TSA Stuff

Nov 24, 2010 13:05

There was a time when I used to be a model. I was frequently asked to pose in little or no clothing. If you know where to look, it's not actually all that hard to find nude photos of me ( Read more... )

civil liberties, boycotts, tsa, law, civil rights, links, transgender rights

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Comments 11

the_celestia November 24 2010, 22:32:04 UTC
To this I would add just one thing: The individual in the blue shirt you encounter at the search point is DOING THEIR JOB. THEY are not who you have the issue with. Most of them are not even full-time, their pay is crap, and they take verbal abuse all day long from the same entitlement gits who try to carry on a 30" suitcase and recline their seat in your face. Take it up with a Supervisor or Management.

As a close relation of a front-line TSA employee, I can assure you the blue-shirts did NOT design this policy nor do they enjoy performing it.

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jimkeller November 25 2010, 00:17:57 UTC
I concur with this sentiment completely. If you're polite and courteous with the TSA, you'll have a better experience, whether you should be forced to undergo that experience or not...

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the_celestia November 25 2010, 01:55:25 UTC
Agreed...and honestly I was appalled to learn that I am paid more an hour to sell lottery tickets and collect prescription co-pays than these people are (and while we do average 4-6 abusive customers in a day, I've seen that many just going through airport security to get on my own flight).

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gotham_bound November 24 2010, 22:55:21 UTC
Right to travel? I have legalistic problems with that phrase, but never mind them because I agree with the spirit and only rarely enjoy playing devil's advocate. In any case, I look at this from the perspective of a right to privacy ( ... )

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gotham_bound November 24 2010, 23:12:27 UTC
Urk. went on for a ways that is more ranty than what I had in mind. Very sorry. I try to keep ranting to my own blogs. Just... I have been thinking about how this affects friends who might have the unexpected private detail and it's frustrating to think the only thing the so-called grown up world can advise is suck it up.

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jimkeller November 25 2010, 00:23:33 UTC
I certainly don't mind the rant.

The other group that's not getting as much attention as they should are the people with medical conditions. The gentleman whose urine collection bag was popped by a clumsy TSA pat-down is the most obvious example, as is the woman who had to take out her false breast and show it to everyone. But imagine someone who has a deformity, surgery, amputation, etc. that heretofore is comfortably hidden by clothing now needing to have images of that (or a pat-down to confirm what it is) broadcast to everyone. My dad has a pacemaker, and therefore cannot pass through a metal detector without tripping it. I imagine others with medical conditions are in a similar situation, virtually guaranteeing them the indignity every time they travel.

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gotham_bound November 25 2010, 05:34:58 UTC
I worry very much that this truly is just security theatre and the invasion of privacy and loss of personal secrets are completely in vain. Israeli behavioral scanning seems to work out quite well at the same time as being efficient and low impact to travelers. We always have to worry about bias of course - the ethical implications of prejudice as well as the possibility that it will create a blindspot for terrorists - but there are levels of backup security for the dangerous situations and of course the training Israeli security gets that is not part of a TSA agent's repertoire ( ... )

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jimkeller November 25 2010, 00:30:41 UTC
You're welcome. This one was fairly easy to put together, what with the entire blogosphere discussing this and all...

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jimkeller November 25 2010, 03:32:23 UTC
Unfortunately, U.S. sources are very reluctant to pick up stories sourced to U.K. publications, because of the very different journalistic standards applied in the two countries, so I'm not surprised they haven't picked up something first reported in the U.K., especially over Thanksgiving weekend. If they can verify it, expect to see more about it next week.

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