I was totally persecuted, guys. - TSA

[Kelya]

Remember the fundies who freaked out about airport security? I still think the TSA is virtually ineffective and that we're signing away our liberties left and right under the guise of "safety," but my experience was really, not that bad.

I had to get from the West Coast to the East Coast for a sudden, unexpected family death yesterday. As I stumble up to Security, hopped up on no sleep, a three hour airport drive, and grief, I go through the metal detector and set nothing off. Then the security guard barks "I need to pat you down." I ask why, and the response- "you're wearing a long skirt." I ask her exactly where she is planning on touching me and she rolls her eyes and calls over someone else to help me to keep the line going. A nice older lady has me step aside with her and explains she's just going to pat down the front and back of my legs. I acquiesce and she directs me how to step and pats me down in a non obtrusive, non groping way, explaining that they pat people down when they can't see the shape of their legs.

I rail against the injustice and persecution of my amazing garment of purity thank her for dealing nicely with my frumperlicious skirt and continue on to the plane.

[Witsec1]

(((hugs)))

Too bad the first guard was a jerk.

[Nothing2CHere]

When my husband & I were traveling earlier this year, both on the way there AND the way back he was told to go through the body scanner machines. I don't think they were profiling him, he's your average-looking tall, white all-American boy, but I found it amusing that he had to go both times because, this is a man who will scoop worms off the sidewalk after a hard rain and put them back on the lawn. The one time he had a wad of tissues in his pocket which he had to pull out because the scanners saw a strange lump. On the return trip, he was wearing a KISS t-shirt that the TSA agents were all raving about. I don't know how he will ever get past the emotional scars he endured on that trip! :lol:

[Jessica]

I went to California recently to visit my mom and was freaking out about the TSA rules. I wore a long (as in, the only reason it wasn't touching the floor was because I had on 3-inch high Danskos) skirt there and back with no issues. I had my son in the moby wrap and they made me take him and the wrap completely off which was kind of annoying (he's 2 and runs pretty fast!), but they didn't pat me down, they just wanted to look and see that I wasn't hiding anything between him and myself. It was really, really uneventful.

[bicyclecat]

I went through the full body scan twice on my way home from Russia. Twice! Once in Moscow and once in Atlanta. I don't know what I'm going to do, now that two airports have seen the opaque outline of my body.

I'm defrauded!

[JesusFightClub]

I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Kelya!

You obviously have common sense and logic, qualities sadly missing in fundies. It's totally understandable that some people get upset by patdowns because of a trauma in their lives but fundies seem to react as if they had deliberately been persecuted then sexually assaulted. It doesn't help anyone, let them get on with their job!

It is good also to warn the agents of things. I have a large amount of metal holding my bones together ;) and it's simple for me to say beforehand "I was in an accident and I have metal plates and pins from surgery which might set your scanner off." They have always been 100% cool about it and not subjected me to rubber glove treatment!

Honestly if the PP thinks TSA are bad, the patdown when you are arrested is worse and even that can be handled with a bit of grace. Does he post anywhere about what he made of it?

[MonkeyMomma]

I've consistently been sent through full body scanners whenever I fly through an airport that has them, except when I'm carrying my (almost 2 year old) son. In fact, having a toddler seems to be a "get out of TSA hell free" card - expressed through the family line, old school metal detectors - it's like they don't even want to deal with the potential hassle of a toddler breakdown, God bless 'em.

Glad you made it through, Kelya, and I'm sorry for your loss. Hope you have a safe trip home again.

ETA: Frumper lovered.