Three-year-old girl sobs "stop touching me" as TSA agent forcibly gropes her (with video)

[Pamelita]

This is what our children face these days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TCHSGvNwRY

[bbinacan]

1. IMO

the kid is a brat.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. No. The TSA agent is an asshole

There is no reason for the TSA agent to search a 3 year old kid.

That alone should be considered sexual assault and arrested as such.

Hawkeye-X

[opihimoimoi]

37. Yup...TSA agent not trained adequately....needless incident

[dhpgetsit]

69. I didn't watch the vid, but

I didn't need to. Can't we Americans see that this means Bin Laden's mission is accomplished?

If we had an ounce of courage and love of freedom, we would abandon all the paranoia, scrap the bosy searches, suck it up and be courageous again! This fear is imprisoning us!

[uncommon]

160. Just for the record, there are people who use children to smuggle things.

I'm not saying what happened here was okay, just that there are reasons to search children unfortunately.

[seabeyond]

161. there are people that use their house for meth labs. govt is not allowed in all our homes

to search, because of the people that have meth labs in their homes.

[intheflow]

187. +1 n/t

[kick-ass-bob]

23. Jesus fucking Christ.

the kid is 3.

All us parents apologize that children aren't always seen but not heard every second of the fucking day.

THREE YEARS OLD.

9? Yes, the kid would be a brat. But 3 - there sometimes is no controlling them. You kid haters need to get a fucking grip.

[October]

153. Agreed.

The child haters are everywhere. Cold bastards with no sense of shame.

[sabrina 1]

216. Sorry, but no, 9 year old objecting to being groped by a

stranger is not a brat. They SHOULD object, we teach them to do so, I hope.

[kick-ass-bob]

224. I was actually talking about

the claim that they kicked and screamed about someone taking their toy away.

I should have been more clear, obviously. I agree with you completely.

[sabrina 1]

228. Thank you and sorry for the mis-understanding. n/t

[Greyhound]

40. That doesn't justify this intrusion.

What the hell is wrong with you people?

[Odin2005]

50. She's THREE!

You are saying it is OK for little kids to be molested in the name of "security"? :puke:

[jberryhill]

102. Check out this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4VFTkcfDb4

[whatchamacallit]

113. What's your point in posting this?

Well?

[jberryhill]

115. Another example of a child objecting to groping

But this one involving a religious figure.

And those parents - laughing the whole time. Disgusting

[pnwmom]

61. The child is tired and frightened. She's having a perfectly normal

response to an abnormal situation.

[Mimosa]

68. Bbinacan, how dare you call a 3 year old a 'brat' because she was afraid?

A 3 year old being touched, her space violated by a complete stranger, in a strange -to her- environment? You call a child (and good parents train children not to let strangers 'touch' their bodies) a brat?

Sounds like something a Limbaugh listener would say. *gag*

[elehhhhna]

176. We tell our babies not to let strangers touch them...now this shit? WTH?

[Control-Z]

76. Based on what? n/t

[Lucian]

80. Well, your opinion is garbage.

IMO.

[proud2BlibKansan]

What an absolutely disgusting comment.

[krabigirl]

94. Wow....

[Dappleganger]

97. You're absolutely right...

that child should just shut the fuck up and sit still while being molested, you know?

:sarcasm:

[Renew Deal]

103. Let me guess... You don't have a kid?

[glitch]

165. Even the childless are outraged at his comment.

His comment is abusive, but your comment is also offensive.

[Renew Deal]

166. How is it offensive to attempt to understand where someone is coming from?

Though his comment is a pretty big hint. Someone that has had children wouldn't say something like that.

[StarsInHerHair]

231. W has children, the tsa creep probably does too-don't demonize

those who don't have children. Being a parent doesn't make you more of anything, except sometimes sanctimonious.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

120. Yeah really

The horrible child should behave when she's been molested. :sarcasm:

[bluetrain]

133. The only children who wouldn't react this way to being in a strange place, having their security

blanket (teddy bear) taken away and then being molested by a strange, stern person are ones who have already been so abused they've had the spirit kicked out of them.

[Arkansas Granny]

150. When two strangers are restraining a small child and forcing her to submit

to touching and squeezing all over her body, when she clearly wants them to stop, I don't think you can infer that the child is a brat when she objects. How could you explain the procedure to a 3 year old so she would not be frightened and try to strike out against those people who are treating her in this manner.

