Archive for the 'TSA' Category

PIX11:

LOS ANGELES — A breast-cancer patient said she felt violated and humiliated in a public TSA search at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday after two security agents put her through what she called an aggressive pat down.

Denise Albert, a frequent guest on the PIX11 Morning News and co-host of “The Moms,” was traveling through LAX security when two TSA agents pulled her aside for a manual search because she was trying to bring a necessary medical cream with her on her flight, Albert said.

“I always let them know I have a medical port and that I am wearing a wig,” says Albert.

Albert said she has brought the cream on previous flights and has shown it to TSA agents before without issue. This time, she was told if she wanted to carry the cream, she would need to undergo a full pat-down with pressure.

She posted a video to her Facebook page of the two TSA agents “aggressively attempt[ing] to do a body cavity search in public” after making Albert remove her shoes and explaining that they needed to conduct a full body search using “as much pressure” as they needed to.

Albert said she told the agents she could not remove her shoes since she was not wearing socks and had an infection on her feet, a side effect of her treatment and chemotherapy. So they let her sit down and remove her shoes.

“After at least 20 minutes of sitting there because they were debating how to proceed, I told them my feet were freezing,” Albert’s post reads. “Also a side effect from chemo. They refused to help me.”

Then, after a female TSA agent “forceabl[y] and aggressively” put her hands down the back of Albert’s jeans, the agents explained they would have to “apply pressure from head to toe” which presented another set of problems for Albert. She wears a wig and did not want them to remove it, and has a lumpectomy medical port in her chest, which she did not want agents to touch.

“I started crying,” said Albert. “It was overwhelming and horrific. I could not believe what was happening.”

After the female agent conducted a search and a supervisor arrived, Albert said her bags were emptied and she was made to feel humiliated once again after another agent joked about the fake eyelashes in one of Albert’s bags.

“I told her, it’s because I don’t have real ones from my cancer treatment,” Albert’s post reads.

Without going into too much detail, once while flying my wife was subject to similar humiliation.  This woman obviously doesn’t understand the TSA or their purpose.

The TSA is filled with hicks and goobers whose job it is to (a) act out security theater, and (b) perform intrusive acts of others.  They must do this for two reasons.

First, they must try to convince the ignorant masses that something good is happening and that the public is being protected.  Of course, that’s all a lie.

The second reason is that this numbs and desensitizes the public to intrusive behavior of the federal government and makes them accustomed to government knowledge and approval of all aspects of our lives.

I’m sorry this happened to the woman, but she isn’t the first, and she won’t be the last until we rid ourselves of this ridiculous gaggle of miscreants and misfits.

Prior: TSA Category

Houston.com:

I’ve traveled through airports in Charlotte, Jackson Hole, Dallas, Phoenix and Albuquerque in the past year with firearms.  Virtually everything he said is wrong.

Or at least, if it isn’t wrong, it’s inconsistent with the way TSA dealt with me, and the TSA representatives with whom I dealt all did things differently.  No kidding, they are completely out of control and don’t know what they’re doing, not just at one or two airports, but nationally.

So let’s begin at the beginning.  First of all, lock your case while transporting your gun in the checked luggage, no matter what he said.  Declare your firearm at the ticket counter.  The airline will call for TSA.  From here things get confused, like Barney Fife is doing the work.

I’ve had TSA agents ask me to open my case (which is why I keep the keys to the lock handy).  I’ve had TSA agents look at the weapon, look at the form I completed asserting that the firearm was unloaded, ask me to lock my case, and then (almost always) throw the form down on top of the case, NOT inside it (the airlines insist that your form be visible inside the luggage but not inside the gun case, and they usually request that I simply place it on top of the gun case).  Luggage handlers and TSA agents need to be able to see that there is such a form, and if it’s inside the case, they can’t.  I have always had TSA and the airlines insist that ammunition be inside the luggage, but not inside the gun case.

