So he had a good trip? :)

I'm thinking of getting cards with my number on them printed up, and when this happens, hand one to the TSA agent, and say "call me"?

Steve, I totally was going to say that! I wonder what would have happened if Gregg had grinned and sighed just a little bit? I wonder how many smart-aleck remarks the TSA guys have already had to put up with?

Old RPM Daddy,

I hope a lot. A SHIT ton of comments. Maybe, if they start realizing that people are going to make snide remarks to them about it, they will start to get more and more embarrased about having to perform these grope sessions. The "just following orders" crap didn't work at Nuremberg, and it sure as hell shouldn't work in this case. But no, let's not complain about being herded and having more of our constitutional and civil rights stripped .

Pisses me off. This isn't what I spent several years in the Navy to defend.

Did he refuse the scanner, or was he not given the option?

He refused the scanner. He also says you're not allowed to have anything in your pockets, and he feels uncomfortable being separated from his wallet.

So was he randomly selected for the scanner, or does everyone have to do that? Or is it just tall, laconic types with brassy girlfriends?

I don't blame Gregg feeling uncomfortable being separated from his wallet. A few years ago at Dulles in Washington DC, a young TSA rep passed the wand over me and asked to have my wallet X-rayed. I pitched a fit - of course there was no metal in my wallet. Needless to say, I watched it go into the scanner and come out - never took my eyes off it. The goof wanted to continue wanding me. I told him it would wait while I watched my wallet. The older TSA guys were smirking the whole time. And no, there wasn't anything for them to find. Sigh.

Amy's hair is more copper-colored than brass.

And Steve, I'm sorry. Not being sarcastic at all, either. Must be a little freaky, when you're asked to defend your country, and you're not sure what "your country" means anymore.

Detroit Metro sounds like a bus station - I hope that is an airport or things have really, really gone bad.

I had to have my wallet x-rayed too and it really bothered me. I had forgotten I slipped an emergency key in it.

I heard a good one from a comedian. The TSA agents should be qualified to check for cancer & hernias and then this all can be combined with the health bill.

Detroit Metro is Detroit Metro Airport, and it's really modern and nice. The Westin Hotel at the airport is pretty beautiful, too. We've stayed there a few times.

LAX, on the other hand, seems a bit like Calcutta II in places. Oh, and if you are in the Delta terminal, avoid eating at the hamburger place called Route 66 or something. It takes so long, you'd think the place was a waiting station for the pony express, and the service I had there was so horrible it was almost funny.

Here's one you might enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qdb6wC0Iz4

> Amy's hair is more copper-colored
> than brass.

True, but "torch-headed" would have been needlessly provocative. We can all agree that it's important not to offend each other in here.

Meanwhile, public transit just gets better and better.

Y'know.

"Torch-headed" works for me.

Gregg just went home. He said they made EVERYONE at Detroit Metro either get pornoscannered or felt up.

I guess we didn't at LAX (and he didn't on his way to Detroit) because they don't have the people to man the scanners yet. (That's what he overheard when we were enroute to Paris.) I have a few places I have to fly this year and I'm thinking of putting something in my bra so they can't touch my boobs. Plastic milk bottle bottoms, something. I wonder what they do if they feel something weird in your bra? And how fucking creepy that I have to figure out a way of being groped under government sanction to fly for my work.

Thanks Pirate Jo. I have to admit, I used to be fairly patriotic. At this point, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't. Our government is taking a crap on it's own citizens, and too many people are rolling over and taking it. It disgusts me.

Good one Crid.

Y'know, the family is healthy, scattered as they are across the States. Given the economics, there aren't that many glorious scuba trips in the future anyway. California has many good restaurants, a number of handsome natural features and several attractive women.

I'm just not sure I wanna fly anywhere anymore. I just don't see how it's worth getting my balls squeezed or irradiated.

This has little to do with Gregg's balls, but consider Hitchens via Ebert.

When I was through LAX a few years ago part of it was pretty nice - couple of the places looked pretty good though I was getting on 15 hour flight so I didn't want to risk eating there.

Another part was under construction and hellish. We had to walk through a long vinyl tunnel. Oh, and I couldn't transfer between my flights without having to go outside the security zone -- I couldn't figure out a way and the staff person I asked said they didn't know how.

Amy, you wrote, "I wonder what they do if they feel something weird in your bra?" They make you take it out, even if you're a breast cancer survivor with a prosthetic breast in your bra and their own guidelines say they don't make people remove prosthetics. This was a big story over Thanksgiving weekend.

I have to fly in March. If I get selected for the scanner, I'm refusing, I'm pregnant and I think they're ridiculous regardless. So, if I'm subjected to a grope-down, I'm pulling a "When Harry Met Sally" cafe scene. Faking an orgasm right then and there. I hope I make the TSA agent ten times more uncomfortable than the gropeage may make me.

Faking an orgasm right then and there. I hope I make the TSA agent ten times more uncomfortable than the gropeage may make me.

Better watch out. A guy was arrested for ejaculating during the grope.

I flew out of DTW Friday as well. Mandatory scanner for all; I opted out. It actually wasn't so bad. The agent used the back of her hands, didn't actually touch anything sensitive, and I was done quicker than everyone else in line directly in front of me. I didn't see any point in giving her a hard time, she looked way more uncomfortable than I did. I expected worse.