Friday, November 19, 2010

It's not like I wanna blow up the plane. I just want to store my bag according to your safety regulations.*

This could happen to you...
A member of the U.S. Airline Pilots Association described his experience as "sexual molestation," according to union president Mike Cleary.
It's true, this is all from CNN.com but even without this article, I should have mentioned in Boston Part 1 that this could happen to you. In fact, one in four Boston bound travelers feel used, inappropriately handled, and dirty after going through security.
It happened to one of our own, Caitlin got pulled aside and completely handled by some female airport worker. Certainly there was no need to touch her like that! ...Or there! Or right in front of everyone! There used to be a time that a traveler could travel with a sense of decency, and even when that was taken from us - they took those "randomly chosen" individuals off to the side where only the most observant of travelers would notice them being patted down. Now they just run their hands all over your body in front of everyone! The kid who came out of the machine after Caitlin just stopped and stood there, the look of fear in his eyes suggested that he thought they would all be subject to that, and he was next.
It was a little entertaining for those of us not involved in the "pat down" and if I weren't so afraid of the TSA taking my camera and arresting me I would have taken a picture...I did however, buy Caitlin her lunch. It is after all, a social norm for someone to at least buy you dinner before touching you in such a way and I knew that woman touching Caitlin had no intentions of buying her a meal.
Caitlin however probably didn't laugh as much as we did (which again, wasn't that much) at her experience, in fact, I'm certain she was a little unnerved by it. So reading this article made me realize what a problem we have on our hands. It also took my mind to the fact that I have 78 days until my California trip...in 78 days this could be my fate...
It bothered me in the article that someone said that it wasn't that bad it was like, "Going to the doctor for a physical." Yes - going to the doctor for a physical isn't that bad...but it's what you went to the doctor for, it was expected. When you are headed to Boston for a weekend with friends you don't expect a physical from a TSA worker without a medical background. It's offensive to people because it is not the same thing, nor should it be.
Another thing that bothered me was when the article quoted someone saying it was better than a bomb going off in the air - or something like that and it made me think of a quote I heard from Thomas Jefferson once, "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." I agree with him and I'll take my chances with too much liberty.

2 comments:

J, K, L, and D said...

I flew home right after 9/11 for a short visit to the fam/to do a school project (from UT to VA). I kid you not - I got pulled out "randomly" at all 3 airports (SLC, my connecting one, & RIC) both when I flew out & when I came back. I was literally in tears at one point, because they were patting me down. I understand security, but come on...this is getting ridiculous. I don't like the idea of someone being able to see through my clothes, so the other option is to let them frisk me? No thanks...

Martha said...

I'm with Katie- what's worse? Being frisked by a complete stranger or knowing someone behind a closed door sees more of your body than anyone besides a spouse should know. I shudder to think of what giving up rights in the name of safety or liberty will mean to our future.

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