I'd Rather Walk

After reading the thread this morning here from a woman concerned about the sex assault patdown even after agreeing to the scanner I contacted both my Senators, my Congresspeople, a couple of Tea Party Congressman,
Ron Paul and the Congressman heading the TSA committee, asking them how they can feel privacy and security are in any kind of balance when so many Americans seem terrified of their government just because they want to get on an airplane. I don't expect this to do any good though, last time I did this I got back form letters, probably from some intern telling me that security and safety must be balanced, etc. This seems to be crossing party lines with some Dems and some Republicans on each side. However, even those who support stopping these illegal assaults have been all talk. Nothing seems to be actually being done, as far as I can tell.

LessO2

I would imagine hi-fives would be going around TSA HQ upon learning that passengers are terrified of them.

KIXman

So passengers are terrified of the TSA hmmm, I guess that makes TSA terrorists.

nachtnebel

agree. the hi fiving should be tempered by the realization that a goodly number have the opposite inclination and consider tar and feathers an appropriate response.

Gargoyle

I'd like to see a survey of terrorists, to see if any of them are terrified of the TSA. My guess is the results would be 0%.

It would be especially nice if they add a second question to the survey, asking how many of them consider the TSA to be their partners, or at least their lackeys.

Caradoc

"Terrified?" I don't know that I'd go that far.

I don't have so much fear for the TSA as abject disgust and hatred, and I believe that perhaps TSA employees could be put to better use as organ donors.

I'd Rather Walk

Just got an anwser to my complaint about TSA sent to Kay Bailey Hutchison,
United States Senator. Exact same canned response I received when I contacted her office a couple of months ago.
Again, they probably have an intern doing this, maybe they keep track of how many contacts they get on a given subject and whether in favor or against, but that may be giving them too much credit.

LeeAnne

Well, count me among the travelers who ARE "terrified" of the TSA. See the thread I just posted for why.

Boggie Dog

KBH could care less what TSA is up to. I have contacted her offices more than once and have never had a satifactory response. They don't even read the messages.

Good thing she is not running again. Texas can do better.

Caradoc

Yes, I'm aware that some people are "terrified" of the TSA.

That'd be why I was specific in using "I" in my statement.

And, no, I don't think it's inappropriate for those people who are "terrified" of the TSA to think that way.

Global_Hi_Flyer

+1. They maintain authoritah and control by instilling fear in passengers. Since day 1.

LuvAirFrance

Annoyed and incensed? Anger is always better than fear, IMO.

exbayern

I consider myself a calm, reasonable person, who has travelled to many areas of the world considered 'dangerous'. I have had first response training and have been through several situations of physical danger. I tend to react calmly and not panic.

However I have admitted here that when I am in severe pain at night, my nightmares have usually become TSOs causing me pain. This is after a few incidents last year which did cause me physical pain in real life; my subconcious now makes that connection when I am apparently not as able to be logical and rational (ie in my sleep) When I have pain during the day, I do not make that connection of pain = TSA.

I am also frankly concerned that as a non-US citizen, there may be retaliation or I may find myself in a situation where my ability to work and travel to/in the US is compromised.

So while I would not use the term 'terrified' to describe my attitude towards TSA, I am much more concerned than I was a year ago and I do think more about transiting TSA checkpoints than I did in past.

chollie

I find it curious that in both Iraq and Afghanistan, we have spent time and effort talking about 'winning the hearts and minds' of the local population, recognizing (or paying lip service) that our efforts against the 'bad guys' will go better if we partner with the local population instead of assuming everyone who is not 'us' is the 'enemy'.

Yet in our own country, TSA deliberately takes the opposite approach. There's no 'winning the hearts and minds' of the pax. Instead, all pax are guilty until proven non-guilty (and as one alleged TSO poster recently posted in this forum, 'not guilty' is not the same as innocent, at least in TSA's eyes). TSOs routinely provoke and escalate incidents into situations, clearly happy that the public will see videos, read stories, hear interviews and go away afraid.

What impression is the public left with after videos of screaming kids, laughing abusive TSOs separating an elderly, incapable woman from her daughter, a TSO on his knees giving a passenger an invasive grope, a mother left to cool her heels in front of everyone in a glass cage for 40 minutes, alleged TSOs who post inflammatory and insulting comments on their own official 'engage with the public' blog (as well as on other IBBs), TSOs who are routinely arrested for theft that has clearly been ongoing for months?

TSA wants us to be afraid, no doubt about it.

Slide101

Very well put. ^^^^^^ And it keeps getting worse. The public view of TSOs is not printable. But I figure what goes around comes around and all this will eventually catch up to each and every TSO who abused their position.