The TSA CAN Grope Our Children!

I write this blog with mixed feelings. It is about the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), an agency of the Office of Homeland Security. This particular blog is too short to go into my opinion of the Office of Homeland Security, so I will limit my thoughts today to the TSA. Specifically, I am addressing the TSA's policy of requiring airline passengers to submit to possibly unsafe radiation levels by walking through the X-ray machines or to submit to the very degrading and humiliating pat-down body searches normally reserved for criminal suspects. (Free tidbit: By definition one can only be a "suspect" if a reasonable police officer believes that probable cause exists to indicate the particular person committed a PARTICULAR crime.)  I believe reasonable security measures are prudent, but the "security" we have now is out of control.

I first would like to say that I believe the TSA, like any organization, is manned mostly be conscientious employees who are working within the parameters of the organization's policies.  I hope that is the case.  But the TSA, like any other organization with police-like powers, also has those employees who are less than conscientious.  Some may work there because of the power they have over passengers trying to board planes.  But there could be more sinister reasons for working as a TSA screening agent.  Those people who have evil intent can find rather rewarding work at the TSA.  Suppose a person has the desire to fondle other persons.  Suppose, even worse, that a person has the desire to fondle children.  The screening agent position is tailor-made for these people.

Now a video is circulating on YouTube and other online media in which the "pat-down" of a very young girl is recorded.  While the TSA agent conducting the pat-down is apparently "just doing her job" the young girl is clearly frightened, and the parents are upset.  Unfortunately, the family could not proceed through the screening area unless the young girl was searched.  Remember, citizens suspected of nothing more than wanting to exercise their rights against unreasonable search and seizure can be arrested for not complying with the TSA screening requirements. 

I would like to ask one question:  Do you, as a passenger, feel one bit safer with the current security requirements than you did with the immensely less intrusive pre-9/11 airport security measures?  And one more question: Have the new TSA security measures stopped bombing attempts or other attempts at terrorism?  The answer to the first question is subjective, that is, each person must answer it for himself or herself.  The second question has been answered by reality.  There have several bombing attempts since 9/11.  Were the suspects apprehended by the TSA?  Nope.  Actually the would-be bombers were caught ON the airplanes by alert and courageous passengers who acted to prevent the attempted bombings. (You may also recall that the terrorists in the 9/11 attacks were armed AFTER they were on board the airplanes by accomplices who were in place as ground crew members.)

Now, what is my point?  My point is that TSA agents routinely and (supposedly) legally violate our civil rights be subjecting passengers to unreasonable searches.  Remember? In the United States we are free from unreasonable search or seizure.  So what is reasonable?  It is reasonable to expect that our luggage be scanned for bombs or explosives, since these can most easily be transported in luggage rather than on one's body.  Also, X-rays are less damaging to material than people.  Therefore, since scanning luggage is logical and is not harmful to people, it is reasonable.  Similarly, a person appearing very nervous and wearing several layers of bulky clothing COULD be concealing a dangerous object.  In this PARTICULAR case, that person is obviously acting in a suspicious manner that can be articulated by a police officer, or even a TSA agent.  Therefore, a bodily search or "pat-down" of THAT person would be warranted.  Bodily search of a six year old girl? Not so much.

I wonder now how long we, the American people, will tolerate this blatant violation of our civil rights?  Again, we would not allow trained, competent police officers to simply stop people and demand to conduct bodily searches.  Why are we allowing this to go on in our airports?  Worse, why are we allowing TSA agents to grope our children?  Does this sound reasonable to anyone?  I hope the American people will act with the power granted to them by the Creator and demand that these unreasonable and misguided efforts on the part of the government to keep us safe be abandoned, and that we return to reasonable precautions as in the pre-9/11 era.