Whether it’s harassing elderly and disabled travelers, or breaking or even stealing valuables from passengers’ luggage, almost everyone has a low opinion of the Transportation Security Administration. Except, perhaps, for those who want to get in on the jackbooted action.
A recent UPI/Zogby poll found that 56% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the TSA. The poll of 5,932 adults conducted between April 13-16 has a margin of error of 1.3 percent. It’s easy to see why, when most people’s experience with the TSA involves long lines, senseless rules, rude and arrogant bureaucrats, and all too often, incidents like these:
Joe Worthey, 84, of Decatur, Ala., has lung cancer and is confined to a wheelchair. His wife Katie, 73, has cardiomyopathy. On their last trip through West Palm Beach (Fla.) International Airport, TSA screeners harassed the couple, they said, refusing to allow Katie to assist her husband with the screening procedures and confiscating their medicine.
“Joe was in a wheelchair,” she said. “He is weak as a kitten and was humiliated because he could not remove his belt and shoes. He needed assistance, and no one was helping him. When I came forward, the agent said, ‘Step back in line! What do we have? Someone else who doesn’t want to abide by the rules?’”
Worthey said she explained her husband’s illness and that “he can’t do this for himself. Again, the woman said, ‘You will step back in line.’ I walked away and started helping Joe.”
Worthey said when she asked for the agent’s supervisor, she came “and read me the riot act. I explained that we were not trying to disobey rules. I asked, ‘Do I look like a terrorist? Does he? What’s wrong with our country because we’re being treated like terrorists. We see people with backpacks, and you’re not stopping them.’” — Decatur Daily
The couple eventually made it home safely.
The TSA doesn’t care about you, so why should they care about your stuff? Bruce Bovold of Fargo, N.D., was transporting an antique typewriter in mint condition to Arizona to sell it to a collector. TSA screeners who “probably have never seen a typewriter before,” he said, apparently couldn’t figure out how to open the case it was in and ripped the typewriter out of its case without unlatching it first, causing damage to it.
I am very upset with TSA and the youth they hire to handle valuable property people are carrying with them on their flights. If a person is too young to know how to inspect something that they know nothing about, a director with some knowledge should be called in.
Later I tried to talk to one of the TSA workers about the damage and he stuck his nose up at me and walked away from me.
I feel the only terrorism on my flight was caused by the destruction of my property by the young inexperienced TSA baggage checkers. — The Fargo Forum
A Sacramento, Calif., boy got a trip to San Diego and $265 for his birthday. When Jeffery Martin, 12, flew home, he put his wallet in his checked luggage. And on arrival, his luggage had been ransacked and his wallet — and money — were gone. TSA inspectors are supposed to leave an identifying tag inside your baggage when they inspect it, but in this case the thief of course didn’t. In San Diego, there are no video cameras watching the TSA screeners who handle checked baggage.
“I had one hundred, three fifties, one ten, and five ones,” he says.
“We got home he was excited to open it up and show me all his birthday money. He brought it in and opened it up and it was just like it had been ransacked,” says Jeffery’s mom Kim. . . .
Jeffery’s claim to get his money back has been assigned to a TSA investigator. But he and his mom would like to see cameras, or something that offers more security protection. — KOVR-TV
TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said that 173 TSA employees have been fired for stealing since 2003, when airport security was Chavez-ized. That’s small comfort to the millions of travelers whose greatest fear when flying is no longer terrorism, but how their own government will harm them next.
Not everyone feels this way, of course. After all, in order for there to be jackbooted thugs, there have to be people with the thug mindset who want to be jackbooted thugs. In Salem, Ore., which is set to open a regional airport next month, 500 people crowded in last month to apply for eight part-time TSA jobs. Despite the positions offering only 20 hours per week, the pay is $13.30 an hour with health care benefits thrown in.
The crowd at Mission Mill was a mix of college students, retired people and others looking for a career change.
Raymond Ortiz, a former limo driver, stood in a long line waiting for the TSA’s presentation. Screening baggage looks more appealing than dealing with rush-hour traffic, he said.
Also among the prospective TSA screeners was a familiar face in local politics: Kasia Quillinan, who served on the Salem City Council from 2000 to 2004.
“This is a wonderful way for me to continue giving service to the city,” said Quillinan, who has retired from practicing law. The former city councilor said she learned patience during her time with the city, which should be an asset for a screener. — Salem Statesman Journal
Translation: I miss being a rude and arrogant bureaucrat who gets to tell others what to do and threaten them if they don’t do what I want, how I want it. But with only two flights a day, you’ll have to have patience waiting for the next passenger to show up for their working over.
Personally, I’d rather be in rush hour traffic.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
Gardner Goldsmith explains why claims by politicians that consumers can become "irrational" and why claims by the same politicians that government can help "fix" markets are both false and misleading. He also explains what the terms Praxeology and Epistemology mean, which is key in understanding how to place free markets in their proper place among human history.
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Brad Warbiany
May 07, 2007
The story about the kid getting his wallet stolen is horrible… And I’ve long been fearful of a similar thing.
