Originally Posted by
PTravel
Verbal abuse? 'Fraid not. I have a constitutional right to call a TSO stupid (and irrespective of whether he is stupid or not). "Verbal abuse" is constitutionally-protected speech.
Agree. In fact, I think the whole "nonphysical interference with screening" offense should be abolished. There's no such thing as nonphysical interference. If a passenger wants to sing, shout, or cuss during the screening process, but does not physically interfere, TSA should either 1) put up with it or 2) call a LEO who can decide whether an arrest/ticket for disorderly conduct, etc., is appropriate. The advantage of the LEO is both that it's a real (as opposed to kanagaroo court) penalty
and that the passenger gets due process, which is a novel concept to TSA.
Excessive displays of anger such as punching a wall or kicking equipment? I'll accept the two examples given as appropriate.
I won't even accept those. If the punching/kicking causes damage, it's appropriate. Otherwise, it's harmless and potentially necessary anger expression.
I've kicked a wall at an airport (actually one of those concrete support posts), though it had nothing to do with TSA. That day I had already been in a car accident on the way to the airport, nearly missed a flight due to said accident, left a multi-hundred-dollar piece of electronics on a plane, had a flight-attendant & gate agent refuse to let me back on the plane to search for it (while de-boarding was still going on), and had the gate agent "search" my seat area with no luck (I'm 90% sure that if I had done the search for the item I would have found it) and that the airline employees either 1) didn't really search, 2) did a very halfhearted search, or 3) stole the item. (The item had my name and address on a sticker under the main battery, and has not turned up in the 4+ years since. It's unlikely it was accidentally thrown away, so whoever did find it declined to return it to me.)
The airside CS desk then refused to provide me with a lost-article form, claiming I would have to go to baggage claim (outside security, and then reclear for my connection, for which there was not time). I asked nicely and politely. I explained that my item was much more likely to be found if the report was filed immediately, not 5 hours later. I suggested we could file it by having her call the baggage office. And the agent refused to help me file a lost-item report. And wasn't nice about it. So I kicked a post. And then she threatened to call someone to turn me in ("security," police, whatever) for damaging the airport, to which I rudely challenged her to prove that there was any damage. And I then stormed away.
Not my finest moment, but quite frankly, she wasn't very nice, I needed to vent, and it was much better for me to kick that post than threaten or kick her. And I have a right to express my upsetness. In a public place. It's called free speech.