“There’s an old woman! Get her!”
When will the public-at-large stop saying “It’s better to be safe than sorry” and begin to say, “Enough is enough!” This begins by voting out all members of Congress who support this insane agency.
Jean Weber of Destin filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after her 95-year-old mother 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.
And note the stooge for the Agency chimes in:
Sari Koshetz, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration in Miami, said she could not comment on specific cases to protect the privacy of those involved.
Found by Sergei Mutovkin.
what.the.fuck
As an AARP member, I’ve been working of some TSA slogans:
What do you think?
Alarmist enough for you?
TSA = Theoretical Security of America
Come work for the TSA…
Paranoia for scaredy cats.
The pay sucks but its really safe.
Plus you get to molest babies and the elderly.
The bets part is that you get legal permission to be an exhibitionist.
G’mon you old folks, put some friggin’ clothes on.
Nudists airlines. Get no hassles from the TSA.
Utterly absurd, but consistent with Zero’s policy of enslaving the masses….
The Greeks had a cure for politicians like this.
Defenestration….
What are we waiting for?
or TSA = Theatrical Security Agency
Maybe the terrorist will start going after TSA agents. Terrorist don’t care if they die and the way the TSA does things you could probably get most of them with a hand gun before they got him.
Not to piss anyone off, but if we are going to “screen passengers” at all, don’t they all need to be screened?
From the link: ““TSA cannot exempt any group from screening because we know from intelligence that there are terrorists out there that would then exploit that vulnerability,” she said.”
I’d say the logic is impeccable, but I don’t want to encourage Alfie to copy and paste another ream of irrelevant bible passages.
Was the goal of OBL to impact a few buildings ((I recall him being quoted as saying they weren’t expecting the buildings to actually fall.)) or to have USA over react because a few buildings were impacted? Chess vs Checkers? Vs Theater of the Absurd.
“This begins by voting out all members of Congress who support this insane agency.”
No, it doesn’t. It starts with the chickenshit public standing up and putting these sick, demented, power high, constitutional enemies in the hospital for extended periods of time, or into a grave.
It must be embarrassing to be American. “home of the land and free”. Yeah right.
@ McCullogh
I concur with your diagnosis. This culture of fear has gone to far btw. Don’t hold your breath about the eventual repeal of the Patriot Act either. That picture of the Statue of Liberty sort of says it all unfortunately. And another thing… Why are we having China manufacture increasing numbers of components for our military hardware now days? Seems to me you would be better off producing your military tech in house. I think that might be a bigger threat than what’s in granny’s “Depends.”
Or am I wrong? That poor woman, how humiliating that must have been. Apparently common sense is not a quality that the TSA possesses.
That’s not poop.. that’s C4!
#9 – it feels strange, but I agree with Bobbo on this one. Not with strip searching grandma – but applying a uniform search policy to all travelers. If we let grandma on without any search, then al-qaeda will start loading up their own grandmothers with bombs and send them to meet Allah.
That said, I’d bet that if the 94-year-old woman had been Muslim and wearing a full-length burqa, she’d have been wheeled through without being touched.
Definition of Irony: The TSA “…could not comment … to protect the privacy of those involved.”
Har!
Another new low for the TSA.
This is happening so frequently these days that I am rapidly becoming desensitized to the stupidity of it all.
Hey Animby–calling in again/for quite some time now. I thought you were a clinic doc or an ER doc but you travel too much. Seems an unusual gig to me. What can you tell us about it and why haven’t you gotten out of it yet?
Re the topic–its not Ironic at all==would you want the whole world to know you’ve been molested by the TSA?
Ha. ha. Just heard Rachel Madow say the reason Cantor walked out of the budget talks was because the Dumbo’s wanted to talk about removing subsidies for Corporate Jets.
How big do the Neon signs have to get?
WTF are you flying for anyway?
TSA Totally Stupid Agency
I laugh at all of you people who put up with this bullshit and continue to PAY for airplane tickets.
When people stop using airports, watch how quickly all the bullshit stops.
You can thank the religion of peace.
# 18 bobbo, in Repose said, “Seems an unusual gig to me. What can you tell us about it and why haven’t you gotten out of it yet?”
Robobbo – I regret giving you the impression I was an ER doc. I have ER experience but would never do that for a living. Too hard.
When I work for money, I contract with the US or UN (usually) managing medical programs atround the world. When I’m not working for money, I staff clinics in isolated third world areas. Recently been helping out at a variety of clinics in SW Cambodia working out of a town called Phumi Krouy. Also get to spend a lot of time on what passes for beaches west of there. Sadly, no diving. (I’m in Phnom Penh for a few days and am trying to find a decent mask and snorkel.)
Why do I not get out of it? Geez. I love it. I get to work with people who seldom get any medical care and I don’t have to demand they pay me for it! AND I’m not supporting a cadre of lawyers. The bad part is that I so often have to practice medicine through an interpreter. (My Khmer is an atrocity!) But, I’ve got a cute Khmer nurse who travels with me here. She was raised in a missionary orphanage and speaks great English.
Nope, as long as these old bones can still make it up the hills, I’ll keep doing it. Though, I gotta admit, the hot rainy season is not the best of times to live in the jungle. I hadn’t planned to be on this trip for quite so long. Not sure how much longer before I can go back to my “home” in Thailand.
As for the TSA thing – I’m just about ready to commit my vote to the candidate who can convince me they will reverse the trends to ignore the Constitution and the liberties it guarantees. A first step would be to disband the TSA. I understand now they are working at train and bus stations now (the appropriately snakily named VIPR teams) not only assuring our safe travel (!) but helping look for drugs and other contraband.
“Papers, please!”
Related: http://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/20/everything_you_think_you_know_about_the_collapse_of_the_soviet_union_is_wrong?page=full
If she’s so upset about it, she should take the train. Then when TSA has checkpoint searches at train stations she should take the bus, then a boat, then a car. And when TSa check cars, they should go by bike.
Jesus Herbert Christ!
Doesn’t everyone sleep better over this? Too bad at 95 she didn’t have one kick to the crotch left.
Yo! Don’t y’all be sayin’ nuthin’ bad ’bout the TSA! I was woikin’ at Burger King till they give me dis good job. Now I be a see-curity pro-fessional.
To all you morons who think this kind of search should be allowable because we need to screen “everybody”….you are just a bunch of cowards and weaklings. I would rather take my chances any day with the virtually NON EXISTENT “terrorists” than give up all my rights to drooling, mouth breathing thugs from the TSA. What the hell good is freedom when it’s only theoretical and in reality we are regularly terrorized by our “security” personnel? Try growing a pair.
#29, I agree with you 100%.
I sure hope Texas passes that Anti-Groping law next week. This shit has gone on long enough.
4th Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Cops are only allowed to frisk you if they have probable cause. Even the FBI!!! Otherwise, you have a civil case against them.
WhyTF aren’t people suing these SOBs for violating their 4th Amendment rights?
Do people really think somebody rubbing their hand against your package is reasonable? Seriously?
If I were to rub my package in public, I would be charged with disorderly conduct and indecency.
This country has turned in a bunch of pu$$ies.