Here’s a self-told tale of a guy who didn’t want to have his junk X-Rayed or touched by the TSA. He tried to back out of the security line, but the TSA wanted to hold him at the airport:
At this point, I thought it was all over. I began to make my way to the stairs to exit the airport, when I was approached by another man in slacks and a sport coat. He was accompanied by the officer that had escorted me to the ticketing area and Mr. Silva. He informed me that I could not leave the airport. He said that once I start the screening in the secure area, I could not leave until it was completed. Having left the area, he stated, I would be subject to a civil suit and a $10,000 fine. I asked him if he was also going to fine the 6 TSA agents and the local police officer who escorted me from the secure area. After all, I did exactly what I was told. He said that they didn’t know the rules, and that he would deal with them later. They would not be subject to civil penalties. I then pointed to Mr. Silva and asked if he would be subject to any penalties. He is the agents’ supervisor, and he directed them to escort me out. The man informed me that Mr. Silva was new and he would not be subject to penalties, either. He again asserted the necessity that I return to the screening area. When I asked why, he explained that I may have an incendiary device and whether or not that was true needed to be determined. I told him that I would submit to a walk through the metal detector, but that was it; I would not be groped. He told me that their procedures are on their website, and therefore, I was fully informed before I entered the airport; I had implicitly agreed to whatever screening they deemed appropriate. I told him that San Diego was not listed on the TSA’s website as an airport using Advanced Imaging Technology, and I believed that I would only be subject to the metal detector. He replied that he was not a webmaster, and I asked then why he was referring me to the TSA’s website if he didn’t know anything about it. I again refused to re-enter the screening area. [Emphasis mine]
We are all underwear bombers until proven innocent.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
I read that this morning and my first response was “I’m glad this guy’s bringing attention to this, but women have been complaining about being groped at checkpoints for years, and there’s never been much said about it.” That’s not this guy’s fault, and I don’t want to suggest otherwise, but I think it’s a bit telling about our society that when women complain about it, we don’t hear so much, but when it’s a dude telling a screener to back off his junk, it goes viral.
The video probably helps that, to be fair.
BR
Seriously, what’s the best way to fight back against this stupidity?
My thought was to contact the airline I fly most often and tell them that I was planning on flying several times this coming year and won’t be because of this TSA stupidity. My wife’s thought was to contact Michelle Obama’s office with the numerous instances of women and children being groped by TSA workers, left stunned, crying, or both.
eastriver
Wanting to fly is surely a sign of being a terrorist. Not wanting to fly is also a sure sign of evil intent.
sturunner
It’s not about security–it’s about controlling the citizenry.
If it were about security, the Washington Area Metro would not be constructing an elevated line thru Tyson’s Corner ( the TC-Reston, VA area is the 2nd largest employment center east of the Mississippi.) Is there another infrastructure target in the area that would be more inviting to the bad guys?
cleek
ok, see ya in court, fuck-o!
Michael
My intention is to moan loudly and with obvious ecstacy while being groped the next time I’m in the TSA line. I’m ugly, fat and middle-aged – so it’ll make some screener’s day.
Mumphrey
It amazes me how the people who scream the loudest about “getting tough with the terrorists”, and other such bullshit, seem to think that the best way to “get tough” with terrorists is to live in unending fear, and to upend our lives in every way to marginally lessen the risk that the terrorists might kill us.
I guess I’m just a cowardly, unpatriotic idjit, but I would have thought that the way to “stand up to terrorists”, or “get tough with terrorists”, would be to not let them change the way we live, to not let them scare us into giving up our freedom and dignity for a fleeting feeling of safety. But what the hell do I know? As I said, I’m just a cowardly, treasonous dirty fucking hippie who hates America and loves Ahmedinejad.
sturunner
(Attn John:
Speaking of being controlled–I was still under 5 min., & wasn’t allowed to finish editing in an additional thought. If we’re going to be cut off in mid-edit for number of attempts, that’s fine, but we should know it.)
Bin Ladin & friends liberated those repressives in America that want us to get used to being controlled “for our own good. . . “
balconesfault
Personally, I’m going to start taking a little blue pill 1 hour before heading to the airport.
terraformer
I’m going to do whatever TSA wants me to do.
I will not have my chocolate rations messed with.
