Mats

The TSA has made such a fuss defending its behavioral detection program despite the findings of the GAO.

So if they're so gifted at analyzing behavior, perhaps it would occur to them that terrorist would be unlikely to travel with their small children. Although profiling is questionable, it makes little sense to envision terrorists as a couple, traveling with small children.

But the frisking of one adult is one of the greatest recent examples of the TSA's arbitrary and punitive nature. If this was the rule, and terrorists were indeed traveling as couples with small children, the terrorists would certainly divest any hazardous goods to the adult who would not volunteer for extensive frisking.

My guess is that the individual screeners involved may have even seen the idiocy of their actions, but they were subjected to absurd directives by their supervisor.

I would like this story to make it to the media (after the Olympics; everyone is too jumpy right now.) It would make a good op-ed piece, and it's also worthy of a letter to a senator.

Pistole says that there is a "new TSA." Okay, John P., what do you make of this nonsense?

WillCAD

"No, no, we're RIGHT and we KNOW it, so nerts to you!"

"But, but, The Bad Guys are not above using children as bombs! Because they're EVIL! Everybody know it!"

Of course, the panicked, paranoid, and puerile amongst us will immediately point out the recent (hillarious and well worth seeing) comedy motion picture We Are the Millers, in which a small-time pot dealer hires a stripper, a homeless girl, and a neighbor kid to pose as his family while smuggling a large shipment of pot from Mexico into the US in an RV.

"SEE! SEE! That PROVES it can happen!"

Agreed. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to realize that you can easily carry large amounts of liquids through the c/p uninspected if you disguise them as baby formula or juice boxes and are willing to be groped.

Never attribute to malice that which can as easilly be attributed to stupidity. The absurdity of the policy may have completely escaped the attention of the TSOs who enforced it; they could just as easily have been Kool-Aid drinkers who truly, deeply believed that what they were doing was absolutely necessary to Keep America Safe From Bad Guys.

"While the Senator is 100% in favor of protecting the freedoms of his constituents, he also recognizes that a balance must be struck between freedom and security, and certain inconveniences must be endured in the name of public safety. The Senator will, of course, continue to monitor the situation carefully, and should legislation be required to enhance the policies of the TSA, the Senator will be happy to review it to determine whether it merits his sponsorship and support. Vote early, vote often!"

"Director Pistole does not comment on specific screening methodologies or matters of Standard Operating Procedure, since these issues are Sensitive Security Information, and revealing them would enable The Bad Guys to circumvent our methods and blow up millions of aircraft. If you See Something, Say Something! Have a nice day."

studentff

Adding to the absurdity is that in the several times I have experienced this BS, they let us pick which adult gets the patdown.

GUWonder

That is the way it usually goes when two parents are present with one or more young children and using an infant/toddler food/beverage "exemption". Frankly, I find it rather amusing when there's a single parent with multiple young children at the screening checkpoint using the "exemption" and the toddlers and preschool kids decide to play games with the TSA equipment (while the parent is busy being hassled by the TSA), such as by running the trays into the WTMD or jumping in and out of the strip search machines despite the TSA calls for them to stop. I can only wish that my friend's "demon child" does a repeat next time I'm with them at the airport, as I want to capture it on film.