This isn't meant to be another tirade against the TSA, but I just can't help but shriek at this video of a TSA agent giving a six-year-old girl a full-body patdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtOMPbooFzU I'll refrain from saying anything beyond that...
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We were traveling with our 3 month old daughter and because her stroller failed the chemical swab test, and couldn't fit through the x-ray, they pattened down our baby. We held her up by the armpits and the TSA agent patted her down. It was a female agent and she at least seemed good with kids. Should have snapped a picture...
And the funniest part of all, all of this is DAMN USELESS. A damn cover up for the public to not fret and "feel" secure when in reality they are worst off than 10 years ago.
Few grams of some potent anthrax inside a body cavity, then release that on a few planes around the US simultaneously, woop woop the US is in for a biggg one...
DAMN JOKE.
At least the kid didn't freak out. I saw a 4-5 year old get patted down at the gate in ORD in 2002 and she started crying. It was so sad. 🙁
Not that this is right, but how would you all run TSA. There's nonstop TSA bashing that at times gets tiresome and repetitive.
How do you recommend running security on such a large scope? It seems as if no one ever has solutions, just gripes.
@Jay
There has been many questions asked by passengers which have gone unanswered by the TSA. There have been many suggestions given at the TSA blog, that go unheeded.
The TSA said that how it handles security is "not up for discussion."
So even if there were suggestions, the TSA has indicted they are not even going to listen.
I'd dump TSA and have no security. I'd still fly, same as I go to shopping centers and ride public transportation in many places around the world with no security.
If we must have something resurrect the puffers and spend the money in resolving whatever issues there were instead of mothballing working technology in favor of easily defeatable technology that further violates rights.
It really bothers me that crap like this happens, yet I just (inadvertently) flew SEA-AMS-AUH-AMS with a boxcutter in my carry on. It was confiscated in Amsterdam on the way back home to SEA, on the sixth time my bag was x-rayed. There was the TSA checkpoint at SEA, a pre-boarding screening before boarding AMS-AUH, a screening exiting AUH, a screening entering AUH on the return, and a screening before boarding in AUH. It not only shows the incapability of the TSA to start with, but also the lapses in security internationally, as well. Even private security (G4S) failed once, and the UAE's military (in AUH) missed it thrice. This was a complete mistake on my part, as I had forgotten about it from long ago, but I really think we need to focus on these sorts of things before victimizing little children.
So I take it everyone thinks a young child couldn't be used to carry illegal goods on board? You know not all terrorists are bearded arab-looking men in their 20s and 30s.
Wouldn't it be profiling of some kind if you exclude any passengers based on age, sex or appearance?
@Toula: True, anything/anyone can be a threat. The question is if this is the most effective way. If we want to use the argument of anything/anyone, then nothing stops the TSA to make anything they want without any legal aid.
Hmmm... My 3 yr old always asks to be patted down when we pass security because he thinks its fun 🙂
funny what would u say if this happend in Israel or the baby was arab? get real
@Toula: It wouldn't be profiling if we excluded all passengers from security checks.
First of all I, just like most here, Think TSA is an absolute joke, and If it was up to me, I'd have no security what so ever so I can just check in and walk on my plane.
But for argument sakes, given that most of the public (whatever the reason is) is thinks security is necessary, and TSA isn't going anywhere, I'd have to say I agree with Toula and the TSA's approach on this one. If there's a specific age group or segment of the population they don't check, that's like the teacher at an exam walking away for 15 minutes while telling them not to cheat.
I thought to myself "what's the big deal" until I watched the video - sick! Poor child.
Is she wearing a Dora the Hijacker tshirt or something? Come on TSA.
This is institutionalized stupidity at its worst.
While I'm generally opposed to the TSA's brand of Security Theater, and I've actually refrained from air travel recently a few times to avoid this sort of nonsense, I do have to say that in this case, the TSA agent seemed (a) reasonably efficient at getting the unpleasantness over with as little fuss and hassle as practical, and (b) reasonably good with kids. Particularly with regards to (b), this is far from a universal trait among TSA agents.
On the substantive issue of these sorts of screening, the basic problem is simply one of arithmetic. In order to ensure airline safety, the TSA has to succeed 100% of the time, whereas the "bad guys" only have to get a bomb/gun/drugs/anthrax/whatever through once to succeed.
You Tube pulled it but it was captured on by other sites so it won't go away easily.
http://stoptsascanners.blogspot.com/2011/04/6-year-old-pat-down-in-new-orleans.html
http://revolutionarypolitics.tv/video/viewVideo.php?video_id=14536
Your link is dead. As of 10:30pm est 4-9-11 this one is good:
http://stoptsascanners.blogspot.com/2011/04/6-year-old-pat-down-in-new-orleans.html
@Easy Victor - Thanks. TSA screener will be every pedophile's dream job. Disgusting.
Anyone opposed to TSA's abusive tactics is invited to join us at Boycott Flying on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Flying/126801010710392
Not quite sure I understand why there is a difference between a 6 year old and a 25 year old. They both are capable of carrying explosives/weapons on board. If anything you are more likely to have a 6 year old carrying something on, because 25 year olds are much more obvious, and therefore more scrutinized targets. If you are doing these pat downs on people, you might as well give them to every demographic. And boycotting flying because of the TSA does absolutely nothing, you are only harming yourself by choosing not to fly.