I homebrew beer, and being an aficionado of beer, I tend to enjoy picking up special regional beer when I travel. Ever since the stupid rules about liquids, I have to check my luggage when I do that. So I go to great lengths to make sure I pack any beer very well, such that it would be nearly impossible to break en route. And then I get my bag home, see the little TSA tag, and notice how they’ve destroyed my nice packing job.
At least, to this point, I’ve never had it confiscated. Which is surprising, because the homebrew is in completely unlabeled bottles, so I’m sure the TSA troglodytes probably see it and are unsure how to handle it.
Michael Hampton
May 07, 2007
Ah, yes, I remember the days.
Back in 1997 or so I flew from Kansas City to Boston, with a stop in Detroit, and carried a six-pack on board with me. Nobody batted an eye when it went through the X-ray machine. Both times.
What’s more, the planes didn’t fall out of the sky either.
Lergnom
May 07, 2007
We had a bad enough experience with commercial aviation that when we travelled to Florida, it was on the auto train. Expensive? Yes. Slower than flying? To be sure.
However, there were no luggage restrictions, since we piled alll of our stuff in the car and carried overnight bags on, and we didn’t have to remove articles of clothing in order to board.
Fixer
May 07, 2007
It’s the lack of ethics and overabundance of ignorance at TSA that caused me to leave the agency. As I mentioned in another post, if something is stolen from your checked baggage, you must file a claim. The subsequent investigation is handled by management at the airport where the incident occurred. On many occasions there is little motivation to conduct a thorough investigation since there are no camera systems to help determine who searched your bag. There is also little motivation to make the agency look worse by finding yet another thief.
Many of the folks vying for the part-time positions are probably operating under the same illusion that most of us were – that working for the federal government meant good benefits and job security. They’d be better off applying to the Post Office, and that’s not saying much. There are certainly others, however, that just want the power. I’ve seen some of them in action as well.
Fixer
May 07, 2007
Of course people have a negative opinion of the TSA.
It’s an un-American, classless, organized crime racket that should never have been created.
It is run by people who have no security experience and that is why people are forced to remove their shoes and put liquids in a bag. Neither of these stupid measures does anything for security because explosives cannot be mixed in the manner that the TSA claims and premade explosives do not have to be put into shoes for people to take them past the porous checkpoints.
Those who work for the TSA have sold out their country for money. They are conspirators for those fascists who were quite erroneously appointed to positions of authority.
Shame on anyone who works for TSA!
dj svach
May 07, 2007
Last month florida fort lauderdale to detroit … while waiting to board we bought 2 bottles of water from the vendor in the concourse and proceeded through to screeners where they confiscated and threw it into the trash and was discouraged when the same vendor came through scanners with cases of exactly the same water to sell the captive cattle on the other side of the gate at a premium… again! govermental stupidity. when I approached the tsa guard with the weapon, he agreed on my comments of the stupidity of the action and said only .. “just remember who did this to us” my thought is, now just who are the terrorists and did they get the results they were after, the removal of our freedoms? if we had our security bar codes tatooed on our arms we would be feeling safer, right? .. like marching to the gas chambers… stamped, stripped, property stolen and processed.
Rocket
May 07, 2007
I have not seen a good acronym for TSA, but now I think I have one (I’m sure someone else thought it before me):
TSA: Terrorizing Simple Americans
Nick Walker
May 07, 2007
…they go into my suitcase (checked luggage) and find a flashlight. A very nice small (about 6 inch) led 9 light with 4 aaa batteries. For some unknown reason the ass bites have to destroy the front lens and tear the led module out, of course ruining the light. No notice left…..the front lens (small plastic circular piece) missing from the pile of broken parts inside the case. At least have the balls to admit what you have done. A bunch of kids with no supervision or training, running loose on personal property.
Nick Walker
May 07, 2007
why does the comment name already have someone else’s name in it???
Fixer
May 07, 2007
Post #5 was not made by me. I am compelled, however, to respond to the author of post #5 who wrote, “Those who work for the TSA have sold out their country for money.” I know personally several hundred uniformed TSA personnel (screeners). Most are good people, trying to make a living at a job that offers little more than a paycheck. In many areas, TSA jobs are among the best paying, making it a difficult proposition to choose between making a living and subjugating oneself to the indignity. These people know that their training leaves much to be desired, that the processes they follow are idiotic and that their superiors are incompetent. They also know it’s damned difficult to quit a job on conscience and still support a family.
It is the upper echelon at TSA, however, that truly bears responsiblity for creating this bizarre and dysfunctional aviation security system. This group is found both at airports, where poorly qualified and self-serving management sit around collecting $50,000+ a year to make poor decisions, and in D.C., where these ludicrous procedures and policies are written by the finest bureaucrats your tax dollars can buy. These are the ones that find new ways to creatively violate your civil rights while maintaining a climate of fear sufficient to justify their continued existence. They are the ones selling out their country, and constitution, for money.
