Rant warning: TSA

You've been warned.  This is a rant.  It's been brewing since I heard the story about a breastfeeding mother being told she couldn't bring empty bottles and an ice pack on board.  She was leaving Hawaii and planned ahead for the empty bottles so she wouldn't violate the "no liquid" policy.  TSA representatives there told her she couldn't bring the empty bottles unless she 'proved' they were for breast milk (?!?).  This woman was forced to use a public bathroom to pump her milk which filled the empty bottles.  After this, the bottles were deemed safe for the airplane.  WHAT??  The mother (an elementary school principal) said “It really confuses me as to how an empty breast pump and cooler pack are a threat to national security and 20 minutes later, with milk, they no longer pose a threat to national security,”  Confusing might be one word for it.  There are others I can think of.

I regularly check the official TSA blog after such incidents because it amuses me to read how they spin these events.  This time, however, there was an apology of sorts.  I'm sure THAT made the poor woman feel better.  Whew.  I know I do. 

As I was checking the blog for the apology post, I noticed another recent post dismissing some viral video purporting to show how to "beat" the body scanner.  Here's what the blogger had to say about their scanners (remember this is an official blog for the TSA):   It’s one of the best tools available to detect metallic and non-metallic items, such as… you know… things that go BOOM.    Are you thinking the same thing I did?  Can you IMAGINE what would happen if a passenger made such a comment (joke)???  That poor sucker wouldn't be seen again for days and days.  Apparently it's OK if the TSA makes the jokes.

And apparently there's some kind of thin blue line such as with police officers when someone goes rogue such as the flight attendant outburst recently on a flight leaving Dallas.  There was a struggle and one of the other attendants was injured.  No charges will be filed.  Mental stability issues have been mentioned. A passenger outburst requiring restraint and involving attendant injuries result in federal charges.  Oh yes, even with mental stability issues.  These aren't precisely the same cases but close enough to make the average potential passenger wonder about the level of authority given to TSA and airport officials in this post 9-11 world.  Bullies is a word that comes to mind.  Sanctioned bullying.


Sometime between reading about the breast feeding mother and hearing about the flight attendant, I read a column in the New York Times called On the Road  which only added to the fires of this developing rant.  The writer's 82 year old mother in law was trying to get to Binghamton from Tuscon.  No direct flights between those two cities, by the way.  She ended up stuck at Dulles airport on Saturday night being told they couldn't get her to Binghamton until Tuesday.  An 82 year old woman might even be able to walk home in that amount of time.  One of the other stranded passengers expressed frustration to the United agent at the service counter and was told: "Listen, if you don't stop complaining I could call the police and have you arrested because I feel insulted."  Insulted.  The airline employee threatened to call the police because he felt he'd been insulted.  Seems to me he insulted the intelligence of the passengers by offering a 72 hour delay as a reasonable solution.  It worked though.  She shut up and they ended up flying to Elmira the next morning.  

I'm not comfortable with the level of authority that's been granted in these everyday areas of our lives to organizations (such as the TSA) in the name of protecting the general public.  It feels as though we are being assaulted from within.  If this blog rant should make its way to the TSA (and I'm trusing my family members probably won't do that)  I'm sure I'll never be allowed on a plane.  But that's OK because I am one single passenger who will make alternate plans.  For my own safety.