Here's one for us to ponder a bit

[T-Bird76]

I guess this is similar to what happened with the Middle Eastern gentleman with jetBlue. Again I'm not sure if the airport is a great place to express opinion but do you think the TSA overacted?

TSA: Free Speech. With A Price.

It's been widely reported about the passenger in Milwaukee that was harassed by the TSA for expressing his opinion with the words, "Kip Hawley Is An Idiot" written on the now-required clear plastic baggie in which we good citizens must put our toiletries.

Based on that written comment alone, the man was pulled out of line, and TSA staff demanded to know what he meant. The gentleman, according to the reports, noted that he was simply exercising his first amendment rights. Whereupon, the local law enforcement staff were called and he was interrogated for 25 minutes.

[Matt Molnar]

I'm surprised a screener would know who Kip Hawley is, because I just had to look it up.

(My apologies to any screeners on the boards, if you're here, you're obviously sharper than most. :) )

[Nonstop2AUH]

That's a tough call. No obvious racial or terroristic overtones but if you're a screener you would probably have to consider the possibility that the guy is having a "Falling Down" sort of day and might just be the sort of disgruntled miscreant that has visited a couple of schools lately. Sounds like the ultimate grey area sort of situation...

[Midnight Mike]

Oh that one, was the guy wanted attendtion, he certainly received what he was begging for.

Additional Items.

A TSA spokeswoman acknowledged a man was stopped, but likened the incident to cases in which people inappropriately joke about bombs. She said the man was "a little combative" and that he was detained only a few minutes.

"My level of frustration with the TSA and their idiotic policies has grown over 2 ½ years," he said. "I'm frustrated that poorly trained TSA people can pull random passengers out of line and pat them down like common criminals. The average traveler has no recourse."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/28/idiot. ... index.html

[Nonstop2AUH]

The guy has plenty of recourse, he can take the train where there is minimal security, almost scarily so, or he can drive himself!

[emshighway]

Maybe he should have worn the t-shirt, button or thong

http://www.cafepress.com/tsascreeners/1903963


By the way he wasn't detained, he just wasn't allowed to proceed through the checkpoint right away.

[emshighway]

"My level of frustration with the TSA and their idiotic policies has grown over 2 ½ years," he said. "I'm frustrated that poorly trained TSA people can pull random passengers out of line and pat them down like common criminals. The average traveler has no recourse."

As far as the training the screeners go through a ton of constant training. They just aren't trained to bow down to passengers nor will they ever.

Being randomly selected is just another tool which apparently he just doesn't get.