Ineverthoughtthiswouldhappen

Because the TSA and Obama Administration's policy is disgusting. Bottomline is the MMW are operated by incompetent individuals. Nothing about this is safe and the health consequences may be dire...and certainly could result in death (skin cancer) or damage to the skin and eyes. Hence, it is credible that the administration that has approved the scanners for everyone "over 12" seems to not care about the well-being of those who are "over 12" nor the fact that they are exposed to harm every time they go through an AIT machine.

We all have to stand up against them firmly in order for this to change. AIT is an unreasonable search. The fact they are using their "discretion" to pick out people who are "over 12" or "not a mom" for screening is discriminatory on age & gender grounds, illegal, and just plain ineffective security.

All of it practically brings me to tears. Especially the fact people trust the MMW. It can take a while for genetic changes to show up. You might not even notice the damage from a poorly calibrated MMW machine. Trust me...these machines do cause dysplastic changes in the skin. It is certainly possible that some of these dysplastic skin changes may go unnoticed in a "silent killer" type of scenario. It is NOT LEGAL that they excuse certain people from the scanners in a discriminatory manner. Like I said, Rosa Parks had to go all the way to the back while the "good type of people" got to sit at the front so they could leave the bus faster. It's the same thing. If we don't get this civil rights violation under control quick, it is going to affect us all........men, women, and children. If people don't recognize that the manner in which the TSA selects people for the scanners is unconstitutional and illegal, our liberties are going to be in jeopardy unlike anything we've ever seen. The TSA has turned into one hell of a beast, especially since the deployment of the ATD type MMW. They are using that as a cop-out and people are buying it. Even on here.


I quit flying in december after my last sexual assault at SMF. Have you ever considered I have the need to post to help cope with the severe PTSD they have caused me???

There is clearly an age and gender discrimination going on with selection for AIT. Those are protected classes. In addition, they do tend to pick on shorter people whether male or female. (Easier targets perhaps?) I am short, small-framed, and clearly benign and I have been sexually assaulted by them on various occasions. That can also be grounds for RACIAL discrimination (i.e. most Japanese are small framed and short). It is disgusting how the district court ruled on the use of AIT when our civil rights are being violated majorly. Like I said, no one is immune from the TSA abuse. Whoever they pick on, they are going to tear them down. You are not a person when you are selected for AIT screening at a TSA checkpoint you are just a "pitiful man or woman puppet of theirs to toss around as they see fit." The pat down is worse than a Terry frisk.

Pesky Monkey

Just wondering. Have you ever played pa kettle and gotten into the machine and then explained that you can't assume that position? It might blow their minds.

deirdre

I'm sorry I was insensitive to your plight, and your phrasing made me think you'd quit flying earlier.

chollie

Yes. Oddly enough, it just means I get an immediate grope instead of having to wait for the grope.

PTravel

That's not what the person to whom I responded asked. Regardless, age is not a protected class, except with respect to employment for those over 40.

Gender, yes. Age, no.

"Short-framed" is not a protected class.

No, there are no grounds for racial discrimination on this basis.

In my opinion, both the enhanced pat-down and AIT (at least with respect to the Nude-o-scopes and the X-ray) are Fourth Amendment violations and do not comply with the limitations set out by the various SC decisions with respect to a limited administrative search.

If TSOs are selecting women or people of color for pat-downs out-of-proportion to their presentation at the checkpoint, that would constitute an equal protection violation. Selecting short people or old people would not. Moreover, addressing the AIT and pat-down on equal protection basis would only mean that everyone would wind up being equally subjected to what I believe is an unconstitutional search.

Superguy

Yes, because you're not seen as a trouble maker that needs to be taught a lesson.

TheGolfWidow

I got the girl-grope twice this week after I was selected both times for AIT. In the B terminal at SMF, ^ ALL FOUR ^ of the people who were selected for AIT immediately before me also opted out.

Of the five of us, four were small women of varying ages and the only guy was roughly college-aged. As far as I could tell, all five were traveling alone. I was last in line, so I was farthest from the scanner and the only one able to have a prayer of seeing my belongings. As the line cleared, a screener asked everyone to move forward to wait closer to the scanner, but I stayed where I was. I don't recall anyone else moving, either.

nachtnebel

how are they at SMF? this is still fairly new, a few months out for them..

TheGolfWidow

One person's experience at one checkpoint with one screener....pretty tame.

BryanIAH

I'm flying out of AMA for the first time this morning. The document checker was very friendly and I was the only person at security but the MMW machine was in use. As I was arranging my belongings on the x-ray belt a female TSO approached me and asked if I was familiar with the imaging machine. I said yes and opted out. What followed was a 3-5 minute argument about "why" I wanted to opt out since the machine was "perfectly safe". I was bored so I decided to play along...

First I politely asked if she had a medical degree. After that I explained my objections had nothing to do with safety and primarily with the ability to travel freely in my own country without jumping through a million hoops. She kept arguing (clearly on a power trip) so I just walked past her and through the glass gate.

The male TSO who gave me the patdown was much more professional and even commented that he doesn't understand the logic behind the current rules. I asked him for a comment card and complained about the woman and complimented his professionalism and attitude.

My entire experience in AMA has been more uptight than other west-Texas airports (LBB, MAF).

I'm sitting at the gate right now watching 2 TSOs search passengers as they board a WN flight.

danl08

I opted out this week at DTW (not North Terminal - the other one) and had a relatively good experience. They took me immediately, didn't try to convince me not to opt out and kept me within view of my things at all times. The TSO I dealt with was polite, professional and quickly did his job. He used new gloves and I really felt like this is how the process should happen every time (although I disagree that the process should happen at all, but if it does this is how it should go).

I took someone else's advice and filled out a POSITIVE comment card. The 3 stripper was shocked, literally, that I was willing to do this. He told me that he usually worked in a different location and had to find the cards.

Global_Hi_Flyer

I did a SDOO today. I opted to fly from DCA rather than IAD. Much nicer experience as the concourse I used has no strip-search machines. No arguments, no loss of sight of one's carry-ons, and the lines move much faster.

Ineverthoughtthiswouldhappen

Good points - it does seem that court rulings dictate a lot about how the constitution is interpreted. I would like to see height discrimination added to the list of protected statuses as it truly should be, but I imagine it would take a court ruling to do that.

I'm surprised anyone would call them "tame." Perhaps you just had a good day, but I assure you they are few and far between. The moat dragons there are "leering." The patdown agents may be aggressive, but I had a nice one. The supervisor is indifferent and other TSA staff was extremely hostile and treated me like a criminal. Disgusting violation of my constitutional rights. I told them I'm going into the military and am disgusted that this is what I'm fighting for. I told the stupid chick who was working there who had the nerve to say some terrible stuff to me that she is dumb for standing near the MMW as I got a seborrheic keratosis on my scalp I had to have removed from going through the MMW at RDU in 2010. I can't wait until they are brought to justice for what they've done to innocent people.

InkUnderNails

A single data point here. I came through SMF today and they seemed particularly concerned about the MMW line backing up. For the brief time I was there, as long as there were two people waiting, everyone else got the WTMD, me included.

It seemed a reasonable and efficient way to operate. Did I just say that about the TSA? It was early. I must have been dreaming.

nachtnebel

thanks for the info. my next flight would be out of there. so far, I've resisted the urge.