Have I mentioned TSA is a bunch of moronic dillweeds? If I haven’t lately, I’m mentioning this now. I was reminded of this by two things:
1 – Superman’s account of my encounter with porcine TSA agent at BWI.
2 – This story here.
So there we were, standing in line, waiting on an anal probe to get through to our gate, so we could fly to New Orleans. As customary, I packed all of the larger, liquidy-type items into a Ziplock bag and tossed them into my baggage (for which I had to pay an extra $15 before we boarded, because airlines have to pad their profit line somehow). I ensured that shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial toner, and even body spray to make me not smell like a monkey were tucked away in my baggage, lest the carry-on that contained my toiletry bag was ransacked. There wasn’t anything much in the toiletry bag. Some make-up, a tooth brush, a hair brush and a small container of toothpaste that was only half full or so. I didn’t figure I’d have a problem.
I was wrong.
As I inched forward in line, the overweight, barely literate pig who was rummaging through my carry on, grabbed my toothpaste and haughtily informed me that I needed to throw it away.
What?
“You’re only allowed a three-ounce container, ma’am,” she lisped through her gold tooth. “This is a four-ounce container.” She then smugly handed me the little container of toothpaste, and pointed to the trash can.
WTF?
I didn’t want to cause a scene or tell this fat, minimum wage-deserving, overpaid twat what she can do with her four ounces. I simply turned around and tossed the little container of Colgate into the trash, muttering something to the effect of “Oh. My. Gawd.” under my breath. But the porcine bitch just wouldn’t let it go! “It’s for your security, ma’am!” she screeched at me in a condescending tone.
At that point, I’d had it. I walked right past her, and said, “I’ve spent time on active duty in the Army and was deployed with the Army National Guard, you fat, overpaid cunt. I think I understand the concept of national security.” I’m not sure if she heard me, but I walked through without further incident.
Really. TSA spends a vast amount of time avoiding scrutiny of any male who looks swarthy and Middle-Eastern and happens to have an Arabic-sounding last name, but a small amount of toothpaste in the baggage of a person with a government ID is somehow a threat? Wow.
To add a certain amount of pseudo-comedy to this particular circus, Superman explains, “I, being a special case by virtue ofmy leg, went through a different screening process with a differentscreener, and I was allowed to keep my tube of toothpaste, a fact whichonly added to Nicki’s outrage and sense of personal persecution.” And by the way, his toothpaste tube was bigger than mine!
Morons, as he explains further.
Every time I have to deal with these clowns, I’m reminded of thatpriceless scene in the movie “Home Alone 2″, where the angry motherasks the hotel concierge (played masterfully by Tim Curry)what kind ofidiots they employ there, and Curry responds smugly: “The finest in NewYork!”
Curry should consider becoming a spokesman for TSA. He’s got it down perfectly.
Amen, brotha!
But now things have changed. Things are different! That’s right. TSA assclowns are no longer allowed to play crime fighters, and have been instructed to go back to being the overpaid, barely qualified, barely literate shitbags who confiscate passengers’ manicure scissors in the name of national security, as the second story explains.
An angry aide to Rep. Ron Paul, an iPhone and $4,700 in cash haveforced the Transportation Security Administration to quietly issue twonew rules telling its airport screeners they can only conduct searchesrelated to airplane safety.In response, the American Civil Liberties Union is dropping itslawsuit on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt, the man who was detained in Marchand who recorded the confrontation on his iPhone as TSA and localpolice officers spent half an hour demanding answers as to why he wascarrying the money through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
The new rules, issued in September and October, tellofficers “screening may not be conducted to detect evidence of crimesunrelated to transportation security” and that large amounts of cashdon’t qualify as suspicious for purposes of safety.
“We had been hearing of so many reports of TSA screenersengaging in wide-ranging fishing expeditions for illegal activities,”said Ben Wizner, a staff lawyer for the ACLU, pointing to reports ofofficers scanning pill-bottle labels to see whether the passenger wasthe person who obtained the prescription as one example.
Yeah. If TSA clowns want to play detective, they should go to detective school or something.
Don’t you feel safer now?




Nov 15, 2009 @ 22:50:06
Holy Cow, if I could have been a fly on the wall to hear that. Oh and if only that lady did hear your sweet comment about how you understood…that would have been awesome.Not to mention their silly confiscations are usually stuff that we can repurchase just after the “security check” in the gift shop and take right on board.It’s pathetic though, we are no safer now than before, it just takes us a hell of a lot longer to board than it did in the past. And, THAT somehow helps with national security.Great Post!
