We've got an aggressive 6-month plan and we need your help. Contribute now!

“If you don’t Like the TSA, don’t Fly”

April 12, 2011 By
  • email

Sorry guys. I had to post this video again. Over at The Stir’s Facebook page, I bumped into some folks who think what happened to the 6 year old girl was necessary and ok. One person said:

the child didnt seem to even care. i think it was done professionally and unfortunately b/c of the ways of the world this is what it comes down to. If you as a parent dont like it then dont fly.

If you don’t like the TSA, don’t fly. If you don’t like police brutality, don’t leave your house. If you don’t like food and other sales taxes, don’t buy anything. If you don’t like GMO food, don’t eat. If you don’t like radioactive water, don’t drink. If you don’t like air pollution, don’t breathe. This is love it or leave it 2.0. If you don’t like it, you can just go off and die.

What is wrong with these people? What happened to their dignity, honor and empathy? This is security theater. This is not real security. And you’re willing to have 6 year old girls predator-prepped for that? You don’t deserve human dignity. But that little girl does.

Those of us who get it will never stop fighting for the basic human dignity of people like that little girl. And we’re fighting for yours, too, even if you choose to squander it on this kabuki theater.

UPDATE: A friend tells me the above video will be on NBC news tonight. I hope that’s right because it’s about time the TSA was under the media spotlight again.

Filed Under: Analysis Tagged With: 6 year old, dignity, girl, patdown
  • Aden

    That’s just despicable. And what’s the point of drug testing a 6-yr old? Has anyone successfully declined a search/pat down/screening and continued onto their flight? Has anyone tried?

    • Anita

      When people invoke their Fourth Amendment Rights they are then arrested and told that they are now part of an investigation, they are never told what kind of investigation it is. We as Americans have the right to fly, we should not be subjected to being MOLESTED just to go see our loved ones,in my opinion, Janet Napolitano should be brought up on charges she’s the BITCH that brought shit about.

  • Fiona

    While I will agree that having 6 year-olds “patted-down” is wrong, I see nothing wrong in the way that it was done. It looked like the TSA agent was doing her job as she would with ANY other person.

    I think this is an overreaction. Americans will always find something to complain about. If the government and the TSA hadn’t implemented (and chances are even now that they have) something like this and there was another air-based terrorist attack you’d all be complaining that they weren’t doing enough. Make up your minds. You can’t expect to be protected at the level you want and not have something like this in place.

    • http://GeorgeDonnelly.com George Donnelly

      My mind is made up. I never asked for the TSA. I don’t expect them to protect me. That’s what my Glock 23 is for!

      Give me a break! The current TSA theater would not have detected the underwear bomber! Who stopped that guy, and his buddy the shoe bomber? The passengers!! Not the TSA.

      • Amy Stratman

        you are right George!!! Fiona, you are what is wrong with this country!

        • http://GeorgeDonnelly.com George Donnelly

          I wouldn’t say one person *is* what is wrong with this country tho, that’s over the top.

    • Wanda

      Fiona:
      You call it complaining, the rest of us are calling it what it is, a violation of our liberties. It is part of our duty to speak out against that crime. George is right. This whole TSA monster is just theater to help you and others think we are safer, when it has NOT caught one terrorist. We the passengers have done more to protect ourselves.
      Think, Fiona, think. Don’t let the government run rough-shod over you and your rights as a free citizen.

    • Anita

      Fiona, you respectfully need to “catch a clue”. The TSA has not stopped one single terrorist. In fact, there was a recent report that it let a a couple of dozen or so terrorists through airports and on to planes in the past few years – and those are only the ones the TSA will admit to. http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2011/apr/terrorists-slip-tsa-behavior-detection-officers Meanwhile, the TSA will grope little children and harass US military. http://www.edgefielddaily.com/column080307.html This is not protection.

      The terrorists who have been stopped on airplanes have been stopped by the very people the TSA has been harassing and wose constitutional rights have been violated – the passengers and the flight crews after the passengers have alerted them. Heck, there are regular reports about how TSA agents let guns, weapons and other contraband go through the screening process. But you are okay with porno scans (that are not regularly calibrated by professionals trained in the use of radiation equipment) and what, done by anyone else, would be illegal sexual molestation. I feel so sorry for people like you, as did Benjamin Franklin: “Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.”

