Breast cancer survivor humiliated and molested at the hands of TSA
Awful. They are heading out to celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary, but flying in America now puts you at the mercy of the TSA.
And as I was putting my shoes, belt and belongings back together, I watched in helpless horror as my wife was publicly sexually assaulted in front of the body scanner. And she let them know before she was scanned that she was a breast cancer survivor.
You can’t imagine the emotions going through my head as I watched this TSA woman squeeze and probe by wife’s breasts in full view of everyone in the airport. And the rest of the male TSA workers looked on with what I can only describe as a perverse interest.
But what made my heart sink to my feet was the look of helplessness and despair on Sharon’s face. A look that I had not seen since the first devastating diagnosis back in 1992. The look said “help me” in the unspoken telepathic connection that comes with 28 years of living as one. I was in empathy overload, doing my best not to let the rising wave of rage overtake me and make me lash out violently, knowing full well the ramifications of such actions.
I just gritted my teeth, frustrated.
And when the next would be bomber has a device in a body cavity will we have to submit to a body cavity search? I will not subject myself nor my family to needless radiation exposure nor TSA molestation. I will not be flying until the TSA changes these procedures.
They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays, Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, told AFP.No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner, he said
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/body-scanners-dangerous-scientists
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/20/aol-investigation-no-proof-tsa-scanners-are-safe/
I don’t fly with commercial carriers anymore. Sometimes it costs leave time and out of pocket costs on business travel, but never again while the Geheime Flugpolizei exist. Papieren bitte, my @$$.
While I have been fortunate in that my wife and I typically fly hassle free, I think it is important to stop throwing around allegations of “sexual assault” when describing TSA searches. As many likely know, sexual assault, from a legal standpoint, has a very specific intent requirement. So while it may be insulting, embarrassing and uncomfortable for you to see your wife subjected to this invasive search, it is not sexual assault.
“It is not sexual assault because we do not call it sexual assault.”
It’s not sexual assault when TSA does it.
And apparently in this case you found that innocent intent was very straightforward to ascertain because…
…no TSA employee would ever do something like THAT
…TSA employees are statistically proven to not have typical distribution of perverts as found in other jobs
…TSA employees have been specially trained to not do that stuff
Or what ? I thought questions of law were settled in court — not your opinion settling it on PJM. No possible consideration of benefit of the doubt for a specific instance ?
I’ll be over tonight to make sure your wife passes the TSA test. It is a preliminary rquirement, don’t get angry, it is not molestation.
Sexual assault is defined as unwanted and offensive sexual touching. Typically there are degrees of sexual assault, which are defined in statute. In my state, touching breasts or inner thighs would each constitute sexual assault. Although it is government-sanctioned sexual assault, it is still sexual assault.
I have read of many stories such as this one. Some of us cannot choose to travel by other means; we go overseas, in our case to Central America to visit grandchildren. No way we are going to take the bus trip all the way through Mexico these days, although we might have done it a few years ago. Our experience with TSA so far has been good. They have been professional and courteous with us, once even going out of the way to help us. That said, I don’t doubt that there are idiots and apes in some places, given all the reports. They should have screened this lady from public view, that’s just common sense. Before we tear ourselves apart over the security issue, let’s remember to put the blame where it squarely should rest – Islamists, and not just a tiny minority of that religeous sect, who are really responsible for this craziness. We must be united against them.
Right you are. Why don’t we profile like Israel airports?
Because political correctness is stupidity.
No, profiling is not stupid. It is logical and, in my opinion, sensible. However, there are only a few airports in Israel, whereas there may be hundreds or thousands of airports in the United States. Profiling in such large numbers would require, I think, huge numbers of trained profilers, along with all of the training that would be required in order to execute this kind of a protocol. A numbers game, I think, is what prevents the U.S. from using profiling in an effective manner.
This is why we are driving to FLA this year instead of flying. I don’t need my 9yo daughter groped.
I wonder how difficult it would be for a group of handicapped people to sue the TSA for discrimination under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
As to whether this would meet the legal definition of sexual assault, my guess is it would be a close call, particularly in light of the prurient gratification of the male accessories. Whether the female enjoyed it improperly, I would be happy to leave to a jury, given the non-zero probability that she did, indeed.
More fundamentally, though, a large component of sexual assault is the assertion of power and the degradation of the victim. I think we have that in spades. I have no problem calling this a sexual assault.
