TSA Sign, Denver: The Sign Of Rights Being Trampled
A friend told me about this sign at Denver International, and photographed it for me at my request when she next flew:
The vagueness of "verbal abuse" helps put a further chill on free speech, which makes it easier for the TSA to trample our Fourth Amendment rights.
If travelers don't know what they could be arrested for, maybe speaking up at all will seem too risky -- even as government lackeys are sexually violating us and sending us like herds of sheep through the scanners that Napolitano misled the public about, claiming they'd been tested and proven safe. Of course, that wasn't the case. (Hi there, cancer!)
I must say, I do like the suggestion on the sign that we give the TSA "officers" "the respect they deserve." A personal hero of mine does this best: extending both middle fingers as he's groped.
I like your personal hero's style. First they say, "no verbal abuse," then they demand "the respect they deserve." Why don't they make up their minds?
I guess he hit on the right solution.
I keep hoping someone will sue, but then I'm afraid of what would happen if they did. After the appalling Kelo decision, I wouldn't trust this SCOTUS to judge a dog show.
Patrick at August 2, 2011 1:32 AM
It's already a huge chill. Last time I was travelling with my kids, they wanted to ask lots of relevant questions. Why you can't carry explosives on board, why you have to throw away your water, what would you do with a knife on a plane anyway, etc, etc. Kid questions.
I truly felt that we had better not say words like "explosive", "weapon", or "hijack" anywhere within the hearing of TSA - otherwise who knows what they might do. Heck, I didn't even trust my fellow passengers - who knows but what one of them might report us to TSA because we said a bad word.
Freedom of speech? "Do you want to fly today?"
a_random_guy at August 2, 2011 3:31 AM
Here you go, for those who say 'don't fly'
"..as required by law." Right.
"Our..Officers have rights."
First of all, they're not 'officers' especially with a capital O. You're inferring respect that the majority of them do not deserve.
Second, they have rights. The right to not be verbally abused in a job that deals with the public is not one of them. You didn't think there would be abuse is like buying a house by the airport thinking there won't be noise. Dealing daily with the public face to face, there will ALWAYS be friction from some. Putting up a sign doesn't change the working environment.
"Threats" should work both ways (i.e., 'Stop questioning us or be arrested' is most definitely a threat).
"Verbal abuse" well now who exactly defines verbal abuse? I think we all know where this is going.
"Violence of any kind" I know from recent events that many people think that having their junk fondled is in fact violence of some kind. So does this work both ways or not?
"the respect they deserve"
Let's talk about respect a little more. Respect is earned, not given. You don't automatically command respect because you have a badge or gun, or a position shared by respected individuals. Too many people have assumed this is the case, which leads to messes like this ('contempt of cop' etc.).
How about instead of putting up signs, you train your 'officers' in how to deal with people with respect and courtesy and see if it doesn't show dividends?
Or end this bullshit theater altogether.
DrCos at August 2, 2011 4:40 AM
I respect no one who earns a living violating other people's rights.
And you're right on "officers," which is why I wrote it that way above. My friend, Sergeant Heather, is a highly trained police officer. She'll search the hell out of you and find a weapon if you have it -- but only if there's probable cause...a reasonable suspicion that you've committed a crime. Again, the fact that I need to fly home from New Orleans is not probable cause.
Amy Alkon at August 2, 2011 5:14 AM
“We’ve identified that children 12 and under present a very low risk,’’ Naccara said.
TSA genius quoted here
Also note that the accompanying slideshow is labelled as "security milestones" as if they are making progress.
cbc at August 2, 2011 5:18 AM
What an odd concept: officers have rights.
Citizens have rights, which the government--in the form of officers--have to observe and defend. Yes, officers, as *citizens* have rights, but those are the same ones I have. When the officer is acting as state agent, however, he has duties, once of which is ... to observe and defend the citizens' rights.
So it is with some confusion that I see a sign which asserts that officers have rights. Well, technically, they have rights as citizens, yes. But officers as officers have duties, not rights.
The officers are no more protected from people telling them off than I am. Anyone can walk up to me in a public setting and tell me I am a lousy piece of sugar who doesn't deserve to have a warm bucket of spit dumped over me. They have that right. And there is nothing I can do to prevent that. So long as the person does not otherwise disturb a law, that is legal. So is videotaping me in a public place.
I suspect, though, that the "rights" these TSA folks are insisting upon are really the privileges their union-mentality sense of social position gives them.
"Southpark" lampooned this annoying trait of law enforcement officers well when its Carmen character went "full cop" on people, demanding that they respect his "athoritaaay!" (sic)
Spartee at August 2, 2011 5:40 AM
@DrCos - the only way that this charade ends is if enough people stop flying to collapse the domestic aviation industry.
Then when the TSA decides to get into urban and suburban policing, the internecine union wars will solve the problem for us.
brian at August 2, 2011 6:11 AM
I think Amy Alkon and Lisa Simone could give me a combo rim job-blow job for an hour, and I still couldn't get a boner up over the TSA.
Did you know that GOP members of Congress want records kept for 1 year of everything you do online?
"Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 19-10 for H.R. 1981, a data-retention bill that will require your ISP to spy on everything you do online and save records of it for 12 months. California Rep Zoe Lofgren, one of the Democrats who opposed the bill, called it a “data bank of every digital act by every American” that would “let us find out where every single American visited Web sites.” from Coyote Blog.
If I get frisked at an airport, it annoys me.
If someone can track my every e-mail, website visit, bank records, Paypal transactions, book choices at Amazon etc---this seems horribly intrusive and frightening.