Corner Stone
I’m too lazy to look it up and haven’t flown internationally in a while. Does anyone know how the USA’s rituals compare to Germany, Ireland, Israel, etc? Do int’l airports in other 1st world nations do similar security theater?
Jay in Oregon
Here is the most fucked-up part of the story, in my opinion:
So the “security professionals” who escorted him out will not be subject to the same punitive, coercive penalties that the citizen who was following orders is? Any bets that if he had refused to leave the screening area, he would have arrested?
FFS, if it weren’t for my sister-in-law’s wedding in January, I’d never step on a goddamn plane again until this bullshit is done away with.
memphisj
So, I had a cycling accident this year and now have 2 titanium pins in my femur. Although I haven’t flown since the accident I imagine I will set off the metal detector every time. And therefore, because I had an accident, I most likely will be subject to being either groped or irradiated for the rest of my life? I feel so much safer.
Moses2317
Wow, security theater is being taken to whole new levels. I was in the Philly airport a couple of days ago, and they had videos playing on at least five televisions explaining how all of the ridiculous airport security procedures are allegedly for our “safety”. It felt like something out of 1984.
The real shame here is that not only is airport security a serious infringement on our civil liberties it is also a massive waste of resources that could be spent on real security efforts like screening containers that come into ports or increasing security at chemical plants.
Winning Progressive
debit
@Michael: Make sure to tip them afterward, too.
Mike G
@Mumphrey:
For the people who scream the loudest about “getting tough with the terrorists” are usually fearful pants-pissers who deal with their fear by cheerleading sending others off to kill brown people, or devising new scenarios for bullying others.
J sub D
@sturunner:
And a bit of security theater. Admitting that the government can not stop an intelligent determined individual who wishes to commit mayhem in the name of his cause is unpalatable to security agencies and their elected/appointed bosses. So they have to look like they’re doing something to keep us safe. That it doesn’t keep us safe is completely outside the decision making process.
jcricket
I’m sure all the freedom lovin’ tea party patriots are up-in-arms about this.
Course there solution is two lines, based on skin color. Surely patting down all the darkies will prevent terr’ists. And just leave whities alone, cause we all know white people never cause terr’ism.
300baud
From a Halloween past I have a very baggy clown suit with enormous pockets. Part of the shtick is me pulling an absurd quantity of absurd things out. I kinda want to wear it to the airport just so that I can go through the routine during the security screening.
The normal contents include a 30-inch plastic imitation giant chef’s knife, a self-inflating whoopee cushion, two cowbells, a giant lollipop, a couple of squirt guns, a fake cellphone that shocks you when you try to dial numbers, a sheaf of giant fake money, some airplane-size bottles of liquor, toy handcuffs, and a rubber chicken wearing sparkly false eyelashes.
If they ask why I’m wearing the getup, I’ll explain that my young nephew is meeting us at the airport and he really loves the clown routine, so I wanted to surprise him. The only question in my mind is which items to remove when they ask me to empty my pockets, and which to leave for them to find during the search.
Of course, what I’ll actually do is decide that I don’t have time to fuck with a bunch of assholes on power trips who think authority somehow inherently deserves respect because I want to actually visit my family. And then I’ll bump my year-end donation to the ACLU, and write my congressman about the giant waste that is the TSA.
Mike G
@Moses2317:
B-b-but those measures would ‘hurt corporate profits’. Citizens don’t count, and authoritarian corporatists want us to be conditioned to obedience anyway so that’s a bonus. Ask Phil Gramm who days after 9/11 quashed any effective anti-terrorist-money-laundering legislation that might impinge on banksters’ lucrative money-shuffling.
Citizen Alan
I used to love flying so much. Just the experience of it. I haven’t flown since 2006. And I don’t expect to fly anywhere ever again unless it is to leave America for good for some place not ruled by cowardly psychopaths.
thalarctos
@Corner Stone: Having flown to and among England, Germany, and France in the last year, I can say that not only did I not have to take my shoes off in any of these developed nations’ airport security, but when I mentioned that I would have had to in the US, I heard a good deal of mockery of the US’ procedures from the professionals screening me in those airports. Apparently, the US TSA is an international joke.
Ok, watch me show up on a list next time I fly home, just for this post…
Scott P.
