Rep. Sharon Cissna Returns To Alaska By Sea After Invasive TSA Patdown

[LynneSin]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/rep-sharon-cissna-tsa-patdown_n_825851.html

Rep. Sharon Cissna Returns To Alaska By Sea After Invasive TSA Patdown

JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska state lawmaker is making her way back to the state capital of Juneau after refusing what she called an invasive pat-down search at a Seattle airport.

Rep. Sharon Cissna, D-Anchorage, underwent a body scan as she was preparing to leave Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday. In a statement released late Monday, she said scan results displayed – as they had during a prior episode three months earlier – the scars from her breast cancer.

This caught the attention of the Transportation Safety Administration, Cissna said, but she refused to submit to the "invasive, probing hands of a stranger" this time.

"Facing the agent I began to remember what my husband and I'd decided after the previous intensive physical search. That I never had to submit to that horror again!" she said. "It would be difficult, we agreed, but I had the choice to say no, this twisted policy did not have to be the price of flying to Juneau."

[MadHound]

1. More and more people are making this choice,

If enough people give up flying over these "searches" and it starts to hit hard on the airlines' bottom line, these "searches" will stop.

[LynneSin]

2. I'll be honest, if I can get there by train, I'll travel that way

The thing about train - it only takes about 30 minutes for me to board from parking the car til I'm on the plane. Same with leaving too (and I can take my luggage with me). And since I'm 10 minutes from a major train station, that means I'm home pretty quickly.

Now for me to fly, I have to leave about 3 hours before the flight since it takes an hour to get to the airport and at least another hour to go thru check-in and security (perhaps longer now - who knows). And when I get home it'll take another hour to deplane & find my luggage plus an hour to get home. That means I've lost 5 hours just getting on and getting off of the plane vs. about an hour tops for the train.

[LibDemAlways]

3. TSA operates on the ridiculous premise that everyone

is a potential terrorist. A tiny baby. An octagenarian with Alzheimers. An Alaska state official. Everybody. It's ludicrous. The whole dumbass system needs to be scrapped.

The only way to get through to the government on this one is for the public to curtail discretionary flying. Hit the airlines where it hurts. Put them in the position of applying heat on the feds to put an end to the TSA shit.

Sound intelligence and common sense are the best weapons we have against anyone who would commit an act of terror. Forcing a law abiding citizen to submit to being groped serves no purpose.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. I prefer that everyone be searched rather then the privileged escape it

For those bringing up babies and senior citizens, does that mean you support profiling?

[MadHound]

6. But the rich and privileged do escape it,

They fly on their own personal fleets of jets, or on corporate jets, or even government jets. A rep from Alaska simply doesn't qualify to be in that rarefied position yet.

But I guarantee you that the Wall St. banksters, head of Wal Mart, and other such folks are never, ever subjected to body scans or pat downs.

[LibDemAlways]

12. The thought of Bill Gates or Oprah standing there

undergoing a humiliating patdown is laughable. Only those without the power, means, or connections to avoid it are subjected to that shit.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. They are if they fly a commercial carrier

I occasionally get a ride in a private aircraft(C-172), we are not searched for those either

[rdking647]

7. profiling

actually I do.. that fact remains that certain groups of people are more likely to be a terrorist.. Its unfair but its reality

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. Very non-PC of you...

but I tend to agree. Go through the security at Ben Gurion airport some time...

[rdking647]

17. im not p.c.

im not politically correct.. im not afraid to offend someone..

[LibDemAlways]

10. If not harassing people whose only crime is wanting to fly from point A to

point B is "profiling" so be it. A little common sense would be a very welcome thing at the security checkpoint.

[rdking647]

5. tsa

i have a fake hip. in december i flew from austin to new orleans. the pat down i endured returning to austin was so outrageous I complained to the TSA,the ACLU,my reps,everone I could think of.. It was a 15 minute pat down with the TSA agent rubbing my down so roughly he actually was pulling the hair on my arms. Of course my complaint to teh TSA was ignored..

I had tickets to fly again to new orleans again in january but i threw them away and drove rather than submit to that crap again

[LibDemAlways]

8. Sorry you had to endure that crap even once.

If more people followed your example and refused to fly, the airlines would force TSA to make changes. The system in place now is just ludicrous.

[IDemo]

9. Haven't flown since around '98

Zero chance I will again.

[kudzu22]

11. Why is this still happening?

This seems like one of those things that everyone -- Left/Right, Dem/Rep -- agrees is wrong. Why is it still going on?

[LibDemAlways]

13. Because scanners = profits for corporations and money in the

pockets of crooks like Michael Chertoff. The pat downs are punishment for those who refuse to comply. It's all about $$ and control.

[Pisces]

16. I don't think the public cares about the few this new rule affects. People with hip

replacements or pacemakers etc. The majority of the public is not subjected to these invasive pat downs. My mother has traveled about 10 times since the new rules and has not been subjected to
any pat downs. Unless the majority are feeling the pain, people don't care.

That is the United States motto: As long as it isn't my problem who cares. ( health care, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, educations) If more people felt the pain more people would complain and something would be done. I'm starting to think we need the draft back to end these wars immediately.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. Jesse Ventura has sued the TSA.

He has a steel hip replacement.