KDS

Two more words:
Unconstitutional dictatorship

FliesWay2Much

The scary thing is how much the victims and the media have bought into the fallacy that the TSA is completely infallible, has the best interests of the American People at heart, and that the victims are at fault for not understanding the "infallible" rules. Many of us in the national security business understand that the "rules" are arbitrary and not based on the actual validated threats. The "rules" are designed for the literal mindless clerk without the ability to think for themselves. <redacted by moderator>. Why doesn't anybody care, actually do something about it, and make examples of a few TSA people?

chollie

Whenever I read something like this, my first thought is to wonder: where were the LTSOs and STSOs?

TWA884

Folks,

When posting in the Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate forum, please keep in mind the forum's sticky post, "Please Read: Important Information", and especially the following:

Please consider this to be your one and only warning!

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator

WillCAD

I think perhaps it's because:

a) The country is full of paranoid, uneducated people who actually SUPPORT this ineffective, abusive, draconian screening methodology because they think that it keeps us "safe from terr'ism" and that there are terr'ists lurking behind every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in country, just itching to kill their father, rape and murder their sister, burn their ranch, shoot their dog, and steal their Bible! And those people shout down those of us who (ostensibly) have more sense.

b) Even in situations where a TSO is at fault, the agency backs them up and shifts blame entirely to the victim, in order to save face for the agency itself.

c) Even in cases where the agency does not back up a TSO at fault, TSOs are unionized and have significant protection against discipline and termination for cause. Which is intended to protect the rank and file from abuse by management, but also shields the guilty from warranted consequences.

chollie

TSOs are never at fault. Shame on you for casting aspersions or even suggesting for one second that there could be a valid reason to even hint that a TSO might do something unacceptable.

I have been 're-educated' and TSA is never ever wrong. Long live TSA! Let's give all TSOs a Congressional Medal of Honor, because there has never been a bad one and never ever will be a bad one. Anything you hear to the contrary is a vicious rumor posted by disgruntled people.

I myself have been guilty of feeling upset when I get repeatedly groin-chopped because I commit the unforgiveable offense of not being able to raise my arm overhead and hold still for a good scan. I admit to resenting having my medical nitroglycerine tabs confiscated and being told I will be in deep trouble if I ever get caught with them again. That is on me and in no way reflects unprofessional actions on the part of the TSO who groin-chopped me or confiscated my meds or anyone else at the checkpoint.

If you think a TSO or the organization hasn't performed well, then you need to re-educate yourself, because you are the problem, never the TSOs or TSA. All those fake complaints at AskTSA? Just a bunch of uneducated disgruntled pax making up lies about a stellar work force.

If we only knew what they teach about breast milk at the 'academy', I believe we wouldn't want any breast milk on the plane, ever, not even if it is still in the woman's breast, because you can never be too safe. No TSO ever operates without stellar training and more than adequate oversight.

petaluma1

You do have to admit, however, that the way TSA renders explosives in breast milk/formula inert by sexually assaulting a parent is something miraculous.

chollie

I wish the breast milk rules applied to medical nitroglycerine. Mamas and daddies get a grope and get to keep the milk; I get a grope and still can't take my pills.

But these are small prices to pay to guarantee safety in the skies and I truly appreciate our TSOs for putting us through all of this just to ensure our safety.

saizai

Lower than STSO, they have only a quasi-union, with fewer protections than other Federal employees, due to a footnote in the ATSA.

See https://www.afge.org/about-us/agencies/tsa/title-5/ etc.

Vecturist14

I can't believe this is still happening. https://twitter.com/TheSpaceGal/status/1523985735673597955?s=20&t=9WgVMoGDoPXmgzf45I1v0Q

From Twitter:
Here’s what happened. Yesterday was my 1st trip away from my 10wk old son, who I’m currently breastfeeding. I’m going through security at LAX. I brought my pump and 2 ice packs - only 1 of which was cold (I won’t need the other until I come home, when I’ll have more milk).
didn’t currently have any milk but I was planning to get a last second pumping sesh in before my ~5 hour flight. Two male TSA agents told me I couldn’t bring my ice packs through bc they weren’t frozen solid. (This is the key part of the story)
I asked to speak to someone else & they had their boss come over & he told me the same. He said “if you had milk on you, this wouldn’t be a problem.” He asked (*multiple times*) “well WHERE is the baby.” He said if my child was with me, it wouldn’t be an issue.
I asked multiple times to speak to a female agent and they wouldn’t allow it. They escorted me out of line and forced me to check my cold packs, meaning I couldn’t pump before my flight for fear it would spoil.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

TSA issues an apology for the most recent incident : https://www.washingtonpost.com/trave...ilk-tsa-rules/

Boggie Dog

Paywall for me.

Another version: TSA apologized to the breastfeeding mom who said she was barred from bringing ice packs on a plane to keep her breast milk cool

Wouldn't it be nice if TSA shifted funds from PR to Training and Standardization?