Originally Posted by bdschobel
I appreciate your position on this, but I wonder what the police can do. Is it against the law to call somebody an idiot? (Let's set aside for the moment profanity and other aggravating factors.)
Bruce
Positively not a crime in any jurisdiction of the USA to call anyone an "idiot." The only hope for retribution in such a case is to convince the LEO that the person is guilty of "disorderly conduct" or "breach of the peace" or whatever it's called in Texas.
The other option is to invoke the new (new in Nov 2001) law and implementing regulations outlawing intimidation/threats/assault, etc. of screeners - but it would take an idiot lawyer for the TSA to argue that calling a screener an "idiot" violated that provision. Of course, yesterday it was revealed that the TSA actually employs just such an idiot: apparently her name is Carla Martin.
This is an example of a situation where the TSA can harrass someone with their unique power to delay a traveler, but not a case where any real punishment can be levied. But the TSA and its screeners would never simply harrass someone with the "keep it up and you'll miss your flight" power to delay someone, would they?