I’ve also had TSA agents swipe the inside of the case (as if looking for residue of some sort, and there will always be residue inside my gun cases), and then ask me to lock my case.  Not once have I ever had an agent verify that my firearm was unloaded.  Not that I think that’s important anyway, and not that it’s important for transport (or carry through the airport, given the presence of a concealed handgun permit).

Once (Denver) the TSA sent my checked luggage through an X ray machine (for what reason I don’t know), and not do another single thing with it.  Once I had TSA stop me at the door to a room, never request that I open the case and never verify that I even signed the form testifying that the firearm was unloaded, and yet open the rest of the luggage and remove items (toiletries, clothing, etc.), look at them, fondle them, and then stuff all of the items back into the luggage in chaotic fashion (Phoenix).  The form I signed got stuffed in with the rest of the clothing.  She never looked at the firearm and didn’t seem to care that I had one.

I could go on about other experiences.  They don’t know what they’re doing.  There is no consistent procedure, or they aren’t trained on it, or both, or some other combination of failures.  It is the most random, confusing, nonsensical thing I’ve ever witnessed and would be amusing if it wasn’t so sad.  Commercial businesses would shut down if we operated that way.

I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but this counsel above is not really very wise, and I don’t do what he said.  Your experience may vary depending upon the airport, time of day, and whether the TSA agent had an argument with their spouse that morning or too much to drink the night before.

But I’m not really surprised by any of this.

Please remember my oldest son Joshua in your prayers.  He’s having a rough go of it from back surgery.

Via David Codrea:

A college student was sexually molested at LaGuardia Airport by a uniformed TSA agent who demanded she go into a bathroom with him after she got off a flight so she could be searched for a weapon, sources told The Post.

As I’ve said before, “the TSA is filled with goobers, hicks, pedophiles, perverts and criminals.”

David Codrea:

In other words, “gun control” doesn’t stop the bad guys and only serves to give them a killer advantage over the “law-abiding”?  Who knew?

In this case, surviving train passengers are lucky there were some men on board who would not go down without a fight. And the defenders are lucky their bravery, instincts, training and skills were enough to overcome all of their assailant’s advantages.

It would have been better and much easier if someone had been armed other than the criminal.  This could have ended far differently.

Via Mike Vanderboegh, black activists call for lynching white people and cops.

“Find a mother f**ker that is alone. Snap his ass, and then f***in hang him from a damn tree. Take a picture of it and then send it to the mother f**kers.”

Maybe everyone should start carrying guns, huh?

Defense News:

The Pentagon’s top weapons tester confirmed to a small group of reporters on Thursday that his team will pit the full-up F-35 joint strike fighter against the A-10 Warthog and potentially other aircraft during comparative tests slated to take place in 2018.

Because the A-10 is awesome and the F-35 sucks.

The National Interest:

For decades, naval architects have concentrated on building ships that, by the standards of the World Wars, are remarkably brittle. These ships can deal punishment at much greater ranges than their early 20th century counterparts, but they can’t take a hit. Is it time to reconsider this strategy, and once again build protected ships?

That fifth generation warfare thing not working out so well for you, boys?

Free Beacon:

A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday posted photos online of a passenger’s luggage, which contained large amounts of cash, despite admitting it violated no laws or regulations.

Agency spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein posted a photo on Twitter showing a bag she said contained $75,000 in cash. “Is this how you’d transport it?” she asked.

Dear Lisa, I’ve repeatedly said that the TSA is filled with goobers, hicks, pedophiles, perverts and criminals.  It was a bastard idea to begin with, and the TSA should even now be disbanded and sent to do real jobs – like maybe building a fence along the Southern border.  Got post hole diggers?

As for how that would affect you, what would you do?  Perhaps something more in line with your abilities and skills, like cleaning toilets?  Just asking.

As for the money, it’s none of your damn business.

David Codrea:

The Mexican government has begun arresting armed “vigilantes,” desperate citizens in fear for their lives who can no longer wait for their compromised government to rein in ultra-violent cartels.

