA agent charged with kiddie pornFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A Transportation Security Administration agent in Florida has been charged with possessing child pornography on his home computer.
Andrew Smeal, a screener at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Hollywood, WFOR-TV, Miami, reported. The South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force began the investigation in February, police said.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/09/13/TSA-agent-charged-with-kiddie-porn/UPI-34861347562705/
Andrew Smeal, a screener at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Hollywood, WFOR-TV, Miami, reported. The South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force began the investigation in February, police said.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/09/13/TSA-agent-charged-with-kiddie-porn/UPI-34861347562705/
Even Congress can’t stop the TSA from assaulting passengers
by SOMMER GENTRY on SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
A FOIA request by governmentattic.org, which the TSA only answered after more than a year’s delay, has shaken loose some 200 pages of complaints about patdown procedures that TSA received between November and December 2010. Among these letters were several from members of Congress and congressional committees. The following excerpts give us a feel for Congressional sentiment towards the TSA.
http://tsanewsblog.com/5902/news/even-congress-cant-stop-the-tsa-from-assaulting-passengers/
A FOIA request by governmentattic.org, which the TSA only answered after more than a year’s delay, has shaken loose some 200 pages of complaints about patdown procedures that TSA received between November and December 2010. Among these letters were several from members of Congress and congressional committees. The following excerpts give us a feel for Congressional sentiment towards the TSA.
http://tsanewsblog.com/5902/news/even-congress-cant-stop-the-tsa-from-assaulting-passengers/
Patdown Assault Trauma Syndrome: fear, shaking, sleeplessness, nightmares, and flashbacksby SOMMER GENTRY on SEPTEMBER 11, 2012
As one reads the letters from victims of TSA patdowns released last week, strong patterns emerge. Nearly every letter uses one of these turns of phrase: demeaning, degrading, dehumanizing, humiliating, violated, traumatized, sexually assaulted.
http://tsanewsblog.com/5927/news/patdown-assault-trauma-syndrome-fear-shaking-sleeplessness-nightmares-and-flashbacks/
http://tsanewsblog.com/5927/news/patdown-assault-trauma-syndrome-fear-shaking-sleeplessness-nightmares-and-flashbacks/
NorCal108 • September 16, 2012
On a trip from LAX to Honolulu I watched a male TSA agent pat down what looked like a skinny 8-9 year old girl who was wearing a pink tube top and blue short shorts with flip flops. The tube top and the shorts were the type that were thin elastic material fitting very tightly on her. You could probably see a dime through the clothes if you stood close enough. There could not be any possible place to hide anything on the little kid, but there he was, off in the special area, some pervert patting her down. It was child molestation straight up, nothing less.http://www.elliott.org/blog/has-the-tsa-has-become-its-own-worst-enemy/#comment-652011894
On a trip from LAX to Honolulu I watched a male TSA agent pat down what looked like a skinny 8-9 year old girl who was wearing a pink tube top and blue short shorts with flip flops. The tube top and the shorts were the type that were thin elastic material fitting very tightly on her. You could probably see a dime through the clothes if you stood close enough. There could not be any possible place to hide anything on the little kid, but there he was, off in the special area, some pervert patting her down. It was child molestation straight up, nothing less.http://www.elliott.org/blog/has-the-tsa-has-become-its-own-worst-enemy/#comment-652011894
ABC News Tracks Missing iPad to Florida Home of TSA Officer
Sept. 27, 2012
Sept. 27, 2012
In the latest apparent case of what have been hundreds of thefts by TSA officers of passenger belongings, an iPad left behind at a security checkpoint in the Orlando airport was tracked as it moved 30 miles to the home of the TSA officer last seen handling it.
Confronted two weeks later by ABC News, the TSA officer, Andy Ramirez, at first denied having the missing iPad, but ultimately turned it over after blaming his wife for taking it from the airport.
The iPad was one of ten purposely left behind at TSA checkpoints at major airports with a history of theft by government screeners, as part of an ABC News investigation into the TSA's ongoing problem with theft from passengers.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/abc-news-tracks-missing-ipad-florida-home-tsa/story?id=17331937#.UGbga46hDzJ
Confronted two weeks later by ABC News, the TSA officer, Andy Ramirez, at first denied having the missing iPad, but ultimately turned it over after blaming his wife for taking it from the airport.
The iPad was one of ten purposely left behind at TSA checkpoints at major airports with a history of theft by government screeners, as part of an ABC News investigation into the TSA's ongoing problem with theft from passengers.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/abc-news-tracks-missing-ipad-florida-home-tsa/story?id=17331937#.UGbga46hDzJ
A review of recent TSA sex crimes
by BILL FISHER on SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/5980/news/a-review-of-recent-tsa-sex-crimes/
http://tsanewsblog.com/5980/news/a-review-of-recent-tsa-sex-crimes/
Convicted TSA Officer Reveals Secrets of Thefts at AirportsSeptember 28, 2012
A convicted TSA security officer says he was part of a "culture" of indifference that allowed corrupt employees to prey on passengers' luggage and personal belongings with impunity, thanks to lax oversight and tip-offs from TSA colleagues.
"It was very commonplace, very," said Pythias Brown, a former TSA officer at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey who admits he stole more than $800,000 worth of items from luggage and security checkpoints over a four-year period."It was very convenient to steal," he said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-secrets-thefts-airports/story?id=17339513#.UGcIuI6hDzI
A convicted TSA security officer says he was part of a "culture" of indifference that allowed corrupt employees to prey on passengers' luggage and personal belongings with impunity, thanks to lax oversight and tip-offs from TSA colleagues.
"It was very commonplace, very," said Pythias Brown, a former TSA officer at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey who admits he stole more than $800,000 worth of items from luggage and security checkpoints over a four-year period."It was very convenient to steal," he said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/convicted-tsa-officer-reveals-secrets-thefts-airports/story?id=17339513#.UGcIuI6hDzI
TSA steals $500 from traveler as punishmentOctober 4, 2012
A former TSA worker has pleaded guilty to stealing over $500 in cash from a man who complained about the TSA’s invasive pat down procedure, with the TSA agent admitting the theft was a punishment for the man’s lack of obedience.
A former TSA worker has pleaded guilty to stealing over $500 in cash from a man who complained about the TSA’s invasive pat down procedure, with the TSA agent admitting the theft was a punishment for the man’s lack of obedience.
60-year-old John W. Irwin pleaded guilty to one count of grand larceny following an incident in November 2011, during which a man asked that he be given a pat down rather than face a body scanner due to a medical condition.
When TSA agents ordered the man undergo the pat down in a private room, he complained but agreed to do so.
The man placed $520 in cash in a gray plastic bin before accompanying the TSA agents to the private room. When he returned, the money was gone, with Irwin having hidden it in a TSA supervisor’s drawer.
