Screener in PHX on 12/27 thought the antique glass cake plate in my carryon (present from Santa) was a (you'll never believe this one) a 'horseshoe'.

Seriously.

I can't imagine what kind of horse he thought would wear a shoe that looks like a cake plate.

What made it even more bizarre was that he was looking at the image of my bag on his screen (could see it in the reflection of glass behind him) but grabbed the bag belonging the guy in front of me to re-run, meanwhile, my bag came sliding out unmolested. I stood there, waiting for my bins to come out, listening to the smurf quizzing the other pax about this 'horseshoe' while the poor pax was equally confused as to what he thought the screener was looking at because his bag was full of camera equipment!

Because the average 48-cubic-inch power brick for a laptop looks SO much like the average 2-cubic-inch lighter... And they're both okay to carry-on ANYWAYS. Freakin' MORONS.

Any food item that they try to confiscate should be opened and spit into before being thrown away. Seriously. Look 'em dead in the eye as you do it, too. When so many screeners make comments like "Yum!" or "That's my favorite brand!" or the like as they're stealing your food, making them think seriously about just how badly they want it is no longer a childish thing to do. If it's medically-necessary and within their published acceptable guidelines, then put up a heck of fight first, of course - and get their names and file complaints with everyone you can.

They just wanted to make sure you were playing with a full deck
(sorry, I just couldn't resist )

Coming through ATL checkpoint with a duffel bag carry-on that has a separate end pocket. I was connecting from international to domestic. X-ray searcher called for a bag check. After checking the entire main compartment, the TSO found a TSA-approved lock in the end compartment (the kind with a 3-inch cable). Nothing else was in the compartment. I try to always have a spare, just in case I end up unexpectedly checking a bag on the return trip.

The bag checker conferred with the x-ray searcher and said she'd never seen one before (?). He also told me that TSA-approved locks are for checked baggage.

I count myself lucky it didn't get confiscated.

I have also 'surrendered':

-a length of surgical tubing I was using to rehab a shoulder injury. It could
be used to throttle someone.

-zip ties (about 6 inches long) because they could be used to handcuff
someone.

-a 7-inch crescent wrench I used for bike repairs. It opens to 3/4". Forgot
it was in my carry-on. Tools are not allowed.

- a quarter-sized disk with four 1/8" screwdriver 'blades' on my keychain.
A gift from my father many years ago. Used occasionally for emergency
repairs. Also a dangerous tool.

He's probably never used one.

A tampon.

Ok admittedly, it was years ago and not the TSA, but a young male customs inspector. He pulled out a tampon from my suitcase, removed the paper wrapping and examined the entire mechanism of two cardboard tubes, a wad of cotton and a string. Then he looks at me and says, "What is this?"

I imagine he was subjected to some well-deserved taunting from his fellows in the aftermath.... Although, come to think of it, maybe not since there are apparently still some TSA members who don't know what a sanitary pad is.

Oh, I LIKE it, i LIKE it!

I thought I had witnessed it all but this is a level of 'moronocism' from the TSA that is downright ridiculous.

And that's why we should fear morons in positions of authority.

Every time you think you've seen the dumbest thing ever, they'll top it.

Judging by the aroma of his breath, he hasn't used one or his toothpaste consists of dog crap.

It comes from a fundamentally flawed training approach. TSOs seem to be trained to function like automatons, by the book, without ever thinking about the actual mission or exercising judgment.

This approach results in the foolishness posted here; the flip side is that it also results in the constantly high failure rates during tests to see if actual weapons would get caught. It probably also ends up with a work force that sees higher attrition rates among the very people who we should want at the checkpoint - those TSOs who can exercise judgment, recognize that a clearly almost empty tube of toothpaste or a single liquid sans baggie is not the real threat.

We spend so much time programming pax about 3-1-1 and shoes in/out of the bin and ID and boarding passes ready that we inadvertently also program TSOs that these things are most of what matters.

I just returned from vacation to Costa Rica, where we went scuba diving. We had the HARDEST time with our scuba gear...the regulators and hoses were apparently just too befuddling for them. We kept telling them that it was scuba gear, but they still had to pull it all completely out of the bags, and then mess with it. This was a serious problem for us, because we don't want people messing with the setting, knobs, etc on our scuba gear...this stuff is very sensitive, and any kind of malfunction when you are 90 feet underwater can, ya know...KILL you.

But the thing that caused us the most problems were our backplate weights. These are just 6-lb metal strips with a bolt at each end - I can't imagine why they freaked out over them, it's not like they could be used as weapons, any more than anything metal could be used as a weapon (say, my blowdryer!). We carry them separate (removed from the Buoyancy Control Device) and assemble them prior to use. They were almost confiscated at EVERY flight...we had to BEG them not to take them! Without them we wouldn't be able to dive - they are a critical part of our gear. Not to mention they are custom-made, and very expensive - we would have had a fit if they'd confiscated them.

We carry our scuba gear with us on the plane because we are advanced divers, and our gear is just too expensive (not to mention important - it is, after all, live support equipment) to trust them in our checked luggage, where untrained hands might mess with them. But what a hassle!

What was he, 6? Sheesh, what a dope (and yes, I hope he was taunted to death for 28 days ).

My bear-proof container (which would also seem to be a TSA-proof container) was deemed suspicious by the machine operator, and required the TSO to open it (with my assistance) and inspect. The contents were an odd collection of miscellaneous items (a nylon jacket, plastic baggies with coins in varying currencies, several music CDs in cases, and more). The TSO eventually repackaged it (with some minor damage to the CD cases) and returned it to me without comment. The same container (with the same contents) made it through re-screening some hours later in Tokyo without difficulty.

My last flight was in February of 2008. We had to change terminals during a layover in PHX. My carry on was passing through x-ray when the TSO starting yelling how we were going to make everyone miss their flights. He stopped the belt and began pulling things out. We have no idea what he saw in the x-ray that caused his reaction but he became even more excited and louder when he found our liquids, all in 3 oz bottles and in the quart size baggie. He opened the baggie and pulled out the bottle marked �sunscreen SPF 45� in black sharpie. He then insisted this meant the bottle was 4.5 oz rather than 3 oz.

To this day, I can�t remember what happened after he found the offensive item but we were allowed to gather our things, including the sunscreen, and go.

In all my 50 plus years, I have never experienced such rudeness. I was shaking from the encounter and have refused to fly since then.