The TSA is dumb. It’s a stupid agency, which should no more exist than should the Capitol Visitors Center.
Now that they’ve instituted backscatter machines (great! skin cancer, here I come!) and invasive genital groping, I’m just waiting for the first convicted sex offender to be discovered working the “security” line. It’s going to be just great.
I’m not a morning person, and once refused to small-talk with a TSA boarding pass-checker. I wasn’t rude, I just said, “I’m tired. It’s not a very good morning, please just check my pass so I can board my plane. Thank you.” She got all pissy and said, “YOU’RE JUST THE KIND OF PERSON WE’RE TRAINED TO LOOK OUT FOR, YOU TERRORISTY BITCH” basically, and flagged me for secondary screening.
I said, “Ma’am, if I were up to no good, I’d either be acting nervous, or being as NICE AS PIE to you. I’d not be being honest about the fact that I’m kind of bitter that I have to catch a 6:35 AM flight for my crappy job.” File under, DUH.
Yeah…that was five years before the shoes, scanners, etc. It’s going to have to be some big-ass emergency for me to get on a plane again. It’s bad enough for women who get secondary screening when passing through magnetometers, just because they wear underwires. Please forgive me if I don’t want strangers seeing my naked body or feeling me up while clothed. I’ve been traumatized enough in life, thanks. I’m terrified my own man might get an eyeful. Strangers? NO.
Fake security theatre, I won’t miss you when I move away from DC next month. I really, REALLY won’t.
UPDATE: And raise your hand if you’re creeped out by those “report suspicious activity” recordings, featuring Secretary Napolitano, that get played on the bus!
