Welcome to FT, I wish it were under better circumstances.

Were you profiled? (i.e. flying while brown)

Where were you sitting in ATL when you noticed the TSA? Since you were re-routed through ATL I'm assuming you had cleared security somewhere else in the US.

Have there been any recent reports of roving TSA goon squads? The gate search sounds like the same spectacle that they've been producing for the travelling public in the past few months but it sounds like you got another retaliatory screening due to your interaction with the first group. Of course there's no such thing as "retaliatory screening" when you ask the TSA.