Despite the public outrage towards new and invasive screening procedures at nationwide airports, John Pistole, TSA administrator, says they are here to stay. Acknowledging the revealing body scanner and the equally appealing pat-down as "Demeaning," Pistole said on Nov. 22, 2010, that his policy is "Not going to change." Pistole and the TSA – firmly in the spotlight, would be wise to ensure that standard procedures are followed. The horror stories are mounting and the pressure and scrutiny on the government agency, is increasing daily.
Woman forced to show prosthetic breast at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
No-one it appears is exempt from the newly enforced security procedures instituted by the TSA. Cathy Bossi of South Charlotte is a flight attendant who alleges that she was forced to endure both the full-body scanner and the pat-down. Bossi, who was flying on personal business, told Britain's Daily Mail newspaper on Nov. 20, 2010, that TSA agents halted the pat-down when they reached her right breast.
Ms Bossi, reports the Daily Mail in, "Cancer Survivor Forced to Show Prosthetic Breast to TSA Agents During Airport Pat-Down," added that a TSA agent, "Put her full hand on my breast and said, 'What is this?'. And I said, 'It's my prosthesis because I've had breast cancer.' " Bossi then says that she was forced to remove the prosthesis for examination by the security agents.
Complaints mount with new TSA screening policy
Bossi's isn't the first complaint that the TSA has received after the implementation of the new screening procedures. On Nov. 21, 2010, Gina Damron of the Detroit Free Press, reported that 61-year-old Thomas Sawyer warned TSA agents that if he received a pat-down, there was a risk that the seal on his urostomy bag (used to collect urine), would be dislodged. Sawyer claims that the TSA agent ignored his warning, breaking the seal during the pat-down and traumatizing the traveler so intensely, that Sawyer burst into tears.
Another incident that again involved agents at Charlotte Douglas International Airport swirled around a 6-year-old boy who, says his father, was so traumatized by TSA agents grabbing his groin, the boy was left sobbing. Charlotte's, WBTV news who reported the boy's story, contacted the TSA in an attempt to determine whether this type of aggressive pat-down was really necessary for kids. The TSA told the news station that invasive procedures for children were being modified, but refused to say exactly what those modifications were.
National Opt-Out Day is Wednesday Nov. 24, 2010
A grassroots opposition group formed by one man, Brian Sodegren, is rallying against the new TSA policy by asking people to get on board and support a National Opt-Out Day on Nov. 24. Sodegren is begging the public at Optoutday.com to, "Stand up for their rights, stand up for liberty, and protest the federal government's desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an enhanced pat down."
Sodegren is hoping that the public will support his cry and refuse the full-body scanner in favor of an enhanced pat-down conducted publicly. Aside from impeding the flow of public traffic through security, the opposition group says that a pat-down done publicly, allows the process to be witnessed and every person to, "See for themselves how the TSA treats law-abiding citizens."
The TSA and administrator Pistole, appear to be adamant in its support of both screening procedures. On Nov. 22, 2010, Evan Perez of the Wall Street Journal reported in "Despite Outcry, TSA Insists Pat-Downs Are Here to Stay," that "The U.S. says it plans to have 500 of the scanners, which cost $100,000 apiece, installed in airports by the end of this year, with another 500 installed next year."
With groups such as the ACLU assessing responses to the new TSA policy, the battle it appears, whilst loud, has only just begun. The TSA might be best served to ensure that all procedures are uniformly, fairly and sensibly applied.
Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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