Originally Posted by
gsoltso
All TSOs swear an Oath to take the position (or they are supposed to, I was not present at all 45k swearing in ceremonies).
To take what position? As an attorney, I swore an oath to uphod and defend the Constitution. Whatever oath you took has no more meaning than the Boy Scout oath.
TSOs have the legal power to deny entry to the sterile area if the screening process is not completed (by verbal notification, if more than verbal notification is needed then LEO is notified).
You have the legal power to deny access to the sterile area, but you do not have the legal power to prevent it. For that, you must call a LEO. Moreover, your "power" is limited to determining whether a passenger or his baggage contains weapons, explosives or incendiaries. That's it. No different than a postal clerk who refuses to take a leaky parcel.
As I recall, you're one of the "good ones," so this is not directed at you personally, but at some of your compatriots who confuse the uniform with "authority."
Correct.