You know, CATSA screener, that just shows how valuable and worthwhile this whole setup is.

What you have just said is that you will treat us worse if for some reason you don't like us because we don't kowtow to you. That is what you just said, eh?

If I go to Mickey D's and am growly, they give me the sandwich and fries.

If I check in with the airline and tell them the day is going badly, they still give me a boarding pass.

If my wife tells Seattle TSA security she doesn't care to be pleased with useless molestations (they were groping her even though she hadn't beeped, just because she wore her shoes, even though the TSA website said that was fine), they threaten her with not allowing flight because of her "attitude".

It did happen. It was outrageous. Personally, I would rather take the risk of being killed in a hijacking than have to put up with more class-warfare attitudinal molestation from "security" goons.

These idiots get off on exercising their power over us just because we can afford airline tickets. You know, I am not rich. I work hard for my money, and much of that work involves travelling. Being harassed by TSA jerks who haven't a clue about stopping a terrorist but are expert in harassing middle-aged ladies because they don't want to take off their shoes.... cry me a river, please. Your confreres are often real cases. I am willing to believe you are not that bad, but mostly 'cause you post here.

Otherwise, my experience is that 90% of TSA screeners wouldn't know a terrorist if (s)he gave them box-cutters, but can sure tell a 100% full blooded liberty-loving and sh*t-hating American or Canadian who doesn't take crap from petty bureaucrats a mile away. Because they zero in on us to give us grief. Really, where is the evidence that somebody who expresses negative opinions about unreasonable searches is a likely threat? All evidence is that the REAL TERROROSTS will give in to your every demand.

Unfortunately, those TSA turds have our livelihoods in their hands, and we need to pretend to be nice. I hate it. My wife is a little more vocal than me. She hates it so much I have had to eat real crap to get us on planes. Are you happy? Do you like making people hate you? Are you so stupid that you think that piddle-squat terrorist game you guys play makes us any safer? Huh? Huh?

Okay, now that I've vented a little: how about some attention to what would really make us more secure.

Start with statistics. The whole molest-everyone theory is to not be prejudiced. Do you think banks aren't prejudiced when they give out mortgage money? Trust me, your security will be much more effective if you evaluate the likelihood that any one person is a threat.

Second, look at terrorist actions. Most involve anniversaries. Tim McVeigh, Mohammed Atta, most of the rest: they are enamored of symbolism. Doesn't that tell you something?

Finally, examine purpose. The current system is just doing the work of Osama & pals by putting such a strain on airlines that some may go out of business.

You know, 99% of what you guys do is window-dressing to protect the behinds of politicians who "have to do something".

Very little of it is useful security. I have been through effective security in England, Italy, Greece, New Zealand and Australia in the last few years. All of them were professional and made us feel that we were all participating in the bad-guy-hunt.

I have not flown out of a Canadian airport for some years, because of the outrageous taxes, so cannot comment personally on you guys. Maybe you're as good as the Europeans and antipodeans.

But here in the good ole USA, they hire fast-food rejects who are trigger-happy with attitude. Cmon, guys, you're supposed to be stopping terrorism, not venting your life's distresses on people you see as better off than you.

But that is the repeated message I get at US TSA checkpoints. We harass you because we can, you are a sh*t because you fly a lot, we control the horizontal and vertical and you'd better like it or we will make you eat dirt.

That is it OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

You know, we fly out of the same airport twice a month. We have learned which ones have the ATTITUDE and which ones don't. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid the ones with a big chip on their shoulder. And no complaints work; the manager DENIED that my printout of TSA policy was real.

You see, they know we have a big desire to catch that plane. Because our livelihoods or enjoyments depend on it. So they can treat us like dog doo-doo to be scraped from their shoes. And they get away with it because any complaints are "unpatriotic" or "terrorist".

Not having a nice day is "terrorist".

You know, I would be a lot more understanding if I was just being checked, as at Athens or Gatwick or Rome or Sydney; but telling us that we create our own problems by not being false sweetness and light when we are asked to lie about our feelings is just a bit much.

I am willing to take the risk that someone might blow up my plane. It would be a surer and less painful end than the constant trashing I get from TSA.



[This message has been edited by LexPassenger (edited 11-10-2003).]