Rob
May 07, 2007
As current screener I can see why people have issues with the TSA. I think we are probably at or above the IRS as one of the most disliked agencies in the Federal Gov. And to add salt to the wounds there was a recent Federal employee survey that rated TSA at 221 out of 222 Federal agencies (which was improvement over last year when we placed 222.) Aside from all that I feel we are making a difference and we thwarting terrorism. Our only gauge is that we haven’t been attacked since 9/11. People will have to soon realize that the world doesn’t revolve around them. That we do what we do to ensure safe passage for all 670 million people that fly every year. It’s unfortunate that some people have had bad expierences with TSA but that’s going to happen from time to time especially when there is the human factor involved. We are not robots, or sensless, arrogant bureaucrats like some of commentors have said but people who have good days and bad just like everybody else. I can’t speak for the 42000+ security officers that currently make up the TSA but I will tell you this I do this because I like to work with people and I feel in a small way I’m contributing to the security of my country. I will take the abuse, the vitriol, the bashing that my agency takes on a daily basis from passengers, congress, and the media but I’m secure in the knowledge that I make a difference no matter what anybody says.
Tom
May 08, 2007
I think people should also realize that if something in your bag is missing or broken it doesn’t automatically mean that a TSA Inspector did it. Your bag is also seen by numerous airline employees who make less than the TSA inspectors and don’t risk being fired from a federal job if they get caught. Thats not to say that it couldn’t be the TSA inspector who damaged your property or stole your bag, but you can’t just assume it was.
Michael Hampton
May 08, 2007
That’s true. In addition to being fired, airline employees risk being arrested and imprisoned if they steal your stuff. This risk isn’t seen to apply to TSA employees.
Disgruntled Ladye
May 08, 2007
Rob,
“People will have to soon realize that the world doesn’t revolve around them. That we do what we do to ensure safe passage for all 670 million people that fly every year.”
Most of us realize the world doesn’t revolve around us, but when I get my cane taken away from me long before I reach the screening area in the vast majority of airports, that is unacceptable. When I am threatened to have my life saving medications taken away from me I have to be ready to do battle. If I hear from one more TSA screener that my inhaler is an aerosol and not allowed (even with medical documentation), I will scream. If TSA screeners treated travelers with respect, we would be much more willing to put up with the inconveniences. As it stands, those viewed as “weak” among the general population (the disabled, the elderly, etc.), are bullied when they travel.
Tom
May 08, 2007
As a former screener I can tell you the risk is there. I was investigated more then once for alleged stealing. Any time a passenger made a complaint they questioned us and reviewed the tapes.
I also have to agree with disgruntled that you should not be treated that way. I know I always did my best to treat each passenger with respect especially the elderly. However it get hard sometimes when you’ve just got done getting yelled at by one passenger, your short staffed, haven’t had a break in 5 hours, and your working a 14 hour day to be kind and nice all the time.
ROBERTO VALDEMAR
May 08, 2007
I recently flew from Auckland New Zealand to Los Angeles.
When I got home I found that my bottle of vodka was gone and the only people who had access to my luggage was the New Zealand Security. So you see no only do they steal in the USA they are doing it in other countries. I now pack my luggage and as I am packing it I take photos of the contents with my digital camera..I also put the news paper with the date showing to prove this is current. This way I have proof
if anything is stolen again.
Rob
May 08, 2007
To Disgruntled ladye,
Your talking about a small percentage of people who need to get retrained in customer service. If it’s a real problem then you should fill out a complaint form, and if that doesn’t solve the problem then talk to your representative in congress. There are many avenues to pursue if this is truly the case. When I read about stories like this it bugs me to no end. This kind of treatment is not warranted and its not promoted by the TSA.
-Rob
Lady
May 08, 2007
TSA is not perfect and i’m sure there are people who abuse the little authority they have… but do you really know what happens to your luggage when you check it in? If you get to the airport 2 hours early (as suggested) TSA has your bag for about 2 minutes. In most cases it is x-rayed and sent on. If it needs to be opened, then they do so. Sure, they shouldn’t damage your items but if all your underwear aren’t folded back exactly the way you would fold them, do you really need to freak out about it? If you had their job would you take the time to make sure EVERYTHING is PERFECTLY organized and neat or would you just make sure all their belongings are put back into the bag and not lost… keep in mind, you have loads of luggage that still need to be screened!! Also, alot of checked bag screening is done out in the open… are they really going to take a laptop out of your bag with people walking past? i doubt it! and where would they hide it?
After that 2-5 minute screening, from what i observed, your bags are given to the airline. So while your sipping on a Starbucks latte waiting for the boarding call, your bags are sitting in a big room with airline employees for HOURS!! but people don’t think about that because they can’t see them. All they see is TSA so everything is automatically their fault. Think about it people… things were magically disappearing from checked bags WAY before TSA came on the scene. TSA is the best thing that ever happened to the airlines because now they never have to pay out claims. Most airlines will refer you to TSA for ANYTHING because they don’t want to deal with it. If you want to file a claim with an airline, you have about 24hrs to do it?!? Then they won’t even let you file a claim for most things…. read their fine print. Their employees know that and that’s why they have no problem taking things from bags. the bottom line is, between loading bags and unloading bags and layovers and all that crap, a lot of airline people have access to anything you put in your checked bag (so stop putting wallets full of money in them!). TSA has your bag ONCE for a few minutes. Think about it.
I travel a lot and TSA is usually the least of my problems. Within any large group of people you are going to find some bad seeds (look at the Chrisitian clergy), but that doesn’t mean we bitch about the entire organization. There are all kinds of good apples within TSA too.
