Will volunteer to help with design (I'm an artist by trade) and editing as needed, or to help with handouts near BNA. You people are my hero(in)es.
Got the enhanced patdown this week on my way back to the U.S. from a scuba trip. I seriously can't believe this is happening...just praying the appropriate level of outrage will be demonstrated by the public in the months ahead.
(Try traveling with scuba gear if you think you haven't seen the worst of invasion of your privacy by people intent on disassembling all of your luggage, leaving it a jumbled mess for you to try to re-pack before making your flight. As though the new airline weight limits weren't enough of a PITA for people carrying scuba gear, which almost by definition is dense and heavy. I'm not a fan of renting potentially poorly-serviced scuba gear on location, so there's really no way around it for myself and many others I know, including people who make a living through teaching scuba. Often safety requirements dictate packing a scuba octopus [regulator] in the carry on bag. There are hundreds of thousands of traveling divers living in the U.S. - so why am I always treated as though I'm trying to get away with something by packing perfectly standard breathing apparatus produced by U.S. manufacturers onto an airplane?
Also, there's something about SLR cameras and Kindle book readers that appears to provoke their encroachments.
Gee, that's really unusual - people traveling with cameras and reading material on a vacation, or scuba gear to an island destination. Personally, I really
love being treated like a criminal for doing something well within societal norms. Whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'? Guess that was too 2009 for the TSA.)
I just make sure that I stay calm, civil, and firm. Any other response than not being intimidated would not be very productive for me, and I think it says a lot to the other people watching that ultimately the result of all the TSA posturing is that they have no other option than to say 'Have a nice day.'
Another suggested tactic: I don't say anything that isn't required by law, including 'hello.' I'll answer direct questions regarding the content of my bags, but nothing regarding whether I had a good time on my trip, whether I'm having a nice day, etc.
They can (for now) force me to submit to this ridiculous invasion of privacy if I want to fly somewhere, but they sure as hell can't force me to be all hap-hap-happy about it. Also, I'm not about to provide any TSA agent an opening for detaining me because of a misinterpretation of something I've said.
I really can't believe the indignant reactions I've gotten from TSA agents for not seeming to acknowledge that they're supposedly doing this for the good of all of us, or just doing their jobs, through my refusal to chit-chat. Without getting into too much hyperbole, plenty of evil has been perpetuated throughout history by people "just doing their jobs."
Prior to August 1 of this year, cargo handled by corporations was allowed onto passenger planes without screening of any kind. Even now, cargo coming from foreign countries and placed on passenger planes isn't screened:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...cmp=networkbar
Further, the TSA has outsourced screening of cargo to private corporations, and one can bet there's payola attached to these contracts. Are they required to meet some kind of standard? How was this outsourcing performed? Who directed it?
When the entire security process isn't more about theater or mollifying a public that's been stirred into hysteria by various government entities than it is about actual security, I'll personally be a hell of a lot more cooperative.