They also make TSA "approved" ID.:D

Now that is awesome!

'Merica!

I greet everyone with innocuous phrases, "hello, how are you" or something along those lines. If the passenger responds in a similar fashion, and begins or seems receptive to small talk, I continue - if not, they go about their business. I can't speak for anyone else, but none of you are ever going to be forced to respond to personal chat for anything with me. If you do not wish to engage, that is entirely your right, and have a nice life. Of course, based upon stories here, YMMV.

The way the machine is currently deployed, you would not be facing the operator of the machine, so based simply upon physical positioning, you would indeed be flipping off an inanimate object.

Tangentially:

I have read a few of your posts and you seem to be a down to earth person and I respect that.

Some of your fellow colleagues are just not the same way, for whatever reasons I am not in their life to know what is going on and why they act the way they act.

Case in point, I was going to pick-up my wife at the airport, got out of my car and a Police Officer and two TSA Employees rolled a cart up to my car and said that they are going to run a test on my car. I said fine, whatever, test it, heck wash it, it is fairly dirty and in need of a wash anyway, the Police Officer cracked a smile but TSA Employee #1, said, " SIR SECURITY IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER, YOU CAR COULD HAVE EXPLOSIVES IN IT" I didn't want to respond to such stupidity, I had just gotten off shift at the hospital, was tired and in no mood to deal, so I just ignored him. My phone rang and it was colleague wanting to have a quick differential diagnosis, so I talked with him while he swabbed different parts of my car.

I hung up and TSA Employee #1 said to, "SIR WHO WERE YOU TALKING TO, AND WHY WERE YOU USING WORDS LIKE DIA--something or other (He overheard me say diaphoretic)? I just did not respond because I do not feel that I have to talk to anyone especially about who I am talking with on the phone.

I started to just walk off and he yelled, stop him I want to talk to him. The Officer said are we done here to TSA #1 and he beguilingly must have (I was far enough away that I didn't hear what he said at that point) said yes, as when I got back my car was still there minus any tickets or other official government documents. Clearly TSA #1 felt that I had to talk to him, I am guessing the Police Officer did not as he did not stop me.

My point, I am sure that you are a respectable, honest, level headed person, doing a job to the best of your abilities, but not everyone of your colleagues is, we are human beings and that means as part of our nature that we are not perfect.

https://twitter.com/CriminelleLaw/st...49766214660096

Some animate object saw the salute.

If I choose not to engage with a Starbuck's barista, that is indeed my right and I am free to exercise it without fear of retaliation.

If I choose not to engage with a TSO, I risk retaliatory treatment for exercising my 'right'.

I'm guessing it was the line-minder before the machine or the pat-down guy/gal in the exit chute, and that there were also probably some words exchanged. Even so, I can't imagine what potential danger could have come from that. Perhaps it was a signal to detonate! Maybe it caused consternation! Maybe somebody saw something and, as is recommended, said something! Oy.

Regardless of peoples' feelings about the TSA, it's never a good idea to attempt to make jokes when you are (or appear to be) in a position of authority, no matter how innocuous the humor attempt is meant to be. People tend to take an authority figure's statements at face-value, and people who don't speak the local language natively often have an extremely difficult time interpreting humor based on sarcasm, irony, puns, or double entendre.

Just as an example - I was on a US flight yesterday. There was a married couple near me, but they were in different rows in the cabin. The cabin FA thoughtfully worked to get them seated together. She asked another pax if the pax would be willing to switch so the couple could sit together, and jokingly added, "...unless they've been married so long they'd prefer to sit apart!"

The other pax agreed, the couple was reseated in the row directly behind me, and I overheard them talking about how rude the FA was for making that "horrible remark," despite what she'd done for them. They didn't perceive it as a joke at all, and their perception of her rudeness completely erased the effect of the good deed.

So, it's easy to see why being a "light-hearted" TSA staffer isn't a good idea.

Thought you BDO types chatted people up in order to determine their innocence. What happens when the perp doesn't feel like playing silly TSA games?

True, and as your example with the FA indicates, it doesn't have to be a position of very much authority.

I recently volunteered at a charity sports event, staffing a booth selling event-branded t-shirts, water bottles and the like. Not a position I would have considered to hold much authority. :p Despite the sign: "Water bottle $3" in large font in front of the bottles, people kept asking how much the water bottles cost. It was pretty quiet and I was kinda bored, so I started saying "They're $3 each but we have a special price of three for $10." Most people laughed, but one guy (native English speaker) paused and then said "Oh, well, then I'll take three." I quickly said that three would be $9 and there wasn't a discount compared to just buying one bottle, but he was clearly confused by it all. He bought two bottles, and I stopped making jokes. :o

Seems more to be an issue with numeracy.

You quickly accrue points on the SPOTNik checklist:

(+1) Avoids eye contact with security personnel or LEO
(+2) Cold penetrating stare
(+2) Displays arrogance and verbally expresses contempt for the screening process
(+3) Does not respond to authoritative commands

As someone once said here, "You're here to infringe my Fourth Amendment rights, not my First Amendment ones."

Also, I don't think it's charitable to use the phrasing "inanimate objects." Only some TSOs would qualify.