Steve Truross
May 08, 2007
Please! All this whining about TSA makes me sick. Bottom line is that we live in a selfish society where everything we do is about ourselfs. I fly twice a week out of Burbank and into numerous airports and i watch and laugh when I see other passengers complain about everything, and the nonsence that they give to those screeners! If you read up on what you can take through the airport, you should not have any problems getting through security. EASY!!!
Thanks TSA!! I appreciate you guys!
Steve
Demize
May 09, 2007
Hey steve,why dont you go fuck yourself.Maybe you’ll thank the tsa.when they stick they’re finger in your anus to make sure you dont have any contraband.
Rob
May 09, 2007
Hey demize,
You use some colorful language to express yourself, tell me demize what do you do for a living? You seem so sure of yourself, and full of confidence when you use language like that, you should have no problem answering a simple direct question.
-Rob
Scott
May 11, 2007
99% of all TSA agents would find it difficult to get a job at McDonalds. Even that insults McDonalds employees.
WHY only 3.5 ozs? WHY only a “one quart sized bag”? Try to find answers, there are none – they make crap up.
Have they EVER, EVER found explosives hidden in a toothpaste tube? No. Have they EVER found explosives hidden in shoes? No. (The shoe bomber was on a flight from France where, ironically, you don’t have to remove your shoes.)
They are idiots. Again, my apologies to all the other idiots.
BUFFALO, NY TSA GUY
May 12, 2007
AS A FORMER WORKER FOR TSA, WE ARE NOT TAUGHT TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, WE ARE NOT TAUGHT TO THINK AT ALL.
THIS IS ASSEMBLY LINE WORK.
LETS TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE PEOPLE AND THEIR BEHAVIOR INSTEAD OF SHAKING DOWN MA & PA KETTLE BECAUSE THEIR AIRLINE TICKET REQUIRED THEM TO HAVE EXTRA SCREENING.
LETS SHORE UP SECURITY ENTERING THE AIRPORT GROUNDS, MAKING SURE PEOPLE ARE THERE TO TRAVEL OR PICK UP SOMEBODY. IF SOMEONE MAKES IT TO THE CHECKPOINT WITH SOME KIND OF DEVICE AND IS DISCOVERED–GAME OVER. LETS TAKE A LESSON FROM VEGAS CASINOS WHO KNOW WHO IS IN THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS AND TOSSED IF THEY SHOULD NOT BE THERE. LETS HAVE INDEPENDENT THINKERS INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING A FLOW CHART. IT’S A NEW WAR, LETS FIGHT IT THAT WAY. TO CATCH A SCUMBAG SOMETIMES YOU MUST THINK LIKE ONE. THEY HAVE NO VALUES INCLUDING THEIR OWN LIVES. LETS STOP TAKING TUBES OF $40.00 BATH AND BODY WORKS SPRAY, SEALED WATER BOTTLES(AND BEING PROUD OF IT) AND CONCENTRATE ON THE OUT OF THE ORDINARY STUFF.SOME WOKERS BEING IMPATIENT WITH OLDER TRAVELERS, ALL THAT I CAN THINK OF IS MY PARENTS GOING THROUGH THAT NIGHTMARE. LETS BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUR ACTIONS AND USE OUR INSTINCTS, I HAVE BECOME VERY DISSILLUSIONED WITH THE TSA AND DHS FOR THAT MATTER. NOT ONE PERSON CAN TAKE ACTION THEY MUST MOVE UP A 20 PERSON CHAIN OF COMMAND BEFORE RESULTS ARE SEEN.
pedro gringo
May 15, 2007
TSA was founded by our beloved idiot president after several USA haters hijacked a couple of airplanes and crashed them into some buildings. Do you feel any safer now than you did before?
TSA workers work there because they are too dumb to get a job at Starbucks or any other minimal paying job. The opportunity to be a petty beaurocrat is just too much of a temptation in an otherwise meaningless life for these under educated shiftless surprisingly overweight ( I really want to say FAT!)people that may have an IQ of -15.
The last time I flew into Raleigh, NC I had to pass thru TSA to get out of the airport, They didn’t give a rats ass about the 75 lbs of sterling silver in my carry on bag. They instead spent 25 minutes thoroughly inspecting the new Corgi Mini Cooper S that I had bought at the Duty free shop at London’s Gatwick airport for my son.
Its time to get rid of TSA and that asswipe in the white house that thinks he’s president!
Rob
May 15, 2007
To “pedro gringo”
Nice name if that’s what it really is. So tell me where do you work? How do you know what it takes to be a TSA officer? As far as being founded by our beloved president, it was not. It was introduced into congress by the democrats and it was for under the American Transportation Security Act in November of 2001. I would like to see what you do for a living and let me judge your existance of why you are here and what it takes to do your job. Don’t judge all screeners by the few that you happen to lower yourself talk to.
geri
May 16, 2007
Steve, do you also laugh at the people like that couple who was put through hell because they were disabled? Seriously, even the TSA workers hate being TSA workers. Just read the articles on how morale is in the pits there to realize that.
Sure, there are probably some good workers. I have met some really nice ones myself. But it’s a job that has a lot of stress, low morale and some people are probably there simply because they need the paycheck to support a family and don’t know how to get out of a job that is hell on earth.
