I knew I took that Ron Paul bumper sticker off for a reason. No telling how much trouble it may have saved me.
1. Is it time to be paranoid yet
2. How much of the first ammendment is suspended by the TSA? I know that the TSA is a magical organization with special powers, but one of the detainee's questions was "Am I legally required to answer the questions" and I would be asking the same thing (or at least wondering).
1. Has been for a while.
2. Not much, but the TSA doesn't think so. They really do think they're a magical group with special abilities. Hell, I was 'detained' because I told them that no, they could not make me power on my laptop and show them what was on it. Actually, I'd really prefer not letting my laptop out of my line of sight. Course, it did take me a while to explain to them that the laptop in question was property of the US government and actively had classified information on it (OIF info, dealing with troop and equipment movements). After they finally understood that I was very willing to call the FBI to have THEM detained, they settled for giving me the full treatment. But my friggin laptop remained in my line of sight the entire time.
Apparently folks with govt ID, on govt orders, with the ticket paid by the govt and in possession of classified material are a high terrorist risk.
I think they do have a "smart***" database, as I've been flagged for a random search each and every time I've flown since.
Only other good TSA story I have is an old one. Remember back when Guard guys were still guarding airports? After the TSA came online, they started phasing it out. Anyways, shortly after TSA took over at an unspecified airport, the NG guys were still there. Some of the brighter scumbags figured out if you kicked the metal detector or whatever, you could make it go off. Sure enough, there after, whenever a very attractive young lady would walk through, it would go off like clockwork.
This one time, a very well endowed young lady was positively beaming just prior to getting through the metal detector. Why? Her boyfriend was in a local NG unit and was on shift. Naturally, the soldiers keeping on eye on the gate radio'd him that his lady friend was coming through. Some other soldiers that knew her also started wandering over. Well, metal detector went off, and the TSA guy decides to give her a very thorough, very hands on search. She was in tears and highly upset, and he was very focused on his hands on search. Neither noticed a very large, angry, and well armed soldier walking up until he put the stock end of his M16 into the back of the guy's head. The crowd cheered, the rest of the soldiers started assuming low ready weapon positions, and the TSA folks tried not to make any sudden movements.
