Savvy Traveler

I'm a little freaked out today. I am realizing that I am about to lose a key piece of my right to travel, as I will not submit to a strip search or sexual assault to get on an airplane. Aside from the people in my life travel is what I love most in this world and I don't intend to let go without a fight.

It's time to rally, and I think educating people is the best thing we can do.

I suggest we form action teams for major airport (I'm living in LA right now so I'll be part of the LAX crew). We need to go to the landside parts of the airports and educate people as they are about to get strip searched or groped. T-shirts, literature, talking to people... we need to get our message out there and we need to do it NOW before this new patdown policy takes root nationwide.

Does anyone know the regulations for this sort of thing in airports? Or will it vary by city ordinance? I'll start finding out for LAX. I think it would be best to do this in teams of people and have a planned, coordinated strategy for how to interact with TSA, police and other airport authorities.

Who's in?

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Someone proposed the great idea of putting resources here in the thread's first post so that people don't have to sift through the dozens of pages:

I just compiled a post on my blog that could be used as talking points when discussing the scanner with other travelers. You can find that post here:

http://www.savvytravel.net/2010/10/5...rch-and-grope/

The sites that people have built to rally us and change public opinion are:

http://www.dontscan.us
http://www.dontscan.me
http://www.nudeoscope.com
http://www.dontgrope.us
http://www.dontstrip.us
www.thousandsstandingaround.com

Get your t-shirts here! All proceeds donated to the ACLU, courtesy of MikeMpls:

www.cafepress.com/scanners

Wally Bird

Count me in for SEA. Good luck with this but sadly, I don't think you'll get many takers.

Why ? Don't know, perhaps it's easy to be courageous in front of a computer but nowhere else.

IslandBased

I'm within walking distance of our little airport, but I imagine that it is at the bottom of the list for any type of AIT.

When and If I'll be happy to help.

WhitePlains

Hi great initiative. I am in.

The issue that people have to be educated about I think is how their basic liberties are being eroded, and all in name of security.

But the people have been too brainwashed by the Government and the security talk: more people are willing to accept it all in the name of security. I fear soon they may agree to strip themselves naked and chain themselves in while they patiently wait for an hour for a free security agent to come along and grope them.

I can do the research and find out about by-laws in major cities. But, I am not sure how many you will find responding to actually going to curbside at the airports, leaving their work or family behind, to talk to people and give info.

One can go with a sign, that may work very well. But, they will detain you on suspicion of trouble making: 'reasonable cause' as they call it.

Why not start an internet based action group first: you can harness a lot of more people and their efforts. Just my two cents.

thegeneral

Great, so now I have to put up with teams of people interfering in the security process and slowing things down? Incidentally, you didn't lose your right to anything. If this is truly against your rights, then there is a court system in place. I suggest you make us of it. Otherwise, I guess it's safe to say that your rights aren't really being violated.

By the way, you don't have to let go of travel. There are many other forms of transportation where security isn't as big of a concern as thus the screening is basically nil.

Savvy Traveler

I agree there won't be that many takers on the in-person stuff, but do we need more internet-based action? I love FT and this forum but have to ask what we are accomplishing going back-and-forth about the issues here other than educating hard core travelers? We travel junkies are the minority (and vocal- still a very important constituency) but to win this war we're going to have to start talking to Ma and Pa Kettles and persuading them.

studentff

So passing out leaflets (which is essentially what was suggested) is now "interfering in the security process" and "slowing things down?" In case you didn't realize it, the 1st Amendment hasn't been repealed (yet).

Court system? So would you argue that the civil rights of blacks or women weren't "really being violated" until the courts started ruling in their favor over the last 50 years?

Wally Bird

There are plenty of those already, in fact you're in one now.

I've stated before that real change is only going to come through concerted, direct action. But there's a price to pay. Any visible protest is going to draw the attention of the TSA staff at the airport and most probably the local PD. You will also likely be ridiculed or confronted by those passengers who disagree with you (no names, you know who you are).

A peaceful, legitimate protest ought to be protected by the Constitution but many a TSO has told us that the Constitution does not apply at airports; something which seems to be confirmed on a daily basis. You can expect to be harrassed (at least) and arrested (highly likely) when participating in an airport demonstration.

I'm prepared to be, but then I don't have a family to support or a job to hold on to. (No I'm not a bum, I'm retired.) I think a less risky plan would be to demonstrate at a less umm... sensitive location - the Court House or the DHS' offices or, and this would take a lot to organise, the US Capitol.

But I fear the three of us won't make much of a news story .

Superguy

And not only that, it took people getting arrested or otherwise harmed by the laws in order to have standing to bring it to court.

To the OP: I'm in for BWI, and perhaps DCA or IAD.

Tom M.

You already do, they are called the TSA.

By the way, you don't have put up with it. There are many other forms of transportation where security isn't as big of a concern as thus the screening is basically nil.

exbayern

I have suggested this before. There are a large number of significantly sized leisure travel forums where 'anything for security' is the common viewpoint.

debua1k

I think that if we are going to have a protest, we should start with the airports that they are going to implement the invasive searches at first, namely BOS and LAS. I would be willing to participate at LAS during the weekends that I am home. I do not wish to do this alone, however. I have thick skin, but I am a 50 something year old grandmother and it would be good to be there with someone who is more familiar with the law.

Savvy Traveler

Great idea to start with LAS and BOS. I will drive to LAS to do this, and would happily take people with me from the LA area if any are willing to make the drive.

N965VJ

Another thing to consider is coming up with a pamphlet that anyone can print out and leave in the SkyMall catalog, various Clubs, sticking into the USAToday copies in hotel room hallways... the list goes on.

You mean like Greyhound? The TSA is intent on getting it's clutches on all forms of trasnportation.

Savvy Traveler

Another great idea. I'll talk to some friends who do graphic design and see if any might be willing to volunteer their services.

Is Trollkiller out there? Any chance we could use the awesome graphics from your shirts in some sort of pamphlet?