if you look at the TSA as being an entirely rules based organization, this stuff makes sense.

rules are things you cannot deviate from, and it is the individual who is expected to change.

think of the TSA that way and it's obvious that you can't change it from within, you have to pull the power from above, though I don't know anyone who will do that, at the moment.

My fists are pretty hard, too. And I'm going to guess a lot harder than some plastic toy hammer.

Will TSA be amputating my hands on my next flight?

Do they let people who do any sort of martial arts/boxing/fighting on planes? if so, why are they not sedated or placed in a straight jacket?

SwissArmyD is right: this is "I have a set of rules, I must follow them to the letter" drone-think. When encountering this, the magic words are Let me speak to your supervisor. The drone will never change the rules or excercise discretion. The supervisor might.

The supervisor is John S. Pistole, Administrator of TSA. John was nominated by Barack Obama. John brought us the enhanced techniques used by TSA.

Elections matter. I guess this was the "change" part. These same people care more about the dignity of enemy combatants than American citizens.

Good question for presidential candidate is will she/he end these enhanced techniques. A vote for Obama means continue same.

I note that illusionist Penn Jillette has had some run-ins of his own with the TSA.

It strikes me that all the stories about how easy it is to get (anything anyone wants) past the boneheads of Thugs Standing Around is that those stories have been too earnest - they lack the required element of ridicule that is required to make people realize that the TSA is an ineffective, counterproductive laughingstock.

That's why I think we need to enlist the services of a skilled illusionist like Penn Jillette, and have him make a habit of getting the most amazing things past the TSA - my first iteration of this plan suggested a live armadillo, but I'm sure he could come up with even-more outrageous items. A few weeks of daily updates - he did what, now? A boat propellor? No! - might get enough people to realize that these are not isolated errors or understandable oversights but the symptoms of an organization that is sytemically programmed to fail. An organization that can, with a straight face, take away an autistic man's plastic hammer, is an organization that has lost its way.

llater,

llamas

While I would love to see Penn and Teller destroy what respect, if any, the TSA has left, I do not think the guy at the top would react the way we want him. He is so focused on the economy and jobs, that he just doesn't have the time nor inclination.

I cannot wait for the next president to take office. She will end this nonsense quickly.

That is a sad story on so many levels... time for a laugh.

I remember I was hammering on a fence in the backyard when Dad approached. He was carrying a letter or something in his hand, and he looked worried. I continued to hammer as he came toward me. "Son," he said, "why are you hammering on that fence? It already has plenty of nails in it." "Oh, I'm not using nails," I replied. "I'm just hammering." With that, I returned to my hammering. Dad asked me to stop hammering, as he had some news. I did stop hammering, but first I got a couple more hammers in, and this seemed to make Dad mad. "I said, stop hammering!" he yelled. I think he felt bad for yelling at me, especially since it looked like he had bad news. "Look," he said, "you can hammer later, but first-" Well, I didn't even wait to hear the rest. As soon as I heard "You can hammer," that's what I started doing. Hammering away, happy as an old hammer dog. Dad tried to physically stop me from hammering by inserting a small log of some sort between my hammer and the fence. But I just kept on hammering, 'cause that's the way I am when I get that hammer going. Then, he just grabbed my arm and made me stop. "I'm afraid I have some news for you," he said. I swear, what I did next was not hammering. I was just letting the hammer swing lazily at arm's length, and maybe it tapped the fence once or twice, but that's all. That apparently didn't make any difference whatsoever to Dad, because he just grabbed my hammer out of my hand and flung it across the field. And when I saw my hammer flying helplessly through the air like that, I just couldn't take it. I burst out crying, I admit it. And I ran to the house, as fast as my legs could take me. "Son, come back!" yelled Dad. "What about your hammer?!" But I could not have cared less about hammering at that point. I ran into the house and flung myself onto my bed, pounding the bed with my fists. I pounded and pounded, until finally, behind me, I heard a voice. "As long as you're pounding, why not use this?" I turned, and it was Dad, holding a brand-new solid-gold hammer. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and ran to Dad's outstretched arms. But suddenly, he jumped out of the way, and I went sailing through the second-story window behind him. Whenever I hear about a kid getting in trouble with drugs, I like to tell him this story.

~Jack Handy~

I have unintentionally, but repeatedly taken pocket knives, multi-use tools, and backpacks loaded with metal rods that could easily be used as weapons through security and aboard airplanes.

But they confiscated my nephew's rubber ball.

I just recently picked up a can koozie that says:

I'll keep
My Guns
My Money
My Liberty

On the other side a picture of the White House with:

You can keep the change.

I grant the TSA was started under Bush. The rules were ridiculous then. They haven't gotten any better since.

The fact every one is ignoring in all this -- 9/11 will never happen again. Between locked, reinforced cockpit doors and the flying public being aware, the terrorists did their one shot thing and can not repeat it.

"never accept a no from someone not empowered to give you a yes."

Elections matter. I guess this was the "change" part.

I just recently picked up a can koozie that says:

I'll keep
My Guns
My Money
My Liberty

On the other side a picture of the White House with:

You can keep the change.

Jim P., I saw a bumper sticker with exactly the same sentiment. I want one. Or two. OR at least enough to stick on every damn car I see with an "O'Bama 2008" bumper sticker on it!

Can koozies and bumper stickers: what America's elite are reading.

Darned elitists with their brand-name beer and pure vinyl bumperstickers!

SwissArmyD is absolutely correct in his analysis of the problem. Unfortunately this "rules are rules and I'm not authorized to think" protocol is the rule rather than the exception throughout many public/government agencies.

I have often thought that the employees of these agencies should be paid no more than minimum wage; as the only skill required is being able to read and recite back the "rule."

I remember that some politicians promised to reconsider the measures instigated at airports when the first cases like this one appeared but it seems to me that they have once again gone back on their promises. Children and disabled people have thus become the main target of this unhuman treatment.