Reporter stopped by TSA agent who didn't know District of Columbia is in US

[A HERETIC I AM]

ORLANDO, Fla. —

It's something most students learn in elementary school -- the United States is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia. But Channel 9's Justin Gray found out it's a lesson that an Orlando agent with the Transportation Safety Administration seems to have missed.

Gray, who lives in Washington, D.C., was flying out of Orlando International Airport when a TSA agent said Gray's District of Columbia driver's license wasn't a valid form of identification. Gray said his license is legal and up-to-date, but the TSA agent didn't seem to know what the District of Columbia was when Gray arrived at the security checkpoint over the weekend.

When Gray handed the man his driver's license the agent demanded to see Gray's passport.

Gray told the agent he wasn't carrying his passport and asked why he needed it.

The agent said he didn't recognize the license.

Gray said he asked the agent if he knew what the District of Columbia is, and after a brief conversation Gray realized the man did not know.

More including TV News story;
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/orlando-tsa-agents-getting-geography-refresher/ngfmH/

[RKP5637]

1. FFS!

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

27. How much ya wanna bet that TSA (Totally Stupid Asshole) agent

is devotee of Fox & Rush?

That level of ignorance doesn't just happen. Ya gotta work at it.

[Louisiana1976]

31. I can believe it.

[rocktivity]

3. I find it hard to believe that Florida airports see so few DC passengers

their driver's licenses would appear to be a rarity.

The TSA spokesman said, "Officers are trained to identify fraudulent documents?" Well, there's the problem -- they need to trained to identity AUTHENTIC documents, too!

Oh, well, as long as they're not unionized...


rocktivity

[alsame]

4. Well, I sure feel safer. nt

[hobbit709]

5. Doesn't this make you feel more secure?

[A HERETIC I AM]

16. Yup. Sure does!

lol

[brooklynite]

6. Just to be clear -- HAWAII still isn't part of the US, right?

[Brother Buzz]

10. CNN still can't find Hawaii on a map

[Orsino]

21. Since declaring its independence from Kenya in 1962. n/t

[uppityperson]

34. duzy!

[rocktivity]

38. I once won a prize

because I was the first person who could produce Hawaiian currency!

And I read about a woman who submitted her change of address from California to New Mexico to one of her credit card companies, and was told her account was closed because she'd left the country...


rocktivity

[CBGLuthier]

7. Well known fact that many in LE, security guards, and the like are, for lack of a better term

not too far from the median intelligence and perhaps sitting on the negative side of the slope. The authorities don't really want those maintaining order to be able to think for themselves.

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. There was the story from Connecticut about a guy being denied entry to the Police Academy because...

he was too smart;

http://abcnews.go.com/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story?id=95836

[etherealtruth]

8. Abject stupidity

I can't imagine functioning adults being this ignorant ... but, there it is

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. I can. I see it every day.

So do you, I'll bet!

[etherealtruth]

17. Sadly, I think I stick my fingers in my ears and hum

.... at very least the mental equivalent of that when I hear things this stupid

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. LOL....

I worked with a guy in my company (as a co-driver) who told me with all seriousness that "they found Noahs Ark, you know".

He also said with a completely straight face that there was absolutely no way that there was even the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe.

All this was created just for humans, was his point.

[Octafish]

9. Guy thought he was Frank from House of Cards

[Old Codger]

11. The rules are screwed up

Last year on a trip to Minn. I somehow lost my drivers license, I did not have time to get a replacement from my home state so attempted to use another form of ID which was in fact a government issued picture ID which is what they call for..but it was not a drivers license so they refused to accept it. They finally let me through after what amounted to slightly short of a strip search.. So their written law is really not right they require more than a picture ID issued by a government agency... I am not sure what they will really accept past drivers license the ID I was attempting to use was a CC permit issued by the state, in fact I have 2 of them. is actually a little more difficult to get than a drivers license since a complete background check is required to get them.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. There have been several stories I've seen where protestors to the idea....

of showing ID at airports have been allowed to board without a picture ID.