And, yeah, there are some assholes that are there for a power trip too. They are the ones that make life a living hell for others. And who, when confronted by bad service, has not associated it with the organization that they were getting service from?
When we work for a company we respresent that company. Frankly, I think that alot of TSA workers are taking their cue from their superiors and acting like jackasses. It overshadows anyone in the TSA that is actually there for a job and thinks they are doing something worthwhile.
Sean
May 17, 2007
Rob | May 15, 2007 8:28 pm
So how much does TSA pay you to troll comments?
p.s. Eat shit and die you authoritarian fuck.
Rob
May 17, 2007
Beleive it or not Sean I troll comments for free. I see that I have upset you and and some of your cohorts by my comments that you have resorted to such primitive language. I mean you wrote two lines and all you could come up as salutation was “p.s. Eat shit and die you authoritarian fuck.” It’s unfortunate that you feel that way and that you feel that you need to express yourself in such vulgar manner. But hey that’s America you have the right to say that. Keep up the good writing and eventually you may get published.
-Rob
The Cheat
May 21, 2007
Meh!
Victoria York
Jun 04, 2007
I don’t understand there’s more than 35 people explaining how TSA stoled or damged their belongings. Isn’t there something we can do? I mean I can’t even take present for my family that live overseas because I am afraid that all my effort and money put towards gifts for them is going to get lost somehow!!!
Becky
Jun 14, 2007
Does anybody know who I can file a formal complaint with regarding my mother’s experience in Albuquerque? She is a senior who had major hip replacement. When she goes through security she sets off the system with her metal hip. The security personal ignore her card, literally slapping it out of her hands and then proceed to grope her. They have squeezed her breasts and grabbed her butt. They even have put their fingers in her belly button. She is convinced they are all lesbians and are just looking for an excuse to get off on their perversions. The elderly need an advocate. Where can I go?
Rob
Jun 14, 2007
Becky your full of crap
Becky
Jun 18, 2007
Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Which part don’t you like? It’s truth! Sometimes truth hurts. There is a major disfunction in airport security. I need to know who is protecting our seniors from being attacked and abused. If you can’t help me keep your comments to yourself.
Rob
Jun 18, 2007
If you really had problrm with the way your mother getting “groped” or “abused” by TSA the nyou should’ve lodged a complaint the supervisor on duty or the Federal Security Director for that airport. They would’ve investigated it by looking at the video and then if there was foul play involved those screeners would’ve been either terminated (which is likely the case) or they would’ve seriously reprimanded along with hours if not weeks of retraining in order to keep there jobs. But since you didn’t say anything to anybody except this blog then in all likelyhood it probably didn’t happen. That is why I think your full of it.
-Rob
David
Jun 24, 2007
Wow, it’s great to know that Becky thinks someone can flash a card and be sent merrily on their way. For some strange reason I think the “honor system” isn’t very secure.
Luis
Aug 12, 2007
TSA agents can be really nice, I’ve met a few.. but they are VERY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. For the most part they are rude and feel high and mighty at the fact that they get to boss people around, bark orders like drill instructors and take people’s stuff with no rhyme or reason.
Had a funny expirience two days ago flying from Orlando to San Diego. I was flying with my mother who had requested a wheelchair during check-in because of a fall she had had two days prior. She couldn’t walk much because of the pain.
I push her to security and am told to cut accross the lines by several agents and to wait with the chair next to the metal detector. An agent walks up and is pretty nice. Explained that she would help my mom with her shoes and subsequent scan with the hand held device and that in the meantime I should put my shoes etc into the bin and place them into the xray machine. Now remember, I had been instructed to cut ahead of people and finally instructed to place my container at the head of the other trays allready there.
Well as Im doing this I get yelled at by the TSA agent monitoring the machine. “HEY HEY!! STOP! YOU CANT JUST PUT YOUR STUFF IN HERE AHEAD OF THE OTHERS!!” I tell him to “KINDLY STOP YELLING AT ME” and that I was just following the other agent’s instructions. As he is about to yell at me again the TSA agent that was screening my mother walks up and starts arguing with Mr Xray Agent. They get into this long argument about how she is being efficient and that I have priority because I am with my disabled mother who gets to pass first. The guy in turn is arguing that “HE JUST CANT PLACE HIS THINGS AHEAD” but not giving any real reason as to why.
My TSA agent won and my things went through ahead of others as my mom was passed ahead to the swab test on the chair. As she brings the swab to the two agents with the residue detection machine they tell her that she would have to wait. She tells them “NO, take it and place it with the machine, no reason to have to wait” And it was true, there WAS NO REASON to wait, except for the fact that these other two agents had been interrupted in their conversation they were having and probably didn’t care that an older lady in a wheelchair would have to wait till they were good and ready.
Whoever the nice TSA agent was, sadly I didn’t notice her name tag, I thank you. To the others, even Mc Donalds would not hire you with your IQs of 5.
Jojo
Aug 16, 2007
Hello all! I used to work for a major airline here in Virginia and loved the TSA folks. What a tough job, everyone thinks it is OK to hate them and they are just doing what they are trained to do, and they do it cheerfully for the most part. They are so overworked and understaffed that it is no wonder if they are tired of telling you “water IS a liquid!”. As for the moron who bought water on the concourse…your fault. I travel all over this country and have yet to see a kiosk or store that does not post a notice about not taking beverages through security. The employees of my former airline and fellow airline employees was incredibly horrific with items being stolen from luggage all the time, baggage being mishandled, and generally not taking the job or your safety seriously.
