TSA story

Monday I began my traveling to Racine, Wisconsin with my usual trip to Laguardia, as I have done so many times in nearly 13 years.  This trip was different. As you walk to security towards Terminal C, there is a men's room to the left down a hall way, so before I wait in line for security, I hit the men's room for a head call.  After I relieve myself and wash my hands, I make my way to security.  In front of me is a small group of people from the Middle East, the 4 women are wearing head scarves, walking behind 2 men speaking what I believe to be Arabic or something close to it.  3 TSA agents look at them and then look at me as I walk by the agents. One stops me and announces that I have been selected at random for a hand swabbing, they do this pretty loud so that the group of people in front of me, the Middle Easterns, stop, point at me and begin to talk.  The agent swabbed both of my hands and it tests positive for explosive traces. (hand soap?) So now I am giving the option do I want to go in private for my pat down or in front of everyone in the security check point, well over 100 people.  I choose to do this in front of security check point and the other passengers.  Guess what happened next? That's right, my junk was touched. The agent ran his hand so close to my junk it touched, he was looking for something and I hope it wasn't a cheap thrill, I usually get dinner for that.  Now I am pissed but decide just to glare angrily at the agent and ask my self, why did you select me and not any of the group in front of me and why is it only Caucasians being searched? 3 other people including my self are getting the same treatment and one guy, a Jewish guy ( see yamulke on his head), is loudly complaining about "why him? Does he look like a terrorist?" On the upside to my experience, I make it through security faster than the other 100 or so waiting to go through the metal detectors.  On my way home from Racine via Milwaukee/Gen Mitchell Airport, I jump in the security cattle line again and once more, I get the tap on the shoulder forma TSA agent, "Sir, you have been randomly selected for a TSA search." I now get to walk through the visual scanner that has everyone in an uproar. I am not pissed about that but pissed about once again, there are quite a few  Middle Eastern people there and none of them were selected. Just myself, a few old ladies, a teen age girl and a very irate and vocal Black guy dressed in a business suit.  Turns out he was a Marine veteran too when we spoke about the whole damn incident waiting for the plane.   I have no problem going through and being compliant with security procedures, but they could be a bit more selective as to who else gets searched. I think next time I am going to ask the TSA people at Lagaurdia to swab their hands first just to prove to me that the machine isn't on the fritz or rigged, what harm could that do? I want to see if the hand soap at LaGuardia is an ingredient bomb explosive making.  Complaint over.

GI JOES SON wrote: i never really felt like the TSA was "randomly selecting" people. It always seemed more like they were avoiding racial profiling with, well, racial profiling of others.

 

Yep.

procarbinefreak wrote: you went to racine and didn't call mbro or myself?  for shame.

all work and no play, long hours in a hot and humid machine shop.  I ain't too sociable after all that and teaching on/fixing a machine.

procarbinefreak wrote: you went to racine and didn't call mbro or myself?  for shame.

We both work second shift, i doubt we could have worked out a time anyways.

choopie911 wrote: Remember, it is not security, it is the theatre of security. Very little of what they do makes any difference.

No doubt and agree 100%, I wish they could use the other players for that theater.

mbro wrote: Ceesman762 wrote: choopie911 wrote: Remember, it is not security, it is the theatre of security. Very little of what they do makes any difference. No doubt and agree 100%, I wish they could use the other players for that theater. It's probably the first, and only time, your junk received top billing.

Negative Ghost Rider!

They swabbed my hands once without even asking, the lady just said "hold out your hands" and then she took a swab, rubbed my hand with it, and put it under a machine and then didn't say a word as I continued through the line.

GI JOES SON wrote: i never really felt like the TSA was "randomly selecting" people. It always seemed more like they were avoiding racial profiling with, well, racial profiling of others.

I like Mexico's method of random selection.  You walk up to the station that has a guard waiting at it.  You push a button, then either a green light comes on and you continue on, or a red light comes on and you are searched.  That is about the only way to do a true random search.  

The Guy wrote: *Stealth* wrote: It's interesting to me; for the purposes of diagnostic administration of ionizing radiation, ala X-ray, it is federally required to be ordered by a medical physician (X-ray is essentially prescribed), and typically under state law required to be administered by a licensed and registered technologist.  I've always wondered exactly how the TSA works around this, as there is no specified dosage limits in the law, the only loophole being the specific usage of "diagnostic".  They don't xray people, only luggage. I'm not sue how the Backscatter works though. I seperated from TSA when those were still being deployed. My roommate still works there, but as intelligent as he is, it works with magic.

you're making funny ha-ha's right?