Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Tales from the TSA

Apparently TSA's abuses have reached the level where "serious" journalists are starting to notice. Kudos to Channel 2 in Chicago for going where 99.9% of local news and 100% of network news refuses to go. In this report, Pam Zekman gets the skinny on a number of abuses, which include:

  • A woman slammed to the floor by TSA agents for daring to argue with them

  • The infamous "nipple rings" incident

  • A 71-year-old man in a wheelchair who is routinely forced to drop his pants so agents can verify that, yes indeed, he has an artificial knee

  • A 16-year-old girl with a prosthetic leg who has to drop her pants to let our protectors examine "her whole leg"

  • The numerous women who've had the under-bra "grope" administered to them

  • The newest: a machine that can "see" through clothing and pretty much leaves nothing to the imagination (see picture below)
Why does TSA feel compelled to take people who are no obvious threat and treat them so disrespectfully? Because they can. And they will...right up until enough people make a serious stink about it.

Once again, major kudos to CBS2 in Chicago for daring to "go there".

Finally, a photo of the new "see through" technology at work. Gives new meaning to the phrase "I'll need to check your bag."

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