Originally Posted by studentff
I don't see how anyone...can read this and not be enraged.
I doubt many law enforcement officers would be enraged. What she described is very similar to the kind of search that LEOs conduct. <shrug>
How does TSA come up with these policies? There's a huge disconnect here.
No argument here.
America has to draw the line, here and now, to stop this crap from progressing. Screeners and pax alike.
Unfortunately, screeners are nigh powerless to effect the kind of change that you are referring to. A lot of folks may not know that TSA screeners literally have fewer rights as federal employees than
all other federal employees
and employees of civilian employers.
A flight attendant can blow the whistle on a security issue and federal law protects them from
any disciplinary action. If a
screener does
anything that management disapproves of, the screener can be terminated, and the only appeal process afforded them is to the agency itself.
Screeners jobs are so tenuous that it has created an overwhelming culture of fear and paranoia. I kid you not. The Aviation Transportation Security Act of 2001 has given the TSA the power to do almost anything it wants in terms of enacting security policies and especially for dealing with its personnel, "without regard to any other federal law."
(I would post a link to an editorial I wrote on this topic but the forum owner has prohibited me from posting any links to my web site. Sorry.)
The more media attention the better. Otherwise it will keep going further.
I would posit that a letter-writing campaign to congressional representative and senators would have a greater impact than media exposure alone.