Former TSA officer pleads guilty to conspiracy for attempting to smuggle cocaine thru HartsfieldOctober 4, 2012
Ex-TSA Officer Timothy G. Gregory, 26, of DeKalb County, Georgia, pleaded guilty today to conspiring and attempting to smuggle cocaine through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, announced Sally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/local/former-tsa-officer-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-attemp/nSTMF/
Ex-TSA Officer Timothy G. Gregory, 26, of DeKalb County, Georgia, pleaded guilty today to conspiring and attempting to smuggle cocaine through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, announced Sally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/local/former-tsa-officer-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-attemp/nSTMF/
Local woman unhappy with TSA at MCIOctober 7, 2012
An Independence woman says she feels violated after an embarrassing pat-down at the Kansas City International Airport.
http://www.onenewspage.us/video/20121007/1075183/Local-woman-unhappy-with-TSA-at-MCI.htm
Cancer survivor feels violated by TSA at Kansas City International Airporthttp://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/cancer-survivor-says-she-was-violated-at-kansas-city-international-airport
An Independence woman says she feels violated after an embarrassing pat-down at the Kansas City International Airport.
http://www.onenewspage.us/video/20121007/1075183/Local-woman-unhappy-with-TSA-at-MCI.htm
Cancer survivor feels violated by TSA at Kansas City International Airporthttp://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/cancer-survivor-says-she-was-violated-at-kansas-city-international-airport
UPDATE: More breast cancer survivors come forward after 'embarrassing' pat-downs http://bit.ly/QPAecE
Dying woman humiliated by revealing TSA pat-down
By Joel Moreno Published: Oct 9, 2012 at 8:15 AM MDT
SEATTLE -- A dying woman says a a security pat-down at Sea-Tac Airport left her embarrassed in front of crowds of people. Michelle Dunaj says screeners checked under bandages from recent surgeries, and refused to give her a private search when she requested one. Dunaj, who is dying of leukemia, carried a large amount of prescription drugs through Sea-Tac to head to Hawaii for what would be one of the last trips of her life. She called Alaska Airlines ahead of time to request a wheelchair and to ask how her medicines should be separated for the security line. "I did everything they asked me to do, so I didn't think it would be an issue," she said. But Dunaj says nothing went right at the security checkpoint. A machine couldn't get a reading on her saline bags, so a TSA agent forced one open, contaminating the fluid she needs to survive. She says agents also made her lift up her shirt and pull back the bandages holding feeding tubes in place. Dunaj needs those tubes because of organ failure. With other passengers staring, Dunaj says she asked for privacy and was turned down. "They just said that it was fine; the location we were at was fine," she said.
http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/173291181.html?tab=video&c=y
By Joel Moreno Published: Oct 9, 2012 at 8:15 AM MDT
SEATTLE -- A dying woman says a a security pat-down at Sea-Tac Airport left her embarrassed in front of crowds of people. Michelle Dunaj says screeners checked under bandages from recent surgeries, and refused to give her a private search when she requested one. Dunaj, who is dying of leukemia, carried a large amount of prescription drugs through Sea-Tac to head to Hawaii for what would be one of the last trips of her life. She called Alaska Airlines ahead of time to request a wheelchair and to ask how her medicines should be separated for the security line. "I did everything they asked me to do, so I didn't think it would be an issue," she said. But Dunaj says nothing went right at the security checkpoint. A machine couldn't get a reading on her saline bags, so a TSA agent forced one open, contaminating the fluid she needs to survive. She says agents also made her lift up her shirt and pull back the bandages holding feeding tubes in place. Dunaj needs those tubes because of organ failure. With other passengers staring, Dunaj says she asked for privacy and was turned down. "They just said that it was fine; the location we were at was fine," she said.
http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/173291181.html?tab=video&c=y
Are TSA Agents Punishing Us?by Christopher Elliott, Huffington Post, Elliott Blog, TSA News
October 8, 2012
Steven deForest is an experienced air traveler, but he says nothing could have prepared him for the confrontation he recently had with a TSA screener in Las Vegas."I chose to opt out of the backscatter X-ray and submit to a physical search," he says.
DeForest was ushered into a glass holding box until a screener could be found to conduct the search.
"A bulky young TSA agent came over to pat me down," he remembers. "He told me to turn around. He was using his command voice, barking orders. I told him that I wasn't comfortable turning away from my luggage, which had already been screened, and wanted to keep it in my sight."
The agent issued more orders -- "Stay there, I didn't tell you to move!" and "Empty your pockets!" -- and deForest says the federal screener seemed irritated that he didn't obey him without hesitation.And that's when deForest says he was punished. The agent knelt in front of him to conduct a pat-down.
"As he raised his hands he was looking at me," he says. "Then he gave a quick flick and smacked me in one of my testicles."
. . . "I can't over-emphasize the feeling of humiliation, rage, and frustration," he told me. "I believe I have a better idea of what a woman feels when she is groped, or worse. I was deliberately assaulted by someone who knew that he could get away with it."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-elliott/are-tsa-agents-punishing-_b_1946650.html
Another theft: passenger says TSA stole jewelry at Boston Logan
October 28, 2012, TSA NewsTerri Ivester was on her way to a family christening in Chicago when she ran into a snag at the security checkpoint at Logan Airport.
Terri Ivester says, “The TSA agent holds my backpack up, and um, says there’s a water bottle in this backpack, I’m going to have to take that.”
That’s when Ivester says the agent left the area with her bag.
She realized she was missing four pieces including a single strand of pearls and a double strand bracelet totaling $3,700.
http://tsanewsblog.com/6855/news/another-theft-passenger-says-tsa-stole-jewelry-at-boston-logan/
October 28, 2012, TSA NewsTerri Ivester was on her way to a family christening in Chicago when she ran into a snag at the security checkpoint at Logan Airport.
Terri Ivester says, “The TSA agent holds my backpack up, and um, says there’s a water bottle in this backpack, I’m going to have to take that.”
That’s when Ivester says the agent left the area with her bag.
She realized she was missing four pieces including a single strand of pearls and a double strand bracelet totaling $3,700.
http://tsanewsblog.com/6855/news/another-theft-passenger-says-tsa-stole-jewelry-at-boston-logan/
More theft: passenger says TSA stole cash at Fairbanks airportby Lisa Simeone, TSA News, November 8, 2012Pete Alexion, Fairbanks Airport, October 17, 2011, went through scanner, pulled aside for a grope in the glass booth, TSA agent left with his wallet; when he returned, cash missing.
http://tsanewsblog.com/7226/news/more-theft-passenger-says-tsa-stole-cash-at-fairbanks-airport/
http://tsanewsblog.com/7226/news/more-theft-passenger-says-tsa-stole-cash-at-fairbanks-airport/
Another TSA theft at JFK, this one targeting teenTSA THEFT AT JFK AIRPORT
August 2, 2011
For some reason, the New York Post did not publish the thief’s name, though Port Authority police confirm surveillance video showing a female TSA screener spending six minutes with a gym bag belonging to passenger Chris Dunn. When the bag was returned to the Brooklyn honor student, it was $100 lighter.
The cash, the teen’s mother states, was a gift from his grandmother. She calls the theft "disgusting and a violation of my son's trust."
The incident occurred shortly after 5:15 a.m. on July 21. Chris had just passed through the security checkpoint on his way to the boarding area of his JetBlue flight to Los Angeles.
As though the TSA didn’t have enough to be embarrassed about, several hours later another JFK screener was caught on surveillance video stealing a senior citizen's cell phone. The worker, Roy Richburg, 25, of Queens, was arrested and fired.