So what’s the best way to fight back against this? Not flying is obviously one choice but not one likely to get much attention. I don’t particularly want to put the airlines out of business even if I could anyway. What else?
thalarctos
@Corner Stone: @Corner Stone: Having flown to and among England, Germany, the Netherlands, and France in the last year, I can say that not only did I not have to take my shoes off in any of these developed nations’ airport security, but when I mentioned that I would have had to in the US, I heard a good deal of mockery of the US’ procedures from the professionals screening me in those airports. Apparently, the US TSA is an international joke.
Ok, watch me show up on a list next time I fly home, just for this post…
realbtl
There is only one sure-fire way to combat this. We need to spread the idea through Greater Wingnuttia that the TSA has been massively infiltrated by teh ghey who are getting off on the visuals/physical contact. Guaranteed to work.
thalarctos
BTW, FYWP. kthxbai.
PurpleGirl
Brilliant at Breakfast has a long post on this incident and also has information about how Israel handles security at Ben Gurion Airport. (And they don’t use x-ray scanners.) See
http://brilliantatbreakfast.blogspot.com/
JD Rhoades
@300baud:
That’s pretty funny, but if I was behind you in line when you pulled that, I probably would punch you in the face. Sorry.
Roger Moore
@Mike G:
And scaring and offending people until they stop flying has no effect on corporate profits? Maybe it doesn’t. Airlines have hardly ever been profitable no matter what, so maybe there’s no harm in screwing them over even worse. It’ll just make them go bankrupt and capable of screwing over their unions that much sooner.
Corner Stone
@JD Rhoades: Yeah, but what if 1 in 10 people did something similar? Do you think this kind of passive civil disobedience/protest would get people motivated? If the people who hate flying anyway now had to endure this 3 times before their turn at the pr0n scanner?
Corner Stone
One time I was flying to AZ with my son (4 yrs old at the time) and it took us 45 minutes to get through just the screening part. I don’t mean the entire line, I mean just the last 10 feet of it. They inspected my son’s backpack and dvd player 3 separate times. We showed up to the gate and the plane was still there but for “security reasons” we couldn’t board in the last 10 minutes. We actually got there 15 minutes before, but no matter.
And if you try to hold anyone accountable? Three Stooges finger pointing routine. No one will answer for any of it.
Michael
@debit:
Win – I could also lean over to give a kiss just after saying “see you again next month, baby”.
mellowjohn
having had multiple joint replacements, i’ve been being groped for years. i once actually set off a metal detector at o’hare BEFORE i walked thru it. (otoh, i walked thru a metal detector in montego bay last month with nary a peep!) while worried a little about excessive radiation, i think the zappers are a bit of an improvement, but still a huge waste of time/money.
i’ve called the whole farce “operation window dressing” since flying thru miami on the first day of full flight operations since 9/11 (think it was the following saturday).
Michael
@Corner Stone:
To be fair, my then 6 year old daughter (pre 9-11) once smuggled back a coupla hundred dollars’ worth of Cuban cigars and illegal French cheese in her pink “Going to Grandma’s” bag when coming back from a trip to the French West Indies. That crazy kid….
Corner Stone
@Michael: I like her style. She have a webfront storesite by any chance?
Hawes
I like the idea of a massive civil disobedience display of clown suits. But for it to work, we need two things:
1) We need to enlist ImprovEverywhere.
2) It needs to be done at the DC airports on the afternoon the Congress adjourns for a long weekend.
Although I bet Congresscritters don’t have to go through security, because they’re either exempt or they’re all flying on corporate jets…
cleek
Rueters wants to know if this shit affects your decision to fly.
JenJen
@PurpleGirl: Holy shit! Also from that link:
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@cleek: My willingness to fly in anything other than the most exigent of circumstances was affected when my sister complained about being groped at a checkpoint–in 2002.
Michael
@Corner Stone:
She should – she has routinely extorted me for exposing her to a potential 10K fine and lengthy jail term at the age of 6.
Corey
I read this item here, then saw that it got linked to on Memorandum, so I clicked over there to see what other bloggers had to say.
I’ve been feeling pretty down-in-the-dumps recently about our country’s prospects for restoring some measure of evidence-based thinking to our political discourse. So when I noticed that several winger blogs had commented on this story, I was ready for the inevitable authoritarian diatribes about how we need the TSA for Our Safety, and that this guy deserved to have his teeth kicked in, etc.
