<p>I’m just glad I do not have young children. Here’s an excerpt from a news article trying to explain the options for those flying with children under 12.</p>
<pre><code>That said, if an alarm goes off during screening by the new scanner or regular metal detectors, any passenger will be subject to an enhanced pat-down (except for those 12 and younger, who get the modified pat-down).
</code></pre>
<p>Just in case you missed it, the Times stated It is unclear whether a modified pat-down includes the genital areas of a child, an issue, in our opinion, which should be clear. The Times gave helpful advice on how to prepare your child if they are touched by a TSA agent:</p>
<pre><code>How to prepare: I suggest parents explain to their kids all the procedures that they may encounter as they pass through security, including the possibility that they may be touched by TSA personnel as part of a pat-down. Parents wont necessarily be with their kids as they pass through the scanner or get patted down.
</code></pre>
<p>I cannot imagine a scenario where my young child is separated from me - to undergo a pat-down by a stranger. I saw a video of a 3-year-old screaming “don’t touch me” while going through this - with her parents right there - can you imagine how traumatic this would be if the parents were not present? I think we have gone off the deep end.</p>
<p>Post #213 exactly correct. Lafalum, I don’t believe your son was authorized or required to feel men’s testicles or women’s breasts. He was doing the old fashioned, less intrusive pat down looking for weapons. Had he done the other he would have been rightfully accused of sexual assault.</p>
<p>As to this poll: Recent polls show that 72% to 80% of Americans believe screening (including full body scattergrams and pat-downs) is fine. </p>
<p>My guess is that when this poll is taken again, after this holiday, the results will be very different.</p>
<p>The poll was taken before this TSA new practice was well understood. There were more and more concerns being expressed in all walks of life everyday.</p>
<p>That was before people realized what it meant. There’s been a slew of videos showing enhanced pat-downs in the last few days that has created a huge backlash against this. It’s all I hear about when I turn on the news or visit a news website.</p>
<p>The good news is the TSA might getting the message:</p>
<p>My take on this is somewhat different that what I have seen so far in this thread. I think that people were declining to go through the new scanners because they were too revealing. I think the new escalated pat downs are punitive in nature–essentially forcing people through the scanners because it is the least awful alternative.</p>
<p>The TSA director needs to go. He is so arrogant, and it seems he doesn’t want to back off even a bit because he might have to admit maybe he’s wrong. Obama appointed him-does he have no influence over this guy? Or is he on board with all this nonsense?</p>
<p>I’m actually surprised that no one has filed a lawsuit challenging at least the enhanced pat downs. There are consumer privacy advocacy groups which could file, or the ACL, or any number of groups which would have more pull than one john q. public. I’m really surprised no lawyers have been willing to take this on yet. It seems a clear violation of citizens’ rights and would do a lot for the career of the lawyer who could pull off getting these policies abolished or at least amended.</p>
<p>Sopranomom92: Thanks for the great laugh in post #205…Viagra for all men before going for their “required” molestation! That’s the ticket!
Lafalum: I’m sure your son was doing the old fashioned pat down. Not at all like what is occurring in the nation’s airports. TSA agents who do this are twisted as far as I’m concerned. I really wonder what is next because if terrorists are putting items into orifices, who is going to check that out and how? Will that be enough for many TSA agents to say “No…enough is enough?” My minor aged daughter will no longer fly. My older, college age kids can make their own decisions but they will definitely know what to expect.</p>
<p>^^^Distressing that some of those lawsuits are a couple of years old with no resolution as of yet. </p>
<p>Couldn’t someone file for a temporary injunction of these new policies until it is looked at in the courts? I’m obviously not a lawyer, just thinking aloud.</p>
<p>There’s a link to a youtube video of a five year old boy subjected to a strip search recently. The person who posted the video on his blog was at the airport viewing what happened (don’t know if he was the one who filmed it- it didn’t say) You can google to see, as I can’t post the link. The little boy had to remove his shirt. You seem him with his back to the camera without a shirt, and a lot of big people standing around watching. Then you see him with his shirt on, walking away holding hands with his parent.
I can only imagine how traumatized one of my kids would have been if this would have happened when he was five. Mine didn’t even want to sit on Santa’s lap, he was so shy at that age.</p>
<p>The blogger stated that the parent held the little boy’s hands up so that he could be pat down over the shirt, but that the TSA wanted him to remove the shirt anyway. He also went through the metal detector first and did NOT set it off, according to the blogger. I really don’t understand how we can let this continue.</p>
<p>I have a tiger repellent that I’d like to sell to the TSA. I’ve been wearing it every day in St. Louis for the last several years, and I have not even seen a tiger, so it’s obviously very effective. I think wearing the tiger repellent should be mandatory for all air travelers because we want people to be safe from being mauled by tigers while flying.</p>
<p>That is an abuse of power - pure and simple. Really, it’s come to this? That is a very sad commentary on our country. Obviously, the terrorists have won. All they need to do next is blow up a mall or a subway and it will send this country over the edge.</p>
<p>I thought we were ‘the land of the free and home of the brave’. Well, we aren’t so free any more and we’re certainly not brave if we allow this type of mental abuse and humiliation to occur. The terrorists are absolute geniuses.</p>
<p>I saw this video…it didn’t have much sound to it but you could definitely see what was happening. I hope that little boy was okay. It seems to me that our government is doing things to children that parents can’t even do. The little 3 year old girl who was kicking and screaming, “Don’t touch me” would probably have had a visit from Child Protection Agency if any other adult besides a TSA agent was doing that to her. All of this makes me sick.</p>
<p>Moonchild: I too, don’t know how we can continue to let this happen. My thoughts are that if a person doesn’t need to fly, they should not. I would also like to see parents say “NO, you will not do a full body scan of my child and you will not do any pat down.” If more people would walk out of airports the way John Tyner did last weekend, changes would come. Forcing changes in our government doesn’t come without someone making sacrifices. I guess everyone has to decide for themselves how far they will take things.</p>
<p>The other thing to consider is that while some of the screeners are decent people, others are people who failed their psych profile at the police academy.</p>
<p>The background check only requires that TSA employees report rape or molestation convictions less than ten years old.</p>
<p>Clearly, given some of the reports we are hearing? We’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. </p>
<p>I told my daughter before she flew: 1. Make sure anything that could possiby set off the beeper is in your suitcase! 2. If you are forced to have the groping, insist on it being in public.</p>
<p>I know people are saying you should request a private screening, but I frankly think doing it in public makes them much less likely to go “wrong.” Too many witness. YMMV</p>