Not sexual assault? Really? Perhaps people like TaylorLaw enjoys being Gate-raped, but not me. Hopefully recent legislation goes through which will make this a misdemeanor assault. There has already been a DA who is willing to prosecute these invasive, and Constitution violating, rules. Ironic how Hilary Clinton says she would never let her kids recieve an enhanced pat-down, yet it’s obvious she does care that the peasants have to.
Personally, this is tragic watching my own country men/women being treated like sheep. Holding your arms up in the air is the universal sign for surrender. Even worse is the cowards who applaud the TSA and Motherland Security. Seriously, you people act like it will be 9/11 times 1,000 if there were no under educated TSA goons groping your children.
You know what? I’m not afraid of terrorists. Considering you’re more likely to be killed by a drunk driver then some cave-dwelling fanatic. No, what people should be concerned about is losing their dignity for security theater. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if these fat, lazy, cowards call for mandatory cavity checks just to feel even safer.
Just remember, people. Your child has a higher probability of getting groped by a pedophile then get killed by a terrorist. The recent Philly incident, for example. Sad, isn’t it?
Gate-Rape? Clearly, had you, DJ, read my post you would understand that I have not been subjected to an enhanced pat-down. But instead, as is typical of people like you, the cry and opportunity for an insult overrides your limited cognitive function. As a former prosecutor, I would love for you to sit down and discuss with a rape victim the distinction between an enhanced pat-down and a forced rape, or any actual sexual assault. I seriously doubt you would continue to make an analogy that reeks of ignorance. Then again, maybe not.
TaylorLaw, have you ever been sexually assaulted? Given your responses, I would be surprised if you had.
As a survivor, having to “voluntarily” submit to an uninvited physical groping is a re-traumatizing event. And, often, it is worse than the original event.
As another writer noted, we often must fly. Having an unknown male viewing me against my will is a forced assault. Having a same-sex groper is only slightly less horrifying.
Why is it worse than the original assault?
Imagine a rape victim standing again before their anonymous rapist, and instead of being physically held down, the victim must instead voluntarily submit to the assault in order to continue moving. In other words, you have to do it to yourself. As a survivor, you do the calculus each time – “is it worth re-experiencing the rape in order to travel?”
I hope this gives you a bit more perspective on what it’s really like to have to “re-victimize” yourself. I hope you also realize how hurtful it is when others say that this is necessary, that it is no big deal.
Given the statistics, I would rather take my chances with no airport security than give up the liberty “to be safe in my person” from state-sanctioned assault. Every day, survivors courageously place liberty over security in simply going to the grocery store, or filling their car. They know that their attacker may still be out there – but they take the risk each day as an assertion of their rightful liberty. I am dumbfounded that so many are willing to sacrifice the treasure of liberty for the theater of “safety.” They do not know what it is to have lost it – and fought to reclaim it.
I have a totally clean record,not even a ticket.If you made a smug comment to me like that in person, I would whip your former prosecutor ass all over the room.
And what exactly is smug about it? Do tell? Someone who disagrees with my opinion suggests I might enjoy “Gate Rape,” and I respond suggesting the analogy is stupid, irresponsible and insulting to those who have been victimized by the actual act of rape? That said, I respect the opinion of Concerned, but nonetheless believe that the victims in cases I prosecuted would not share the same perspective. So again I ask: What is smug about it?
Name ‘em and shame ‘em. Public shame and ostracism still work, when used.
Remember Alinsky – Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.
Always carry some sort of camera in an airport, even if it’s just on your cell phone. It would have to be surreptitious, of course, but take the b@stard’s photo and then publish it on line, with a full description of their malevolence.
And don’t tell me that’s an invasion of privacy. Public servants “doing their jobs” aren’t entitled to such a consideration.
the shufflebutts zulus at the airport can only get government jobs, it’s affirmative action in action, ditto at the formerly white house.
TaylorLaw, we don’t know if the TSA gropes are assaultive/rape or not because the TSA refuses to publish the SOP.
On FlyerTalk, a member of the TSA indicated, as best he could without violating the TSA’s precious SSI, that the gropes that so many experience are probably outside the SOP. But until this gets into a court that forces the TSA to disclose its SOP w/r/t pat downs, we will never know.
When you see or experience these things do you always just grit your teeth? I don’t — place the person under citizens arrest. How do you know if this is part of her job? You don’t. And that is something for a judge to determine at court, not by the TSA or police at the airport.