      If you don’t like us our exercising our constitutional rights to free speach, Fiona, take your own advice, and don’t read. Before you stop reading, however, I recommend you read the Bill of Rights which also includes the following language: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” An airplane boarding pass does not give probable cause for a strip search or molestation, and even if it did, the TSA agents lack the warrants issued under oath.

    • sli

      What’s that? How many air-based terrorist attacks have been carried out in recorded history? A statistically insignificant amount, you say? Oh.

    • Renee

      It is in Fiona’s right to express her opinion just like many of you are doing on this issue. I have children and no I don’t agree with the pat down or body scan of children by TSA and yes I have flown quite a bit since 9/11. I also was a victim of child molestation when I was 12 years old but you know what you grow up and learn how to deal with your past in a more postive and productive manner so that you can help the next person. I didn’t cringe or fall out of my chair when I seen the video because it is not in my mind to think that a TSA agent is actually molesting this little girl. That is what is wrong with American people, we think so much about the negative and not the positive. If you want to change anything start with yourself then work your way into a position of change. My husband is in the military and have been depolyed three times since 9/11, believe me I know something about freedom and it is not free because someone is always sacrificing for you to have these rights and liberties.

  • Cryptic

    No, Fiona, you’re wrong. You’ve fallen into the mental trap that security equals a complete loss of personal rights, and it doesn’t have to. To make matters worse, our rights have been forfeited without increasing security.

    I’ve never heard anybody say that airport security was unnecessary. And as long as strangers are touching a 6yo’s crotch and sticking their fingers in her pants, Americans have something valid to complain about.

  • Jessica

    As a victim of a child molester, watching this video was very hard–I didn’t finish it. Even just the “gentle and professional pat down” aspect is enough to make my skin crawl. Because HE WAS GENTLE.

    • Wanda

      Exactly, Jessica. Thank you for helping Fiona see what is being done to that little innocent one. I’m sorry for your pain. We should protect our children. Thank you for posting.

      • Jess

        I’m sorry for what you had to go through, Jessica. I am also a survivor of sexual child abuse. However, there is no reason to take this out on Fiona. She is not condoning child abuse, nor, most likely, are TSA employees or supporters. We all have different opinions on what governments should and should not do. The fact that we live in America allows us to express these opinions. Ultimately, there is a tradeoff between government provided security and personal liberty. Where the balance is set is, and will continue to be, a point of contention.
        If you want your opinion heard and respected, you ought to be prepared to hear and respect those of others. “What is wrong with this country” is, in my opinion, the lack of openness when it comes to different points of view.

  • Bob

    If you’re afraid to fly without making all Americans givie up rights we’ve had since the Magna Carta, then don’t flay. (And do you really think the airlines wouldn’t provide their own security — at a level that is reasonable yet doesn’t lose customers?)

  • Christie

    This made my nauseous and my skin crawl. To see a child being patted down and hands stuck in her pants while the parents are unable to do anything to help her is horrible. This does not make anyone safe. It makes us slaves.

  • Rhonda

    I was molested as a 10-year-old. When I watched this video of the six-year-old girl being patted down, my heart started pounding and I started crying. I feel sick to my stomach.

    Touching ANYONE when they don’t want to be touched is molestation. TSA is a sexual predator regardless of the intent of any individual agent. Any person with any kind of moral fiber would flatly refuse to do this job.

  • http://www.theampat.com TPaine

    This is what happens when you throw the frog into a pot of cold water and then start turning up the heat slowly. The people have become so inured to the liberties they have been losing that seeing a little girl get frisked by law enforcement is just another happening in life. What’s the big deal? We want to be safe, don’t we? Have to be extra sure no little girl gets on the plane with a bomb in her panties.

    Know what, people? You deserve this. Keep flying, keep letting the government take more and more of your freedoms. And pretty soon, you won’t have any freedoms left. Oh, you’ll be safe, won’t you? The big ol’ government will protect you from everything. No more Big Macs – bad for your health. No more FOX News – bad for your brain. No more gasoline – bad for the environment. No more guns – guns kill people. Etc. Etc.

  • Rhonda

    I would also like to point out that it made my skin crawl when she touched the little girl’s hair and said “pretty hair.” Just the sort of thing that a pedophile would say to a child as a grooming technique. Very demeaning and dehumanizing.

  • Daniel

    Just refer to your own article: http://wewontfly.com/turns-out-you-have-a-right-to-fly-after-all

    We have the RIGHT to fly, so the whole “If you don’t like the TSA, don’t fly” argument is just stupid.

