When I first read this story I thought "what is wrong with the parents?" After reviewing the story and thread I still have the same thought.
This crap of "I was far from home" holds no water with me. This father needs to turn in his man card.
I can't tell from the story if the TSO overstepped his bounds or not but if the parents felt he had they should have stopped the conversation. The fact they didn't either means this man is coward or the TSO was not that offensive.
The man in the story bills himself as a "Civil Liberties Examiner". I guess he just observes but is unwilling to put him self out to defend civil liberties.