PS. Don’t drink the coffee or use the ice on any airplanes and avoid the lav at ALL COSTS!
Luis
Aug 16, 2007
Hey Clue us in on the whole ICE and Coffee situation in airplanes. I can guess it has to do with the water quality but.. does it have to do with the lavs!! O_o
Jojo
Aug 17, 2007
Coffee urns are rarely cleaned, and when they are it is using hose water and very close (splashing distance) to where the lav cart is (you know, the cart full of human waste! There is a rule about how far the potable water cart and the lav cart can be to each other and this rule was broken every day. I can’t count the number of times I have seen flight attendants stir/push the ice into the chest with bare hands and the ice chests don’t get cleaned either. Think of a plane just like your Uncle Ed’s motor home that he uses four hunting and fishing once in a awhile, and I bet his motor home is cleaner. is interesting reading also-called Stye in the Sky.
James
Aug 31, 2007
Although I agree that our “security measures” have gotten a little out of control, I’m suprised that all of you have forgotten the one necessity: life. In order for us to survive, do we not need jobs? That’s all TSA is: A job. Sure, it seems shady but I spent four years in the military and I’m telling you guys, you’ve seen nothing! It seems like everyone in the military is a thug or criminal. You complain about theft of money; I had guys that would steal my toothbrush! Tell me, what’s worse? I’m not defending these people, I agree they need to change the way things are done, but don’t forget; your working in an airport were you deal with thousands of self-important, techno dicks, that don’t have time for anyone but themselves. Trust me, your not all as nice as you think you are when your going through the airport.
John
Oct 08, 2007
First of all before you say something negative about a working class of people, do one thing first, get your facts straight. The TSA officials that screen your luggage are called Security Officers not TSA Inspectors. TSA Inspectors do not screen luggage, they are Transportation Security Inspectors, in charge of regulating the transportation systems of this country, to include, Aviation, Rail, Pipe Line, Highways and Martitime.
Bryan
Oct 14, 2007
I have been to something like 60 or 70 countries and I have never been as treated as much like a criminal as I have upon leaving or returning to my own country. No country can compare. Not China. Not Cuba. Not Indonesia or Malaysia. Honestly no country except the US requires you to do things like remove your shoes and pats you down and puts you through as many security checkpoints. I was picked out of line on my last flight leaving the country.
They interrogated me for over an hour. In fact I think it may have been an hour and a half. And when I say interrogated, I mean it. They asked me some questions 4 or 5 times in a row, apparently not satisfied with my answers. They asked me hundreds of personal questions about my life and what I did for work and my family. At first I answered their questions calmly but later did try to resist their questions to some degree, asking if I needed a lawyer or if they were charging me with anything. I can’t remember what they told me, but it seemed clear that they had the power to detain me as long as they wanted. As it was I very narrowly made my plane (last call).
They wanted to know about why I traveled to various countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines. So is just visiting these countries grounds to suspect me of being a terrorist? I think they selected me actually because I was unshaven. For various reasons I had not had time to shave that morning. So of course I must be a terrorist. The Terrorist Handbook clearly states that a terrorist is never to have a day’s beard growth. It is expressly forbidden.
Having said all this I don’t think the TSA people are any worse than State Troopers or most local police officers. All law enforcement types were bullies as children and find near sexual levels of satisfaction at having ultimate authority over people. I wonder if some of them were abused as children, maybe beaten. And so they feel they want to hurt other people the way they have been hurt themselves. So they get jobs with the TSA. Sorry, folks but it aint the money. That’s naive. These people are getting other kinds of satisfactions from the job. They get to feel *powerful*. And indeed they do have nearly absolute power within their domain.
Incidentally, does anyone know if it is against the law to give the TSA security people the finger or to say “fuck you you stupid pricks”? That sort of thing. I can’t tell you how much satisfaction that would give me. I’d like to see their hands move to their pistols. I believe saying such things is indeed against the law with police officers, at least in my state. You are not allowed to insult them in any way. It is a serious offense. Not sure if it is actually classified as a felony.
It’s ironic to me that the only country that treats me like a suspect in a crime upon exiting or arriving (not a nice way to welcome me back to the ‘land of the free’) is my own. And I am a white skinned US Citizen. I cannot even imagine what it is like to enter or leave the US as a foreigner or if your skin is not lily white. If our tourist numbers are not way down due to our airport thugs who seem to think they are members of the Gestapo, then they damn well should be.
L
Nov 30, 2007
I feel really bad for the kid that lost his birthday money, but that is exactly why you do should never check important items. TSA can’t be trusted. keep your valuables with you.
Paco
Dec 30, 2007
Bryan,
Obviously you have not been to the philippines in the last 8yrs, the security check points there are much tougher then the US, they used to pat EACH person before they got on the plane.
When you change planes in Japan, you go through the same security check as you get here. You dont even enter the country. So maybe you should relax, give yourself some extra time to go through security, and be happy that we have something in place to protect the flying public.
