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BWI TDC (playing BDO/SPOT) harasses, terrorizes, interrogates 3-year-old

BWI TDC (playing BDO/SPOT) harasses, terrorizes, interrogates 3-year-old

Old Jan 4, 2009, 6:08 pm
  #46  
 
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I find the whole story ridiculous. I don't know any parent that would allow their child to be interrogated and/or terrorized and just stand there and do nothing, for any length of time. If the guy was so threatening, you tell him to back off - immediately. Since that was not the immediate reaction of the parents I suspect the "threat level" of the guy was at blue. Maybe yellow if he was really big and had a scary voice and a beard.

>>"Tell the nice man your name" I suggested.<<

Yeah-right. Parents who feel their children are being terrorized, harrassed, and interrogated aren't going to "suggest" anything - they're going to get between the child and the threat and grow fangs and go foamy. I think the author was just looking for something to bash the airport security guards over and could have done a LOT better than that if he put the effort in
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Old Jan 4, 2009, 7:40 pm
  #47  
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Originally Posted by redreeper
I find the whole story ridiculous. I don't know any parent that would allow their child to be interrogated and/or terrorized and just stand there and do nothing, for any length of time. If the guy was so threatening, you tell him to back off - immediately. Since that was not the immediate reaction of the parents I suspect the "threat level" of the guy was at blue. Maybe yellow if he was really big and had a scary voice and a beard.

>>"Tell the nice man your name" I suggested.<<

Yeah-right. Parents who feel their children are being terrorized, harrassed, and interrogated aren't going to "suggest" anything - they're going to get between the child and the threat and grow fangs and go foamy. I think the author was just looking for something to bash the airport security guards over and could have done a LOT better than that if he put the effort in
I'd be willing the guy didn't know what he could do at a TSA checkpoint as far as escalation and complaints. Sounds to me like the guy just wanted to make his flight.

You'd be surprised what people go along with at a TSA checkpoint just to get thru. Saw TSO's searching bags OUTSIDE the D checkpoint at BWI before the ID verifier. If you got some place you want to be, have an agency that's out of control and don't know what your rights are, I find it very plausible that the guy didn't step in simply because he didn't want to miss his flight and end up being arrested.

With the new cop uniforms, I believe many people think TSO's have more power than they actually do.

Super
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Old Jan 4, 2009, 7:48 pm
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Superguy

With the new cop uniforms, I believe many people think TSO's have more power than they actually do.

Super
Yes, TSO's are legend in their on mind!!
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Old Jan 4, 2009, 8:27 pm
  #49  
 
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Sounds like the officer was just trying to be friendly to the little guy. Some people will make a fuss about anything.
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Old Jan 4, 2009, 8:46 pm
  #50  
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Originally Posted by Crazyace718
Sounds like the officer was just trying to be friendly to the little guy. Some people will make a fuss about anything.
When the same thing happens to your kid, let us know how you feel about it.
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Old Jan 4, 2009, 9:38 pm
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What an amusing thread which began as a bashing of the TSA worker and has (nearly) ended with the TKO of the father.
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 12:54 am
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Originally Posted by rmiller774
What an amusing thread which began as a bashing of the TSA worker and has (nearly) ended with the TKO of the father.
I am of the mind that if a TSA worker acts inappropriately you bash them, if the TSA worker is following SOP, you bash his bosses. If a PAX tries to gain sympathy by blowing something way out of proportion or fails to defend themselves in the slightest you bash the PAX.

Fair is fair, and that is what I always try to be.
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 6:35 am
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Originally Posted by TK
Fair is fair, and that is what I always try to be.
The very same code I live by while I'm doing this
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 10:37 am
  #54  
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Recent TSA policy change on questioning children?

I traveled through Dulles at 7:00 this morning with my 14-year-old son. We went through the TSA checkpoint together. I handed the ID-checker both boarding passes and my passport. (Note that my son is too young to require ID, and he looks his age.)

The TSA guy flashed his magic light at my passport, then wrote a bunch of idiotic squigglies on my boarding pass. Then he turned his attention to my son. Neither of us had spoken a word yet to the TSA guy or to each other.

TSA guy: "Timothy. Is that your name?" [Hey, he's 14, knucklehead; don't talk to him like he's a 3-year-old.]

Tim: "Yeah."

TSA guy: "How old are you?"

Tim: "14."

TSA guy: "I'm sorry. Could you speak up? I couldn't hear you."

Tim: "14."

TSA guy: "Who are you traveling with?" [I'm still standing there watching this. Who did this moron think my son (same last name) was traveling with?]

Tim: "My dad."

TSA guy: "OK, have a nice flight."

What kind of idiocy is this? Incidentally, that was followed by the slowest x-ray line I've ever experienced. Each bag was examined multiple times, as the belt moved backward and forward at a snail's pace. Each person required as much as 5 minutes. Finally, I had to go through the metal detector three times. First, the guy said he wasn't looking (true!). Second time, I walked too fast! Third time, I crept through in an especially annoying manner. We gave each other death stares. I think that mine won. I'm still alive, obviously.