The agent who allegedly stole Chris Dunn’s money, meanwhile, has not been arrested or suspended.
http://www.examiner.com/article/another-tsa-theft-at-jfk-this-one-targeting-teen
August 2, 2011
For some reason, the New York Post did not publish the thief’s name, though Port Authority police confirm surveillance video showing a female TSA screener spending six minutes with a gym bag belonging to passenger Chris Dunn. When the bag was returned to the Brooklyn honor student, it was $100 lighter.
The cash, the teen’s mother states, was a gift from his grandmother. She calls the theft "disgusting and a violation of my son's trust."
The incident occurred shortly after 5:15 a.m. on July 21. Chris had just passed through the security checkpoint on his way to the boarding area of his JetBlue flight to Los Angeles.
As though the TSA didn’t have enough to be embarrassed about, several hours later another JFK screener was caught on surveillance video stealing a senior citizen's cell phone. The worker, Roy Richburg, 25, of Queens, was arrested and fired.
The agent who allegedly stole Chris Dunn’s money, meanwhile, has not been arrested or suspended.
http://www.examiner.com/article/another-tsa-theft-at-jfk-this-one-targeting-teen
Maggie Buckenmayer, another person sexually assaulted by the TSAby LISA SIMEONE on NOVEMBER 10, 2012
http://tsanewsblog.com/7280/news/maggie-another-person-sexually-assaulted-by-the-tsa/
http://tsanewsblog.com/7280/news/maggie-another-person-sexually-assaulted-by-the-tsa/
Steampunk art is the new terrorism, according to the TSA
by Amy Alkon on November 17, 2012, TSA News Blog
http://tsanewsblog.com/7452/news/steampunk-art-is-now-terrorism-according-to-the-tsa/
by Amy Alkon on November 17, 2012, TSA News Blog
http://tsanewsblog.com/7452/news/steampunk-art-is-now-terrorism-according-to-the-tsa/
Man with strange watch arrested at Calif. airport, charged with having bomb-making materialsGeoffrey McGann, 49, of Rancho Palos Verdes was taken into custody Thursday night after he tried to pass through airport security with an ornate watch that had switches, wires and fuses, according to Sgt. J.D. Nelson, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.
A bomb squad arrived within five minutes and determined there were no explosive materials in the watch, Nelson said. The checkpoint was closed while officers secured the area.
McGann was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where he was charged with possessing materials to make an explosive device, sheriff's officials said. He was still in custody Friday night and could not be reached for comment.
McGann told Transportation Security Administration officers that he's an artist and the watch is art, Nelson said.
. . . being held on $150,000 bond.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/16/ca-man-with-weird-watch-arrested-at-oakland-airport-charged-with-having-bomb/
A bomb squad arrived within five minutes and determined there were no explosive materials in the watch, Nelson said. The checkpoint was closed while officers secured the area.
McGann was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where he was charged with possessing materials to make an explosive device, sheriff's officials said. He was still in custody Friday night and could not be reached for comment.
McGann told Transportation Security Administration officers that he's an artist and the watch is art, Nelson said.
. . . being held on $150,000 bond.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/16/ca-man-with-weird-watch-arrested-at-oakland-airport-charged-with-having-bomb/
TSA: A tale of sexual assault
By Karen H. Kaplan
Published December 2, 2012
Here's the latest example of an arbitrary, unnecessary, and appallingly invasive U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) "patdown." I had the unfortunate experience of enduring such a procedure - which more appropriately can be called a sexual assault - on Nov. 25 at the Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Va. I was returning from Norfolk to Washington, D.C.
My passage through the security line checkpoint triggered no alarms. Yet, two TSA agents told me, I had to suffer the mortification and degradation of this "patdown" ostensibly because I was wearing a long skirt.
The search involved highly invasive groping and probing of my private areas. As part of the procedure, which took five to six minutes, the TSA agent reached into my skirt, exploring front to back. I did ask that the search be conducted in a private room and, happily for me, my request was granted - but had I not made such a request, I would have had to undergo the indignity and humiliation of this assault in front of hundreds of holiday travelers.
One of the agents told me that Norfolk International does not have a body-scanning device, so I had no recourse but to submit to this assault.
Nowhere on the TSA website is there any mention of a "patdown" requiring such a highly invasive and violative search. Nowhere on the site is there a citation of any regulation that calls for such a search simply because a passenger is wearing a skirt. Further, it is silent on whether any TSA agent has the right to conduct any such search on a personal whim or because she may choose to interpret existing regulations as she pleases.
I am horrified and disgusted by the experience - a clear example of absolute abuse of absolute power. I feel violated and raped. TSA agents who subject passengers to this odious, invasive, and abusive "patdown" - a screamingly laughable euphemism if ever there was one - are operating under the same psychological principle that prompts prison guards to abuse and torture inmates - they do it because they can . . . .
http://www.theday.com/article/20121202/OP05/312029959/1044
By Karen H. Kaplan
Published December 2, 2012
Here's the latest example of an arbitrary, unnecessary, and appallingly invasive U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) "patdown." I had the unfortunate experience of enduring such a procedure - which more appropriately can be called a sexual assault - on Nov. 25 at the Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Va. I was returning from Norfolk to Washington, D.C.
My passage through the security line checkpoint triggered no alarms. Yet, two TSA agents told me, I had to suffer the mortification and degradation of this "patdown" ostensibly because I was wearing a long skirt.
The search involved highly invasive groping and probing of my private areas. As part of the procedure, which took five to six minutes, the TSA agent reached into my skirt, exploring front to back. I did ask that the search be conducted in a private room and, happily for me, my request was granted - but had I not made such a request, I would have had to undergo the indignity and humiliation of this assault in front of hundreds of holiday travelers.
One of the agents told me that Norfolk International does not have a body-scanning device, so I had no recourse but to submit to this assault.
Nowhere on the TSA website is there any mention of a "patdown" requiring such a highly invasive and violative search. Nowhere on the site is there a citation of any regulation that calls for such a search simply because a passenger is wearing a skirt. Further, it is silent on whether any TSA agent has the right to conduct any such search on a personal whim or because she may choose to interpret existing regulations as she pleases.
I am horrified and disgusted by the experience - a clear example of absolute abuse of absolute power. I feel violated and raped. TSA agents who subject passengers to this odious, invasive, and abusive "patdown" - a screamingly laughable euphemism if ever there was one - are operating under the same psychological principle that prompts prison guards to abuse and torture inmates - they do it because they can . . . .
http://www.theday.com/article/20121202/OP05/312029959/1044
TSA Screener accused of stealing iPads from passengers’ bags at JFK airportBy NBCNewYork.com
December 6, 2012NEW YORK -- A Transportation Security Administration screener was arrested on charges he swiped iPads and other electronic devices from passengers' luggage at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, authorities said.
Port Authority spokesman Steven Coleman said Wednesday that 32-year-old Sean Henry, of Brooklyn, was nabbed in a sting operation using decoy bags in cooperation with the TSA.
Coleman said Henry was arrested after leaving work carrying in his backpack two planted iPads and other electronic devices. Coleman said stolen items were also found in Henry's home.
The 10-year veteran of the federal agency was arrested on charges of grand larceny and official misconduct.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/06/15722725-tsa-screener-accused-of-stealing-ipads-from-passengers-bags-at-jfk-airport?lite
December 6, 2012NEW YORK -- A Transportation Security Administration screener was arrested on charges he swiped iPads and other electronic devices from passengers' luggage at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, authorities said.
