Originally Posted by
pmocek
Originally Posted by
LoganTSO
Originally Posted by
pmocek
Originally Posted by
SATTSO
I have encountered a situation like yours and the one you describe. It's quiet easy to deal with. A passenger refused to present ID, he wasn't allowed in. And I did not check his BP.
Why didn't you allow him in? He didn't break any rules, right? Was it because he didn't tell you his ID was misplaced or stolen? Do you think that his choosing not to show you what you wanted but were not entitled to see indicated that he would present a danger to other passengers on his flight? Did the fact that he did not utter the words "I lost it" indicate that he was dangerous? Had he bent over and kissed your feet, would you have continued to perform the procedure we pay you to perform instead of restricting the man's movement?
If you choose not to show ID and refuse to undergo the ID verification, you don't fly, simple as that.
That's not the situation SATTSO described.
On second thought, I should request clarification. LoganTSO, Am I correct to assume that the first time you used "ID" in that sentence you meant "identity credentials" and the second time, you meant "identity"?
SATTSO did not describe the man refusing to undergo the identity verification process TSA claims its staff use when people do not present identity credentials, only the man refusing to present identity credentials. Did I read this correctly, SATTSO?
The man was not required to present those credentials to you in order to go on about his business, was he? You retaliated by prohibiting him from crossing your barricade simply because his stated reason for not presenting identity credentials was his desire not to do so, right? Had the situation been
exactly the same, except for three words out of the man's mouth -- "I lost it" or "it was stolen" -- you would not have immediately infringed upon his right to travel, would you?
There was no specific security threat nor any unlawful behavior in that case, just you, an airport security guard, teaching someone the consequences of exercising his rights, correct?
SATTSO, even if you respond to nothing else in this thread, please explain to us what, if anything, made you think this man was such a threat to transportation security that you should bar him from walking through the airport to the terminal from which he presumably arranged to be transported. Please don't reply by citing internal procedures you won't allow us to read, just tell us why you -- TSA -- felt it was appropriate to infringe upon that man's right to move from one place to another.
Ari, I know I'm treading on thin ice with you, but is this the sort of behavior on the part of our government that you want to see? I believe that the more passengers, as a whole, voluntarily show ID, the more totalitarian behavior like SATTSO's is likely to be imposed on people who have done nothing wrong. The least we can do is make people aware of their rights and responsibilities in the face of TSA's misinformation and their staff's despicable behavior. I'll continue to do so. I hope you'll join me.