Bruce
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 11:05 am
  #55  
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Originally Posted by bdschobel
I traveled through Dulles at 7:00 this morning with my 14-year-old son. We went through the TSA checkpoint together. I handed the ID-checker both boarding passes and my passport. (Note that my son is too young to require ID, and he looks his age.)

The TSA guy flashed his magic light at my passport, then wrote a bunch of idiotic squigglies on my boarding pass. Then he turned his attention to my son. Neither of us had spoken a word yet to the TSA guy or to each other.

TSA guy: "Timothy. Is that your name?" [Hey, he's 14, knucklehead; don't talk to him like he's a 3-year-old.]

Tim: "Yeah."

TSA guy: "How old are you?"

Tim: "14."

TSA guy: "I'm sorry. Could you speak up? I couldn't hear you."

Tim: "14."

TSA guy: "Who are you traveling with?" [I'm still standing there watching this. Who did this moron think my son (same last name) was traveling with?]

Tim: "My dad."

TSA guy: "OK, have a nice flight."

What kind of idiocy is this? Incidentally, that was followed by the slowest x-ray line I've ever experienced. Each bag was examined multiple times, as the belt moved backward and forward at a snail's pace. Each person required as much as 5 minutes. Finally, I had to go through the metal detector three times. First, the guy said he wasn't looking (true!). Second time, I walked too fast! Third time, I crept through in an especially annoying manner. We gave each other death stares. I think that mine won. I'm still alive, obviously.

Bruce
I'm somewhat surprised and a bit disappointed, Bruce, that you allowed the screener to question your son.

Makes me wonder if the screener involved reads FT and figured he'd try the same thing as the screener at BWI.
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 11:08 am
  #56  
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I had to balance my contempt for the TSA with the need to treat my son like an adult. If I had answered on his behalf, my son would have been resentful, as you might imagine. If he were 3, it would be a whole different story, of course!

Bruce
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 11:36 am
  #57  
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Originally Posted by bdschobel
Then he turned his attention to my son. Neither of us had spoken a word yet to the TSA guy or to each other.

TSA guy: "Timothy. Is that your name?" [Hey, he's 14, knucklehead; don't talk to him like he's a 3-year-old.]

Tim: "Yeah."

TSA guy: "How old are you?"

Tim: "14."

TSA guy: "I'm sorry. Could you speak up? I couldn't hear you."

Tim: "14."

TSA guy: "Who are you traveling with?" [I'm still standing there watching this. Who did this moron think my son (same last name) was traveling with?]

Tim: "My dad."

TSA guy: "OK, have a nice flight."
What kind of idiocy is this?
IMO TSA is trying to acclimatize youngsters to questioning by government agents at checkpoints. Whether this process is policy or just what some TSOs want to do is irrelevant to the outcome.

Starting over the next few years, there will be a growing population of American adults who have no memory of flying without presenting government ID and passing through a government checkpoint. With the new ID rules, TDCs, SPOTters, and BDOs, they will have no memory of not having to interact with government agents to fly.

If the patriots and civil-libertarians don't start to turn the tide on these issues within a few years, it will be much harder to reverse in the future. The de-sensitized younger generation will have no problem accepting checkpoints on their daily commutes or to enter a shopping center.

And they probably won't care about stories from old codgers (their parents and grandparents) about the days of free (as in speech) travel without government permission or interviews. They'll just see those as stories of a "lawless" and "insecure" past no different from how we now look at the "wild west."
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 12:08 pm
  #58  
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Originally Posted by bdschobel
I had to balance my contempt for the TSA with the need to treat my son like an adult. If I had answered on his behalf, my son would have been resentful, as you might imagine. If he were 3, it would be a whole different story, of course!

Bruce
I totally understand that! I would like to think that if it had been me, I would have said to my minor child, in a loud voice so that the screener could hear, that he did not have to answer any questions.
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 2:32 pm
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Sounds to me that there are now two making moutains out of mole hills incidents. The first one I find highly suspect since it is a reporter for a newspaper that specilizes in civil rights violations. Looks more like Dad was more interested in having a story to print than protecting his upset three year old. As for both incidents two questions is hardly an interogation.

Some of the posters need to spend less time reading books by the black helicopter/one world government lunatics.
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Old Jan 5, 2009, 2:44 pm
  #60  
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Originally Posted by magellan315
Sounds to me that there are now two making moutains out of mole hills incidents.
I'm not making a mountain out of anything. It just seems to me that asking my 14-year-old stupid questions cannot be a good use of government resources -- or, equivalently, my tax dollars. The TSA should be looking for terrorists, not asking kids who their traveling companions are. It's pointless and ridiculous.

Bruce
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