Port Authority spokesman Steven Coleman said Wednesday that 32-year-old Sean Henry, of Brooklyn, was nabbed in a sting operation using decoy bags in cooperation with the TSA.
Coleman said Henry was arrested after leaving work carrying in his backpack two planted iPads and other electronic devices. Coleman said stolen items were also found in Henry's home.
The 10-year veteran of the federal agency was arrested on charges of grand larceny and official misconduct.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/06/15722725-tsa-screener-accused-of-stealing-ipads-from-passengers-bags-at-jfk-airport?lite
TSA detains yet another child
by Lisa Simeone, December 14, 2012
TSA News Blog
As we’ve reported many times, the TSA’s so-called explosive detection devices routinely alarm on ordinary, everyday things. Have you been working in your garden? Oops. You might have specks of fertilizer on you. Do you use hand or body lotions? Oops. There’s glycerin in them thar things. All those can get you hauled aside as a potential terrorist. Because fertilizer and glycerin show up as “bomb-making residue.”
It happens all the time. TSA agents know it happens all the time. They even joke about it. And it just happened to a 12-year-old, wheelchair-bound child named Shelbi Walser. She was traveling with her mother for medical treatment when she was flagged by the TSA at Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport and detained for almost an hour. Shelbi’s mother’s name is Tammy Daniels.
http://tsanewsblog.com/8079/news/tsa-detains-yet-another-child/
by Lisa Simeone, December 14, 2012
TSA News Blog
As we’ve reported many times, the TSA’s so-called explosive detection devices routinely alarm on ordinary, everyday things. Have you been working in your garden? Oops. You might have specks of fertilizer on you. Do you use hand or body lotions? Oops. There’s glycerin in them thar things. All those can get you hauled aside as a potential terrorist. Because fertilizer and glycerin show up as “bomb-making residue.”
It happens all the time. TSA agents know it happens all the time. They even joke about it. And it just happened to a 12-year-old, wheelchair-bound child named Shelbi Walser. She was traveling with her mother for medical treatment when she was flagged by the TSA at Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport and detained for almost an hour. Shelbi’s mother’s name is Tammy Daniels.
http://tsanewsblog.com/8079/news/tsa-detains-yet-another-child/
TSA Confiscates toy-looking, 3-inch belt buckle because it's shaped like a gun (with little rhinestones, to boot!)
December 19, 2012Someone took off his belt and put it in a bin on the conveyor to go through the X-ray machine. When the TSA officer viewed the X-ray image, he understandably saw a gun. The conveyor belt was halted and the Port Authority Police were called. Once the police arrived, the bin was removed from the X-ray machine at which time it was determined to be a replica.
http://gothamist.com/2012/12/19/tsa_tip_belt_buckle_gun_replica_ain.php
December 19, 2012Someone took off his belt and put it in a bin on the conveyor to go through the X-ray machine. When the TSA officer viewed the X-ray image, he understandably saw a gun. The conveyor belt was halted and the Port Authority Police were called. Once the police arrived, the bin was removed from the X-ray machine at which time it was determined to be a replica.
http://gothamist.com/2012/12/19/tsa_tip_belt_buckle_gun_replica_ain.php
Same story, via Twitter:
Just watched TSA confiscate a guy's rodeo-style belt buckle because it had of a picture of a revolver on it.
-James Skyler Gerrond
http://twitter.com/JimmySky/status/278456464530620419
Just watched TSA confiscate a guy's rodeo-style belt buckle because it had of a picture of a revolver on it.
-James Skyler Gerrond
http://twitter.com/JimmySky/status/278456464530620419
Another woman arrested for defending herself against the TSAby Lisa Simeone, TSA News, December 29, 2012A South Korean woman visiting this country and, of course, having no idea that she was required to undergo physical assault as a condition of getting on a plane, was arrested at Orlando International Airport.
39-year-old Hyunjoo Kim was being groped by a TSA agent when she allegedly “slapped” said agent.
http://tsanewsblog.com/8379/news/another-woman-arrested-for-defending-herself-against-the-tsa/
39-year-old Hyunjoo Kim was being groped by a TSA agent when she allegedly “slapped” said agent.
http://tsanewsblog.com/8379/news/another-woman-arrested-for-defending-herself-against-the-tsa/
TSA: No Amount is too small to steal
by Bill Fisher, TSA News, January 8, 2013
To start the first week of the New Year, we learned of yet another TSA screener theft. This time a Charlotte TSA worker, Reggie Edwards, 52, was charged with larceny under $50 after allegedly stealing $36 from a passenger’s suitcase on New Year’s Day.
http://tsanewsblog.com/8675/news/tsa-no-amount-is-too-small-to-steal/
by Bill Fisher, TSA News, January 8, 2013
To start the first week of the New Year, we learned of yet another TSA screener theft. This time a Charlotte TSA worker, Reggie Edwards, 52, was charged with larceny under $50 after allegedly stealing $36 from a passenger’s suitcase on New Year’s Day.
http://tsanewsblog.com/8675/news/tsa-no-amount-is-too-small-to-steal/
3 troubling ways the TSA punishes passengers who opt out
by Christopher Elliott, January 9, 2013, TSA News Blog, Elliott Blog, Huffington Post
. . . Last week, I heard from Maura Maia, a flight attendant for a major airline, who says that while she enjoys breezing through the crewmember line when she’s in uniform, the treatment is vastly different when she’s off the clock. She recently flew in civilian clothes and opted out. “The TSA agent started yelling at me when I said I wasn’t going into the full-body scan,” she says. Maia stood her ground, but says “I was humiliated in public.” She adds, “When I came back to the same airport, that time on my uniform, and tried to file a complaint with the TSA supervisor, he waved me away.” The TSA can’t force you through the scanners, but it will try. Yelling at passengers is unacceptable . . . .
http://tsanewsblog.com/8635/news/3-troubling-ways-the-tsa-punishes-passengers-who-opt-out/
by Christopher Elliott, January 9, 2013, TSA News Blog, Elliott Blog, Huffington Post
. . . Last week, I heard from Maura Maia, a flight attendant for a major airline, who says that while she enjoys breezing through the crewmember line when she’s in uniform, the treatment is vastly different when she’s off the clock. She recently flew in civilian clothes and opted out. “The TSA agent started yelling at me when I said I wasn’t going into the full-body scan,” she says. Maia stood her ground, but says “I was humiliated in public.” She adds, “When I came back to the same airport, that time on my uniform, and tried to file a complaint with the TSA supervisor, he waved me away.” The TSA can’t force you through the scanners, but it will try. Yelling at passengers is unacceptable . . . .
http://tsanewsblog.com/8635/news/3-troubling-ways-the-tsa-punishes-passengers-who-opt-out/
Man harassed, detained by TSA at Boston Logan
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, February 5, 2013
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, February 5, 2013
A young man who goes by the name Sai — yes, that’s his full name — was abused by TSA agents at Boston Logan International Airport on January 21st. And he’s not about to take it lying down.
Sai appears to be a whip-smart citizen and self-taught student of law who knows his rights and knows when they’ve been violated. This is Sai’s Google Plus page. This is his CV.
