If on were to go through the nude-o-scope with a middle digit extended do you think they'd notice?

Yup, and likely threaten you with the standard responses (DYWT FT and threatening "interfering with the screening process). Those have definitely been shouted at me when I have uttered sotto voce comments before, despite such utterances and displays being protected speech.

I think I know what I am going to do if I am selected for nude-o-scope screening at LHR on Sunday...

While standing in line, I'd unzip my fly part way, put my hand down my pants, pop a finger out of the fly and start wiggling it around in front of a TSO. I'd then ask the question if that was invasive enough for him, or if I still needed to go through the Pervert-O-Vision machine.

Never, ever try to make a direct or indirect attempt to bruise the ego of a TSAer. The deck is stacked against you.

This includes actions inside the strip search machine.

that ought to be a good one to fight as how does my "saluting" the tso "in the secure viewing area" interfere with the screening process? perhaps my "salute" could cause a distraction for the tso while they look at my image for hidden w's, e's & i's? so let the tsa prove that i flipped the bird. show me the picture and i'll take my lumps but according to the tsa, images cannot be stored so if you can't show me the picture because the pictures cannot be retained or reproduced, i didn't salute.....

I also don't see how they could nail you for flipping the bird as that seems like that would be a 1st amendment violation. You're not threatening them, nor really interfering in the process. Nor do I think it would fall under nonprotected speech as it's not like yelling "bomb", "terrorist" or anything like that.

They might not like it and my try to hassle you, but I think this would be more like MKEBound's KHIAI bag.

+1111111111111111

And, if I recall correctly, MKEBound's KHIAI bag caused him quite a bit of difficulty. Ultimately, he was shown to be within his rights ... but it cost him a great deal of time and energy to assert those rights.

The original question that started this thread was: "do you think they'll notice?", not "should they notice?". Yes, I think they'll notice. Whether or not they should notice is another debate.

Ah, but knowing well the reactions of our fine public employees at TSA BWI...had one of their suits threaten me with a LEO search when he saw me using a pair scissors on my bag after the C/P a few weeks ago. Told me I was not permitted to have any scissors and that I must have smuggled them through the checkpoint. The LEO looking at him and saying he thought scissors were legal as long as they were as small as mine were was priceless.

Well we aren't talking about the sharpest knives in the drawer. I doubt the front line staff would even know what a '1st amendment' was.

It's really sad that a cop had to tell him that.

I'd also have reminded him that if TSA was so good, then how could he have possibly smuggled them thru the checkpoint?

Just curious - did TSA find them or say anything when you went thru the checkpoint with them?

Anyone pack a printout of the forbidden items page from TSA's website? Seems like a good traveling companion.

Knowing the attitude problems that I have had with BWI TSA over the years, I follow a standard routine. That routine includes placing the electrician's snips (scissors in question), rescue squad credentials and cellphone alongside the laptop in it's bin, clearly separated from each other. Even with that method, my laptop bin gets pulled out, every time, so that they can validate the length of the snips. Every time, some TSO attempts to claim that will allow them "just this once" since they have a serrated outer edge (electrician's snips have two notches to permit easy stripping of wires). When I advise them that they are of legal size, they then proceed to tell me that they have to ETD the contents of that bin...

It's kind of amusing and gets a deadpan reaction (along with the requisite complaints for retaliation to the usual places) from me. I know it's going to happen and arrive 2 hours before every flight I take out of BWI.

Many of us have done that over the years. Just about every one of us that has mentioned it here has also mentioned that the standard TSO response is that the "rules have changed," "that web page is obsolete," or the old standby "do you want to..."

Some folks have gone as far as to pull it up on their smartphones and been told that the information does not apply to that particular airport. To paraphrase something TSORon has posted several times: some airports do, some airports don't, every airport is different. But, TSA has also "standardized" the security experience...

Huh? If the list on the website is "outdated", how can a person help from bringing prohibited items? I think I'd want to follow up on that comment. It seems to me the TSOs themselves are mistaken about the rules. Maybe they have something written to show that the rules have changed?