[seabeyond]

158. if we beat our babies to submission, by three they should be submissive enough to allow. nt

[intheflow]

186. I don't think a stranger was holding her.

It looked to me like her mother was holding her as a TSA office groped her. The woman holding her was not wearing a TSA uniform, and the child was clinging to her.

[Arkansas Granny]

191. Looking at it again, you are probably right. I had just noticed the dark colored

top with white long sleeves. I see now that the woman holding the child appears to be wearing jeans.

That must be even more frightening. Your mother, who you trust to protect you, is allowing a stranger to grope you.

[CoffeeCat]

169. Hands down...

...the most repugnant, ill-informed, myopic comment I've ever read on DU.

And believe me, I've read a lot of utter nonsense on here...

[Name removed]

171. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LeftishBrit]

172. Or just putting the usual safety rules into practice

Very likely the child has been *taught* to protest if touched by a stranger. In most situations, that would be the safe and sensible thing to do.

An older child might be expected to see the difference between this situation and being touched by a random stranger; but it's hardly surprising that a 3-year-old wouldn't.

At the very least, the adult had no idea of how to deal with children.

[fascisthunter]

196. pretty apathetic to say the least

very very strange

[11 Bravo]

200. I'll bet you were a real prize when you were THREE FUCKING YEARS OLD.

[alanquatermass]

206. Sorry, but this kid is not a "brat"...

-- and if you didn't feel your heartstrings being tugged on even a little bit as you watched her crying out, then you simply haven't got any.

Just like that college kid caught on tape screaming "Don't tase me bro!" a couple of years back, this is an important video about a serious problem (ie, Authority overstepping its bounds)

[sabrina 1]

213. Then consider me a brat also. Any stranger touches me they get punched

That is a crime, groping three year olds, if that were my child, I would be in jail right now, but only starting to fight these sick, useless 'anti-terror' money-making, draconian, crimes against the people.

What a load of garbage these 'security measures' are.

I see Chertoff got his body scanners accepted too, lots more money for that war criminal.

Americans better start deciding which group of terrorists they want to take a chance with, the ones who are far away and not likely to be able to remove their freedoms, or the ones who are within with far more power to remove all of our freedoms and who have done so to a great extent.

Terrifying people into accepting this kind of abuse against women and children IS terrorism. But it's also profitable for the 'security' business that has grown up around 9/11.

All it would take would be a strike by passengers for about a week to put a stop to these abuses, and to return this country's freedom to travel without harassment. A slight inconvenience V years of state imposed terror on citizens. The people will have to decide what they want or it will simply get worse.

[alanquatermass]

215. Damn right, Sabrina! All the real terrorism is taking place...

-- before you get on the plane!!!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

225. Revealing post. -nt

[Pholus]

2. "The kid is a brat" makes it all okay, huh?

[Skittles]

6. she threw a tantrum because someone took her teddy bear

that's the root cause

[Pholus]

9. Yup, some TSA agent who wants his "authoratah" respected immediately.

[Skittles]

11. the gal was doing her job

[Pholus]

13. Poorly.

[Skittles]

15. poor baby

[Pholus]

16. :) Aren't we a bit touchy tonight...

[Skittles]

21. LOLOLOLOLOL

I'M TOUCHY? :rofl:

I am done; you are boring me now :rofl:

[Pholus]

24. That's okay, you really didn't have much to say other than insulting the kid.

[apocalypsehow]

126. You'll find that's a pattern. Not just with this OP; nor just when it comes to kids. n/t.

[Name removed]

177. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

227. Skittles is a girl

and she just has an issue with bratty children. She belongs with us not freeper land.

[Mimosa]

70. If a stranger grabbed YOU or BBinacan in a strange environment?

What the hell are we doing in this country?

[Renew Deal]

106. So were the Nazis

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8402574.stm

[Boudica the Lyoness]

121. My job as a mother is to protect my children

I would have killed this bitch!

[jberryhill]

122. Watch the "mother" in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4VFTkcfDb4

The first kid is petrified, so she lets a masked pervert grope the second one!

[Boudica the Lyoness]

128. I wouldn't have let that happen

and my sons are well adjusted adult men.

I did my job well.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

129. I suppose they were in the death camps as well

in WW2.

[sabrina 1]

217. This kind of acceptance of abuse by the government

is why Americans have lost their freedoms.

Are you so frightened of something that is far less likely to happen than a mugging in this country that you are willing to allow the government to destroy your freedom to travel without this kind of harassment?

