Crotchal Area Inspection

[RonBoyd]

(This should probably be posted in the "Weird Wednesday" thread but... )

For the First Time, the TSA Meets Resistance

At BWI, I told the officer who directed me to the back-scatter that I preferred a pat-down. I did this in order to see how effective the manual search would be. When I made this request, a number of TSA officers, to my surprise, began laughing. I asked why. One of them -- the one who would eventually conduct my pat-down -- said that the rules were changing shortly, and that I would soon understand why the back-scatter was preferable to the manual search.

"Yes, but starting tomorrow, we're going to start searching your crotchal area"

Several TSA officers heard me choose the pat-down, and they reacted in a way meant to make the ordinary passenger feel very badly about his decision. One officer said to a colleague who was obviously going to be assigned to me, "Get new gloves, man, you're going to need them where you're going."

The agent snapped on his blue gloves, and patiently explained exactly where he was going to touch me.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Yet more reason for relief on my part that I do not travel by plane much. I think that when I retire and am able to do more leisure travel, I will make sure that I have a big, comfy reliable "trip" car. There are lots of places in the U.S. and Canada that I have not visited.

 

[REWahoo]

I predict the TSA and the bedbug scare will do more to promote the RV industry than millions in advertising...

 

[Leonidas]

Note to self: Do not start reading this forum until I've finished the first cup of coffee.

Note to boys down at the TSA: You guys and gals wanted badges so you would look like the real poh-leece, and now it looks like you're going to have to work like the real poh-leece. Heh, heh, heh.

 

[deserat]

Rant alert - I don't find this funny anymore. I just have had several international airline trips and I must say I found the TSA some of the rudest employees of any organization ever. Not only that, I'm not impressed with their 'success' rate - or that which we are allowed to see/not see. I asked point blank how much radiation would be used for the 'scan' and they couldn't tell me. Well, after having worked in hospitals and wearing a radiation badge, I'm not too amused as the indications for radiation are lifetime lmits - a hard stop if you will. I said I'd opt out and the circus began - and no respect at all for myself having the option. The USA is the worst with Heathrow, England, a close second.

Unfortunately, we are held hostage if we wish to fly - as it is, I try to minimize any flying as much as possible anymore. I calculate the hours of hassle factor and add on the actual travel time and then decide if it's worth it. There has to be some significant mileage being traveled and a very compelling reason for the 'time savings' before I fly anymore. Very sad.

 

[W2R]

Sometimes I feel like I live in a gulag. Travel is not completely restricted, but there is no way I will submit to choosing between those naked-xray photos or a too-personal patdown just in order to fly. Right now we can travel by car (and intend to do only that), but what happens when the price of gas goes through the roof? These patdowns seem more than just inconvenient, even for someone like me who doesn't care to travel much.

If we are so concerned about terrorists, there are other, more reasonable measures that we could take but I will refrain from mentioning them in order to stay away from making this post overly political.

 

[hankster]

I predict the TSA and the bedbug scare will do more to promote the RV industry than millions in advertising...

Not to mention the ever present factor known as public restrooms

 

[M Paquette]

Note to boys down at the TSA: You guys and gals wanted badges so you would look like the real poh-leece, and now it looks like you're going to have to work like the real poh-leece. Heh, heh, heh.

After talking to real police officers, I got the strong impression that the Transportation Security Officers include a number of folks who were rejects from the hiring process for various police departments and sheriff positions. That is, there are folks there who wanted to be real cops, didn't make it, and settled for the $10.33 to $15.93 per hour job, because it came with a uniform, shiny badge, and the ability to intimidate people on a daily basis.

There are also good, dedicated folks in TSA, but it just takes one of these former grade-school bullies to ruin a traveler's day and an organization's reputation.

 

[HFWR]

Is the crotchal area anywhere near the scrotal region?

 

[Meadbh]

Legally sanctioned groping. To be honest, this type of nonsense keeps me from travelling to the US.

 

[bbbamI]

Note to boys down at the TSA: You guys and gals wanted badges so you would look like the real poh-leece, and now it looks like you're going to have to work like the real poh-leece. Heh, heh, heh.

Mmm...hmmm. As a volunteer cop, people cussed, yelled, threw things and puked on me.

....they were not inmates; they were people that walked in the front door of the police station.

 

[HFWR]

Mmm...hmmm. As a volunteer cop, people cussed, yelled, threw things and puked on me.

....they were not inmates; they were people that walked in the front door of the police station.

I have never been in your police station...

 

[bbbamI]

I have never been in your police station...

Well, if you had planned on doing any of those things to me, I'm glad you drove on by....

