Originally Posted by
cbn42
I know it's sacrilegious to defend the TSA on here, but OP mentioned 3 things that the TSO in question was doing:
1. asking pax if they had any questions about the screening process
2. asking conversational questions like "are you going to Disneyland?"
3. talking about how his son was just finishing a posting to a USAF base.
Which one of these three is a violation of your rights, and how?
As others have said, none is a violation of rights. That doesn't make the process okay, however.
I don't have a problem with #1 if it's asked in a genuine, helpful way (and not the attitude that any problem at the checkpoint is because passengers are stupid.) At worst, it's redundant; most people with questions figure out they can ask someone in the relevant uniform.
(#1 also assumes that the person answering questions has the same understanding of the process as the screener further up the line. No point asking "do I need to remove my iPad" if everyone isn't on the same page.)
#2 is an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Whether I'm going to Disneyland has no bearing on a check of my person and baggage for WEI. Perhaps the passenger is traveling to a funeral and is just barely holding their emotions in check. It's none of TSA's d@mn business where or why I'm traveling.
#3 is an unnecessary waste of time. I'm not his Facebook friend; I'm not his bartender; we're not building a relationship here. I don't really care that he has children, much less what they do.
To see how ridiculous this is, imagine this scenario at other places where the public interacts with the gov't.
You walk into the post office and there's a long line. An employee (instead of serving customers) stands inside the door talking to people as they join the line.
1. "Do you have any questions about the post office today?"
2. "Who is that letter addressed to? What did you say? Is that package a birthday present? Who is it for?" *
3. "My son has a shirt just like yours. He works in New York. He's getting married in August. I'm going to go visit him next week..."
* Note that the person at the counter has a legitimate requirement to know the name and address on the envelope or package, and may need to know what's in the package. But not the time-waster at the door.
Or the DMV. There's a long line. But an extraneous employee is talking to the people lined up.
1. "Do you have any questions about the DMV today?"
2. "What kind of car do you drive? What color is it? Does it get good mileage?"
3. "My sister just bought a new car. She likes blueberry pie. Do you like blueberry pie? I remember once when she was younger she ate a whole blueberry pie and then she was sick for a week. ... "
* Note that the person at the counter may have a legitimate requirement to know the make/model of my car for some transactions. But not the time-waster at the door.