I knew it wouldn’t last, and especially since [at least some of the] citizens opposing the cartels took on uniforms and declared subservience to the state.  Like all good gun controllers, they don’t care about the safety and health of the people.  They care about their control.  Once again, folks.  Gun control is about … control.

Via David Codrea, GOA:

Once again, anti-gun Senators like Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mark Begich (D-AK), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Mark Pryor (D-AR) are trying to trick gun owners into supporting them in their upcoming tough races for reelection in pro-gun states.

At the core of their slimy scheme is a do-nothing bill being pushed as the Sportsmen’s Act (S. 2363).  North Carolina’s Kay Hagan, who voted FOR the universal gun registry bill, is the chief sponsor.

Other chief cosponsors are Mary Landrieu (who also voted for universal gun registration) and Mark Begich and Mark Pryor (who, according to Harry Reid’s staff, would have cast the deciding votes for that universal gun registry bill, had their votes been needed).  It’s also cosponsored by anti-gun leader Joe Manchin (D-WV).

Read the rest at the link.  It gets more complicated – or not.  Here’s my take.  No more laws of any kind until the ones in place get repealed, and that means the Hughes Amendment, the Gun Control Act, The NFA.  If you want to stick national carry reciprocity in there somewhere, that’s fine with me.  Until then, block everything these communists try to do.  There.  That wasn’t too complicated.

Kurt Hofmann:

And then remember that the Obama administration has asserted (and indeed exercised) the “right” to use armed drones to assassinate suspected “terrorists,” without regard to their American citizenship. And people like Franchi accuse us of using “violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes”?

Subservience is for little people.  Power is for the philosopher-kings inside the beltway.

I’m glad that Mike Vanderboegh documented the damage to his computer this time courtesy of the TSA.  So the TSA doesn’t just feel up little girls, remove colostomy bags, look at naked pictures of people as they walk through machines, and push around the elderly.  They can also tear up computers.

The TSA is the lowest common denominator of our society.  Except maybe for SWAT teams.

The Strike One pistol is coming to America (I’m surprised that the ATF approved it).  Has anyone I know ever shot it before?

CafeMom:

My DH suffers from OAB (Overactive Bladder) due to past problems with prostate cancer. (He is only 36 by the way and has been done with it for 3 years) We fly frequently and to be safe he usually wears a disposable brief (an adult diaper). He has been screened many times with the full body scanner and patted down many other times. On a few occasions, if he was being patted down, he has mentioned his “protection” and passed without further scrutiny.

Never an issue until last week. While waiting in the security line he had a strong bladder spasm and and a large release of urine into the diaper. After he emerged from the scanner the TSA officer (a female) asked if he was carrying liquids in his clothing. He explained his condition and what had happened. In the past, it was embarrassing enough for him to just tell a TSA employee that I was wearing an adult incontinence garment but now he was also announcing that he had wet himself.) She called over to another (male) officer (the boss, I guess) and  explained the situation to him out loud in front of everyone else still going through the line. The problem was he did not understand what an “incontinence product” was when she told him.

You’re not surprised, are you?  I’ve told you so before.  The TSA is full of ignorant goobers and child molesters.  It’s a federal jobs program for idiots who cannot find productive work.  It is nothing more than Kabuki theater to make the morons among us feel safe.

ABC:

An airport security officer lay helplessly bleeding after a gunman opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport as paramedics waited 150 yards away because police had not declared the terminal safe to enter, according to two law enforcement officials.

It would be 33 minutes before Transportation Security Administration Officer Gerardo Hernandez, who was about 20 feet from an exit, would be wheeled out by police to an ambulance, said the officials, who were briefed on the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still ongoing into the Nov. 1 shooting.

For all but five of those minutes, there was no threat from the suspected gunman — he had been shot and was in custody, they said.

While it’s not known when Hernandez died or if immediate medical attention could have saved his life, officials are examining what conversations took place between police and fire commanders to determine when it was safe enough to enter and whether paramedics could have gone into the terminal earlier, one of the officials said.

