Two weeks ago at MCI in Kansas City I was directed to the line for the metal detector. I placed all my metal stuff, wallet, phone, shoes, etc in the bins and moved to the detector. A TSA agent point at my waist and sternly said "Remove all belts and watches." I explained that there was no metal in them (Airport friendly plastic belt buckle and watch. She raised her voice and said "All belts and watches must be removed!" I said "Ma'm, they are plastic." her face turned bright red ad and she responded in a loud near shout, pointing at me "ALL BELTS AND WATCHES MUST BE REMOVED!" So I removed my plastic watch, and my TSA approved belt, then walked through the detector holding up my loose TSA recommended pants so as to not reveal my non-approved boxers.Steven
Your heart just melts at that friendly TSA service, huh? Are these people our servants or our masters? I get confused. What about you?
12 Responses to Steven: “‘ALL BELTS AND WATCHES MUST BE REMOVED!’”
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Yeah, I was flying out of CVG last month. The TSA guy told me to remove my belt. When I replied that it was a non-metallic TSA-approved belt, he mockingly asked what I meant by “TSA Approved?” Apparently there is no such thing, or they don’t know that. When the Nude-o-Tron 2000 debuted last year, I was standing in line in Philly. The TSA agent was yelling that EVERYTHING needed to be removed from pockets, including tissues, gum, etc. When I asked her if this was a new policy, she sternly told me that it has ALWAYS been this way. I fly more than 50k/year, and really resent this sort of smoke-blowing.
Mindless. Simply mindless automatons. If directives told them to cavity search everyone and shoot all resisters, most of them would probably simply “follow orders”.
They saw it on some memo, so it must be the word of God.
Last time I flew thru LAX, we were yelled at in line and told to remove the usual garb and to make sure we took our hats off as well. As I headed thru the line to be xrayed, a family behind me were noticed by TSA and directed to a separate line from everyone else. There was only a metal detector and no x ray machine. The husband and 3 year old boy was not strip searched or patted down. The man’s two wives took nothing off and their veiled headdresses stayed on. They were wearing very loosely flowing robes and neither was patted down nor examined in any way. As I was shoved thru the screening process and yelled at for not holding my hands over my head correctly, (bondage position preferred) I realized that something is very wrong. If every person going on a plane is not screened, then how is that security? If people are treated differently because of the clothes they wear, how is that security? After security, this family disappeared from my sight, but if they had been on my plane, I would have had no choice but to alert the flight crew. Everyone who sees scenes like this should alert their flight crew and ask for their fellow passengers to be screened properly. Obviously TSA is not concerned with passenger safety.
I could not agree more that this sort of behavior being displayed by the TSA agents in these accounts is really odious, unnecessary & should not be allowed. What I don’t understand though is why would anyone consider not cooperating fully with their requests (as ridiculous as they sound) in order to avoid confrontations with them. It’s as if they look for opportunity to bully people around; why give it to them? Until (if ever) the powers that be decide to curtail all this ridiculous approach for the sake of “security,” it would serve everyone who must fly better to simply suck it up as best as possible & cooperate as best they can.
So let me get this straight; our rights are being violated. We are being subject to physical (go ahead and shove someone on the street and see what happens), verbal and sexual assault by a bunch of power-happy thugs whose salaries WE THE PEOPLE PAY and we should just “suck it up” . Yeah, because nothing makes bullies and petty tyrants more inclined to being reasonable than the people they are stepping on laying down and spreading for them does it?
Interesting story? Only funny part is Kansas City International KMCI does not use TSA! They are one of a few test airports in the country that still uses contractors.
Even if true, the so-called private replacements still follow TSA orders and are almost as unaccountable as the real thing.
George Donnelly recently posted..Michael Scheuer is My New Hero
That will be the day that they get me to remove my watch for some TSA agent to steal.
I’ll try this again. error messages be damned. So, the TSA has hired the Red Queen? I admire your sense of humor and restraint. (restraints? uh oh)
If we have to fly, why can’t we all wear skin colored spandex body suits that are so tight that there wouldn’t be an inch to hide anything, no undergarments, no belts, or metal of any kind, a wrap skirt or Velcro shorts that can be easily taken off in an instant revealing airbrushed “panties” (or ass cheeks if it were me) and slippers made out of paper? Isn’t that what we’re getting down to here?
At the Langley Airport, the TSA agent who was a 6foot 4in. black male had his flashlight on our passports, looked us in the eye and said “State your Name” in an ominous tone. I almost laughed in his face. Then they saw “something” in my carry on luggage. (A small glass fish from a tourist shop) The little perky blond with the big smile told me to “come with me.” Then she went through my luggage, all the while asking me; where did you stay, how long were you there, did you have a good time, what did you buy, etc, all with a big toothy smile. Langley Airport the home of the CIA at a time when no one was in line for security, turned out to be threatening and demeaning in their treatment of American citizens. The vacation ironicaly was with my family to Williamsberg Inn and we learned for a week about the AMERICAN VALUE SYSTEM ORIGIN FOR THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. And now we wer experience the EROSION OF THE VERY FREEDOM WE JUST HEARD MANY MANY AMERICANS GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. You would think these TSA gang members would learn about the country they are so VALIENTLY trying to protect. W H A T A J O K E!