I clicked on Gateway Pundit, ready to laugh at the wingers. To my surprise, they just summarized and linked to the post, no editorializing, and the commenters…applauded the guy!!! I got this warm feeling, because here’s something that left and right can finally agree on – that the TSA is a worthless piece of security theater that imposes real moral, social and economic cost to the country, and a choice between being seen naked and having your junk felt up is a choice no person should have to make.
Then I read further, and it turns out they’re just pissed that the TSA does this to everyone, and not just to Muslims.
/headdesk
maus
@Michael: Well, now we’ve got the option to either get her genitals groped like the rest of us, or have someone take snapshots of her genitals inconspicuously :(
Yet another reason why I don’t find jokes like
to be amusing in the slightest.
Michael
@Corey:
Resentment over equal treatment by the repressive side of the security state pisses white people off. Thuggish behavior is reserved for use on Latinos, Negroze, dark skinned people and teh ghey. They get all Second Amendment when served up with the consequences of their security state.
Corey
@Michael: I know, I guess I was just stunned that the wingnut peanut gallery couldn’t take the next step, logic-wise; that if The Terrists can outwit security screeners (as seems generally accepted, even by the wingers), they can outwit a profiling system too. Say, by having a white guy be the bomber.
But, as we know, the categories of “terrorist” and “white person of European descent” are mutually exclusive in wingerland.
Mark
@thalarctos: I just went through security in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. My shoes never came off (odd, because that’s how people have typically smuggled radioactive material out of nuclear power plants) but they did every other stupid thing that US airports do:
– hassled me about my tweezers
– took away my five-ounce can of shaving cream
– got freaked out about my MP3 player, my headphones and my laptop power supply and disassembled my entire bag and ran it through the x-ray machine four times
– made me take kleenex out of my pocket (I had a cold) and run it through the x-ray machine
thalarctos
@Mark: :(.
Bummers. Sorry to hear it–that routine sucks. The kleenex is especially gratuitous.
FWIW, if I weren’t a middle-aged white professional woman, I bet I’d get some extra security crap even in European airports.
Jules
I don’t fly.
Not just because of the security, but also the crappy service and I would kill someone if I was shut up in a plane for a few hours waiting on the runway.
I drive.
I guess if I ever had the money to travel to the UK or Europe I would break down and fly…or maybe go via cruise ship.
(of course I don’t actually travel because we have too many pets (4 cats, 3 dogs) and have yet to find someone to take care of them while we travel…but that will soon come to an end as my teenager is now old enough to stay by himself for a few days.)
aimai
The Reuters poll linked to up above has some great comments. Here’s one that belongs to the “harder, officer and faster” school of right wing civil liberties:
Norman Rogers
You know, I get tired of having to solve these problems, but I’ll take a whack at it.
Each and every person who works in “airport security” must be professionalized. Are there 20,000 positions? Well, then you need 20,000 professionals. No more rent-a-cops, no more 300 pound chair rangers–each and every one of these people has to be a cleared, trained, professional who makes at least $100K per year.
Each of these individuals needs to be mature and led by other professionals. No more using retired Secret Service to run roughshod over others. This needs to be a dedicated, well-organized department in the Federal government. When someone gets out of line, they need to be reviewed and held to a very high standard. If we made their rating and training equal to that of the pilots, we would see problems here and there, of course, but, by and large, you wouldn’t have the degree of problems that we have now.
And, to be even more fair and blunt about it, if a terrorist wants to kill you, then that terrorist is going to kill you. The American people need to accept the fact that their government cannot save them if a terrorist decides to kill a plane load of people. No more panicking, no more playing politics with national security, no more whining to Daddy, no more voting for the man who seems to hate the terrorists more–we need to grow up.
Getting on a plane requires common sense screening done by professionals who need to be trained and paid accordingly. That is our first line of defense. Our second line of defense–you need to grow up and realize that no one can save you from a terrorist if that terrorist gets past the first line of defense.
You’re very welcome.
Pirate
This is why when I fly commercial airlines, I always carry a copy of Pentagon’s declassified OPERATION NORTHWOODS, which is the US Govt’s signed confession to carrying out the 9/11 terrorist massacres by remote control, along with the explanation by ABC News.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/northwoods.pdf
http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=92662&page=1
Always give a copy of NORTHWOODS to airport security screeners, pilots, stewardess and passengers.