Nov 16, 2009 @ 01:15:44
Remember, this is the same organization that wouldn’t let plane’s pilot take a dinner knife in his carryon – the exact same knife that his airline gives the passengers with their meals!I really wish I could find that link, again, but it was lost when a bad Firefox update ate my bookmarks.
Nov 16, 2009 @ 01:45:59
I refuse to fly now. I would end up in jail for assault. I have been known to respond violently to feigned ignorance for the purpose of counting coup on me.Perhaps not the brightest course, but how well is the “comply and grumble” tactic working?I do not hunt confrontation, therefore I refuse to fly. But, if confronted I can go all “warthog” on them. You know, “get ugly early”.Now Nicki, I doubt I’m making any friends here, but I have to ask this. How does it feel to realize that this “twat” is considered your superior and capable of determining what you may have in the interest of national security? While I’m here, though, I would like once again to thank you for the sacrifices you have made for our nation. Too damn bad our government doesn’t feel the same. But of course, most in government civilian employ are twats.
Nov 16, 2009 @ 02:23:57
What I don’t get is why I can’t take my just-purchased Starbucks coffee through the security checkpoint, but can turn around an buy the EXACT same thing on the other side? Can they not do something simple like “force” me to take a drink in their presense to make sure that the steaming, aromatic cup of coffee isn’t really some deadly weapon? Assclowns!Oh and thank you so much Nicki, for saying the things I wish I could…but would end up sued or jailed for saying…being a white, heterosexual, middle-aged Christian male and all!
Nov 16, 2009 @ 02:54:49
I remember flying shortly after 9-11, before they came up with the TSA; I saw the racial profiling that was going on at the time, and it was blatant. Before the TSA, airport screeners were minimum-wage slobs, around a large city like NYC, those jobs went to 18-19 year-olds, usually boys. One time, my flight was delayed so I got to see three flights board at the gate next to me. At the time, they were pulling people randomly out of line at check-in for extra screening, which usually included a pat-down. Every “random” security check was of an under-30 blond female.
Nov 16, 2009 @ 03:09:58
Every time I read story like this, I’m reminded of when I use to fly somewhat regularly out to the Vegas, to go work at the Nevada Test Site. We (USGS) always had stuff going back and forth between there and Denver, so anytime you were traveling, it was a good bet you’d get asked to transport something.More than once, I carried on a technicians tool case, kinda like this one: http://tinyurl.com/tech-tool-case and it included a hacksaw and a razor knife. I also always carried a Swiss Army Knife and a Leatherman.Probably, some of the geologists had rock hammers in their carry-ons — you know geologists can get pretty attached to them things, don’t trust checked baggage to arrive, and wouldn’t be caught dead out in the field without their rock hammer.I’m with straightarrow. I don’t fly. I’m not normally a hothead, but I don’t believe I could contain my irritation at such treatment, and have no desire to test that theory.
Nov 16, 2009 @ 21:59:47
bin laden did win…look at what we’ve done in the name of security:can’t take liquids through the gate, but you can buy them after you through – makes us safer – as though we can’t sneak something on after the security checkpoint – anti-green, gotta throw away that aquafina bottle and buy another oneadded delays, annoyances, inconveniences to the traveling experience – because I’m really trying to hide C4 in my golf bag – because I’ve compacted C4 in my shoe and expect to detonate it with my lighter, so I need to take off my shoes and go barefoot, because if I brought slippers, they would need to be scanned to – can’t take tools I need onboard anymore because my screwdriver (longer than 6 inches) might be used as a weapon, but my fists are, and we haven’t resorted handcuffing people yetfor crying out loud, we’ve created a whole NEW department for this nonsense – DHS, a whole new bureaucracy – we should just bubble wrap everyone – now your family can’t see you to the gate because they might be wearing an IED jacket – we should just make everyone fly con air style = legs shackled, hands cuffed and attached to the waist chain.Enjoywe should just pack some ky and get used to it.
Nov 17, 2009 @ 03:53:19
There is a reason that Dianne and I are driving the slightly more than 1,800 miles each way from MN to AZ to visit her daughter. And keep in mind that she can only get a week of vacation, so we are giving up a third of her time for traveling, as opposed to risking my losing my temper (I’m 6’5″ somewhere north of 320 pounds, red beard and shaved head: my friends describe me as a Viking axe murderer) with some asshatted TSA clown.
Nov 17, 2009 @ 23:12:58
There have been cases of explosives being assembled aboard the plane from liquids.Of course, I’m not convinced the TSA ass bandits could do anything about it.Don’t you FEEL safer, though? Isn’t that what it’s all about? How you FEEL?