petaluma1

You were assaulted by that TSO and should have immediately filed a complaint against him with the LEOs.

petaluma1

I hope you did NOT comply. They cannot require you to remove hearing aids or eye glasses. If it happens again, immediately call for a supervisor and keep escalating.

Wally Bird

Scan your ears?

InkUnderNails

I got my ears patted down.

Badenoch

Having gone through a couple of TSA "drills" I did what they asked without complaint. When at the airport my singular objective is to get on a plane. Needless confrontation with security lunkheads is not why I am there. Neither is escalating, complaining, raising high holy hell or otherwise engaging in pointless activity that is contrary to my goal.

TSA, CATSA and all the other airport alphabet agencies are security theatre. Everyone has a role. Play your part and be on your way. Hope you enjoyed the show.

Mr. Elliott

I always wear my glasses through the MMW and I have never been asked to remove them. Every once in a while the screen shows an anomaly on my head, since my hair is very short and balding on the top it�s obvious I can�t hide anything there so the screener just visually clears the anomaly, they have never touched my head.

As a matter of principle any time the screen shows an anomaly and the screener tells me he is going to pat down that area, I ask them to please change their gloves explaining to them I do not know where their hands have been or who they have touched in the past, Their SOP requires them to comply with any passengers requests to change gloves so they do, some show displeasure, some say nothing and others say no problem at all

I don�t do this to give them a hard time, although it may seem so to the screeners, I am just exercising my rights as per their SOP.

Mr. Elliott

mulieri

I had a long layover, and I'm not a sheep. If we don't confront this nonsense, where will it end? It won't until we actively draw the line. Requests to "freeze" are only requests. The fact is it is not illegal nor even out of line to ignore such requests.

InkUnderNails

I have two goals. My first parallels yours, the need to get on a plane.

I have a second. My need to get on a plane is occasionally trumped by my need or desire to momentarily disrupt a corrupt system just long enough for them to know that I know that they are corrupt and that I am not the kind to just blindly take their abuse just to get on a plane. There are battles I fight and those I do not. I do not surrender my constitutional rights when I enter into a contract with a private company to transport my sorry butt a long way very fast. There are times when I choose to cede to rights. There are times when I do not.

Obviously, I place a different emphasis or value on them than do you. For those battles that those of us that are fighting rarely win, you are more than welcome to share the spoils even though you may not have participated or helped in the battle.

If in the case our rights, and that includes yours, are further eroded, it will be too late to decide then that maybe you should have done something. If it happens, I will be able too look back and say at least I tried.

WilcoRoger

I'm offering you an alphabet of agencies, who just "played their role" Does KGB ring a bell? Stasi? Gestapo? SA?

Some people had their roles played out in the Gulag. Others in Dachau. Where will you play out yours?

SeriouslyLost

Did they find any pocketknives, 1+ litre bottles of explosives, or other banned items?

Badenoch

Where will I play mine? No doubt standing in an airport security line behind some dolt with an over-inflated opinion of himself who is just itching to argue the U.S. Bill of Rights with some underpaid security guard. When he does I'll be the person rolling his eyes. Do say hello when you are done. Please be brief. I have a plane to catch.

GaryD

See, it works, precisely because you do have a plane to catch. That's the carrot part of it.

Yes, it's security theater, but that's supposed to be a derogatory term, not a term of endearment. Have some self respect, dude.

chollie

Or you might be behind me. Humble to the point of obsequiousness, sir/ma'am to everyone, follow the rules to the letter. Shoes properly upright on the belt, Kippie bag in its little bowl, all electronics out, laptop in one bin, all others (kindle, etc.) in separate bin with nothing on top, remove watch, belt, all jewelry, remove jacket, remove sweater, remove vest (all outerwear), remove CPAP from its case, stow in bin, get directed to NoS, explain my physical limitations, get told to step aside to wait for groper.

Now you can proceed. Feel free to say hello when you pass - I'll be the one waiting patiently for my handler. I might be distracted because I also have a flight to catch. Sorry if all my bins back things up a bit. If you sigh, I might roll my eyes. But probably not. I don't believe I'm much safe for all this rigmarole; indeed, I think the vulnerabilities most likely to be exploited are wide open, but I don't kid myself I can change anything.

However, if someone in front of me does want to civilly confront a TSO who is making up rules or being abusive, I will stand behind and silently cheer.

InkUnderNails

First, it is not a game. It is very serious.

Second, I do not appreciate your calling me a dolt. I will admit I have a high opinion of my right at the CP as well as yours. My ego is pretty normal.

Third, I do not argue the Bill of Rights. I argue their inability to follow their own SOP and web site guidance. They are not capable of arguing the constitution.

Fourth, it is always done out of anyone's way, I do not restrict anyone's movement, I specifically ask to move to an area where others may pass. I have no desire to slow your progress to your plane. If it happens with me it is because the TSA caused it.

Fifth, for what they do they are not at all underpaid.

nrr

You have people who (may(?)) have high school diplomas, are now "government agents", and need NO special skills do their jobs--if anything they are overpaid.