i loved that story

Well I have shared my stories of flying and dealing with the TSA folks on here numerous times. I know everyone has a job to do, and sometimes their jobs suck, however just because their job sucks, doesn't mean they have to make my life suck.

I have rewritten this post. I wrote the entire story out, as it really happened, what was really said, to whom, by whom and where it was said.

But it really was way too long for a post, and I felt it was legit story material, so, it's in the story section under the Med-Fet board because I really didn't know where else to put it.

I tend to write my stories as non-fiction as possible, they can sometimes be a bit crass, rude, bitchy, or brasin, or all of the above at times, so if you care to read the real entire story, it's up and posted. Hope you enjoy.

Mashie

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack (pun intended) the thread, but this story pales in comparison to the story that hit the aviation news industry on 4/24. The story involves a 4 year-old girl traveling with her mother through the airport at Wichita, KS. According to a TSA agent, the little girl hugged her grandmother and during that physical contact, a gun was passed to the child. TSA agents diverted the child and her mother from the regular security measures and insisted on a pat-down search. The child, who had been well-schooled in "stranger danger" was terrified and began to cry (and who wouldn't). To further compound their own stupidity, the TSA managers on site refused to allow the mother to explain to the child what was happening. By this time, the child was raising such a fuss that the TSA threatened to close the entire facility to incoming and outgoing flights until the matter was resolved. Had I been the mother, I would have called their bluff and told them to go right ahead.

Finally, they compromised on a modified pat-down and found - NOTHING. The TSA stands by the search as justified.

Seriously? Is it possible that to get a job with the TSA a candidate must first pass a test for stupidity and irrationality?

. . . . In regards to the note I think the lady over reacted a bit. As far as the TSA agent goes I don't think they should of been fired. . . . . Also just be aware thefts do happen. . . . Always be polite and follow the golden rule. You can never go wrong following the golden rule. . . . Janga

Are you kidding, those guys ABSOLUTELY NEED to be fired. The lady was completely right.

Aside from breaking privacy, the TSA agents and luggage handlers are thieves wasting time and not doing their jobs when writing these lascivious notes. Many of them have certified criminal records. They need to be put in prison and given gasoline enemas by their victims for retribution and punishment for their crimes.

It's too bad the scum you defend doesn't use the golden rule you think is so important.

Yes, I despise them.

Seems like the agencies have made it miserable to fly. Understanding the need for security and the mall cops who got promoted to TSA. It makes it that much harder to fly

I'm a guy and I always travel carry on. I'd love to take some toys but I know they would have to open my bag and would pull them out.

One of the things I come to this forum with expert advice internally is the airline industry and TSA good and ugly and everything else in betweeen I think I have finally heard. Then I am surprised yet again. I am sure Skybear could also offer a great deal of info here. There are quite a few members here who are from the airlines. As one who is an insider of the airline industry, I will firmly state that there are things I do NOT and DO agree with. As to what that information is, it is private none the less. No, it does not mean I am condoning the behavior and actions that are considered insulting, rude, outrageous, in blatant over the top actions and behavior that one feels from experiencing enhanced security measures for whatever reason they are used. Keep reading as I have provided info on how to deal with possible resolutions to your problems and negative issues etc with airport security officers and TSA. Not all airports use TSA. Some of them do employ other security companies.

Bottom line (pun not intended), in regards to the bad, ugly, atrocious etc we hear that is airport security and TSA related, you do have options, few, though a few. You need to be contacting your state represenatives that have positions in Washington DC. Before you do that, make sure you are familiar as you can be with the info on the TSA website that pertains the best to your complaint. Be prepared to be told that in this day and age that flying is a privledge, not a right of our US Constitution and Bill Of Rights. There are law firms that do take on the TSA. They are hard to find. You can contact your state bar association as to find out who does. If you find the fees etc are more than you want or don't receive much, I would suggest signing up with a law company previously called prepaid legal, now called Legal Shield. I know many who are members and it has come in handy countless times for them for countless reasons.

I am a frequent flyer and often have a riding crop and flogger in my bag. I have never had anyone make a remark other than at times looking at them and chuckling. Maybe I should be more cautious.

Yeah, I know, right? At least an email addy or phone number. Hook a sistah up!

I would only be offende if she/he DID NOT leave contact information. This is someone id like to meet.

Update on the TSA note

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/28/tsas-get-your-freak-on-gi_n_1064451.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-nb%7Cdl4%7Csec3_lnk2%7C108417

TSA's 'Get Your Freak On Girl' Worker To Be Fired

NEWARK, N.J. -- A baggage screener who left a note saying "Get your freak on girl" inside a woman's suitcase that contained a sex toy will be fired, the federal Transportation Security Administration said Friday.