He has posted publicly as a Google doc the timeline of events during his journey on January 21st, along with documentation and tons of legal citations. I’ll excerpt a few bits from the lengthy account. I have bolded certain passages. You should know that Sai has a neurological disorder that makes speaking difficult. He can, however, use sign language and write. He travels with a doctor’s note explaining his disability . . . .
http://tsanewsblog.com/9162/news/man-harassed-detained-by-tsa-at-boston-logan/
http://tsanewsblog.com/9162/news/man-harassed-detained-by-tsa-at-boston-logan/
Man handcuffed, arrested, jailed for making wisecrack about peanut butter at airport
Frank Hannibal sues TSA for $5 million
February 10, 2013
http://tsanewsblog.com/9281/news/frank-hannibal-sues-tsa-for-5-million/
Frank Hannibal sues TSA for $5 million
February 10, 2013
http://tsanewsblog.com/9281/news/frank-hannibal-sues-tsa-for-5-million/
TSA wrecks $20,000 cello bow
TSA News Blog, Lisa Simeone, February 13, 2013
German cellist Alban Gerhardt says the TSA damaged his $20,000 bow (at Dulles International Airport or O’Hare International, depending on which press account you read).
http://tsanewsblog.com/9349/news/tsa-wrecks-20000-cello-bow/
TSA News Blog, Lisa Simeone, February 13, 2013
German cellist Alban Gerhardt says the TSA damaged his $20,000 bow (at Dulles International Airport or O’Hare International, depending on which press account you read).
http://tsanewsblog.com/9349/news/tsa-wrecks-20000-cello-bow/
Shh! TSA wants to touch your kids, and lies to you about the fact that you're allowed to record them doing itTSA traumatizes 3-year-old girl in wheelchair, tries to prevent mother from recording the incident and from comforting her child
Posted at YouTube by alschultes on Feb 12, 2013; incident occurred Feb 9, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPloe08a3Q&sns=em
Posted at YouTube by alschultes on Feb 12, 2013; incident occurred Feb 9, 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPloe08a3Q&sns=em
TSA agent pulls down dress to expose the breasts of 17-year-old niece of Congressman during airport pat-down as he demands federal investigation
Rep Ralph Hall of Texas says TSA 'badly mistreated' his grand-niece and wants officer fired from at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Georgia
The girl was part of a group traveling to Australia from Southwest Christian school two years ago
In a statement to MailOnline today, the TSA said: 'We regret that the incident of more than two years ago was one that caused embarrassment to the young lady, however, an investigation concluded that the event was accidental.'
The incident involving Mr Hall's grand-niece happened two years ago but has just come to light under the Freedom of Information Act after it was caught on CCTV.
The incident involving Mr Hall's grand-niece happened two years ago but has just come to light under the Freedom of Information Act after it was caught on CCTV.
Senator Claire McCaskill groped by TSA
March 11, 2013, The Hill
March 11, 2013, The Hill
"Today in my airport screening, test on my hands was positive," McCaskill wrote to her 89,100 followers. "Got private, more aggressive pat down. OMG. #veryuncomfortable."
Wounded Marine humiliated by TSA
By Wendy Thomson, TSA News, March 19, 2013
Phoenix’s Sky Harbor has had its fair share of TSA complaints. (See here,here, and here) The latest is getting veterans up in arms, and rightly so.
An unnamed active-duty Marine was humiliated at Sky Harbor recently, according to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California). A victim of an IED, this Marine had lost both legs. TSA personnel appeared nothing less than a bunch of uncaring, if not sadistic, Keystone Cops, mis-directing the Marine and making him go through procedures that are not protocol.
http://tsanewsblog.com/9957/news/wounded-marine-humiliated-by-tsa/
By Wendy Thomson, TSA News, March 19, 2013
Phoenix’s Sky Harbor has had its fair share of TSA complaints. (See here,here, and here) The latest is getting veterans up in arms, and rightly so.
An unnamed active-duty Marine was humiliated at Sky Harbor recently, according to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California). A victim of an IED, this Marine had lost both legs. TSA personnel appeared nothing less than a bunch of uncaring, if not sadistic, Keystone Cops, mis-directing the Marine and making him go through procedures that are not protocol.
http://tsanewsblog.com/9957/news/wounded-marine-humiliated-by-tsa/
TSA detains, harasses another disabled woman
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, April 8, 2013
Rita Riordan, temporarily disabled, in wheelchair, harassed, bullied, groped, detained, interrogated about her journey and about her apparently scary breath mints
http://tsanewsblog.com/10360/news/tsa-detains-harasses-another-disabled-woman/
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, April 8, 2013
Rita Riordan, temporarily disabled, in wheelchair, harassed, bullied, groped, detained, interrogated about her journey and about her apparently scary breath mints
http://tsanewsblog.com/10360/news/tsa-detains-harasses-another-disabled-woman/
Marla Murasko: Did the TSA Harass Us Because of Our Special Needs Son?
April 15, 2013, Huffington Post
April 15, 2013, Huffington Post
. . . Again, we explained that we have documentation from the TSA, but no one wanted to acknowledge or even look at the documentation; they just proceeded to pat my husband down. At this point, my husband and I were clearly upset. But, what made matters worse is that the TSA Supervisor who was standing right there had the audacity to say to us "if you just be quiet, it will go a lot faster." Seriously, is this how the TSA trains their employees to treat passengers? I was absolutely appalled at his comment.
At this point, my husband was so upset that he began shaking because he felt that he was being disrespected during the pat down. He even said to the supervisor: "he's pulling my pants down," and the arrogant supervisor said "well hold them up." I turned to him and said, "You just told him to put his arms out to the side, which do you want?"
But hold on, this gets even worse. Would you like to know what his response was to me? He looked right at me and said, "if I don't shut up, he was going to get law enforcement." Instead of apologizing or trying to make the situation better, he wants to call the police on me because I told him he was upsetting my son? Really? This is outrageous! This was the worse my husband and I have ever been treated at an airport.
Caught on camera: The moment woman passenger 'is groped and violated' by TSA agent during airport security patdown
- Ashley Jessica is a a PhD student and researcher from Toronto, Canada
- Filmed the clip at San Diego International Airport and posted it online
- The video, which lasts just over three minutes, captures incident on 23 May
PUBLISHED: 02:45 EST, 28 May 2013 | UPDATED: 07:38 EST, 29 May 2013
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331980/Moment-woman-claims-groped-TSA-agent-airport-security-screening.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331980/Moment-woman-claims-groped-TSA-agent-airport-security-screening.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Lots of missing stuff, esp from April/May 2013, when I was away a lot -- sorry, can't keep up with it all. -LS
Woman hauled to private room, groped by TSA, bullied, abused
June 9, 2013
(I know this woman's identity; she asked to remain anonymous for this post -LS)
http://tsanewsblog.com/10973/news/another-day-another-abusive-tsa-experience/
June 9, 2013
(I know this woman's identity; she asked to remain anonymous for this post -LS)
http://tsanewsblog.com/10973/news/another-day-another-abusive-tsa-experience/
TSA agent pulls breast prosthesis out of woman's bra
June 10, 2013
SAN ANTONIO -- A woman is speaking out in hopes of restoring her dignity. She said a TSA agent at the San Antonio International Airport pulled her prosthesis without notifying her.
The woman, Suzanne Steiner, is a breast cancer survivor. She said she never thought her prosthesis would make her feel embarrassed.