If you were to think of all the horrible things that COULD happen to you every day, you would never leave your home.

What are the odds of a terror attack on a plane V the odds of being involved in a car accident eg? These 'security measures' have been proven to be useless and all they do is make some people rich, like Chertoff who profits from the body scanners, and Giuliani who profits from anything based on the fear propaganda since 9/11.

Shame on Americans for being so cowardly as to do what no terrorist could have done, give up their freedoms willingly.

'Land of the Brave'? I don't think so.

[Greyhound]

49. WTF is wrong with you? Are you really so afraid of the manufactured bogey men

that you honestly can't see how wrong all of this is?

[awoke_in_2003]

123. many americans are, unfortunately...

pretty soon we will be having "Two minute hates". Home of the brave my ass.

[October]

64. Ridiculous response on your part

[Renew Deal]

104. That's not what the video said.

The teddy bear was the first thing that unsettled the kid. This is a 3 year old in an unfamiliar place. Kids like that have a better sense of right and wrong than some adults.

[superduperfarleft]

163. What in the holy hell is wrong with you?

She's a "brat" because she cried when someone took her teddy bear? She's fucking 3!

Good lord, I hope you've sobered up since you posted this last night.

[truth2power]

234. She said "stop touching me", not "I want my teddy bear". n/t

[Skittles]

3. that's what bratty children face

[Pholus]

7. Nope, that is what we all face thanks to the bed-wetters who condone this.

[Skittles]

8. get over yourself

I fly EVERY MONTH, never had any problems

[Pholus]

12. Good for you.

[seabeyond]

62. if you accommodate all you are told to do to the point of submission, of course you have NO

problems. people aren't willing to degrade themselves in the same fashion. basic human and self respect.... at the least.

[October]

66. So just because YOU haven't had any problems...

means you're insensitive to others who have?

Interesting lack of empathy.

[CreekDog]

81. you've never had problems, therefore something is wrong with everyone who has

or what is your point?

[Hissyspit]

99. You are three years old?

The rules and procedures have recently changed.

[jberryhill]

117. That's odd - the video is from 2009 /nt

[Hissyspit]

118. The poster was addressing recent experiences.

But yes, that was a bit of a non-sequitur on my part. It's late and I'm tired.

[jberryhill]

119. This video might be more recent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4VFTkcfDb4

[Pholus]

141. Not like this issue popped up overnight. It's been a long time (5 years) in coming.

[awoke_in_2003]

124. no, get the fuck over yourself...

you may enjoy having people feel you up, but not everybody does.

[demmiblue]

36. One of the few times I disagree with you...

the three year old was being a three year old. Nothing bratty about that.

[pnwmom]

59. Give me a bratty child over a nasty old fart any day. n/t

[Renew Deal]

108. Do you have any children?

[superduperfarleft]

164. You're truly unbelievable. n/t

[jefferson_dem]

5. What's with all this fascination over the supposed "gropings" by the TSA?

It's rather creepy, in my opinion.

[Skittles]

10. it is seriously creepy indeed

[jefferson_dem]

17. All the right wing nut jobs are breathlessly circulating videos and stories of supposed gropings...

Guess they're needing new circle-jerk material now that O'Donnell's fifteen minutes are up.

[Skittles]

19. oh yeah

they've got plenty of DU fans, too

[Mojorabbit]

77. I was searched twice on one trip

and made to stand with my legs spread while a person felt around my breasts and a wand was rubbed up my legs across my crotch and down the other side. I was yelled at to keep my legs spread and not to move. Something like this would have been unthinkable when I was coming up. It is not ok.

Parents teach children to avoid strangers touching them and then are put in a place where the trust they have in their parents to protect them is violated. The mother here is holding the child who is screaming don't touch me as she is being groped. It is not ok.

[CreekDog]

86. i've been yelled at to remove my shoes

so much so that even though i don't need to remove them, i usually do anyway.

[awoke_in_2003]

127. +1000. nt

[CreekDog]

85. fly in my shoes someday

:grr:

[jefferson_dem]

138. No thanks.

You're a big boy. Bear your own burden.

[Pholus]

145. Some quotes from your namesake (there is a reason the TX ed. board hates him):

-- All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.

-- Be polite to all, but intimate with few.

-- Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.

-- Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.

-- I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.

-- I own that I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive.

-- I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.

-- It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others: or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own.

-- The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.

-- The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.

[Name removed]

159. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. A lot more creepy than the groping itself.

