Must bug TSA that terrorists are being caught with no real contribution from them. They are mostly feeding at the public trough and biting the hand that feeds them. No wonder we admire them so much!

Agree. And when I hear one of them patiently explain to us that just as we have to obey traffic signals when we walk, wear helmets when we bike, and get training, licenses and insurance before we drive an automobile, in that very same way my wife must allow THEM to touch her breasts and rub her pubic bone before she boards a flight to a neighboring city, yes, when I hear that bit of logic, my admiration knows no bounds.

Truly, I am just incredulous at that piece of writing. If the subject matter weren't so serious (the complete trashing of human rights and dignity) I would find it funny.

...............and always delivered with a condescending, holier than thou attitude.

I wasn't aware that sociopathy merited admiration.

I know you are (relatively) new to the forum, but now would be a great time to familiarize yourself with the 'search' function!

I believe you can use an FOIA request to ask for any TSA tapes detailing LeeAnne's experience. I don't believe they have sound, I don't believe they are always complete and readily available, but I'm sure you would find them to be a reliable objective source.

I am curious...you never travel, at least by air, so how did you come to this forum? (I had been lurking on FT for a while because of the great travel information. I came to this forum after witnessing an unsettling experience at a checkpoint). I don't know anyone else who doesn't fly who is so interested in TSA. (or is it the TSOs)? Have you visited the TSA Blog? That will present you with other points of view.

I won't speculate on motive, but this is a very odd phenomenon which I have seen on some leisure travel boards.

People who do not fly at all, or who fly once per year (and somehow consider that to be a 'frequent' flyer) are telling the people who fly multiple times per week what to think about this issue. Most of them are saying that we are wrong to have concerns.

I know a radiologist who was frustrated because non-flyers (or very infrequent flyers) told her that TSOs knew more than she did about the subject.

My aunt falls into the 'infrequent flyer' category. We were talking about flying in general last autumn and she said that she thought that the emotion on this subject was overblown. When I pointed out that there are no scanners in Germany except for the trial in HAM, and that someone in America only the week before had pulled my underwear half way down my backside as a 'security' check, she listened to what I had to say. (And when I pointed out that her own house shows as a big grey splotch on German Google Streetview, she made the connection about privacy concerns as well)

Now I know that the rebuttal to my post will be that we as frequent flyers are doing the same - telling the infrequent or non-flyers what to think. The difference however is that we are far more likely to be subject to mistreatment or excess radiation, and thus have the right to be more concerned about what may happen to ourselves. We also have a far broader range of experience. I often say that one can fly 20 times with no issue, and the 21st time one can experience what many have experienced with TSA.

It only makes sense that people flying 50-100+ segments a year or 100,000+ miles a year have a greater pool of experiences and may be better able to judge the actual situation than those that sit at home, never flying, making judgements based on what they read online or what they see on the infantile programs which pass as American 'news programs' these days.

And to be fair, I recall at least one other non-flyer who used to berate us for our experiences and beliefs. Again, I find this very bizarre, but just wanted to point out that it is fairly common on some message boards these days.

The search function as mentioned by Chollie or clicking LeeAnne's profile link would have pulled this up for you in about 30 seconds all on your own. Enjoy.

I'm not actually sure I want Sorority Luchesi reading or commenting on my story. A quick scroll through her past posts indicates that she is a TSO apologist...one with little or no actual flying experience.

Where's the audio?

On my cellphone. I'm not a tech expert, so I haven't yet figured out how to upload it, or fix it so it is more understandable (it's pretty hard to hear, but you CAN hear all the critical parts).

Yeah, I know she's made quite a few "interesting" posts in the past, but getting stories like yours out there is pretty darn important to educate or inform the "anything for safety" crowd and/or the occasional flyers about the passenger's TSA experience. My "better than my MD's exam" breast rub down isn't anywhere near as horrible as what has occurred to you, your mother, Chellian, etc. and it is experiences like this that actually get the attention of media, lawmakers and the like, which might help get this agency under control (I can dream!). And if the commentary following goes south, well, you've taken on far worse than Sorority with great aplomb ^, and so have others ^.

I tend to agree, but this is only successful if people are willing to read critically, and avoid using their own prejudice to make judgements on a situation. That applies to all sides of the argument.

I have long admitted that I was guilty of colouring my opinion of some past reports based on my lack of negative interaction with TSOs and my personal distaste for posts using excessive hyperbole and/or name-calling. (And I have since learned that it is not only passengers who can use language which turns me away from their opinion)

My opinions changed however when I took the time to educate myself and to read critically and to investigate numerous sources. Combine that with personal negative encounters and I was better able to make judgements on this topic.

I agree, I have sometimes seen someone post vehemently on a board where 1) they profess to have no knowledge/experience of the subject matter and 2) they also have strong opinions that are at odds with most of the others on the board. It perplexes me, because these posters aren't in search of information, they clearly have already made up their minds and are on the forum largely to take issue with other posters.

I am not necessarily surprised when an infrequent flyer posts about TSA practices, mistakenly assuming that if he/she hasn't personally seen/experienced something, it hasn't happened or it has been the result of provocative actions by the pax. ("I've never been mistreated by TSA, so it must be because I'm always polite and I don't go looking for trouble".)

I am surprised when an alleged non-flyer posts about TSA experiences, and clearly does so from a strong pro-TSA point of view, particularly when such a poster assumes that anything posted on this board is fantasy or lies, and particularly when such a poster declines to address situations like the one that prompted Pistole to personally issue an apology to a pax whose ostomy bag was ruptured.

I suspect such a poster may be telling the truth about never travelling, but may also be less than open about his/her affiliation with TSA.

I would also like to point out that for anyone who has friends/family who fly out of GRR, or who are TSOs at GRR, I have personally found it to be one of the better/kinder/easier airports in the US when it comes to TSA. Perhaps that is because a lot of Germans use GRR and they are used to diversity, or perhaps it is due to the small size of the airport, or perhaps the nature of the population, but GRR is on my list as one of the 'best' TSA experiences in the US.

When I compare the screeners and my experience at GRR to places like EWR, IAD, etc I could see how someone who only has GRR as a point of reference may not understand many of the complaints here.

You know that I cant swim to my my birth country. So if I want to go any where over seas hten I have to travel by air.

Knowing this and being a rape victim. It makes me sick.

I am 5.6 and 121 pounds. i travel with a short sleave tank top and tight tights.
No socks and sandals.

So you are telleing me that I will be groped and touches like no had done bfeore. unsless it was a a husband and/or boyf riend. and I would be fine with that.

No I will be not. I most likely either throw up or get hostile. Which one I dont know yet.
But I do know that if I have sone stranger getiing it "on " with me.Then I will have an opinion.

I will not spread my legs and I cant stand still with my arms out like a criminal for more that 5 sec.

TSO are abusive people. That is not your job at all to molest people. Your job is to see that not fire arms and bombs goes on the plane.
Not to check our boobs and genitals on people.
You guys are sick.

And again if TSO does it the nude we can have a converstion on equal grounds. Not that i would like that. But at least we would be on the same leval.