TSA: Even Small, Peanutbuttery Rights Violations Count
Stephanie Lambert had her peanutbutter confiscated by the unskilled workers manning a TSA checkpoint. She filled out a form and got $3.99 back from the US Treasury Department, writes Bob Sullivan at Red Tape at NBC.
Lambert was traveling with her husband, a 6-month-old and a 2-year-old on an ungodly early flight in June, and arrived at the airport about 5 a.m. She was flying from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh, and she needed the usual bag of distractions and food to keep her kids -- and other passengers -- sane during the trip. But, she says, her efforts to ensure a smooth flight were foiled when a TSA agent with a bad attitude singled out her family for additional screening. After the usual pat-downs and questions, discussion centered on the jar of peanut butter."He just really fixated on the peanut butter and a jar of apple sauce I had," she said. "I keep saying, 'It's not a liquid; it's pureed apples,' but we go went around and around. He also screened my husband multiple times. I asked to speak to the terminal manager, but he never arrived. ... We were there 30 minutes."
Eventually, the screener let the apple sauce (and the jelly) go, but he drew the line on the peanut butter.
Sullivan doesn't say what the size was -- whether it was the permitted size -- but let's not get caught up in meaningless minutiae. Does anyone, anyone, think a person is going to bring down a plane with a jar of Skippy?
"Rules are rules," some commenters on the site are saying. Rules need to be questioned -- always -- and especially when they are enabling the constant daily violation of Americans' right to not be searched and have their possessions seized sans probable cause.
You're allowed to bring liquids on board for infants. My kid, who turns two in a few weeks, still counted as an infant this summer and I brought on those squeezy apple sauces and some juice.
Rules are rules. It's allowed.
NicoleK at October 1, 2012 9:00 AM
Maybe it was the crunchy peanut butter. I've heard that kind CAN bring down a plane.
"Rules are rules." Baaaaaaa! Baaaaaaaaa!
mpetrie98 at October 1, 2012 10:05 AM
a jar of peanut butter is dangerous? Nope.
Now, on the other hand, if it had been a jar of Nutella, yep, "death by chocolate"
Seriously though, she is lucky to have saved the receipt. Most of us do not - and this whole thing really isn't about the money either! How many of us really keep track of what we can or cannot bring onboard given that the rules seem to change daily and are left up to the whim of such power-hungry idiots wearing a badge.
I, for one, do not really feel more secure with all this nonsense. A couple of weeks ago I went into a federal building in NYC for a job interview - I had to remove my jacket, empty my pockets, remove my belt, remove my shoes, show the "security guard" that my cell phone was in fact a working phone (and just what the heck did that prove?). As I was "putting my self back together" I commented "why didn't you just strip search me and be done with it?" I didn't get the job so I guess they reported me as a jerk to the hiring manager upstairs.
Charles at October 1, 2012 11:37 AM
You're absolutely right, Nicole. I've always had the same experience when traveling with my daughter, who's almost 3. Bottled water wasn't even questioned.
Sosij at October 1, 2012 12:10 PM
Obviously, the TSA agent was hungry and likes peanut butter. Of the three substances that were questioned, peanut butter is the least liquid of all of them.
Patrick at October 1, 2012 2:04 PM
I do not know what happened to this country in the last twelve years. It's just so disappointing seeing this great nation going south.
Stinky the Clown at October 1, 2012 4:19 PM
The announcement came out today that my company was bought by another one.
I'm going to have my same job but have a new boss. I can deal with it. The new headquarters is in Canada. Luckily the drive is only eight hours and the distance in paid mileage both ways is about even or cheaper to a round trip plane flight and car rental. That means that driving is still a better deal than flying!!
I am going to have to get a passport though. ;-)
Anonymous Coward at October 1, 2012 7:15 PM
For all you regular readers of the Goddess' blog you can skip past this post. I'm going to post my regular rant about not needing the TSA. For all you new readers, please read it carefully and refute any statement or misstatement. ;-)
=================================================
The TSA was not needed one hour and one minute after Tower II was hit!
The paradigm, the norm, the expected, what everyone was taught to do was to sit down, shut up and wait for the plane to land and the negotiations happen. That was the model from Entebbe onward.
The passengers on board did not really know what was about to happen on September 11, 2001 at 8:46:30 when Flight 11 struck Tower I.
Even the passengers on Flight 175 probably didn't realize what was about to happen when they struck Tower II at 9:03:02.
The Pentagon crash of Flight 77 at 9:37:46 may have been still a matter of ignorance.
At 10:03:11 on September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after the brave souls counter-attacked and caused the hijackers to crash the plane.
The time difference is 60 minutes and 9 seconds from Tower II being struck to the crash of Flight 93. The shoe bomber and panty bomber were taken down by fellow passengers as well. Recently, JetBlue's Flight 191 pilot was taken down by the passengers once he was out of the cockpit. Additionally how many times have you heard of passengers' concerns and diverted flights?
The TSA is and has always been a joke, no make that a total stupidity, that has wasted our country's fortune going down a rabbit hole.
If you don't believe me look at the 9/11 timeline.
There will never be another 9/11 style attack unless the attackers can arrange planes full of geriatrics, and even then it would be doubtful.
Oh, and someone brought bombs being an issue. If bombs were effective and simple then the Lockerbie bombing would have been repeated multiple times between 21 December 1988 and 11 September 2001. That's 4647 days or 13 years. Where was the TSA in that time.
Jim P. at October 1, 2012 9:24 PM
Once again I refer you to the Disney classic cartoon: "Pigs is Pigs" from 1954 still available on utube. One of the finest indictments of the stupidity of bureaucrats I have ever seen.
BarSinister at October 2, 2012 6:36 AM
I advocate adding cyanide to food items that the TSA regularly confiscates
lujlp at October 2, 2012 7:33 AM
"I advocate adding cyanide to food items that the TSA regularly confiscates"
Now, now, cyanide might get you into trouble. How about a really strong, long-lasting laxative? Or, perhaps, some concentrated capsaicin? Either of these has a perfectly benign explanation, so there's really no reason not!
a_random_guy at October 2, 2012 8:56 AM
Cyanide.
Storm Saxon's Gall Bladder at October 2, 2012 1:42 PM
That's a horrible idea, luljp. What if they don't actually eat it? Then you'll have wasted some perfectly good cyanide.
Sosij at October 2, 2012 1:49 PM
Now, now, cyanide might get you into trouble.
I dont see how, they are confiscating this stuff under the idea that they are components for making bombs.
And anyone dumb enough to eat bomb making materials deserves to die
lujlp at October 3, 2012 8:07 AM
Did you really refer to the TSA workers as "unskilled"?
Their job is to insure our safety. If they feel like taking peanut butter --either from some whiny bitch, from some potential terrorist-- I fully support that. It's better to be safe than sorry.
This woman is a lousy bitch, by the way. Her bad behavior should not be glorified in this manner because her behavior is ridiculous.
Confessions from the Hairdresser at October 10, 2012 2:56 PM
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