The head of the TSA union on Friday said he was appalled at the news, calling the delay “absolutely unacceptable,” according to KNBC-TV.

This is a shame, and I agree that it’s absolutely unacceptable, just as absolutely unacceptable as Jose Guerena laying helplessly bleeding out in his own home for one hour and fourteen minutes without medical assistance, even though first responders were on the scene and waiting for permission to treat him.

I will await the head of the TSA labor union mentioning Mr. Guerena’s treatment as unacceptable.

Josh Horwitz:

By now, it’s clear to most Americans that dangerous, suicidal individuals like Ciancia have ready access to military-style firepower because of the lobbying of groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA). They might not be aware, however, that the pro-gun movement is also equally responsible for disseminating violent, anti-government rhetoric, much of it aimed at the TSA specifically.

[ … ]

Pro-gun bloggers have follow the NRA’s lead and directed their own attacks at government agents, including the TSA. Robert Farago, a blogger at “The Truth About Guns,” called TSA agents “blue shirted goons” after Nugent’s wife was arrested for illegally carrying a gun into a terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in August.

Mike Vanderboegh, the former Alabama militia leader and Fox News commentator who made national headlines after calling for the offices of Democratic Members of Congress to be vandalized during consideration of the Affordable Care Act, referred to TSA agents on his blog as “nanny state fascist perverts.” Pro-gun activist Andrew Johnston chose a similar slur, describing TSA agents as “filthy perverts.” And so on…

Oh good grief.  There he goes again blaming the big ole’ bad NRA.  Frankly, I’m deeply offended that he didn’t mention me for my coverage of TSA and TSA Ineptitude.  But I would have thought the major animus against the TSA had to do with the facts that their programs don’t do one thing to help transportation safety, and the department being a jobs program for ne’er-do-wells, abusers of the elderly, child molesters, ignorant hicks and uneducated morons who cannot find productive work any other way.

I guess you learn something every day, including the fact that you’d better watch your six (and twelve, and three, and nine) when the TSA gets hold of guns (via Glenn).

Washington Times:

Transportation Security Administration inspectors forced a wounded Marine who lost both of his legs in an IED blast and who was in a wheelchair to remove his prosthetic legs at one point, and at another point to stand painfully on his legs while his wheelchair was examined, according to a complaint a congressman has registered with the TSA.

Rep. Duncan Hunter said in his letter Monday that the Marine, who is still on active duty and showed TSA agents his military identification, was still forced to undergo that scrutiny.

“A TSA office asked the Marine to stand and walk to an alternate area, despite the fact that he physically could not stand or walk on his own. With numerous TSA officers sitting and unwilling to assist, an officer then made him remove his legs, then put them back on, only to advance to a secondary screening location where he was asked again to stand, with extraordinary difficult, while his wheelchair was examined for explosives,” Mr. Hunter said.

He also said TSA officers initially directed the Marine to the wrong line, then made him move lines but made no effort to help him. The incident occurred at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport last week, as a group of Marines was returning to San Diego.

Mr. Hunter included two photos of the inspection in his letter that appear to show a TSA agent patting down the Marine’s arm and examining the prosthetic leg.

The congressman asked TSA to detail its procedures to inspecting wounded U.S. troops at airports, and to consider whether agents should show “situational awareness.”

Situational awareness?  Mr. Hunter’s sentiments are well placed and appropriate, but here is the point being missed in all of this.  The TSA is now and always has been a jobs program for morons who couldn’t find work doing anything else.  On top of that, the conceptual framework upon which the organization and its procedures were built doesn’t lend itself to situational awareness.  It is a statist, totalitarian concept from the outset, crafted to give morons a paycheck and something to do.

I’m sorry for the Marine, but who’s stupid enough to have expected anything else from all of this bureaucratic apoplexia?

USA Today: The TSA is set to allow “knives” on board airplanes.

Then the “knives” are worthless and there is no need to carry one anyway.