Oy Vey, The Face Of Al Qaeda
Hunchbacked, little 85-year-old Lenore Zimmerman was strip-searched by the TSA. (Because JFK TSA sensed her matzo balls are like tiny bombs?)
And check out the photo at the link below. This woman is more likely to get a contract playing for the NBA than she is to be a member of Al Quaeda.
Nicholas Hirshon writes for the NY Daily News:
When Zimmerman reached a security checkpoint, she asked if she could forgo the advanced image technology screening equipment, fearing it might interfere with her defibrillator.She said she normally gets patted down. But this time, she says that two female agents escorted her to a private room and began to remove her clothes.
"I was outraged," said Zimmerman, a retired receptionist.
As she tried to lift a lightweight walker off her lap, she says, the metal bars banged against her leg and blood trickled from a gash.
"My sock was soaked with blood," she said. "I was bleeding like a pig."
She says the TSA agents showed no sympathy, instead pulling down her pants and asking her to raise her arms.
"Why are you doing this?" she said she asked the agents, who did not respond.
The TSA claims the footage does not show any sign of the injury.
"Our screening procedures are conducted in a manner designed to treat all passengers with dignity, respect and courtesy," Farbstein said.
Yeah, dignity -- what we now call it when you're an 85-year-old lady and two government-employed thugs yank down your pants under the pretense that they're keeping us all safe. What's safest are their jobs.
And by the way, I haven't given up on getting my call to defend our civil liberties op-ed placed. I was last rejected by Reuters, but I have a new editor who's going to take a look at it. And if that person feels it isn't for him (he won't be afraid to publish it, but it might not work for his publication), I have a naughty but wonderful idea of where I think it can go.
link via Charlotte Allen
Amy, about getting your op-ed published: maybe try this guy? He's the new editor-in-chief at OC Weekly. He's also himself a weekly columnist.
http://www.facebook.com/garellano
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/email.php?to=322&author_name=Gustavo+Arellano
qdpsteve at December 3, 2011 2:23 PM
The TSA is a ignorant, unnecessary waste of time. They were not needed a little more than an hour after the Tower II was struck. Read the timeline of 9/11 and see when Flight 93 went down
Currently forty-nine out of fifty states have concealed carry laws. Congress is working on H.R.822 National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. (Not really in their purview, but that is a different argument.) If they passed it, and then allowed carry in flight, you wouldn't need air marshals, the TSA, and about 90% of this crap.
I have to fly tomorrow. This is the first time in two years. I wish I could drive, but it's just too far. I'm just hoping the TSA is professional so I don't have to have a blowup.
Jim P. at December 3, 2011 2:42 PM
Somewhere in this wonderful nanny government of ours there must be an adult who can and will put an end to this. I'd like to say this is beyond belief, but it isn't at this point.
Dave B at December 3, 2011 2:44 PM
Regarding your op-ed, there's always Pravda... I am quite serious.
dervish at December 3, 2011 3:21 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/03/oy_vey_the_face.html#comment-2826118">comment from qdpsteveThanks, qdpsteve, but VVM papers don't publish opinion pieces, and I'd go to the LA Weekly first (and in fact, Jill Stewart, my friend who's the managing editor there, loved it). I just got to hang out with their new editor last night, by the way, and she is fabulous. She's going to kick some much needed ass in this town and she and Jill are a really strong ass-kicking team.
And the Pravda idea is a fantastic one. Maybe better than my idea. In fact, it's fucking fantastic.
Amy Alkon at December 3, 2011 3:49 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/03/oy_vey_the_face.html#comment-2826124">comment from Amy AlkonIn fact, that is one of the five fucking fantastickest ideas I've heard all year. Along with "Paris in the spring" from Gregg.
Amy Alkon at December 3, 2011 3:52 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/03/oy_vey_the_face.html#comment-2826143">comment from dervishdervish, thank you, thank you.
