With Jackson still sitting in my lap (he was being so good despite all of this chaos) I said ok and continued to hold on to my son, expecting the male TSA agent to start touching Jackson.
He then told me, “I’m going to have to pick him up to inspect him.”
I rolled my eyes and sternly told him “It’s his pacifier clip that went off, can’t you just run that back through the belt and let us go. We are going to miss our flight.”
The female TSA agent, who had been standing there the entire time said to me, “You need to adjust your attitude and do as you are told.”
The male TSA agent repeated, “I’m going to have to pick him up to inspect him.”
I handed him my son.
I handed him my son and he walked away with my child.
My eyes welled up with tears, I stood up from my chair and I asked the female TSA agent, “Where is he going? Where is he taking my child? Why is he leaving?”
Read the whole pathetic story.
Found by Jalen Jade via Twitter.
I’d sue them for as much money as I could, millions…idiots. The climate of fear in the US is unbelievable and it’ll only get worse I think. Sure glad I don’t have to deal with asses like that.
If government had any integrity they’d be charged with kidnapping.
I’m sure the TSA has a special department you can write to and complain to. They will take your letter and file it in the proper file.
The TSA is quite right here. If we stopped inspecting baby diapers, then the terrorists would have carte blanch to run all kinds of contraband down there. Imagine how much C4 can be hidden there.
Freedom is eternal vigilance.
@bobbo
You need to use sarcasm tags for the humor impaired.
This lady is under the effects of alcohol and vicodin. She should have her son taken away for her inability to deal with reality.
In spite of the pathos included in her story , you can’t help being infuriated by the behavior of these mindless drones charged with the power to wreak random misery for no reason at all. Is this leading to the point where large numbers of people freak out in response and paving the way for martial law ?
And the same people who created this monstrosity want to run our health care?
#5–improbus==so true. Yet to be “entirely honest,” I actually am on the fence in certain senses. Should babies be exempted from inspection===no. Should GREAT CARE be taken with Mom’s when inspecting babies/a whole lot more than was shown here?====yes indeed.
Amusing to recognize ALL that needed to be done is good baggage inspection and have a locked crew door. Instead we terrorize/insult our own people with protocols that waste time and money way out of proportion to the real threat.
Incompetent==just like about everything else in America.
Then they wonder why Chicago did not get the nod for the Olympics. Other countries are not going to deal with this. I do not feel any safer knowing that babies are not carrying bombs in their diapers.
The first thing running through my mind is I would be afraid of what they would do to my son. What were they doing that they couldn’t do in front of the mother? I would not have let them take him out of my sight. They would have to physically restrain me with about 3 or 4 TSA officers or something. TSA agents are idiots. And we’re willing to be subjected to this idiocy for a false sense of security? What BS!!
Eh… I hate security checkpoints more than most people, but this narrative sounds exaggerated, self-aggrandizing and silly. It sounds exactly like Glenn Beck telling a story.
What’s this got to do with Chicago?
This is really quite simple.
Everyone – including babies – is subject to being checked thoroughly. This, however, does not mean that there is any reason whatsoever for the child to be separated from the mother.
The woman said she had a cell phone.
The moment her son was separated from her, she should have dialed 911 and reported the kidnapping of her son: after all, is not separating a child from a parent, without the parent’s permission and without a valid court order defined as kidnapping?
It most certainly is what I would have done.
After all, how did she know that ‘TSA agent’ was not bogus?!?
No, call the cops, let the
Everyone whining and crying about the TSA and you know what? You can’t do a god damn thing about it. So shut up and bend over!
Oh, what did I do alone with your son behind the inspection screen for 10 minutes?
“TSA Agent” sounds like the hot new job for child molesters.
How many of these stories do we have to hear before we get it. The days when government employees were public servants, if it ever was the case, are over. They are our masters now.
Our possessions, our persons and even our children are not our own. Obey, and if you don’t it’s you that should “adjust your attitude”
And of course all in the name of security. Does anyone feel any safer knowing the kind TSA is there to steal your stuff, grope your person and terrorize a mother and child?
“I hate security checkpoints more than most people, but this narrative sounds exaggerated, self-aggrandizing and silly. It sounds exactly like Glenn Beck telling a story.”
#12 for the win!
From the article:
‘Ma’am you need to calm down or I’m going to have to involve the authorities,’ she told me.
Now I was pissed.
Horrified. Terrified. Enraged.
‘You fucking get the authorities,’ I told the female TSA agent while the other continued to wand me and forced me to unbutton my jeans because the button beeped when she went over my abdomen with her wand.
‘You get the goddamn authorities right the fuck now and tell them to GIVE ME MY SON,’ I said.
I began to black out. I knew I was having a full on panic attack. I feared passing out.
I was told to take my seat again, after being searched, but I was not allowed to collect my belongings.”
In summary: this 22-year old woman’s imagination went wild, she had a panic attack and started being abusive and difficult with the security screeners and created her own problem.
Nice!
Americans are such crybabies and hypocrites. While they whine about crap like this, their tax dollars are paying for soldiers to kill the innocent parents of innocent children in the Middle East…
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/25/world/middleeast/20080726_CENSOR2_7.html
Fuck her… at least she’s alive.
#20:
Americans are such crybabies and hypocrites. While they whine about not having health insurance, their tax dollars are paying for soldiers to kill the innocent parents of innocent children in the Middle East…
whatever.
This shit is all orthogonal.
All the naysayers here are missing the point:
a strange man took her child out of view, and was alone with him for ten minutes.
see comment #16 if you’re too dense to get it.
