You do not even need a GED to work for TSA

TSA Education requirements:

High School Diploma; OR
GED; OR
1 year experience as a security guard.

A requirement to ask something does not equal a requirement for a Free Citizen to answer.

That's true. Which is why the concept of "Free Citizen" is disappearing. :(

"Cowed Subjects Licking the Boot of Government Authority in Gratitude for the Appearance of Safety" ARE required to answer.

Yesterday at LGA (Terminal D), they were asking passengers to state their names while still holding their own boarding passes. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to make them feel silly, I looked carefully at my boarding pass, still in my hand, and said, "It appears to be Schobel." The TDC laughed and sent me on to pre-check, which took all of 20 seconds, maybe. Shoes on, coat on, everything left in my bags. Wonderful!!!

Bruce

Screener [Ed] at BWI said I had to state my name, did not work out too well for him. Even TSM [redacted] caved in and allowed me thru.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8069/8...9db936b8_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8481/8...5e1b7e1e_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8...99a50a0f_b.jpg

So acting "suspiciously" doesn't necessarily get you secondary screening?

Both of us knew perfectly well how ridiculous the whole exercise was. We were both laughing. After pre-check cleared me, he absolutely knew [wink, wink] that I couldn't be a terrorist.

Bruce

Is there a story behind those pics, Paul? I'll be passing through that very c/p next week and I'd like to know what to expect.

I got a new variation on Wednesday: "State your final destination."
This was at Seattle/Tacoma, where anyone can use any checkpoint. The lines were extremely long at 5:00 am, and it was 100% backscatter.

Heaven

I've never heard that worded that way, but I've been asked quite a few times, "Where are you traveling, today?"

+1

And if there's any further questions, I'd go right on to :) "Let me tell you how you can be sure, too." :)

Or maybe "... probably today if everything works out." :p

Same thing I tell the annoying things at work when they ask where I'm going on my holidays. "Away" or "Elsewhere".

Yeah, if I'm in a good mood, I say, "to get on a plane" or "a business trip" or "home" and then refuse to say anything else if they press. If I'm in a bad mood, I just refuse from the start. I've never been denied access or otherwise punished compared to what happens when I refuse to play the name game.

"Sorry, I'm not allowed to share that. The *airport* I'm going to is [pointing to the BP] right there."