TSA Thuggery As "Security" Extends Onto The Plane
Via Lisa Simeone, the government's agents think little of your rights that they openly seek to protect their wounded pride under the guise of "security." Mary L.G. Theroux writes in the Statesman-Journal:

Entering security, I was motioned towards the backscatter screening machine. Having read warnings of potential serious health risks from scientists at the University of California San Francisco and Columbia University, I refused, and told the TSA agents why.

As I then complied with the "enhanced pat-down" procedure, I simultaneously carried on a loud vocal protest of the unreasonableness of the search and the gross violation of my rights. Meanwhile, my adult stepson, who had preceded me through security via the "regular" metal detector, was seated on a bench a few feet away and took out his cell phone to record the proceedings.

A TSA agent stood in front of him and ordered him to stop. When asked on what authority, the agent responded that it was against their "procedures" -- in contradistinction to the TSA's own website stating that such recording is not prohibited. After some further exchange, my stepson complied and put his cell phone away, my "pat-down" was completed, and we went on our way.

We were therefore surprised when, 10 minutes prior to take-off, a uniformed TSA Supervisor, two uniformed TSA agents, and a plain-suited Supervisory Transportation Security Officer (TSO) made their way down the aisle of the fully-loaded plane to where we were seated and ordered us to go with them.

As I protested, the Supervisory TSO told the TSA Supervisor that all they needed were our names and flight information, and I handed him our boarding passes. The TSA Supervisor officiously insisted we had to get off the plane with them, and not wishing to miss the flight, now even nearer take-off, we accompanied them to the jet-way, where another plain-suited man and a baggage handler waited, who left as I continued my verbal protest of the proceedings.

As the TSA Supervisor took down our drivers license information, I recorded their names from their security badges, and we were eventually allowed to re-board.

Yet the entire incident could have served no legitimate purpose -- they had already established beyond a reasonable doubt, utilizing their own "enhanced" screening methods, that we posed no danger, and we had been easily approachable in the boarding area for at least 25 minutes prior to boarding the plane. I could thus only conclude that it had been staged for the sole purpose of demonstrating to the entire captive audience of passengers that those who do not comply quietly will be made examples of.

The danger is that we get used to these abuses as part of daily life in America. As I like to say, it isn't probable cause...wearing underwire! And I resent having to wear bad bras with plastic guts (instead of my nice French Empreinte ones) simply to avoid getting felt up by some TSA matron when I get on a plane.

(And side note: No, I didn't pay anywhere near that much for this bra when I bought it on special at Galeries Lafayette in France!...which is why I buy my bras when I'm there. Luckily, these bras are so incredibly made that they last for years...so they actually could end up being cheaper than cheapo bras, and they're about the best thing I've found for girls with actual breasts...in quantity. You know, the kind that bounce when you're on the treadmill instead of staying straight up and at attention like two missiles. We see a lot of that around these parts...not that I go to a gym or run on a treadmill or anywhere else these days.)