Another emotional thread that distorts the truth. Well, why am I so surprised. The slashdot "article" clearly seeks to give an emotionally charged perspective ("burly airport screener" and "frail and faltering 78 year old"...oh please!) as opposed to an objective assessment of the screening process.

The challenge behind screening is to make no assumptions, especially with disabled or physically impaired people. What better way to sneak something past security than to play on sympathies people have for wheelchair bound passengers or nice little old ladies in tennis shoes? However, TSA policies allow for quite a bit of latitude and discretion when it comes to screening the elderly, persons with disabilities, young children and a wide range of people in special circumstances.

The problem may not be in the policy but in the screener's judgement or miscommunication between screener and passenger. One of the first things a screener needs to determine is if a passenger is able to stand up to undergo the screening process. This is usually done by asking the passenger directly. Problem is that some passengers are too proud to admit any physical limitations and may state that they can stand even though they really can't or shouldn't. That's why, as a rule of thumb, I instruct my screeners to keep passengers in the wheelchairs and screen them as if they can't stand up unless they insist on standing. Of course, the flip side to this is that an elderly person will then object to being treated like an invalid, and I've seen that happen as well.

It's very difficult to screen persons of these circumstances. Questions must be asked and many people are offended by them. For example, in most cases, these require a pat-down search as opposed to a hand wand search because the person either has a pacemaker or is too weak to stand for long periods of time. One of the first questions I ask is if there are any areas that are sensitive to the touch. I want to know before I ask a person to extend his arms and find out the hard way that his arthritic shoulder prevents him from doing so or that he has the gout and his foot is sensitive to the touch. It helps if the person accompanying the passenger with disabilities volunteers any information that will help us screen the individual without causing any discomfort or pain. However, many people feel that this is private and personal information, and that makes our job just a little bit tougher.

The answer is that we haven't lost common sense when it comes to screening. TSA bends over backwards to accomodate persons with disabilities, the elderly, children, people with working animals, people with religious sensitivities, and the many other sensitivities that characterize the politically-correct orientation of today's society.

The slashdot article is hyperbolic hogwash.