I think some TSA personnel need some retraining on cust service, but for the few minutes of delay going through the checkpoint – You have to admit, they must be doing something right – NOT ONE TERRORIST HAS TAKEN OVER A PLANE SINCE 9/11.
Good job TSA, I for one am happy they are there.
Michael Hampton
Dec 30, 2007
The reason not one terrorist has taken over a plane since 9/11 is because none have tried. If they actually DID try, they would succeed spectacularly, because the so-called “security” in airport security is actually security theater. It provides little real security.
Paco
Jan 02, 2008
Dont you wonder why they havent tried? bec they stand a chance they will get caught. Even if you believe its some kind of theater, the act is keeping the bad guys away – isnt that a good thing? gosh, cut them some slack – what would you put in their place? They are not perfect, but you have to admit, its better than nothing, and certainly better then what was in place before 9/11.
Smiles in line
Jan 02, 2008
Michael, Paco is right.
The TSA is protecting us every day and you should be grateful for them. Just get to the airport early, follow the guidelines on the TSA website for carry on items and get on with your life. Or take the bus! I remember 9/11 and I am happy that they are there protecting me and my country.
Michael Hampton
Jan 02, 2008
Unfortunately, you and Paco are very, very wrong, and no amount of the wishful thinking you’re engaging in will make you right. What you see at the airport is not security and is not making you safer. It’s making you less safe. Once you understand that, maybe we can actually do something about making air travel safer.
See the latest for more information.
Frequent Flyer
Jan 02, 2008
Michael,
Why do you hate the TSA so much? Full cavity search? I also think you should take the bus.
It is not a perfect system, but when the TSA does find threats they are not publicized for fear of copycats. Think Virginia Tech, Omaha, Colorado…if some moron knows that you can make a bomb from a pack of gum them someone else can and will try it.
Yes, there are unhappy TSA employees, especially at the larger airports-but they are there trying to protect us not only from the enemy, but from ourselves.
Paco
Jan 02, 2008
Yes I agree, TSA is not perfect, but it is what we have in place and it is better then nothing. I think you must LOVE the security on Greyhound or Amtrak – oh wait…THEY HAVE NONE. mabe you want to take the same approach as those guys and maybe you should give them your business if you hate TSA so much.
I think you just have nothing better to do then bitch about everything if its not perfect, TSA will never be perfect – but all things considered, we are safer with them than without.
If they do such a bad job, how would you protect the flying public?
Paco
Jan 02, 2008
also please tell us how TSA is making us LESS safe??
Michael Hampton
Jan 03, 2008
I have said several times how the TSA makes you less safe. I have also said several times what to do about it. If you are unable to read, that is not my problem. Here’s a hint: if it’s blue and underlined, click on it.
teflonboi
Jan 18, 2008
I have to agree with the conclusion of this article. “I’d rather drive in rush hour traffic” than work for Tsa.
teflonboi
Jan 21, 2008
Now I drive buses for a public transit agency. Yes , I have driven rush hour traffic since I have had this job.
So, I think I really don’t mind driving a bus in rush hour traffic; I think I would rather do that than work for TSA.
This was my first holiday season that I didn’t have to work in an airport. I can rejoice in that wonderful fact that life after TSA is wonderful. I can say that working in an airport is a bunch of drama that is worse than driving a bus in rush hour traffic.
blah blah blah
Jan 23, 2008
Michael Hampton you are a fucking duschebag. The link you provided show NO examples of how the TSA make flying “less safe.” Not even one. Read the same article you posted yourself. Maybe your reading comprehension is inadequate; either that, or you have an education level of the three year old whining cry baby girl you portray.
blah blah blah
Jan 23, 2008
Oh and what kind of lame ass is proud of driving a freaking bus? (teflonboi). Go get your GED numbnuts, that way you can serve me my king size fries!
teflonboi
Jan 23, 2008
It sounds like you need to get an education , yourself blah blah blah.
I am not the only one there with a college education, there are many more like myself with college degrees.
Good day!
Michael Hampton
Jan 23, 2008
Hey, “blah blah blah,” it’s not my fault if you are unable to comprehend plain English. It’s also not my fault that you weren’t educated well enough to spell correctly. In other words, check yourself.
Disadvantaged Soul
Nov 14, 2009
I had a job interview in boston – 2 week I went thru screen and other interview, 2009 was a bad economy etc and every thing
I get my final interview last interview, its me vs 1 other fella
I was meetng CEO, COO, 2 Project Managers, 2 Architetcs and base workers in company
I go in buy myself a 400$-500$ career suit , and whole deal.
I had my flight at 6:45 , I get there at 5:00 am
When I get to the border thing I get stopped
And I miss my flight just because someone had to punch my name in some list – ( I have travelled 40+ times in out usa)
Every time average wait of 1-2 hour
So …………….just like that … I missed my flight and lost chance to work for company that did work for JFK library and other projects, and alot of universities …
The officer then goes, ok I have removed your name from list (I have been told this 10 times , and every time I fly same shiat happens)
So the very next day I got things reschedualed , and guess what … SAME shiat … happend I explained to him that look I have gone thru this yesterday was cleared but the company cancelled my interview…
Same shit , 1 hour wait , my plane got delayed I reached my intervie 1 hour late , sat in 6 hours interview came home….