BTW TSA employs 1,000s of foreigners and illegal aliens are airport security screeners.
Ben
@Corner Stone:
I was in Israel at the beginning of the year. They did not make me take off my shoes at the metal detector but they do submit you to a rigorous questioning (what you’re doing there, where did you go on your trip, etc.). Also, if you are Arab, be prepared for a full 20-30 minute questioning. I’m American Jewish so I got off easy but El Al is notorious for profiling.
YellowJournalism
From the Reuter’s poll comments:
That sums up my feelings. If I want to visit my family in the states other than around the summertime, I have to fly. My sis is getting married next summer, but I may have to fly down earlier for all the pre-wedding stuff. I have to take both of my kids. My son, who will be three at the time, does not like to be touched or examined in his nether regions and will squirm, scream, and cry even when it’s a family member or the doctor doing it. Can you imagine the terror of some complete stranger dressed up in an intimidating-looking uniform doing it to him? I’ve been told that even if you go through the full-body scanners, you are still subject to this pat-down.
maus
@Jules:
My family is in Florida, I live in Washington state. While I’d love this option, I simply can not :(
WereBear
When I fly, (which I have not done in 4 years) I have the option of driving 2 1/2 hours to an international airport in my state’s capital, or driving & taking a ferry for 2 1/2 hours to a little airport in a s0cia1st state nearby.
Guess which one I choose.
gypsy howell
@Moses2317:
Ha! Terminal D&E! I go through it all the time, and it’s so fucking insulting listening to why we all need to take off our shoes and bring only 3 oz of liquids, and how terrorists can conspire together to mix their 3 oz of liquids together to make bombs but don’t worry the TSA is working on that. They think we’re 5 fucking years old. (Although, gotta hand it to them, we act like we’re 5)
I happen to be flying on National Opt Out day. Oh happy joy.
I was at ORD this week ,and some poor woman with two metal hips was stopped at the TSA checkpoint, and they wanted to feel her up UNDER HER SKIRT. Jeezus. What is the matter with us?
I hope I have this guy’s courage when I get sent through the Porno-Scan. Maybe I’ll have to rent a car and drive the 1,000 miles home?
chicago dyke
this is the second sketch i’ve written for Security Theatre Kabuki:
artist: dressed in nothing but balloons. internet/instant check in/on ticket. aided by sycophant with hidden/mini camera. soundtrack added later; constant upload. audio as well as video and gps tracking via common tool.
balloon person acts Completely Normal, but refuses invasive scanning. makes TSA enjoy some natural human interaction for a while. comedy ensues. is recorded to best of ability of artist collective.
balloon person takes The Tack. “no, no, i won’t go!” and pops some strategically placed balloons. one. at. a. time. various digital audio devices timed to make ironically interactive comments during events, spaced among onlookers sympathetic.
guys in suits come out of closed doors en masse. everybody runs, laughs, and tosses, a la P’s Honor, a bunch of baby dolls. The Doors!
most of us make it. the rest of us get bailed out from the hat everybody passes out at the party at the bar.
Moses2317
@gypsy howell: Wow, I cannot believe you have to deal with Terminal D&E all the time at the Philly airport. I’ve only done it once, and it almost drove me insane.
My wife and I are traveling to Pittsburgh on National Opt Out day, but decided the best way to opt out of airport security theater would be to take Amtrak. It will probably take longer, but at least we won’t have to deal with TSA.
Winning Progressive
Nutella
@jcricket:
I’m sure that’s why this guy’s story went viral: His blog also goes on about the ‘Social Security Ponzi scheme’ so he’s a wingnut in good standing.
That and the video.
Jonathan
Okay, fine, I agree, the TSA airport security strategy is awful, as are most of their employees, and most of what we do to get through security is pointless.
However, refusing to go through with it is a legitimate red flag. Once you refuse, it’s perfectly rational to assume that person is a threat. Even if you say you’ll back out of line, and not take a flight, that could just mean you realize you’ve been spotted, and you don’t want to go through with your crotch bomb.
Sounds like the TSA employees didn’t do the right thing, and let him go, but the rule makes perfect sense to me.