What was supposed to be a fun vacation to Orlando, began with a travel day Suzanne Steiner won't soon forget.
"I have never been treated like this," Steiner said.
In early May, after passing through the full body scanner at the airport, Steiner was pulled to the side by a female TSA agent . . . .
http://www.kens5.com/news/Woman-with-prosthesis-claims-TSA-agent-made-her-feel-uncomfortable-210892231.html
June 10, 2013
SAN ANTONIO -- A woman is speaking out in hopes of restoring her dignity. She said a TSA agent at the San Antonio International Airport pulled her prosthesis without notifying her.
The woman, Suzanne Steiner, is a breast cancer survivor. She said she never thought her prosthesis would make her feel embarrassed.
What was supposed to be a fun vacation to Orlando, began with a travel day Suzanne Steiner won't soon forget.
"I have never been treated like this," Steiner said.
In early May, after passing through the full body scanner at the airport, Steiner was pulled to the side by a female TSA agent . . . .
http://www.kens5.com/news/Woman-with-prosthesis-claims-TSA-agent-made-her-feel-uncomfortable-210892231.html
TSA: Child porn suspect was top officer
By Doug Ireland, June 14, 2013LONDONDERRY, NH — A former top officer with the Transportation Security Administration was arrested on child pornography charges after items were seized from his locker at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Miguel Quinones, 38, of 67 Whittemore Ave. in Manchester faces 10 felony counts after he turned himself over to police on an arrest warrant Wednesday, according to Londonderry police Lt. Timothy Jones.
A video and more than 1,000 images of child pornography were found on Quinones’ personal laptop computer and three thumb drives stored in his airport locker, Jones said.
Quinones was a lead transportation security officer who had worked for the federal agency since August 2002, according to TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis.
Davis said TSA suspended Quinones without pay in January after being told he was under investigation. He was terminated Wednesday, she said.
. . . Sgt. Thomas Grella, commander of the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said Quinones had been under investigation for more than a year, but could not comment further on the case.
http://www.eagletribune.com/newhampshire/x1912985235/TSA-Child-porn-suspect-was-top-officer
By Doug Ireland, June 14, 2013LONDONDERRY, NH — A former top officer with the Transportation Security Administration was arrested on child pornography charges after items were seized from his locker at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Miguel Quinones, 38, of 67 Whittemore Ave. in Manchester faces 10 felony counts after he turned himself over to police on an arrest warrant Wednesday, according to Londonderry police Lt. Timothy Jones.
A video and more than 1,000 images of child pornography were found on Quinones’ personal laptop computer and three thumb drives stored in his airport locker, Jones said.
Quinones was a lead transportation security officer who had worked for the federal agency since August 2002, according to TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis.
Davis said TSA suspended Quinones without pay in January after being told he was under investigation. He was terminated Wednesday, she said.
. . . Sgt. Thomas Grella, commander of the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said Quinones had been under investigation for more than a year, but could not comment further on the case.
http://www.eagletribune.com/newhampshire/x1912985235/TSA-Child-porn-suspect-was-top-officer
LAX TSA officer shames my 15-year-old daughter for her outfit
June 16, 2013
June 16, 2013
This morning a TSA officer at LAX humiliated and shamed my 15-year-old daughter. She is traveling with a group of high school students on a college tour and we were not with her when he verbally abused her.
Here's what happened, as my daughter described it in text messages to us: she was at the station where the TSA checks IDs. She said the officer was "glaring" at her and mumbling. She said, "Excuse me?" and he said, "You're only 15, COVER YOURSELF!" in a hostile tone. She said she was shaken up by his abusive manner.
I'm including the above photo of the outfit my daughter was wearing when the TSA officer shamed her. It doesn't matter what she was wearing, though, because it's none of his business to tell girls what they should or should not wear. His creepy thoughts are his own problem, and he shouldn't use his position of authority as an excuse to humiliate a girl and blame her for his sick attitude.
Our friend, Maureen Herman, dropped by our house today and we told her what happened. Maureen is the bass player for Babes in Toyland, the executive Director of Project Noise, and a co-founder of A is For, a women's rights advocacy group. She wrote the following response on Facebook, and it neatly sums up why this TSA officer's behavior is very wrong:
Absolutely inappropriate, harassing, aggressive, creepy, unprofessional, and Taliban-y thing that he did. "Cover up" is a dangerous cultural attitude that fuels more than rude comments. It's the foundation of the oppression of women, rape culture ("she was asking for it"), and the drive for reproductive control of women's bodies.
http://boingboing.net/2013/06/16/lax-tsa-officer-shames-my-15-y.html
http://boingboing.net/2013/06/16/lax-tsa-officer-shames-my-15-y.html
TSA threatens to grope mother as punishment, gropes father instead
by Chris Morran, June 19, 2013
. . . What he wasn’t expecting was a request from the agent to actually open the jars. While the TSA’s published policies do say that it has the authority to request that baby food containers be opened, actually unsealing the food jars is problematic as, once the lids are opened, the contents need to be refrigerated within an hour or be tossed out. Given that the family still had hours of traveling in front of them, opening the jars would effectively be the same as being told to throw them in the trash.
When Daniel brought this up to the agent, he says he was given an ultimatum: Open up the jars or either he or his wife would be subject to a pat-down.
http://consumerist.com/2013/06/19/the-tsas-solution-for-my-reluctance-to-open-baby-food-jars-a-pat-down/
by Chris Morran, June 19, 2013
. . . What he wasn’t expecting was a request from the agent to actually open the jars. While the TSA’s published policies do say that it has the authority to request that baby food containers be opened, actually unsealing the food jars is problematic as, once the lids are opened, the contents need to be refrigerated within an hour or be tossed out. Given that the family still had hours of traveling in front of them, opening the jars would effectively be the same as being told to throw them in the trash.
When Daniel brought this up to the agent, he says he was given an ultimatum: Open up the jars or either he or his wife would be subject to a pat-down.
http://consumerist.com/2013/06/19/the-tsas-solution-for-my-reluctance-to-open-baby-food-jars-a-pat-down/
TSA is now the Belly-Button Police
June 18, 2013, by Jon Aravosis
Following on the heels of our story about an LAX TSA agent reportedly berating a 15 year old girl for wearing clothing that the agent deemed too provocative, a friend contacted me about a similar TSA incident that happened to her last year.
Casey Taylor, someone I’ve known for years, tells me that last year at a major American airport she was scolded by a female TSA agent because Casey’s belly button inadvertently showed while she was putting her belt back on after passing through the X-ray machine . . . .
http://americablog.com/2013/06/is-tsa-the-belly-button-police.html
http://americablog.com/2013/06/is-tsa-the-belly-button-police.html
Delaine:
Unless Ruth Sherman's atrocious attack happened since June 14, 2013. I would list my own experience with hers, but subsequent to hers. On June 14, 2013, I, a 56 year old grandmother was viciously assaulted by TSA, surgical stitches ripped and a surgical drainage tube dislodged from my right breast under my right arm. Apparently, holding your right arm out slightly away from a bandaged and sore open surgical wound is "probably cause" for further torture. I had to have additional surgery at my destination in Seattle to repair the damage.
