Originally Posted by
TSORon
Interesting that you mention it. “unwarranted and hateful diatribe’s” are the norm here, but usually directed at the TSA and myself. By folks just like yourself. What’s interesting is that you refuse to comment about those now don’t you. In fact, if memory serves, you contribute to them.
You obviously are confusing the enraged responses of victims of the bullying, sadism, sexual assault, and violations of our 4th Amendment rights that we are being subjected to every time we fly, with the insulting, belittling, demeaning and hate-filled diatribe you posted to me. Completely different. We are the victims, being assaulted and abused.
You are the abuser, trying to justify your disgusting behavior.
I don’t represent the TSA, let’s get that straight.
You are posting with TSO in your screen name, and stating openly that you are an employee of the TSA. Even if your opinions are not shared by your employer, you are still posting as a TSO. So yeah, you are representing the TSA, even if you want to deny it. I would suggest you show your posts to your management chain, and see what THEY think.
How about Leanne? Are you of the opinion that she represents every mother of a soldier? Imagine just how stupid it would be if you did. But for some reason you seem to think that I represent every member of the TSA, and you believe that is a logical position. Wow.
Well, before we even get to the content of your words...let's just take a quick look at the dripping sarcasm you are heaping on us, your CUSTOMERS, the people who pay your salary, whom you are supposed to be serving, whom your bosses repeatedly insist you will treat with dignity and respect. And you wonder why we feel such disdain for the TSA, and every TSO we encounter? You wonder why we don't believe for ONE SECOND that you will treat any of us fairly or respectfully?
This is how you talk to the people over whom you have such power? Our government has foolishly given you the power to touch our genitals, look at us naked, rifle through our belongings (apparently unsupervised, as evidenced by the number of proven incidences of stolen belongings), detain us in glass boxes, and prevent us from boarding flights that we have paid for. And THIS is how you talk to us? Yeah...you're doing a world of good for the TSA's image.
As for your words - that entire passage is nonsensical. I am not posting here as an employee of an organization. I am posting as an individual. You, however, are posting as a TSO. It's in your screen name. So, you are representing the TSA, even if you say you are only speaking for yourself. Again, I suggest you ask your bosses how they feel about your publicly posting as a TSO. Methinks they might not agree with your perspective.
Leanne asked about facts. OK, here are the facts.
There is no way for the TSA to tell who is and who is not a terrorist. History has shown that anyone can be a terrorist, kids, moms, dads, old, young, whatever. History has also shown that terrorists will use our social mores against us when making their plans. My father sent me a picture the other day of a very old Mexican woman who had been stopped at an ICE checkpoint. She appeared to be fairly normal, until she was screened. She had what appeared to be more than 75 pounds of heroin or cocaine strapped to her body under her clothing. Imagine the damage that could have done had it been semtex.
There is a huge difference between people who try to smuggle drugs, and people who are terrorists who want to take down a plane. Remember this: in order to blow up a plane, the person must be a SUICIDE BOMBER. The list of people who would be willing to do this, especially here in the US, is infinitesimal. Simple common sense and a little bit of that supposedly awesome behavior-detection should be able to clear 99.9999% of the people who board planes in the US. Little Mexican grandmothers are not trying to blow up planes. Neither are Caucasian middle-aged disabled mothers of soldiers.
It is not the TSA's mandate to stop drug smuggling. Their mandate is SUPPOSED to be keeping transportation secure, is it not? Isn't that in their very NAME? So, looking for semtex on people who are clearly not suicide bombers is just stupid.
The problem is that the TSA has hired such a low level of employees that they are incapable of exercising such critical thinking. They are only capable of following rules to the letter, no matter how absurd. These are the same people who have been confiscating people's liquids because the plastic baggie was not the right size...even though the liquids were the right size in acceptable containers. But the rule says it must be in a clear, quart-size zip-lock baggie. The person who only had one small liquid container, and so put it in a sandwich-sized bag, had hers thrown away...because the BAGGIE WAS TOO SMALL!
Clearly, people who think like this are incapable of the critical thinking necessary to recognize that the chances that I am a suicide bomber are nil, and therefore, it is utterly stupid to treat me like one.
Leanne has a metal back brace on. WTMD would have been useless. AIT less so, but it still would have required a pat down. A pat down is the only way for a TSO in such a situation to determine that no prohibited items are being introduced into the sterile area. If you know of another way, let’s hear it. Sure they pressed, that’s the job, and it’s required because of the things that can be hidden.
That's the job? THAT'S THE JOB?? THAT is your justification for them pushing on my surgical incisions, which I specifically told them would cause me excruciating pain? Wow. Just...wow. NOTHING was accomplished by doing that, except causing me excruciating pain.
As for the pat-down...again, what could they possibly find? Especially when she was rubbing my buttocks, thighs and pubis. As explained before, I was wearing tight black leggings that hid nothing. What could I possibly have hid under there, that rubbing me would have found? If I wanted to carry some semtex, I could have just shoved it up my vagina or rectum, and she could have rubbed my but and clit all she wanted - she never would have felt it. So again I ask you...what purpose was served by doing that do me?
From what Leanne said in her little story, she presented the screeners with a fairly complicated problem, one that they did their best in dealing with, and they did with integrity. She knew what she was getting into, she made a choice.
Well again, let's take a look at the way you speak to us, your customers. My "little" story? Sorry, but it was not little to me. I was sexually groped by a stranger, in public, AND I was physically assaulted in such a manner that caused me severe pain until I cried out. Against my will. How DARE you minimize that?
As for dealing with it with integrity - apparently you didn't actually READ my story. That supervisor in BUR who got all up in my face, interrupting my legitimate questions about what "clearing" my backbrace would entail, refusing to answer my questions and threatening me with not flying - that had integrity? The OKC TOS's making me stand for many minutes without my cane, while the "female assist" left me there and stacked bins before she bothered to come over? The TSO pressing on my incisions after I specifically asked her not to, then putting her hands on my genitals? Methinks you have a warped concept of the term "integrity".
Now she wants to complain about it. So, should I feel sorry for someone who has decided to subject themselves to something that they know will cause them pain? She obviously thought that the pain was worth the gain, otherwise she would have made different arrangements. No reason to feel sorry for her there.
I most certainly did NOT subject myself to something that I knew would cause me pain! You and your ilk keep telling us that you treat us with respect! You keep telling us we have nothing to fear from you! I took this trip expecting to be treated with respect, not physically and sexually assaulted. So are you saying that we should all now need to EXPECT this? And because we now know it will happen, that makes it okay?
As for other arrangements - pray tell, what other arrangements were available to me to get from Southern California to Oklahoma City in the middle of the week, when I was too disabled to be able to drive myself? Got any good ideas?
Getting back to “unwarranted and hateful diatribe’s”, like I said they are the norm here. Rarely are they supported by anything even close to facts, but that is the nature of diatribes isn’t it.
My story included nothing but facts. Care to question any of them? I still have the whole experience on audio tape. I will happily play for you the parts where the supe in BUR repeatedly interrupted my questions with threats, or the part where I cried out in pain in OKC, or the part where I said "This is so intrusive!" when the TSO rubbed my pubis. What's not a fact?
And to write such a comment about my
fairly reasonable and rational reply to her diatribe only focus’s attention on your agenda, not the facts. Then again, that also is the norm here.
If you consider your diatribe to me to be in any way reasonable or rational, you need psychological help. It was belittling, demeaning, and insulting. I did nothing wrong, and nothing to deserve it.
You, however, deserve every "hate-filled diatribe" directed your way.