It's a pain in the ass, but it can be done;

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~daw/faa/noid.html

Other results from a Google search;

https://www.google.com/search?q=flying+with+no+ID\&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US fficial&client=firefox-a&channel=sb#channel=sb&q=flying%20without%20ID&rls=org.mozilla:en-US fficial

[Old Codger]

23. They did

They actually let me go eventually but they put me through the whole grope and search scene first , dumped my bag and did a thorough pat down.. I made my flight but barely...

[GeorgeGist]

14. How many trillions have we wasted because of 9/11?

[Louisiana1976]

32. Not to mention how much time....

[MoonRiver]

18. And these are the people we rely on to prevent airline terrorism!

[iandhr]

20. Wow

Seems like that agent needs some use your brain training.

[peabody]

22. I actually applied to work at the TSA

back in 2003 or so. It was around or just after the time of the tech bubble bust and I along with
a ton of other engineers got laid off. So to keep my family fed, I did what I had to and applied to the TSA
since they were one of the few employers that were hiring at the time. Well, the first process was
a screening test on a computer where you had to demonstrate some common sense stuff like
understanding English. Perhaps the hardest part was trying to see the weapon in pictures of
x-rays they flashed on the screen. But, generally the test was pretty easy and I finished earlier
than most people despite getting there late. To my shock, the lady said I had failed! There was
no way I could have failed--it was so easy. In the parking lot, I ran into another engineer that
I ended up talking to in the waiting room prior to the exam. He seem pretty articulate and smart
too and he told me he failed also! So, I don't know what kind of people the TSA looks for but
I have a pretty low opinion of their screening standards.

[GoneOffShore]

36. TSA doesn't want anyone to be too smart.

It is an acronym for Taking Sense Away.

[oldandhappy]

24. When I moved from Vermont to California --

at the agricultural stop/check point coming into CA the agent did not know Vermont was in the U.S.

[Jackpine Radical]

28. Is it? I always thought it was an independent socialist nation

and had been planning to emigrate there.

Nuts.

[oldandhappy]

30. Smile. Tis a good place.

I cannot afford to pay the winter heating bills. Otherwise I would be there.

[rocktivity]

39. Well, that explains Bernie Sanders being an Independent

And he might be running for president? Not so fast, senator -- let's see that birth certificate first!


rocktivity

[Marr]

25. I'm not surprised. The TSA isn't exactly an exclusive academic club.

They're basically McDonald's without the burgers, and a much bigger attitude.

[Jackpine Radical]

29. Sounds like the average jail staff to me.

Perfect description.

[elleng]

26. Yes FFS, HERETIC, but

not so uncommon for people not to know/understand the status of DC, where I lived for 20+ years. (In MD now.)

On a business trip (as a Federal government employee) to Washington state years ago, when I lived in DC, I registered at a motel, stated on the registration card my residence: DC, and the desk person said she didn't know anyone LIVED IN DC!!! I set her straight! (politely.)

[LanternWaste]

33. 46 states, four commonwealths and the District of Columbia

"United States is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia..."

Well, 46 states, four commonwealths and the District of Columbia; but then, that would take some of the fun out of laughing at people's lack of knowledge as many of us would be forced to laugh at ourselves instead.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

35. Plenty of dumb shits about

When I was waking up from a C Section at DC General in 1975, (I gave birth there to make a statement) a doctor started to speak to me and this RN interrupted him and said, "Don't bother talking to her she can't understand you. She's from British Columbia". lol, I'm British. Funny thing was the doctor was also British and boy did he give her a funny look when I started talking to him in my best poshest accent.

Someone tried to make me look geographically stupid a few years ago. At a small town post office here in the U.S, I was sending my son, who's in the U.S air force in England, a package. I asked the head post office woman for a customs form. This woman loved to embarrass and scold people in line and she loudly said, "You don't need a customs form to send something to New York. NEW YORK IS THE UNITED STATES"! I replied, also loudly, "That's an APO address it means the package is going overseas. I'm surprised you didn't know that".

One more; This fellow, upon hearing I was from England, asked me where was England. I thought he meant longitude and latitude at first, then I looked at his vacant eyes and said, "Near France" and he asked me how long it takes to drive there.

[MountainLaurel]

37. Friends in New Mexico

Have told me many times about the problems they have had customer service folks who thought they were in a foreign country.