    • http://www.theampat.com TPaine

      No one has the RIGHT to fly, any more than they have the right to education, a home or a job. You have a right, God-given, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You have a right, God-given, to keep and bear arms. You have a right, God-given, to free speech, to petition the government, to be safe and secure in your own home.

      You have no right to travel by airplane. Want to fly? Either petition the government to stop molesting travelers, stop flying, or let the TSA keep taking away your right to freedom. Over and over and over and over… By doing nothing, you have given your government the power to screw you six ways to Sunday. Congratulations.

      • Daniel

        Did you read the article? The US code asserts that it’s a right.

        While it may not be a “natural right” there *is* a natural right to travel.

  • Debbie

    From what I’ve read, the only people who are are systematically not being patted down are foreign looking people. It’s always white Americans who get molested. What is this, payback for misguided feelings of victimization? It’s really creepy. I’ve already cancelled two trips because of the TSA. I’ve written to my representatives in Congress. I’m glad I live in Southern California where we can drive to many wonderful vacation spots. No more flying for me until this changes.

  • Ryan

    Fiona… Malo Periculosam Libertatem Quam Quietum Servitium. You are an apathetic zombie. Let me guess, you work for the government? If not, you should. You would fit right in with the other brain washed fools.

    -Peace!

  • Sheenb

    This is very uncomfortable to watch but not any more so than every other innocent American being treated like a criminal by pedophiles and perverts. The TSA keep missing items in carry-on luggage because they are so busy fighting and salivating over who gets to rub and feel and whose turn it is to watch porn. And this most definately includes children and babies. I hope and pray that a big change in the administration will improve this situation. I fantasize about Janet Napolitano packing her bags and heading out of Washington, giving the TSA the thrill they deserve. After that, all the TSA agents should be rounded up and put in prison for their crimes against humanity.

  • Anita

    I just read Fiona’s comment is she out of her mind a six year old was MOLESTED in front of her parents and she thinks it’s alright. The government is clearly overstepping its boundaries, and Fiona how would you like if a stranger molested you?

  • Pingback: No, John, the Little Girl’s Patdown was NOT “Proper” | We Won't Fly

  • lovesTea

    The Right To Travel
    As the Supreme Court notes in Saenz v Roe, 98-97 (1999), the Constitution does not contain the word “travel” in any context, let alone an explicit right to travel (except for members of Congress, who are guaranteed the right to travel to and from Congress). The presumed right to travel, however, is firmly established in U.S. law and precedent. In U.S. v Guest, 383 U.S. 745 (1966), the Court noted, “It is a right that has been firmly established and repeatedly recognized.” In fact, in Shapiro v Thompson, 394 U.S. 618 (1969), Justice Stewart noted in a concurring opinion that “it is a right broadly assertable against private interference as well as governmental action. Like the right of association, … it is a virtually unconditional personal right, guaranteed by the Constitution to us all.” It is interesting to note that the Articles of Confederation had an explicit right to travel; it is now thought that the right is so fundamental that the Framers may have thought it unnecessary to include it in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.
    Thanks to Marko Liias for the idea. Thanks to W.H. van Atteveldt for the note about Congressional travel.

    Justice Stewart noted in a concurring opinion that “it is a right broadly assertable against private interference as well as governmental action.

    We do have a right to travel and the Constitution protects that right!
    Let’s do away with the TSA!

  • Barry Bojin

    You people that somehow think that this is right consider that ISRAEL DOESN’t do PATDOWNS…
    ts strongest ally in the Middle East, however, is more concerned about grounding dangerous people than checking every package, pocket or purse. After all, it doesn’t matter what suspicious characters are carrying if they never make it on board, says Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S.

    “We are less interested in what people are wearing or carrying, rather with how they act, and to determine how people act they have to be questioned,” Mr. Oren said.

    That goes for everyone, including the “Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the United States of America.”

  • Catherine

    I have kind of lost faith in the govt. to protect our citizens and they have obviously become the terrorists. Most of the people here complaining I bet fly all the time, but here they are voicing their feelings. I don’t think we have a chance in hell changing the policies of the TSA, getting rid of it completely ,or ever traveling with joy again.

    • Anita A.