I knew they would not hire me since its a client facing job if I will get stopped at airport I can have a livlyhood..
So I was depressed for 2-3 weeks …
Go another chance in chicago … company asked me to start monday knowing how the TSA treats me , I said you know what I can’t make it monday I will start tuesday , as expected …
The dude at counter makes some horrible remarks at my degree etc I am doing this a favor to you so you can work
I was stopped for 1-1.5 hours at airport and made to miss my flight !!! …. again …. my flight was at 8 somethning ..
they let me go at 8:06 , I can’t submit my luggage , now so I went out and got another flight in … 5 hours later…
So I had to wait for 5 more hours … I went in the line to the border thing again …
Then at the place where you take off your shoes and stuff , this african american girl , makes me take off my jacket , then my tie then my belt , I like lady come on , I have already put every thing in , then she goes and give me a weddy from front of my pant it totally pissed me off ….
Them the whole ethnic crew came in , oh … this and that while this fat lady starts doing this crazy ass check on my items , with this scanner I like man what a load of waste of tax payers money its nothing short of harassment ….
I explained to the man , listen this is not , security this is harassment – then this dude makes commnets oh you know how its is sir , you have a ethnic name etc blah blah blah …
When I reach my hotel ……after 10 hours for flight that should have taken a normal white person 1 hour
I open my bag , i noticed … a post card from TSA oh by the way we also opened your luggage ….and if we damaged your items we are sorry but we are not liable for nothing …
So I checked my bag … and although my bag was 100% with out any lock , one side of my bag was cut .. it had a sorta steel section it seemed like some idiot tried to open it with a scissors like thing , even when the bag had no lock on it …
So … I don’t know ..
I worked for 2 weeks for new company , I went to open a bank account they stopped for for 1 hours , I had told a cab to wait for me , as normally it takes 20 min to open a account took me 1 hour plus, and I was charged $50.0 dollars, when it should have costed me 5$ only for my cab ride…
I mean its thing like this that make me want to question really is this security or is this just harassment –
I am sure thereare other ppl out there that face discrimination like this … there is no way to communicate with personnel as they do not care..
Also how good the so called security is , I travlled with my mamager once I had a brand new jacket I was wearing I put that down on the … security belt by the time i got out somedude stole my jacket and ran away leaving behind his old jacket … I asked them to get my jaket back and no one helped me one bit …
I am just depressed at the discrimination – and sad
Former TSA
Nov 14, 2009
Dear Disadvantaged Soul.
You would not have gotten the job anyway. You English skills are so poorly lacking that I doubt you could afford a suit.
The TSA is a pain, understood. However, your story does not ring true.
Good luck with that management job at McDonalds…not that there is anything wrong with that.
Former TSA-and NOT proud of it
Michelle
Dec 26, 2009
Becky isn’t the only one who’s dealt with abusive TSA reps.
1) My future grandmother-in-law, while going through security to see my fiance give his thesis defense, made two big mistakes: wearing an underwire bra and wearing a money belt. Definitely a stupid move. But did it merit two male guards yelling at her, angrily taking her away to a soundproof room and strip searching her for almost an hour while her family waited not knowing anything about her whereabouts or safety? She’s softspoken and can barely walk – she’s 73!
2) On a domestic flight two years ago, my fiance was dressed down by TSA reps for what they believed to be “drug paraphernalia” and taken aside for an interrogation. Eventually they called in their superiors, one of whom came down for the interrogation. He took one look at what had been described as a bong, looked at the TSA rep, and said “son, this is the ONLY good way to make a decent cup of coffee.” It was a french press. He almost missed his flight because of this ridiculous misunderstanding.
3) Three months after 9-11, one of my best friends was incensed at being treated rudely by another TSA rep and made a smart-ass remark, something along the lines of “up yours”. TSA responded by arresting her, herding her and her family into some random private room, stripping her naked, and doing a body cavity search on her in front of her parents and brother. She was denied female TSA reps to perform the search. At the time, she was 22 and well-endowed.
All three of these people are lily-white. I dread what would have happened if they were anything but.
That said, I’ve dealt with rude TSA reps but nothing outlandish. I’ve actually known some very kindly TSA reps, and if I’m friendly and polite they let me pass with no incident. I also take great pains to follow the rules, pack properly, avoid liquids, etc. But that doesn’t guarantee me anything. I could easily be a victim of theft, sexual harassment, random detainment, or worse. It’s a crapshoot, really – totally dependent on the airport or who happens to be doing the screening at any given time. That makes me feel much less safe than I had before the TSA was created.
Former tsa
Dec 27, 2009
TSA reps cannot make an “arrest”. They are not the law. Please share your stories, but tell the truth and don’t exaggerate!
Anonymous
Dec 29, 2009
T-otally S-tupid A-ssholes
Stephanie
Jan 01, 2010
The new TSA rules are dumb as fuck. It’s not right that we can only have 1 piece of carryon luggage. I flew to Portugal before this incident with 2 full pieces of carryon luggage, FILLED with valuables… and now they expect me to only take 1 back with me on the plane. Great, so that mean s I can have all my valuables stolen by those dumb ass TSA fuckers with sticks lodged up their asses, because they were never actually smart enough to get a real job.