Just tweeted:
@engpravda Greetings, I'm a nationally syndicated columnist in USA, seeking your op-ed editor's email address (for English language Pravda)
Here's hoping. And even if Pravda doesn't take it, I just love that you thought of it! I've been so down about this, and just wrote to my wonderful lawyer, Marc Randazza, to tell him I haven't given up...forwarded him my Reuters pitch. He and his team put it a lot of work for me, and beyond that, the reason behind that op-ed hasn't gone way, as you can see from this blog item. I also talked to Greg Lukianoff of campus free speech-defending theFIRE.org about this last night, about the erosion of our rights, and how comfortable and complacent we (as Americans) have gotten about it. If this were published by Pravda, that in itself would be a story. I knew I wasn't thinking right on this...wasn't being clever enough.
And sorry for these repeated effusions...but dervish, this is exactly how I should have been thinking, instead of doing the lame ass move of pitching it to the Guardian and the Canadian National Post with the idea of the story being partly that I couldn't get it published in the USA.
Amy Alkon at December 3, 2011 4:02 PM
I thought strip searches were not allowed for TSA, let alone forced ones.
I don't know which is more ironic, the strip search of the octogenarian whose generation kept Americans largely safe from these kinds of unconstitutional intrusions, or Pravda potentially advocating for civil liberties.
Paul F at December 4, 2011 7:59 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/03/oy_vey_the_face.html#comment-2827769">comment from Paul FLet's hope I get the name of somebody there -- wrote to a Russian guy who's written for them -- and tweeted to them.
Amy Alkon at December 4, 2011 8:36 AM
A colleague was forced to drop trou because he was wearing a knee brace. At no point, however, did TSA ask to see the permits or to open the sealed package containing NASA space-flight vacuum tube lamps. I have the utmost confidence in our crack security forces.
Astra at December 4, 2011 8:38 AM
@Paul F
This was my exact thought as I read the story. How many of our "Greatest Generation" are disgusted by the actions of the TSA? I also find myself wondering: What would Reagan do?
I may have rubber bracelets made imprinted with WWRD...
Savant-Idiot at December 4, 2011 8:43 AM
Please don't become discouraged Amy, this is much too important. What's the saying about "nothing worthwhile is ever easy"?
As an American, I appreciate your efforts more than I could ever express.
Savant-Idiot at December 4, 2011 8:49 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/03/oy_vey_the_face.html#comment-2827790">comment from Savant-IdiotThanks so much, Savant-Idiot. You commenters here have no idea...but you keep me alive in this endeavor. Dervish, especially, with this suggestion. I have another sort of innapropriate place to put it...but this is perfectly inappropriate, Pravda.
I wrote to my lawyer a few days ago to send him the Reuters rejection. I didn't want him to think I'd given up. Have an email from him this morning, but I have to spend a few hours on herpes (really tough research I'm doing) and then go on Roy Green's show at noon, in Canada. Will write to him...but I hope I'll hear from somebody about a Pravda op-ed editor address before then!
Amy Alkon at December 4, 2011 8:55 AM
I'm sure Reagan would't have put up with this nonsense, however I'm not so sure about his Attorney General Ed Meese.
Also loove how the TSA is denying this strip search. I don't know about you, but I'm more inclined to belive the 85 year old.
Amy, that would be most awesome if Pravda published you First Ammendment piece. Ironies abound...
JanetC at December 4, 2011 4:16 PM
Hmm. Add TSA patdowns to your herpes research. Are they changing gloves between passengers yet?
Radwaste at December 4, 2011 6:48 PM
How much longer do we have to put up with the TSA?
jetty at December 5, 2011 4:44 AM
You might also want to try China Daily, in Beijing.
Profesor Tao at December 5, 2011 4:45 AM
Jim P.: I think professionalism is the PROBLEM, here. These TSA wizards think that's what they're being: Professional. Their profession requires them to ignore probability, courtesy, and accommodation. It's part of the job description.
betsybounds at December 5, 2011 4:57 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/03/oy_vey_the_face.html#comment-2829701">comment from Profesor TaoThanks, Professor Tao -- if I can't get through to Pravda, that's another idea.