      Catherine – Contrary to your assumption, no, I have not flown since the TSA has begun, unconstitutionally, their porno scans and gropings. Sorry to burst your bubble and/or assumption. Security is necessary. Metal detectors and wands are fine – if you need more, then they best start staffing airports with federal judges who can issue the warrants necessary under the Fourth Amendment to do any further searches.

      And for those saying poor Fiona – to that I say she brought it upon herself. There are perfectly acceptable ways to express her argument, but name calling and putting down those who disagree with her – that is what brought the response she received. “overreaction. Americans will always find something to complain about.” “you’d all be complaining that they weren’t doing enough. Make up your minds. You can’t expect to be protected at the level you want and not have something like this in place.” She attacks people and presumes to speak for what they want. Well, she cannot presume to speak for me. I can protect myself. Other passengers have protected other flights. We cannot say the same for the TSA who regularly miss weapons going through metal detectors, and terrorists boarding planes.

      But you TSA supporters go ahead and justify molesting anyone in the name of security theater. I’m not buying what you are selling.

      And, to clarify, there are two separate Anitas posting here. I am the one who posted the quote from Franklin and the links – not the one using foul language. Please do not confuse my postings with hers.

  • Ruth

    I have not flown since these invasive pat downs began and I don’t intend to. I live in middle USA and have children and grandchildren on both coasts. I will drive to visit them. This 6 yr old reminds me of my granddaughter. When she was 6 (more than 20 yrs ago) a doctor reached into the waistband of her panties and she slapped his hand. Wonder what the TSA agent would do? And how do you teach your child about improper touching after you have stood and watched while someone touched him/her in improper places

  • bill

    Its an indicator of how foul our society has become. And not a frickin’ thing we can do about it. For our *security*, you know.

    Makes me want to vomit.

    • http://www.theampat.com TPaine

      There is plenty you can do about it, but most of the sheeple won’t. Travel by air is too convenient, so most will give up any freedoms they have just to get on that plane. I stopped flying before the TSA became the airport Gestapo, just after 9/11 when I was almost arrested at the Ft. Lauderdale airport for refusing to give up a pair of nail clippers. About 10 more seconds and I would have been cuffed. I will no longer even enter an airport terminal – anyone traveling to or from my place will be picked up and dropped off outside the building. As an aside, I think the airlines should also be driven out of business – I used to get a meal on a long flight and there was no checked baggage fee. Now you have to pay for a soda and maybe there are peanuts, you have to pay for even your carry-on and every piece of checked baggage. You have to pay for a pillow or blanket. And unless you’re flying 1st class, if you have to change your travel date, you’re either SOL or pay ~$100 extra, with no refunds at all.

      I love not flying any more. If I can’t drive or take the train (so far AmTrak isn’t TSA territory), I ain’t going. I still have the freedom to tell the government, the TSA and the airlines to put it where the sun don’t shine. And if more of the sheeple did the same, things might change. However, I don’t have much faith in the sheeple. Baaaaaaaah!

  • Pingback: Reader Story – 6 Year Old Aggressively Patted Down in Charlotte | We Won't Fly

  • Matthew

    To be honest, that security woman was quite respectful of the little girl and her mother. She was constantly keeping the little girl informed about where she was was patting her so she would not be alarmed. I think it is also important to mention that it was a female security guard for a little girl. I may feel a little differently if the security system in place wouldnt see an issue with letting a male do the same search for her. The little girl did not seem to be bothered or upset at all by the search as a result. And while as adults we may frown upon this because she is a child, she is also a human being who will eventually grow up into the current world we are all living in. And the fact of the matter is, we live in a world where humans smuggle terrible things into foreign countries with a number of tactics, and it would not surprise me if that included children or even babies. I mean, why would a security guard want to search for my several ounces of heroin in my babies poopy diaper? I think that people who truly do not see the reality and necessity of this for international flights are naive, and should reassess the way they are raising or planning to raise their children. At six years old, this girl may be a child but she may also be perceived as a very young adult. It is our job as parents to keep our children calm and aware of the real risks and dangers in the world, and the measures we all have to face to keep one another safe. I wish they gave lesson in grade school about how to pack, travel and handle oneself through airport security. I’m sure lines would move faster, and the system the TSA is trying to implement would work as its intended.

Read previous post:
Zappos Sponsors TSA, Customers Outraged

Aaron, what are you thinking? Setting side the whole airport checkpoint debate, what kind of marketing professional gets the bright...

Close