I believe that I was quite explicit regarding what I intended to do about a specific TSA abuse, in person, and I also made it quite clear that I was prepared to deal with the consequences. That is clear-headed adherence to principles, you clearly draw the line regarding yours in a much different place and I do not intend that as an insult, simply an observation. Please don't construe my personal decision to draw the line in the sand at the fondling of my son to mean that I advocate the same action is required by everyone. Each person needs to make that decision for themselves but don't then compare me to a terrorist because you would rather take what you perceive to be the high road. I am supportive of individuals protecting their loved ones, when necessary and with force if pressed, from unconstitutional, degrading abuses and it was you who labeled that as thuggish and possibly akin to the blowing up of Boeing 707s, banks and railway stations. Maybe I'm the one who should be offended here.

As for posting my name and address, no thanks. If this were the place where I was going to make my stand and represented the totality of my commitment to defending my dignity then I might consider it worthwhile but since it is not...

Regards

These people ARE participating in the destruction of our most cherished freedoms.

No. that's tactics. If you are picked, you are one of twelve. If you can "poison" the entire panel, that's strategy. Ring a bell that can't be unrung.

It's eighth grade lunchroom tactics and accomplishes nothing strategically. The possible result of a very slight increase in TSO churn, assuming some quit so you'll be friends with them again and they can resume buying things in stores, only makes things worse for passengers and will not take down the agency.

it adds pressure.

Choosing to not interact with a TSA employee outside of the airport checkpoint is neither illegal, immoral or as "childish" as you suggest it to be. If someone chooses an occupation that I consider to be an affront to the very values our country was supposed to be founded upon, why should I give them the time of day outside of the workplace?

While increased TSO churn might make things more difficult for passengers in the short term, if the public shunning of TSO makes it difficult for TSA to hire competent personnel, maybe at some point in the future our leaders will finally wake up to the collossal mistake they have created.

agree. I've given mouth to mouth at accident scenes before, who they are makes no difference at a time like that.

Back to the OP for a moment.

I'm curious what our resident TSOs (real or alleged) think (personal but informed opinion) of this TSA agent going to the media to air her concerns.

I'm not debating the truth of her claims, I'm just wondering how other TSOs feel about this generally (going to the media with grievances).

I also wonder (with the caveat, of course, that we don't know all the details) if they find her account believable or if the TSO comes across as a single over-stressed employee.

And...if it isn't SSI, isn't this against TSA policy for an employee to go directly to the media? I believe she did this on her own. (This would certainly be grounds for immediate termination at my company, and management would make sure everyone knew about it.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, companies would hire thugs to beat up or even shoot labor agitators. It was entirely appropriate to isolate all who took on such a job. I think the exact same applies to people who abuse the free citizens of the USA. They shouldn't expect any sort of warmth or connection with their abuse victims. They resemble the death squads in Latin America which were mobilized to intimidate any resistors to the status quo. They took their stance against their own society for personal selfish reasons.

Don't try to make some simplistic demeaning comparison to cliques in high school. There is trivial ostracism and serious ostracism. This is the latter.

From a statement last fall, they are not allowed to do so:

He (Nico Melendez) added that TSA employees are prohibited from talking to the media “without prior approval.”

Thanks, N965VJ.

I wonder how seriously they enforce it, ie, I wonder if this agent put her career at risk by going to the media?

Thank you both. Not everyone here has taken leave of their senses. Anyone who withholds aid or opts for inaction in a way that leads to a person's death commits a moral violation worse than anything the TSA can dream up.

Where in the h*** did you come up with this? :confused:

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Except that, as has already been pointed out, there is nothing illegal being discussed here. Nobody is talking about murdering anyone. Hell, nobody is even talking about direct incitement to suicide. I'm saying that TSOs should be shunned, ostracized and ignored. If enough people do that to a TSO, there is a significant chance that depression will take hold. Once that happens, there is a subsequent possibility (variable depending on the person) that it will drive the sufferer to suicide. However, that is not incitement to suicide. Suicide may be an end result but the actions taken are not ones that would constitute inciting the subject to end their life. The decision to commit suicide would be taken independently by the TSO. This is not a Lori Drew kind of scenario here, nobody would be directly telling the TSO to, or even implying that the TSO should, commit suicide. All we would be doing is saying "You are not welcome in my family/business/social circle/house/life. Get out." No encouragement to kill oneself there. As incitement to suicide is illegal, I do not advocate it. I would never advocate FTers making repeated (or even singular) statements to a TSO of "Why don't you kill yourself? You should kill yourself. The world doesn't need you, end it all now."

What I'm advocating is completely and entirely legal. Simply REFUSE TO INTERACT with anyone employed by TSA. There is no place in the whole USA where you can be arrested because you refused to be somebody's friend. The natural progression of social interaction for someone who molests children in exchange for a government paycheck IS ostracism. All I'm saying to do is to make sure that process takes effect and to speed it up a little bit.

The dismantling of TSA must take place within the bounds of the law or else it has no meaning.