Amy Alkon at December 5, 2011 5:12 AM
Law enforcement has been told that it can never use profiling (exluding fiding serial killers) to allocate resources. Good news is being black in the south is no longer against the law. Bad news is that elderly Jewish grandmothers are just as likely to be Al Quaeda members as foreign Muslim youths. Maybe a middle ground is warrented?
james at December 5, 2011 5:41 AM
Last time I flew, I saw a white haired woman who looked to be in her eighties at least being forced to STAND UP from the wheelchair she was in so that she could be patted down. The agents told her she could 'lean on something' while they did it.
O. M. G.
Miriam at December 5, 2011 6:10 AM
If you parse the TSAs non-denial denial - their basis for claiming no strip search took place is based upon video before and after the private search (which was not recorded.) The defence is "she doesn't look like something unusual happened," which is absolutely pathetic.
I supsect they are also parsing the claim: their own technical definition of a full stip-search, w is more invasive than the search claimed. To the TSA, partial removal of clothing is acceptable and exposure of the body is not a "strip search." So they tell us no "strip search" took place.
TSA has been caught with its own their own technical definition of a full stip-search, which is more invasive than the search claimed. To the TSA, partial removal of clothing is acceptable and exposure of the body is not a "strip search."
TSA has been caught with its owntheir own technical definition of a full stip-search, which is more invasive than the search claimed. To the TSA, partial removal of clothing is acceptable and exposure of the body is not a "strip search."
Sarahw at December 5, 2011 7:35 AM
Oh, editng fail there. Third paragraph should read: TSA has been caught with it's flaming liar-pants down on many previous ocassions. The capacity to fib about child-searches is proven.
I don't believe the TSA. They yanked the lady's pants down. They searched inside her underwear - for no better reason than to punish her for refusing the scanner, (as we all should.)
SarahW at December 5, 2011 7:40 AM
Al Quaeda won Libya with our help,
Al Quaeda won Eygpt with out help,
Al Quaeda won America with our help... TSA searches without warrants or probable cause, killing presumed innocent citizens on our Dear Leader's orders, killing foreign nationals with guns walked under our govt's orders.
Good thing is, Al Quaeda despise weak horses and leave us alone.
elkh1 at December 5, 2011 9:13 AM
These would be the same TSA agents who delayed a woman until she missed her flight because there was a picture of a gun on her purse. I guess these are kindergarten teacher wannabes who didn't qualify there, so they take their zero tolerance and less intelligence act here.
How far can we sink anyway? There must be a bottom somewhere.
MarkD at December 5, 2011 10:22 AM
Please note: Not one single Republican candidate for President has promised to make any changes to the way the TSA conducts searches. Not one! 75% of the public and 90% of the flying public, are outraged by what the TSA does. Yet not one person who would be President thinks this is enough of a problem to address it. Also note, that not one question has been asked at any Republican debate that addresses the abuses by the TSA. This issue (TSA searches by people acting as goons) should be front and center at every debate from now on. Every candidate should be put on the spot and asked specifically what they will do to address the outrage flyers express at what our own government is doing to us. Where is that question? Where is the reply?
victorgee at December 5, 2011 11:17 AM
Dick Cavett wrote a column for the NYT about his experience while he was being searched by the TSA. It has this little tidbit in it:
Cavett: “Any of the would-be humorists ask what sort of man would seek a job patting other men?”
TSA guy:“You got it again.”
I commented there: 'How about this would-be humorist: "What sort of human being would seek a job that involves patting down random people, including nuns in habits and 6-year-old children and a well-known TV personality, to prevent terrorists from getting on a plane? And STILL miss people with clearly dangerous things (like Adam Savage of Mythbusters)? Do they just like blindly following orders?'
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/flying-increasingly-for-the-birds/?comments#permid=12
For those who don't remember, after Adam Savage arrived at some convention, he discovered he had had a long thin saw blade (or perhaps knife blade) in his coat that he had forgotten about. And the TSA missed it.
As for Cavett's question, just a few days later I found this story: "A city officer arrested a Spring Creek man Wednesday morning at the Elko Area Regional Airport, where he works for the Transportation Security Administration, on a warrant charging six counts of lewdness with a child."
http://elkodaily.com/news/local/article_5d965fce-cff9-11e0-9d15-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1WGZ88TdZ
Nate Whilk at December 5, 2011 5:04 PM
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