InkUnderNails

I show my NEXUS to the TDC today and he had never seen one before. Called over a two-striper. I asked for a supervisor and 2S said he was a supervisor. Okay, I'll play.

He takes the NEXUS, looks me right in the eye and says "This is not a valid ID."

I can sort of handle "I have not seen one of these." "I will have to ask someone," works, too. "I need to look in the book" or "Do you have a DL?" are all irritating but acceptable.

This instantly changes my attitude.

"You are wrong! Now, call your supervisor."

He makes a remark about my attitude, and yes I had one. No one lies to me without me getting angry.

He goes to a ring binder like I've never seen them use, finds the Nexus in about 30 seconds and OK's it.

He then begins to apologize. Too, late. He is already a known liar.

I can handle incompetence. I can handle ignorance. Liars are are whole different level of despicable.

Okay, rant over.

VH-RMD

every. single. employee.

liars, cheats and thieves...

jtodd

Yet a few of the TSA employees who post here, and the apologists, wonder why we, as law abiding citizens, do not trust this agency. They have, and continue to do nothing to inspire confidence in their ability. In fact, they appear to be trying to do the opposite.

Caradoc

If they didn't lie, they wouldn't have a job.

Their entire employment is based on people believing that they're doing something useful and necessary.

Thegweni

I think, therefore I am certainly does not apply to TSA. Maybe, I lie, therefore I work for TSA would be better? Or should that be the other was around?

clrankin

In having the additional time, I think even after the resolution above I would have pushed the 2 striper to get his boss.

Turn what happened into a "training moment" for the 1 striper, 2 striper, and their real boss.

Describe to the boss what happened with the 1 striper. Praise the 1 striper for being honest, and for seeking advice from a superior when he didn't know what to do.

Then describe to the boss what happened with the 2 striper. Leave the boss with a few questions... What kind of example is the 2 striper setting for the 1 striper by behaving the way he did? Why did the 2 striper respond the way he did, instead of responding in a professional manner? These are the types of questions that should be asked. They don't have to be answered in front of you, of course, but they should be answered.

I would think that doing this would likely be much more effective than filing some sort of complaint...

Loren Pechtel

Saying he's lying implies that he knows the truth to be something else.

I think it much more likely that he simply didn't know it was acceptable.

InkUnderNails

"I do not know" would have been the truth.

He specifically said that it was not acceptable with an air of authority and certainty. That was a lie. Period. Stating as fact without knowing it to be fact is a lie. If he was so certain, why did he go to the book? He knew his deception had failed.

I filed a complaint.

I was not in any mood to take it to his supervisor, but he kept apologizing so he may have thought that I would.

TsaAbuseWatch

Think about it. If you are a security professional what organization would you choose to work?

1) FBI
2) Police
3) Sheriff Department
4) Customers and Immigration
5) Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
6) Executive Security
...
99) TSA

What would be your absolute last choice?

TSA is composed entirely of people who have either been ejected from organizations like 1 through 6 due to incompetence or malfeasance, or have tried and failed to be accepted into those organizations.

No honorable person would intentionally choose the life of a genital groper, unless they have no other choice, or they enjoy doing it. Would an intelligent person embrace a job where they actually BELIEVE they are making the public safer by stealing water?

Personally, I would be fired on my first day because I would refuse to steal harmless water bottles from innocent people. Why? because its stupid and I will not allow someone else to stop me from doing the right thing. I would also be fired the first time I refused to molest a child simply because a 3 striper superior said I should.

Essentially TSA is composed entirely of "bottom of the barrel" dwellers where dishonesty, incompetence and hostility is a core value where liars thrive. People with morals, intelligence and honor are ejecting rapidly from the TSA.

PhoenixRev

Since the TSA has presumed that me and 300 million of my fellow American citizens are all potential terrorists, I have no qualms at all about presuming that the overwhelming majority of TSA personnel, say 99%, are habitual liars.

Sauce for the goose...

jkhuggins

Respectfully, I don't agree. He may have earnestly believed that the card was not acceptable. That doesn't mean he was lying.

As to why did he go to the book? A couple of plausible explanations occur: (a) he knew the 3-striper above him would insist on it, so he did it proactively; (b) your protestations caused him to doubt his previous authoritative statement.

There's a subtle difference between telling an intentional lie and repeating a false fact that one believes. As Hanlon's Law puts it: never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

horseflesh

Any sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice.

(Wish I could take credit for that one.)

N1120A

I'm actually surprised you got an apology and a check in the book.

InkUnderNails

I was not surprised he checked the book as much that he found it in the book. It was not the standard bartender's manual they often use.

The apology was the standard "I'm sorry you were delayed, have a nice flight" not "I am sorry, I was wrong, it really is acceptable," a small, but significant difference.

The apology only came after he realized that his deception was not defensible and that I had called him on his deception. He was clearly perturbed that I did not surrender to his stated certainty.

As to whether he "lied" or not, one of the following is the likely scenario:

1. He knew the truth, and purposely tried to deceive me about the NEXUS.
   
2. He did not know the truth, but did not want me to know he did not know, so he fabricated a truth.
   
3. He had been trained in a falsehood and was repeating it.

I have no reason to think it was #1, a more serious accusation. If #3, he would have most likely called his supervisor to put me down as that was the source of the info on which he depended. That leaves #2. A fabricated certainty without knowledge of the truth is still a lie.

The phrase "fabricated certainty without knowledge of the truth" describes many of the TSA errors we battle.

WillCAD

How many acceptable IDs are there? The list on the TSA web site is not that long; it's not difficult to believe that a simple 1-hour familiarization course would educate a TDC on all possible acceptable IDs, of which Nexus is certainly a fairly common one.

It's also not difficult to believe that TDCs are not given even 1 minute of proper training to perform a supposedly "vital" job function. More evidence that TSA's entire scheme of so-called "security" and "screening" is nothing more than Pavlovian rote performed by unthinking zombies, and thus is completely useless.