TSA Human Trafficking Interrogations
 

Spoke with my wife after she cleared security at IAH for a flight to ORD. She said she insisted on only whispering her name softly for her own security and the TSA guy was like, "Whatever!" But the crazy part was the lady in front of her traveling with a small child, a boy about 3-4 who was asked to speak his name out loud.

Wow, I feel so much safer now! :rolleyes:

Same rule, every pax.

Seems simple, until you try to implement it. :)

At least they are consistent in asking everybody. It's still a stupid policy and doesn't make anyone safer. It makes me wonder what the next security measure will be. Will we have to spell our name or tell them what state our driver's license is issued from?

Those may not be the questions asked, yet the process to define the questions asked is coming into focus...

TSO to 4 year old: Please state your name
4 year old: Mommy says not to talk to strangers

TSO to 4 year old: Please state your name
4 year old: <pointing at the TSO> STRANGER! STRANGER! STRANGER!

Is it really about the questions anyway? I thought it was about observing pax facial expressions, tone of voice, eye movements, sweat, body movements while the questions are being asked/answered.

In that case, my kids will be getting strip-searched every time.

Seriously, a 3-4 year old? I'm in a "benefit of the doubt" mood today. Any chance it was just a TSO trying to be friendly? Note: Does not apply if the TSO actually said, "whatever."

Mike

Might have been (TDC being friendly).

I wouldn't get militant about it, but I really don't like TSOs getting 'friendly' with kids now. Sorry, I just can't reconcile 'friendly' gestures - kind words, maybe candy - from someone in uniform who might subsequently want to look into that same kid's diaper, run their hands through the kid's hair, all over their body. With the (kid's perspective) creepy blue gloves!

It just isn't appropriate anymore. It's kind of like little girls and boys sitting on the teacher's lap. Just isn't the best idea these days.

Understood. And at this point, my kids are still in stranger anxiety phase (2.5 yo), so they wouldn't respond, anyway. But there comes a time when they have to understand "it's okay if Mommy and Daddy are there" versus "Never talk to anyone you don't know."

Man, the worries of being a parent. If the weren't so friggin' cute...

Mike

It's just another distinction that parents will have to teach their children - the difference between the real "Officer Friendly," and the "Stranger Danger" perverts who are dressed sort of like police officers but wearing the electric blue shirt.

(And, yes, I do intend to be militant about it. At least until the TSA is gone.)

It's part of TSA's "Start Em Young™" conditioning program. Train the kids from an early age to Respect and Submit to the Authoritah of the blue shirts at the airports. Answer all questions, obey all rules, endure any search. In twenty years a new generation will be grown up to do anything Big Blue Shirted Brother demands of them. Life will then be so much easier for the clerks when only docile sheeple come through the chute. Pavlov would be so proud of the TSA for adopting his methods. :rolleyes:

Was thinking about someone's post in another thread about the whole "state your name" business - they appeared to be DHS employee and said you'd be asked your name, but weren't required to say it, and something else about what being asked your name WASN'T for. But they never said what it WAS for. My take on it? Asking someone to state their name starts the "cooperation process" and makes it harder for the average Joe to then decide not to cooperate later on in the process.

Just my two cents.

"What's your name little boy?"
"Mommy told me to ask someone who works in a store to help me find police man if strange people ask private questions."

We need to go find the younger kid from Talladega Nights, and hire him..

"What's your name, little boy?".

"My name is you'd better let me on this plane, you little pissant son of a #$%#@"... ;)

Next time I fly, if they ask me to say my name, I am going to pretend I am mute. I want to see what they do with that.