This happened to me as well. I also started a thread on it misspelled BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!!!. [sic] Seems to be a popular activity to in ATL to hold random drills.

At the time of this "incident" with the TSA scum at the gate, I was to begin my vacation, so I had time on my side. I was fully prepared to use 1 or more days and drive back to IAH rather than put up with any more TSA bull*hit:mad:


You can bet I will, as you say "stick by my guns" if that means no more flying on my part. I have meetings coming up next month in Dallas, Shreveport, and Austin and I will be driving to all of those, so unless TSA is doing random security checks on the interstate, I wont have to deal with any of their hired stooges................hmm, random security checks on the interstate, maybe I should not be giving TSA any ideas:rolleyes:.

Dont know what they would have done, in hindsight I almost wish I had done just what you mention. I walked away, I never even turned around to see what the expression on their faces were.

As others, including some tso's have pointed out, they have no power to arrest or detain, but leo's of course do.

I do know that if the young punk I mentioned had touched me to try and stop me from walking away, my reaction would have been one that got me arrested for sure.

Stunts like this...
 

Stunts like this have the potential to go very bad.

If TSA yells "Freeze - Don't move!" and then I yelled "Don't shoot!" and hit the floor for protection, what would my fellow passengers do? Also hit the floor? Stampede?

What if somebody yelled "OMG!" in a panicy voice? Or better yet, started yelling "Ah la la la la la la la la la" in a high pitched voice?

I liked the raspberry idea though!

yup and as i posted back on page one...and the family of the pax who dropped dead of a heart attack as a result of the drill is now contacting their attorney

good maybe a few more lawsuits due to TSA stupidity will highlight to congress how badly this POS agency needs to be nuked Darwin style and the ashes buried never to be resurected

This is something we've known for a long time. As for this airline employee, for the reasons you brought out in your post for which you get a BIG ^ from me I very seldom use my so called benefits as I do not wish to deal with the crap. I see what happens the 5days a week I work. Thus when I'm off I choose not to see anyone from TSA.

A few years ago at PDX, my partner went through the metal detector, it beeped, and a TSA agent shouted "Security Alert! Close all the doors!" and you could hear clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk as all the doors at the jetways slammed shut.

Turns out it wasn't related to my partner but we still got all kinds of pointing and staringlater from people in the terminal who didn't know that. (And we never found out why the alarm went off -- when he was wanded, his zipper was the only metal on him.)

That was my first thought. But if you ignored them they would start shoving their tin badges in your face invoking their authoritah, and that would probably be followed by another round of millions of tax dollars being spent on a different color shirt and new badges (I'm thinking a hologram TSA logo in the center and flashing red LEDs at nine places around the edge) because the TSO's collective self-esteem would have been demolished and lord knows that having the TSOs feel good about themselves and their jobs is more important than any actual security being provided.

Back in 2002 I was with my girlfriend at PHX in the official Barry Manilow airline terminal (or whoever's name is on it) and we were two people from the WTMD and one of them shrieked "BRAVO!!!" and slammed shut these flimsy plastic roll doors to block the WTMD. We all stood there with the big "w-t-f" question mark over our heads and about 120 seconds later they all opened up the roll doors and acted like nothing was wrong.

Good to see they are still practicing the same kabuki security in 2009. It's become such a hassle that this frequent flyer is going to be driving the 'Vette to some jobs in surrounding states instead of flying. The TSA has started demanding that I take every last wire out of my computer bag, my tools get rifled through, it's becoming more and more difficult to do my job when I get there because of all the nonsense security. Last summer I drove from Chicago to Denver--TWICE--because I didnt need to deal with the hassle. Even at $4.71 a gallon it was a lot easier and more fun than flying.

--PP

My head hurts after reading some of these.....I was going to post a 1,000 word explanation but I can't do it. Based on the OP as stated it doesn't matter who yelled "Everybody Freeze". You simply do not have to do it. I am not saying what you should or should not do. I am saying that after all the smoke cleared you would be fine. This is not a question and answer post. If you disagree, don't bother telling me. :cool:

*****

This is the reason I no longer carry cash to the airport. If a checkpoint monkey steals one of my credit cards, I'll report it stolen and name one of the thugs as the thief. I'm sure AmEx would LOVE to file criminal charges against them. Next time they try to steal anything I'll make sure to file something with the appropriate District Attorney also. Anyways, cash stays on my person, at all times. And if they try to grope me out of it, well I'll be sure to have my lawyer on speed dial so I can report this incident of sexual harassment.

And as for the "freeze" nonsense, if questioned by an officer I'll just start speaking in French. Or just tell them I needed to use the restroom and I'm not crapping in my pants, not even if my own mother was hanging off a cliff (ok maybe not, but you get the point, my biological needs come before some stupid useless fake security drill-yeah, a terrorist would really ACTUALLY listen to them :rolleyes: ). And by "officer" I mean a cop, not a checkpoint monkey. A checkpoint monkey will be ignored, without exception.

So next time this happens, immediately after the "all clear" yell "Bravo! Bravo!" at the top of your lungs and begin applauding the "Great performance!" and see what sort of reaction you get.

Well there's your problem.

TSA is operating sans management.

Sounds like a new dance sensation ...