Hi First name / friend!
If I were elected president of the United States, one of the first things I would do, though certainly not the most important thing, would be to get rid of TSA. Hear me out.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created after 9/11 under the guise of keeping our planes safe. The federal government took control of city and state airports and essentially co-opted them. Not only do they have the power to ruin a carefully planned vacation, but their entire job is a violation of our rights as American citizens.
The reality is they have done nothing to keep us safe (and let’s not forget that our safety is not the job of the federal government). Can you explain to me how it is safer to carry two 3-oz. bottles of liquid instead of one 6-oz. bottle of the same liquid?
In the past year, we have gone through six TSA checkpoints resulting in six very different experiences. In one airport, we were commanded to basically unpack our entire carry-on bags: liquids, electronics, snacks, etc. while at the next airport we were told we didn't need to even take our electronics out of our bags because "we don't do that here." I understand that some of this has to do with which x-ray machine is being used, but not all of it, and certainly not the tone with which we are commanded to comply.
In one airport, our son was singled out and told he didn't need to remove his belt or his shoes, while his younger sister had to remove these items. We don't know why and can only assume it is because he looks and carries himself as if he’s in the military?? But this is merely our assumption.
When my husband's bag was searched because he had a razor in it, one that had traveled with us before without any problems, we were told that it "all depends on what the x-ray technician notices." Really? So there is no standard and certainly no guarantee of safety. And let's ignore the fact that our three other bags went through that also contained razors yet were not searched.
After mentioning this on my social media, I heard many horror stories about others’ experiences with TSA. One story involved two parents with three young children. TSA would not allow more than one child per adult to go through the machine, and they wouldn’t allow a parent to come back through to get the third child. If you do the math, you’ll realize the ridiculousness of that situation. Other stories included formula for babies, being stripped searched because the alarms on the machine went off, unnecessary yelling at a passenger hiding something “in her crotch,” and the common denominator in all of these situations was that when TSA was wrong, no apologies or compensation were issued.
Probably more important than our comfort and ease of travel is the fact that TSA is a violation of our 4th amendment rights. Here is the text of the 4th amendment:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
When there is no probable cause to search us, the government has no right to search us. Period. Unless we pose a threat, there is no probable cause to search our belongings or our persons. So either we are posing a threat everytime we choose to fly or the government is violating our rights everytime we choose to fly.
Because there is no consistency across the board, it is a violation of our rights as Americans, and your much anticipated vacation is at the mercy of the TSA officer's mood that day, there is no reason for TSA, a federal entity, to co-opt any space in city or state property.
If airlines want to search their passengers' bags and limit the amount of liquid they bring into the cabin, that would be a different story, but then we would have the option of shopping for and using a different airline if we didn't want to be subjected to those searches.
I know this is a rant, and since I don't plan to ever run for POTUS, nothing will come of it, but the most stressful part of any trip for me is getting through the TSA checkpoint, especially when we travel light and only take carry-on bags, and I would like to eliminate this stressor.
Do you have any TSA horror stories to share? Just click “reply” and fill me in!