I have written and complained and shouted from the rooftops about this, and my conversation with Kimberley Siro, Federal Security Director at Sacramento International has resulted in no correction and no improvement. (Kimberly Siro can be reached by mail at 4540 Duckhorn Rd, Sacramento, CA 95834)
If I had any money at all, (I live below the poverty line as do many 55+ people enduring age discrimination during this depression) I would file assault or - given that I have limited experience with the law - any other charge against TSA that an attorney may advise. As it is, I gave a statement to the hospital personnel in Seattle and advised subrogating the full amount of the additional surgery and ER visit in Seattle against TSA. If TSA does not pay the ER bill, I will certainly be on point with demanding that they do . . . .
-Delaine, comment left at TSA News Blog on Sunday, July 14, 2013, at 2pm
Tagged as a troublemaker by the TSA
by Christopher Elliott, July 22, 2013
Think the TSA operates above the law, with virtually no accountability to the public? Then Vadim Rapp’s story won’t surprise you. The rest of you, who think the TSA is just trying to protect the traveling public from an imminent terrorist threat — well, I’ll just let Rapp tell his story and then let you decide for yourself.
TSA officer, ex-Tarpon Springs police officer accused of kidnapping, sexually battering
by John Woodrow Cox, Tampa Bay Times, July 27, 2013
A former Tarpon Springs police officer kidnapped a woman at gunpoint and raped her while he held her captive for several hours early Friday, authorities said.
Larry Kobielnik, 37 — also an officer with the Transportation Security Administration for 11 years before his firing Saturday — was driving near Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Clearwater when he spotted a woman walking about 2:30 a.m., according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. He offered the 30-year-old a ride and she got into his car.
A few blocks later, authorities say, the woman asked him to stop but he refused. Kobielnik, of 397 Stirling Terrace in Dunedin, then pulled out a handgun and a police badge, placed the woman in handcuffs and told her she was under arrest, according to deputies.
Kobielnik drove her home to a house in Dunedin where he raped her, deputies say. She was held there for several hours before he fell asleep, allowing her to escape and record his car's license plate number, deputies said.
TSA manager Shane Hinkle charged with sexual abuse
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, August 14, 2013
Shane Hinkle, 38 — not just a TSA agent, but a manager, no less, at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky — was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a fellow employee. He resigned from the TSA later that day.
August 17, 2013
A few weeks ago, I was returning my 6-year-old granddaughter to Phoenix, Ariz. on a Southwest flight out of Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Prior to going through security, I explained to her that it would ring when I went through security because I had metal in a knee replacement. She understood that I might have to leave the line to be checked further, but that she was to stand on the other side so that I could see her.
She went through the metal detector with no problem. As expected, I set off the system and was asked to come to the side. However, as she was traveling with me, they also asked her to leave the line that she already had gone through and insisted on patting her down as well. She was crying and extremely frightened, to say the least.
I cannot fathom any situation where it is OK to terrify and confuse a young child. It is one thing to ask an individual who does set off the alarms to step aside, but to penalize a little girl — who had already been cleared — because her grandmother had to be searched is inexcusable. I also understand random checks, but on a 6-year-old wearing shorts and a tee shirt with her shoes removed? When does the madness stop?
Ellen Keiser, Coral Springs
Copyright 2013: Florida Sun Sentinel
Another person finally wakes up to TSA abuse
The woman calls herself “Hannah86.” (Please ignore all the nonsense about carry-on and checked luggage, which she calls a “baggage crisis.” If you have to travel with so much stuff, people, don’t blame the airlines for charging fees. Bring less stuff.) You’ll note that even though Hannah diligently studied the TSA’s own rules about carrying baby formula, the TSA ignored those rules, as they often do. Here’s her story.
TSA bullies disabled boy, makes family miss flight
Tuesday. October 8, 2013, by Lisa Simeone
Renee Bergeron's 3-year-old son Apollo suffers from a heart defect. He is fitted with a permanent feeding tube.
Alarm bells right there. We know how the TSA treats feeding tubes. Just ask Melinda Deaton. Or Michelle Dunaj.
Apollo's parents must feed him through the tube with a special high-calorie formula.
More alarm bells. We also know how the TSA treats formula.
Though Apollo's mother had, like thousands of other mothers before her, dutifully read and adhered to the TSA's supposed instructions on carrying bottles of formula through the checkpoint, those instructions were ignored by the TSA and she was put through the ringer . . .
Oh, and by the way, this isn't the first time the Bergeron family has been abused by the TSA. Chalk it up to "dignity and respect."
TSA Air Marshal Taking Pix Up Women's Dresses
TSA News and the Baltimore Sun, October 18, 2013
Arrested: Adam Joseph Bartsch
Jewelry worth $6,000 stolen from luggage – by TSA?
Recently we received an email from a woman who’s been trying to get compensation for several thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry that was stolen from her luggage by, she believes, the TSA. The TSA rifled through her luggage, which she knows because they left a note behind. You might have seen those notes; not as clever as “Kilroy was here,” but they get the point across. (Then again, TSA agents also leave other kinds of notes, admonishing people for theirvibrators or for their marijuana.) We have permission to use the woman’s name: Michelle Trimmell. Here’s her story. I have edited somewhat for length:
TSA supervisor at Charlotte Douglas fired over theft allegations
Posted: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014
The Transportation Security Administration has fired a supervisor at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after allegations of theft, the federal agency said Wednesday. The investigation is ongoing, Koshetz said. No charges had been filed as of late Wednesday, according to public records. Two airport authorities with knowledge of the theft allegations told the Observer that the supervisor was accused of taking electronic items from the lost-and-found at Charlotte Douglas . . . . http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/15/4613220/tsa-supervisor-at-charlotte-douglas.html#.UtgcvXlZvG5
Denver police initiate sexual assault investigation after TSA pat-down
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, January 16, 2014
. . . Jamelyn Steenhoek, 39, was accompanying her 13-year-old daughter to the gate for the daughter’s flight. Steenhoek “alarmed” when she went through the metal detector. Then her hands were swabbed and they “alarmed.”
What happened next indicates that a TSA clerk wanted to get her jollies:
To her credit, Steenhoek went to the Denver police and filed a complaint. And, wonder of wonders, the police actually took her seriously . . . .“At that point she did a pretty invasive search. They are just areas of the body I’m not comfortable being touched in. On the outside of my pants she cupped my crotch. I was uncomfortable with that.”Steenhoek said the agent repeatedly dug her fingers into Steenhoek’s armpits.“The part of the search that bothered most was the breast search. You could tell it shouldn’t take that much groping. To me it was as extensive as an exam from my physician — full touching and grabbing in the front. I felt uncomfortable, I felt violated.”She said when the search turned up nothing, the agent repeated it a second time.“So it didn’t make any sense. The whole search was done over and more touching and grabbing than the first time.”
http://tsanewsblog.com/12625/news/denver-police-initiate-sexual-assault-investigation-after-tsa-pat-down/
UPDATE TO THIS STORY:
No criminal charges pursued in Denver TSA assault
TSA Worker Accused of Stealing $8,500 from Checked Bag at O'Hare
by Erin Meyer, January 30, 2014
. . . Angel Velazquez, 59, was still wearing his TSA uniform when his mug shot was taken by Chicago Police. A TSA spokeswoman said the federal agency is moving to fire him.