 

[aaronc879]

I think the new[-] feel up[/-] pat down policy is just a way to make the nude x-ray not seem so bad. I saw a video of how the women will be searched. It would get a guy arrested in the past but now it'll be standard practice. There's going to be serious backlash with this one.

 

[Skye]

Ron........Thanks for the link....."For the First Time......." It made me laugh....but this is really not a laughing matter. If the machines give off radiation, which they do, that really is a problem. I do not know much about this, but I was on a site last night that had an article written by a physicist saying how dangerous this can be to our health, especially for frequent flyers, children, older people. And this radiation is going into the whole body, soft tissue, bone, thyroid, lungs, reproductive organs......not good. He suggested the one way to stop it is to boycott the airlines.....said they would find a better way real quick.

 

[harley]

I think the new[-] feel up[/-] pat down policy is just a way to make the nude x-ray not seem so bad. I saw a video of how the women will be searched. It would get a guy arrested in the past but now it'll be standard practice. There's going to be serious backlash with this one.

This sounds like a perfect opportunity to have a little fun. It seems like carrying a few perfectly legal items in the "crotchal" area could result in a pleasant waste of time and good for some embarassment points too. Strap-ons for women (or men, I guess), wearing all of your underwear at the same time (can be changed out into the carry on once you are past the checkpoint, stuffing your underwear with rolls of socks, etc. Sounds like good times all around.

Of course, I have only flown twice since all this nonsense started, and won't do it again if I can help it. W2R, if gas prices go through the roof so will airline tickets, so it will still be cost effective to drive to your destination.

 

[Purron]

This sounds like a perfect opportunity to have a little fun. It seems like carrying a few perfectly legal items in the "crotchal" area could result in a pleasant waste of time and good for some embarassment points too.

You mean like this?

YouTube - This Is Spinal Tap - Cucumber Scene

 

[Gumby]

If I could do it with a straight face, I think it would be fun to take the pat down, but moan the entire time (envision the lobster scene in When Harry Met Sally) and then ask the guy for a date.

 

[M Paquette]

This sounds like a perfect opportunity to have a little fun. It seems like carrying a few perfectly legal items in the "crotchal" area could result in a pleasant waste of time and good for some embarassment points too. Strap-ons for women (or men, I guess), wearing all of your underwear at the same time (can be changed out into the carry on once you are past the checkpoint, stuffing your underwear with rolls of socks, etc. Sounds like good times all around.

Uh huh. And you'll get an SSSS on your boarding pass, which will lead to additional fun at the checkpoint and the gate including 'enhanced' pat-downs. Retaliatory inspections, of course never actually happen.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I understand Delta will provide additional pat-downs for $25 a pop, free for frequent flyers.

 

[HFWR]

I understand Delta will provide additional pat-downs for $25 a pop, free for frequent flyers.

Delta is ready when you are...

 

[Purron]

A cat's perspective:

YouTube - TSA Kitty

 

[Moemg]

I haven't had the crotchal area inspected but I have been patted down a few times so thoroughly that they knew my bra had under wires . The best was when they pulled me out of the line because I had a suspicious item with white powder in it . It was my spacer for my asthma inhaler .

 

[obgyn65]

I am not sure how the TSA personel would react to this.

but moan the entire time

I guess travelers will have to get used to the pat down - or drive.

 

[Koolau]

The added radiation for frequent fliers may be a small but significant issue. Flying already exposes one to significant radiation not generally experienced at ground level. The atmosphere acts as a fairly good radiation shield for the cosmic radiation which bathes the Earth at all times. At FL 30, one can easily receive the equivalent of a medical X-ray during an average flight. The fact that airline personnel receive this radiation to an even greater extent than the typical frequent flier is considered one of the acceptable hazards of their employment- much as it is for medical personnel or nuclear medicinals workers. Obviously, this amount of radiation leads to a small but probably indistinguishable increase in radiation diseases - primarily cancer. I'm not aware of what epidemiological studies have been conducted on airline personnel, but I assume the additional dose is fairly easily calculated and there are reasonably good estimates of dose vs. cancer response available.

For an infrequent flier, none of these sources is nearly as significant as "living life" as a risk factor. (e.g., living in Denver vs. living in LA causes a significant increase in radiation exposure due to altitude and the naturally occurring radiation in the rocks of the area.)

But, now, to the real issue. The TSA et. Al. "swear" that the invasive pictures taken of folks using the X-ray machines won't be misused. I have one axiom to present which I believe as much as I believe in the Constitution of the United States. It goes like this: Anything that can be used can be misused. Anything that can be misused will be misused. Anyone seriously disagree with this philosophy?