First, this has nothing to do with Chicago. This happened in Atlanta.
Second, the woman is a recognized manic. She keeps Xanax on her for emergencies.
Third, this woman is a ticking time bomb and a huge threat to her child.
Fourth, geeze I wish people would read the effen article before posting.
Fifth, I think most of this story is embellished if not invented. If they took her baby any NORMAL parent would have at least attempted to follow. She didn’t.
Number6 said The days when government employees were public servants, if it ever was the case, are over.
And there you have nailed the TSA problem. These people should be Federal employees, complete with benefits, oversight, and with administrative and Congressional oversight. What we have now is run by private companies, undoubtedly deeply involved with the Republican Party. This, as you observed, is simply wrong.
Is there anything that was created by the bush Maladministration that isn’t completely fucked up?
#23, Mr. Fusion, being part of the problem …
First, the stories about the brutes at TSA are happening all across the USA. We’re not safe from them anywhere.
Second, of course he TSA is only ever thuggish to crazy people. You’ll never have to worry because your a normal American.
Third, those brilliant public servants at the TSA could tell that women was a terrorist in the making. They are as psychic as you, and know she was just itching to be a threat to you normal people.
Fourth, only people you agree with read the article. Anyone you disagree with couldn’t possibly have read the article and come to a different conclusion. Not unless they are as crazy as this women who actually doesn’t like having her kid taken from her.
Fifth, It didn’t happen anyway. The TSA is always kind to the people they control … oops, sorry I meant serve. Crazy lady just made it up. Nothing to see, nothing to worry about. Everything is fine, and the good people in uniform are our friends. Well, at least it wont happen to NORMAL people like you … you can tell she’s not NORMAL because it happened o her.
#23:
Some people carry Xanax because they’re afraid to fly.
Anecdotally, I know lots of people taking Xanax who simply suffer from moderate anxiety, and aren’t a threat to anyone.
It is absolutely HORRIFYING to me that any decent, civilized person with an IQ above room temperature could defend how this woman and her child were treated in the once free United States of America! These TSA morons are PAID PUBLIC SERVANTS and they should ACT like it, and not like little tin gods who can force any of us to do damn near anything! As others have pointed out here, this is a perfect set up for a child molester – among other things. How the hell do you know what this man did to that baby for that period of time in private? And if you were the mother – or father – you’d damn well be upset too! If there was any inspection to be done, it could and should have been done right in public with the parents present!
It used to be that slavery was forced on people, but judging from some of the comments here defending the TSA, many of you are more than willing to accept it and are probably forging your own shackles.
Agreed, stupid behaviour of authorities, but might be a better story if the person telling it shouldn’t be locked up in a mental institution. I’m with you #6 & 19.
The *whole* incident took place over 10 minutes “she thinks” including being locked up in a plastic booth for what at first appeared to be forever reading her story, and she can’t remember calling her husband etc. etc. The ‘incident’ probably was over in less than 5 minutes from start to finish in reality.
Was brutally forced by the evil woman and her vicious fire breathing dog to sit somewhere far from her belongings, but then somehow was miraculously able to reach out to pick up her mobile phone! No exaggeration of course.
Perhaps she had her Inspector Gadget extending arm fitted, which is what set off the alarm?
Ever since the major investors in transportation, moved their wealth from Railway Travel, to Air Travel. The special laws of business conduct enjoyed first by Trains, moved to the Airlines. For decades now, the airlines have been a nation unto themselves. Peoples’ rights seem to end at the airport terminals. In the name of various excuses. Whether it’s safety, security, or financial reasons. The air travel industry seems to be able to do whatever it pleases. And the courts and government won’t touch them. Mainly, because their owned by billionaires. Who have elected officials and politicians ousted if they cause them trouble.
Before 9-11, the airlines were allowing people to carry on all manner of knifes and things. Doing any kind of decent security check would cost them money. Since 9-11, the taxpayers pay for the TSA to do the security work the airlines refused to do. Basically it’s a government subsidy.
But because some critics keep pointing out how all these checks aren’t catching deliberate attempts at getting explosive devices on board planes. The TSA has just gotten hard-assed about treating everyone like a criminal.
I think the real problem is not enough railway travel, to keep national transportation from being monopolized by only one industry. This “all eggs in one basket” approach, makes Air Travel way too vital to allow it to suffer the slightest difficulty or inconvenience.
I remember when the air traffic controllers wanted to strike, how President Reagan threatened to fire them, and did. So even though technically they’re civilians. ATC workers can’t strike for better wages or improved working conditions. They’re under federal law the same way the military servicemen are. And in the same way, have been screwed over, with pay raise freezes and increased workloads.
The same thing has happened in the past, whenever labor threatened to get organized and cause trouble for a huge monopoly industry. Like steel or an automotive plant. Cops were sent in to crack heads. Never mind what human rights were being violated. Government stood with the industry, or its owners, against the common worker. The excuse always being, said industry was too vital to be halted by disruptive workers. Who are probably communists. This was before labor unions formed to do the job the government refused to do. Look out for the common man.
Now it’s the federal TSA cops, for the airline industry, and against the common traveler. Who are all being treated as potential terrorists, because it’s easier than to make intelligent choices. All this draconian security is slowly killing off the airlines’ business, though they won’t admit it. At some point they’re
either going to have to relax the security, to regain customers. Or totally dispense with this “Security Theater”. At the airline industries’ demands, not the air travelers.