TSA has need to frisk a 6 year old!

[KristyHall]

Quote:
Now that sounds comfortable.........

And somehow German...

 

[SourRoses]

I was a Flight Attendant....
Through all of the TSA thing as it's been going on.. I haven't been able to form an opinion, one way or another. Wether those in power are going too far or not far enough... I don't know.

I will say that, I have met an afwul lot of nice, helpful TSA personel.. but when it comes to the people who actually work in the airports versus just assing through it, I wouldn't envy them their job, that's for sure. Then again, those I met were on duty in the employee line.. so they were probably glad of the break. We did have to go through the same thing as passengers do.. only several times a day.. and in a hurry ... I wish having the ability to seperate your items, throw your suitcase up in the line, wrangle with your giant mandated coat, and large mandated bag, in the shortest time possible, was a necessary life skill, because I'd be set

I will dispute though.. the cargo claim... I didn't work in that area, but often saw the way items were handled... and I believe everything that could be done, was being done, to protect us on that side of operations.
Aircraft are never left open and unattended, even within the safety of an airport. Before each aircrafts first flight of the day, a ground agent would come on and search the plane, crevice by crevice. Again before the first flight of the day for that aircraft, and every crew change, the flight attendant has to inspect the entire cabin... sometimes by feel.. including underneath the seats, the seat back pouch, removing the seat cushions, the lav, the whole 9 yards. We would also inspect all of the safety equipment, every flight.

The safety speil really has nothing to do with legality. The foremost duty of the flight attendant, and the primary focus in training, in the safety of the cabin.
Statistics show.. in most every crash.. people do not die in the impact. People die in the subsequent fire, being injured and unable to get out of their seat. People die when baggage falls into the aisle, they trip, and get trampled by those behind them. People die when they panic, and don't follow instructions. And people do drown, if the 'forced landing' takes place over water. Thus all of the safety equipment, and the brief moments alloted to apprise people of what they will have wished they had paid more attention to, in the event of an emergency.

My IOE instructor.. told me the story of her emergency, a lav fire due to a smoker... fortunately they were still on the ground.. and her awesome group of passengers beat the training record in the evacuation... pretty darn amazing. I also sat next to a retired flight attendant from another airline once, and she told me the story of her experience in the '80's.. being hijacked.. back when procedure was to give in to reasonable demands. They turned the flight around and took the fellow back to Cuba, and no one was harmed.

 

[yotetrapper]

Benjamin Franklin summed up my feelings on this and many other issues nicely......

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

I do not fly anymore because of this nonsense. I will not be groped or irradiated, so I drive or I don't go. No "vacation" is worth this nonsense.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

-- good point, Yotetrapper!


Rusty​

 

[country lady]

Was the TSA person a female or male? Maybe an adult (parent) should have briefly explained the reason to the child. I consider air travel a privilege not a right, so while I hate the reason, I hate the terrorists more. If terrorists have used a pregnant woman to carry explosives, why wouldn't they use a child? They don't play by rules.

 

[dkvart1]

A funny little story about the true effectiveness of Homeland Security and "security in general."

We lived in Illnois and my DH went to renew his Drivers License When he surrended his Fl license he notice the man behind the counter step back from the counter. The man asked his name, age and birthdate, then pressed the security buzzer. At the time my husband was 50, born in 51. Several security persons appeared and escorted him to the back room.

Security... your name is __________?"
DH: yes
Security: You are 51 years of age?
DH: no, I'm 50 years of age, born in 1951. Let me guess, you're looking for ___________, age 51 and he's black right?
Security: shuffling through papers... "Uh... yeah, he's wanted for murder."
DH: laughs his but off... he's obviously not black.


A year later we returned to Florida to continue custody battle with his ex... enter Homeland Security.

My DH went through a terribly ugly child custody battle with his lunatic of an ex and a very corrupt "justice" system. Our initial judge was the head of family court, who had to recuse himself once it was discovered his wife knew my DH's ex and due to being caught in ex-parte communications... the next judge pulled a couple of fast ones as well. My DH, decided to drop a bug in an attorney who had briefly represented him telling him he knew the judge was up to something and having private phone calls with his ex and her attorney. He said he had pulled her phone bill and was going to ask her to recuse herself. DH knew the attorney would run straight to the judge with this, which he did.

Two days later we were out and came home to find a card from the head of Homeland Security in our area in our door. DH called. Homeland Security informed him it was illegal to threaten a judge.
DH: I threatened no one.
Homeland Security: It's also illegal to obtain anothers phone records.
DH: No, it's not, you can purchase them off the internet for $99.00
Homeland Security: No you can't.
DH: Yes, you can.
Homland Security: Do you own a car?
DH: Yes.
Homeland Security: Do you drive to work?
DH: No.
Homeland Security: Because you know it's illegal to drive without a drivers license.
DH: I have a valid drivers license.
Homeland Security: No, your driver's license was revoked 2 1/2 years ago.
DH: No, it wasn't I got a new one a year ago in Illinois.
Homeland Security: No you didn't and if you are pulled over you will be arrested.
DH: Laughter...... "it's been great talking to you."

Now, he had DH SS #, and all other information from the judge... and even they had him confused with the other person who they were looking for that was wanted for murder. Do I feel safer with Homeland Security no the job? Not on your life!

And I truely believe it is insane for people to give up any freedom in the name of security. It is an illusion (or a delusion if you prefer) and once you start giving up your freedoms there is no end in sight as to what the government will decide is for our own good.

 

[Gargoyle]

We train our children not to allow strangers to touch them "inappropriately", yet at the airport we tell them to let these strangers do just that; are we teaching them to allow anyone in a uniform to abuse them?

This doesn't make us safer. A few years ago the TSA started to use "puffers", machines that could test the air and see if you had been exposed to explosives. You simply would walk through, a puff of air would pass over you and into the sensors, and it would determine exposure to dangerous compounds. However, those machines required a skilled, well trained workforce who could calibrate the machines properly and regularly change the filters. Rather than applying our "good old American know-how" to making those work well, and hiring people capable of understanding how to operate the machines, the TSA threw them out and replaced them with inadequate, intrusive, heavy handed and abusive methods.

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

What the...? What's a six-year-old gonna do? Fire a bomb? More like drop a crayon and have it roll to the back of the plane

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

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