Prosecutors in court Wednesday said a 48-year-old woman put the cash in her suitcase and checked the bag as she took a flight on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in mid-November. When she arrived at her undisclosed destination, she realized the money was missing.
Prosecutors said that agent Velazquez was caught on surveillance video going through the woman's suitcase. He allegedly found the cash, stashed it in a garbage can and later retrieved it and put it in his own backpack.
Velazquez, of the 3600 block of West Fullerton Avenue in Logan Square, has worked at O'Hare for the last 11 years, his attorney said. He was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony theft.
Prosecutors did not explain in court why Velazquez was not arrested sooner.
TSA confiscates woman's license, boarding pass, luggage, illegally detains her, forces her to miss flight, because of pen
by Chris Smith, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CaliforniaFebruary 8, 2014The Horizon Airlines plane Sheila Montemayor very much hoped to fly to L.A. on Friday morning left without her as TSA agents questioned her about the “weapon” they found in her purse and then summoned a sheriff's deputy.Montemayor said the incident was ridiculous, as the object was simply a metal ink pen. But she also found it abusive.The Santa Rosa woman and her husband, JP, said they don't mind that the Sonoma County Airport TSA agents viewed the pen as a weapon. They said one agent mistakenly called it a “kubaton,” a small self-defense device that can be carried on a key chain.What the Montemayors contend is that the concerned TSA agents should simply have confiscated the pen. Sheila Montemayor said she offered to throw it away.But what happened, she said, is the agents took her boarding pass and driver's license, had her baggage removed from the plane and summoned a deputy. She said she felt she was being detained because the agents told her that were she to leave the airport, police would come looking for her.She and her husband said a deputy did arrive and quickly concluded the pen was just a pen. But by then, the airplane Montemayor needed to get her to a family emergency was gone.When I asked a TSA agent about the incident Friday evening, he said no one there could speak to me about it. Sheila Montemayor successfully boarded a flight that evening, without the disputed pen in her purse.TSA strip-searches another victimby Lisa Simeone, TSA News, Feb 11, 2014
In the on-going sordid history of TSA agents bullying, harassing, robbing, and sexually assaulting people, we have a new story, this time about a cancer survivor.The man is 36 years old and suffers from an overactive bladder because of a past bout with prostate cancer. Therefore, he wears an adult incontinence garment — a disposable brief — something that hundreds of thousands of people are familiar with in this country, especially with our aging population.In the past, according to his wife, he has always traveled with no problem, passing through both scanners and “pat-downs” with no problem. This time, however, things were different:TSA harasses, punishes man in Hawaiiby Lisa Simeone, TSA News, February 16, 2014A man named Richard Slaven was traveling from the island of Kauai to Australia . . . “It looks like they want to punish those people who don’t want to go through the scanner,” said the former Navy petty officer who served on board the USS Missouri during the Gulf War. He said security gave him what he called an “aggressive” pat down, and swabbed his fingers three times . . . .http://tsanewsblog.com/12950/news/same-old-same-old-tsa-harasses-punishes-man-in-hawaii/
http://abombazine.blogspot.com/2014/02/same-old-same-old-tsa-harasses-punishes.html
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/tsa-looking-into-harassment-allegations/article_fd7b889a-9548-11e3-ab09-0019bb2963f4.html
TSA steals "grenade-shaped" Jimmy Choo perfume bottleMarch 14, 2014TSA again denies ID, denies disabled woman
Yet another person, a disabled person in this case, has been abused by the TSA. In Los Angeles last week, Sherry Wright was traveling with her disabled, wheelchair-bound sister Heidi when they approached the checkpoint at LAX. Heidi had a stroke 10 years ago and can no longer speak. When Sherry presented their ID documentation — perfectly valid IDs, as indicated on the TSA’s own website — the nitwit in blue balked. First he demanded that the mute Heidi speak, even after being told she couldn’t; then he denied passage to the women, claiming that Heidi’s expired driver’s license wasn’t valid ID. http://tsanewsblog.com/13355/news/tsa-again-denies-id-denies-disabled-woman/TSA still groping children - video proof
April 21, 2014TSA Supervisor accused of having sex with minors;Arrested at JFK AirportMay 9, 2014NEW YORK (WABC) -- A TSA Supervisor was arrested at Kennedy Airport accused of setting up a meeting in the Dominican Republic to engage in sexual activity with minors.Vernon Lythcott was arraigned Friday afternoon in federal court.A judge set bail at $250,000.He works as a TSA screening supervisor.He's being charged with elicit sexual conduct with a minor in a foreign country and faces up to 30 years in prison.Prosecutors allege Lythcott engaged in sex acts with two 15-year-old girls during a January trip to the Dominican Republic.According to the criminal complaint, Lythcott used the help of a Dominican man to lure the teens from the beach into a van, promising them money and gifts.He's accused of having sex with both girls several times.At one point in a hotel, Lythcott and two other men forced one of the girls in a room where they all sexually assaulted her.New passenger discovers TSA grope policyby Lisa Simeone, May 23, 2014Charlotte Ann Kimbrough is a 57-year-old retired law enforcement professional. She worked for 32 years in an administrative capacity with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other federal law enforcement agencies. She has two metal hip replacements.
She told me she hadn't flown in a few years. So she was unfamiliar with TSA procedures. When she went through the metal detector at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Thursday, May 22, 2014, she alarmed it. She explained to the TSA agents that she has two metal hips. She thought they would wand her. She was wrong . . ."The woman groped my crotch -- twice. She went underneath my dress. I knew I had to be calm for the man I was traveling with, so I didn't say anything. But he could see the look on my face. He started yelling. They got the woman who was groping me out of the way and brought in a boss, who tried to stop the situation from escalating . . . I do have anger at myself, that I let her do it to to me. And the more she did it, the more I let her. I keep getting feelings of guilt" . . . .Actor Verne Troyer pawed by TSA
by Lisa Simeone, TSA News, July 31, 2014
. . . this story of American actor Verne Troyer being assaulted — that’s my term for it, I say he was assaulted — by the TSA. Troyer tweeted a photograph that his manager, Ray Hughes, had taken at the airport. I’m surprised the TSA didn’t surround Hughes and scream at him that he wasn’t allowed to take pictures, which is a lie TSA clerks often spew . Troyer portrayed the character Mini-Me in the “Austin Powers” movies. Here’s the news account from PressTV. You may recall that William Shatner and other celebrities have also been singled out for abuse . . . .
http://tsanewsblog.com/14558/news/actor-verne-troyer-pawed-by-tsa/
TSA advanced education: videotaping co-worker in bathroom
A TSA agent (now former TSA agent), apparently not content with feeling up people at the checkpoint, took his voyeurism one step further.Into the women’s restroom.Specifically, to videotape one of his co-workers with whom he was, ah, infatuated:
http://tsanewsblog.com/15177/news/tsa-advanced-education-videotaping-co-worker-in-bathroom/Daniel Boykin, 33, of Meigs Drive in Murfreesboro, is being held on a $100,000 bail. He’s charged with unlawful photography, aggravated burglary, wiretapping, unlawful telephone recording, and two computer crimes.
TSA Gun-smuggling ring discovered January 2015
http://tsanewsblog.com/15458/news/tsa-logic-carry-on-water-get-groped-run-guns-get-a-pass/