BOTU at August 2, 2011 9:05 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/08/02/tsa_sign_sign_o.html#comment-2392668">comment from BOTUIf someone can track my every e-mail, website visit, bank records, Paypal transactions, book choices at Amazon etc---this seems horribly intrusive and frightening.
Yes, and every rights grab we allow makes every other rights grab all the more possible.
Amy Alkon at August 2, 2011 9:18 AM
I think Amy Alkon and Lisa Simone could give me a combo rim job-blow job for an hour, and I still couldn't get a boner up
You know BTOU given you obvious male sex obbsession your admistion is not all tha shocking
lujlp at August 2, 2011 9:29 AM
Lujlp:
Given proper stimulation (and viagara), I get the hour of power.
I just don't find body searches by the TSA to be stimulating.
BOTU at August 2, 2011 9:45 AM
Yeah, you can't even spell viagra! You should probably take ginko viagra so that you can remember what the fuck you're doing.
Flynne at August 2, 2011 10:11 AM
Ummm, bungholio, what makes you think they are mot already saving all of your online info? How the fudge do you think local and federal agencies subpeona the info? Moron. I worked in IT for 32 years, I know the info is saved for just said purposes.
ronc at August 2, 2011 10:17 AM
Flynne: Perhaps you are right. There are times I forget who I last screwed. And getting the love murmurs mixed up does cause problems. Gingko you say?
Ronc: I wonder if what you say is true. You contend there is a already some sort of vast repository where everyone's online activity is recorded and saved?
Seems like a large undertaking. Have you any cites for this statement? You may have worked in IT for 32 years, but that is an appeal to authority, not proof of what you say.
BOTU at August 2, 2011 10:33 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/08/02/tsa_sign_sign_o.html#comment-2392816">comment from lujlpI think Amy Alkon and Lisa Simone could give me a combo rim job-blow job for an hour,
That's going to happen the day I get the job as starting forward for the Knicks.
Amy Alkon at August 2, 2011 11:09 AM
> a combo rim job-blow job
What is it with this guy and the backdoor?
Again... What is the effect he imagines he has on people?
Help me understand.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at August 2, 2011 11:33 AM
The sign is wrong. Its "Your sexual organs are our priority."
Sio at August 2, 2011 12:12 PM
Amy Alkon-
Starting forward in the Knicks? Probably out of reach for you.
But just try being forward--maybe you'll get somewhere with those knickers. Keep the faith! My standards are not that high!
BOTU at August 2, 2011 12:41 PM
I vote for fewer comments about Amy's appearance (yes, sure, total babe) and more comments about Amy's writings and links (evidence of lots of brain power).
Andre Friedmann at August 2, 2011 2:10 PM
Sorry, Andre, I will fight with great zeal any attempt to chill commentary on Amy's hawtness.
snakeman99 at August 2, 2011 2:35 PM
"You should probably take ginko viagra so that you can remember what the fuck you're doing."
Ahhh. The lady with her own '06 knows!
BOTU has never heard of Martin Niemoller, much less what he had to say.
Radwaste at August 2, 2011 4:18 PM
I'm going to pick a particular section of the sign and harp on it:
Show me the exact criminal, or for that matter civil, statutes that say I have to forfeit my First, Fourth, or Fifth Amendment rights to board an aircraft?
If that is the case -- then why don't I have to give those up to board a Greyhound® bus? What about Amtrak® or even my local bus to get around the urban/suburban area?
Why don't I have to those rights to go to the civilian side of the airport and charter an aircraft?
And some of the most important:
Where does the TSA have a right to suspend my First Amendment right ask questions or give them grief for being abused?
Where does the TSA have a right to suspend my Fourth Amendment right to be secure from unreasonable search? Just because I want to go from point A to point B?
And back to the most pertinent question:
What are the exact criminal, or for that matter civil, statutes in the United States Code that give them law enforcement power?
Jim P. at August 2, 2011 7:07 PM
Wow, I just flew out of Denver on Thursday and totally missed that sign. Fail. I'll have to check the next time I take a trip.
That said, the funniest moment ever was in the line to have your bags x-rayed. The guy in front of me had two tap handles in his bag and it was HILARIOUS to watch the TSA agents try to figure it out, up to and including this gem, "It looks like handles". Yes, they hand searched him. He and I were joking that they were coveting the tap handles and he wasn't going to get them back.
Daghain at August 2, 2011 7:18 PM
What is it with this guy and the backdoor? - crid
I think its my fault - he used to post under nearly a dozen names, after a couple of his hissy fits under the botu moniker I suggeted he buy this
http://www.bigsextoystore.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/BTSstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=GD7540
shove some rusty nails thru it and then use as directed.
He's pretty much stuck with the anal theme and name ever since. its anoying, but at least he posts under one name 90%of the time
lujlp at August 2, 2011 7:20 PM
Just a follow on to lujlp post: this is NSFW.
As far as BOTU an all who respond to him. He is a troll, plain and simple.
About 98% of the time, I skip over his comments, and any of your responses to him. If you stop feeding him, hopefully he'll dry up and blow away like the excrement he is.
Jim P. at August 2, 2011 11:02 PM
"Again... What is the effect he imagines he has on people?"
He's a Cluster B and damn proud of it. Nuff said.
Cousin Dave at August 3, 2011 9:55 AM
From Jimmy Fallon:
"The TSA has a new program where agents have in-depth conversations with passengers to detect suspicious behavior. Or as most people put it, 'You know what, I'll just take the groping.'"
Conan the Grammarian at August 3, 2011 10:07 AM
Gingko you say?
Heh. I spelled it wrong too, it's ginKGo. But you know what? You STILL NEED IT.
Flynne at August 3, 2011 10:39 AM
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content, however this weblog presents feature based writing.
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