I just read a new article about the TSA new aggressive patdown procedure that includes touching anything and everything.

Pretty awkward...

Well, then, I'm just gonna be way more foresightful about which TSA employee's line I'll choose to que up in. I'll be looking for "hot and stupid."

The most invasive search I ever experienced was in Athens flying to the US.

First, I had a partial bag search after the x-ray machine.

Then, a "random selection" for a full bag search and a full body pat-down in a private room.

The bag search went, meaning emptying almost all of the contents of my bag (mind you, I have a large touring backpack I'm taking on as a carry-on...EVERYTHING is in there). That took about 5 minutes. The most offensive thing they found was my zippo lighter, other than my bag of dirty socks ;-). Ended up being able to keep the lighter. Surprising.

Then it came time for the body search/pat down. At this point, I was so cooperative with the agent during the bag search that he was embarrassed he had to go through with all of this procedure.

He asked me to take off my socks (read: I've been backpacking in them for the last 2 days) and I gave him the "Are you sure?" look, he nodded, then I proceeded. Sorry for your nose...

Then, he began with the metal detector. Got to the inside of my legs. Starting going up...up...up...turned it from perpendicular to parallel, to the point where he kinda nodded to me to give him more room so he could raise it some more. I shared an awkward laugh with him.

I could tell this guy was just trying to do his job, but I could easily see how people could get really offended by this.

Since we were hours early for the flight and actually about 1/5 of the people were searched like this, I was okay with this. If I had to have that kind of "feel down" as they are describing in the article almost every time I had to fly, I would really get pissed.

The funny thing is...after all of this...and through US Customs...they never found my pocket knife.

Do we have to ask, just where were you concealing the knife?

Anyone see Machete?

Actually slipped my mind that I had it...right in the middle of my bag amongst a mess of other things.

Just turn your head and cough.

I remember the very first time I flew into Athens years ago and being taken aback by all of the police carrying thompson submachine guns.

That's probably because they saw your Florida ID and thought you were a Gator fan. You knokw how those Bulldogs can be.

Oh, you meant Athens, Greece, not Athens, Georgia. My bad.

I'm a little bummed that you are required to have someone of the same sex pat you down. I'm not sure my wife would agree but I'd rather have a hot chick woman grab my junk then some fat hairy man...

Maybe someone will invent a "gay for a day" pill that travelers can take the morning of a trip to ease their discomfort during the screening process. If they're really uncomfortable, they could share one with their screener, though I doubt regulation would allow them to take it.


See, I've thought this one out pretty well.

Lol, that's some funny stuff.

I think I'll just stay home.

I don't care at all. I don't understand what the fuss is about.

There has been so much discussion about the new imagers. So what if someone can see your outline? Are people really so narcissistic as to think that screener is seeing you any differently than the 900 people that came before you? Believe me, they're thinking about when their next break is unless they see a weapon.

I don't care about the pat-down either. We're all adults, and if this saves lives (maybe even my own) I'm fine with it.

[/rant]

Of course, a cavity search is drastically different!

Then they'll think you're concealing a club.

Famous Ace Ventura Line:
"Your gun is digging into my hip"

Hmmm....

TSA now putting hands down peoples pants....

In order for you to have freedom there must be some level of risk involved.

There is a congressional hearing on the 17th TSA

I'd quote the Ben Franklin, but everyone here should know it already.

You have to pay $100 for that kind of service?

Now the TSA are probably spreading STD's from person to person.

There's no basis or legitimate reason for this crap. What is there to be afraid of? A threat that's uncontroversial and incontrovertible?

I could easily carry on, and was going to, but remarkably bit my tongue .

I'll leave it up to Mike Prysner , an Iraq veteran, and someone who has firsthand experience. His words, at the very least, warrant an audience. Take 10 minutes out of your time and watch both parts one and two.

I musta missed that class, or been daydreaming. Clue me in, por favor.

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

I've seen the quote written various ways, but the resulting point is obviously the same.

So does the TSA hire homosexuals? I'd be f*cking pissed if I was required to let a gay guy stick his hands down my pants and grab my junk before boarding a plane.

Almost sounds like the average American citizen needs to be come a terrorist in order to combat the TSA.

Squirt shaving cream down the front of your pants, before getting in line.

I would assume that the TSA, like any other US employer, is not allowed to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

David, with all due respect, I find that post very offensive. As a juxtaposition, would you turn down a homosexual surgeon if you're in need of a lifesaving procedure on your testicles?

Homosexuals, like heterosexuals, can, and do, carry out the same occupation without a physical attachment that could possibly result from it.

I'll state the same position I did earlier: If someone giving me a patdown, or even a grope, saves a planeload of people, myself included, who cares?

And I really wouldn't care if it's a man, woman, gay man, gay woman or transgender goat. What they're doing is NOT sexual.

As for the image scanning, how many body outlines would you have to see before it becomes ho-hum? Maybe the 500 that you'll have on your first day? By the end of the first week, I'd be concerned that the people viewing the scans aren't paying ENOUGH attention to them.

Maybe I'm biased because I've worked in a hospital and Joyce still does in her career. Even seeing the REAL thing (not a scan), up close and personal, is not a sexual thing.

I can tell you just from photographing nudes, that I'm thinking about lighting, composition, whether someone will trip over that lightstand.... and that's with a cute girl for a couple of hours.

It's no big thing, people. We all have one. Yours really isn't so special as to entitle the security person to go home at the end of the day thinking about yours...

That's not my issue with it. Personally, I have no problem, really. It's the vindictiveness and false security of it all. I'm not going to say online what I said in person, since I don't need DHS knocking on my door, but suffice to say, why are other areas not as well protected as an airplane? If, in fact, that is protection. TSA keeps skating where the puck has been.

Finally, I'll say this: fear the ass bomber.

I can tell you that I personally wouldn't have made it in the photography business.

My Dad after a burrito is now considered a terrorist?

The 'Burrito Bomber'.

Didn't intend to be offensive and after reading it i could see that it was. I have nothing against anyone who is gay, I just don't want to be forced into anyone touching my junk without my consent...and someone who is attracted to the same sex grabbing my junk bothers me even more. Besides, Who says it's not sexual to them?

I've gone through a full body scanner when it was optional because the line was shorter than the standard metal detector and it doesn't really bother me. However, I do feel like it is a violation of my privacy, space, and rights to be subjected to someone sticking their hand inside my pants and grabbing my junk if I refuse to go through the body scanner.

Again sorry for the post... Sometimes I speak my mind when I shouldn't.

I don't consider mine junk.

I just passed through the FLL (Fort Lauderdale) and MDW (Midway Chicago) airports and no nudy-screeners, no hassle. I even joked around with some of the TSA guys.

They are humans, after all. Most are just trying to do their job, even they don't agree with what they are doing.

However, there are some that let a little power get to their heads.

Gently used?

Given the fact that the TSA’s own woeful background checks for their own employees allows rapists and pedophiles to get jobs as pat down agents, will you allow TSA workers to put their hands down the pants of your daughter or wife?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/tsa-gives-ra...g-children.html

I have to take that site with a huge grain of salt. Anyone who says you have to stockpile gold and food kind of strikes me as a tad alarmist in any case.

But if any of that's true, it's pretty horrific.

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure either but it makes for good news.

They did arrest a TSA screener back in march for a few child sex crimes though.

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/128943