"TSA views the handwritten note to be highly inappropriate and unprofessional and apologizes for this unfortunate incident," spokesman Kawika Riley said in an emailed statement.

The Newark Liberty International Airport employee was disciplined and removed from baggage screening duties, Riley said. The TSA intends to fire the worker after the individual is given a chance to appeal, she said. The agency, citing privacy laws, didn't identify the worker.

The note came to light after passenger Jill Filipovic posted a photo of it Monday on her Twitter account.

Filipovic, a New York lawyer and feminist blogger, flew from Newark to Dublin over the weekend. When she opened her checked suitcase, she found a printed advisory that the TSA had opened and inspected her luggage. The additional note was handwritten on the side of the official paper.

Her initial interpretation: "Total violation of privacy, wildly inappropriate and clearly not ok, but I also just died laughing in my hotel room."

The agency, which is frequently criticized by travelers for its baggage searches and full-body scans, acted quickly once it learned what happened and apologized personally to the passenger, the TSA spokesman said.

Filipovic, who didn't respond to an email Friday from The Associated Press, later wrote on her blog, Feministe, about the impact: "Lesson learned: Don't tweet anything you don't want to appear on The View," a reference to the television talk show that was one of many places her story was told.

By Wednesday, when she had learned the TSA agent had been suspended, she wrote that she feared she would always be known for the tale and that she wanted the by-then viral story to fade away. She also didn't want the worker to be fired as a scapegoat.

"The problem with the note," she wrote, "is that it's representative of the bigger privacy intrusions that the U.S. government, through the TSA and other sources, levels every day."

I am a frequent flier and I never leave home with out my toys and my favorite lube. I always pack them in my checked bags and often find the TSA tag that says they have opened my bags to verify the contents. Once I found a handwritten note from a TSA agent who left me her phone number and told me that I should call her when I was in her city because she saw my toys and was really interested in playing.

I have no problem with them finding my "personal" items or even looking at them, as long as they put them back where they find them and they are there when I get where I am going. One time one of my favorite vibrators disappeared andd it really pissed me off. I sent an e-mail complaint to the TSA but their reply was less than helpful.

The TSA Twinkies are absolutely, totally unneeded in our airports. The harass and hinder the traveler, yet they cannot reliably detect guns or knives being carried on to the plane. The fact that they made a 90 year old wheel chair bound female passenger remove her diaper makes me feel so much more secure about our flights tomorrow.

Speed

Either way it's a disrespect for privacy and should not be tolerated by the people we employ as tax-payers.

What next? Aggressively searching children that they have fetishes for? And yes, that has been done, along with insultingly searching women.

It doesn't matter whether the goons are conservative or liberal, they need to be professional or be fired and prosecuted. If we allow them to be bullies, they will get worse and worse.

I found the note playful and funny, albeit somewhat creepy. But I'd much prefer a note like that than one of disapproval and same such as one from a "good" Christian stating, "You're going to rot in hell. Whore. Fornication is evil." A little note of "Get your freak on, girl." is much more approving and fun, like a nod from another freak.

I agree I think that the tsa needs to treat the position with a little more respect. I have flown on short trips to Austin with my toys when I lived in tx and I wasn't worried I mean the worst is they could see them lol. Now when I played paintball and had to fly with my gearbag it was always a sigh of relief when we arrived where the tourney was and found all our guns and tanks in the bags because there were cases where players gear was stolen most likely by tsa. And the gear isn't cheap which made it even worse.

It wouldn't bother me, but I'd like to make the point that TSA has done a lot of rude and insulting things to passengers with impunity. I hate to sound like a scrooge, but the more they are allowed to get away with, the more aggressive they get. What we might find as humorous could tramatize and discourage others from flying so I think TSA should be encouraged to act professional.

Do you feel comfortable traveling with your toys and sexual paraphernalia? If so, have you ever received any comments or looks, either positive or negative? Are there ever any issues with TSA when they see or handle them? How do you feel about this incident? Do you think it is a gross abuse of privacy or is it just a TSA staff member blowing off a little steam? I mean, these guys and gals are constantly on the lookout for terroristic threats so running into something harmless like a vibrator must bring a little levity to the job. How would you feel if you'd received a note like Ms. Filipovic?

Personally, I would have thought it was funny. I have fun toys and I would feel comfortable traveling with them. I'm a normal woman with a healthy sexual appetite and I'm not going to let a little something like fear of being "found out" or embarrassment from the TSA keep me from living my life. We're all adults.

Dianne