I haven't had a chance to view the video yet, but if the WaPo is correct about them being clips, it's very possible TSA's account isn't exactly accurate either.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. However, none of this would have happened if it weren't for TSA's idiocy.

The sad thing about this incident is that in the United States, the richest, most powerful nation on Earth, our government is reduced to searching Americans in an attempt to prohibit passengers from carrying drinking water onto airplanes. Some goofy Islamowackos planted the idea of mixing binary liqid explosives on airliners. Our stupid government bought this story hook, line, and sinker. Rather than develop technology to detect this minute risk (while ignoring unscreened cargo, illegal immigrants working unscreened in "secure areas", etc.), the government employs hordes of screeners to search ordinary passengers for "dangerous items" such as shampoo, toothpaste, water, etc. Sad, sad, sad...

I have seen the video and read the report she intentionally poured the contents on the floor creating a slip and fall hazard. She then ignored the LEO that was there and tried to use her secret service credentials to get away with it.

She was a former SSA. She wasnt claiming that status as an active SSA. If she had been trying to fly armed she would have still have her child screened. IF TSA violated its own policy for her and let the water go, TSA would have to let it all go.

Well, that makes a lot of sense!

Let's assume that she attempted to pull rank by flashing her credentials, as claimed in the incident report. What's the appropriate course of action for TSA to take then?

Isn't that the kind of thing that should be penalized or otherwise discouraged?

MSNBC is talking about the incident now.

Once again, the media makes themselves look like idiots.

They need to know the policies and procedures before they comment on them.

Or better yet, just do some research.

'Hello mother with a toddler in the sterile area, how did you get your sippy cup in here without almost being arrested and humiliating yourself on national TV?"

Told ya it wasn't accidental

Anyway, I'm glad this is getting a lot of coverage (guess Paris is sooo yesterday). I wonder how this will play in the court of public opinion. Mother the villain for being a petulant *****, DCA cops for being well, DCA cops or the TSA for the liquid nonsense. Be nice if it was the TSA PR shooting themselves in the foot; not that that hasn't happened before. Regularly.

boy, i wish that video came with some audio goodness...since it doesn't, however, you gotta go on what's there.

it sure looks like this woman spilled the sippy cup on purpose, and i can see how she might have tried the 'don't you know who/what i am' to make that a non-issue.

i suspect the truth is somewhere in between the tsa's account and hers, but i'm not terribly surprised that she's not the 'sweet, innocent victim' that she portrayed herself to be. (why i'm saying that, i have no idea, but something about this story did not smell right to me from the beginning.)

i know her. Crazy lady with a baby. She usually sits behind me on planes.

Definitely a lot of questions that still need to be answered; however, I found it interesting that at the end of her story she said something about being made to go back through security even though she had been with the officer the whole time. It's clear in the video that someone (her fiance?) comes to hold the child. She has now come in contact with someone that hasn't been screened so it would make sense that she be rescreened.

The fact that she felt it necessary to point out that she had to be rescreened seems to indicate that she was trying to add one more thing to show how ridiculous the situation was. But it wasn't ridiculous to rescreen her so now I am more skeptical about the rest of her story.

Don't get me wrong, the whole thing shouldn't have happened but it did and now we have to decide who did what and to whom.

I'm just wondering. There are several people on this forum who claim to work for the TSA, and invariably explain away or defend anything the agency does.

Where are you today?

Those with long memories will recall a thread in this forum last year in which someone claimed to be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct merely for arguing about the size of the clear bag to be used for holding gels/liquids. There turned out to be no record of arrest and no record of any criminal charges. The OP of that thread has since disappeared from FT.

I don't doubt that there will be TSA agents who abuse their authority and otherwise do bad things. That will be true of any large workforce. Still, when there's an incident, why are so many people willing to accept the complaining party's complete story at face value? It might be completely true, partly true or a total fabrication.

"Myth:

TSA Officers Hassle Female Passenger with Toddler at Reagan National Airport over Sippy Cup?
Buster:

Decide for yourself. Click on the links below."

http://www.tsa.gov/approach/mythbusters/index.shtm

It shows her clearly dumping the water into the floor (i.e., she lied).

I'm in the SpiffArmytm as much as anyone... but I'm failing to see the in this.

The faults I do see:
- The lady created a hazardous slip-and-fall condition.
- They should have called over a janitor to mop it up, not make her do it.
- The real Mythbusters should sue the TSA for trademark infringement.