:eyes:

[apocalypsehow]

112. I noticed that, too - passing strange that somehow the groping itself is A-okay; the complaining

about it is somehow "creepy."

Odd, indeed.

[CreekDog]

82. those of us who go through heavy duty inspection everytime we fly don't like it as much as you

is that okay with you?

:grr:

[Pholus]

14. With a reference to jefferson in your handle, I'd think you'd know.

[jefferson_dem]

18. Know what?

Sorry, I don't share your seamy fascination ... That's ok. Whatever floats your boat... I guess.

[Pholus]

20. I'm not the one who invented the porno scopes, nor did I escalate to "resistance" frisks.

[jefferson_dem]

25. "Porno scopes"?

Dude. Compose yourself. :crazy:

[Pholus]

28. I pop a viagra before every full body scan. Is that composed enough for you?

I'm also experimenting with reflective paints so that I can have some messages for the scanners.

"Like what you see?" comes to mind.

[EFerrari]

35. Then you're the one sexualizing the scan. n/t

[Pholus]

39. Guess so. Do you also think women who dress provocatively are asking for it?

[jefferson_dem]

42. What the fuck.

You talk about "porno scopes", viagra, and body paint... Then when someone calls you out on it, you resort to that cheap shit?

[Pholus]

44. Yes, I don't want this crap and I'm the perv. The Germans protest this by stripping.

You WOULDN'T want me to do that.

[seabeyond]

143. amusing. for a while i hear men on du make crude jokes about pulling out the hot chick to view on

scanners. we hear it all over the place. my nephew in law applied to tsa scanners, letting us know his excitement with seeing hot naked gals... the perk of the job.

then when defending this all you men back off and say, sex??? why are you sexualizing it??? you hvae a dirty mind. how dare you.

absurd position

[Pholus]

146. Sorry, my comeback was offensive. I was taken aback by the "it's your fault".

A completely private protest, unnoticed by anyone but the snoop, is somehow sexualizing.

1) The viagra comment was a punchline to a joke.

http://xkcd.com/779/

2) I am serious about the paint and what it says about the intrusions of government
into my privacy. *If* this system were only for safety, the TSA should let an insult
to them pass since it is not a threat to airline safety. But they are not going to
let any challenge to their authority exist, are they? Then it is about control and
obedience.

The only reason I have not done this yet is that:

a) The paint needs to be transparent visually so that during the strip search
nothing is found.

b) The paint cannot be metal based, so that I don't scorch myself.

The skin of my body is getting closer to the inside of my head, and NOBODY is
allowed in there or by definition individual freedom is dead.

I thought of the analogy too quickly and banged it out. I'm the one being violated yet it
is somehow my fault for thinking of ways to fight back. I did not mean that as an insult
to the people who have been confronted in a time of trauma with such an idiotic defense as
that their method of dress somehow excuses their attacker.

[seabeyond]

157. hey pholus... i was not really following you conversation. it's absurd people say why sexualize

in defense of these intrusions when we are talking about pictures of naked bodies and groping sexual parts of the body. i hear the repeated vulgar jokes about abusing women..... oh let me be a worker so i can grab a tit and shit like that... then to argue tsa defense say, nothing sexual.

for any gender to have been sexually assaulted to have experience govt sexual assault blows my mind.

i wasnt speaking to you. i was addressing the poster that now says.... why are you taking it to sexual??? hypocrite.

[Pholus]

222. Thanks, but I did kind of regret the statement after I made it. But I couldn't believe this either.

[EFerrari]

52. Popping viagra is not the same as what you project on someone else's attire, is it?

[Pholus]

55. No, that was frankly an XKCD punchline. But I do intend to do the paint. I'd like to know where

my rights to express myself where I should CERTAINLY have a reasonable expectation of privacy before we all got scared of the bogeymen.

[Pholus]

41. So I don't pop viagras. but if I write insulting things on my body hidden by my clothes

can I be prosecuted? Where do you think the limits are?

[Le Taz Hot]

235. Now THAT'S a GREAT new busines idea.

T-Shirts saying "Dear TSA Agent, Could you at least buy me dinner first?", underwear with a "You Fucking Pervert!" message on the crotch. Ah, the possibilities are endless. Who says Americans aren't creative anymore! :thumbsup:

[Pamelita]

26. When a person supports Obama in excess, that person is unlikely to criticize

Anything aproved during the Obama administration. Same goes to those who idolize any other President. George W. Bush's supporters saw it necessary to support anything as long as it was condoned by the man they loved.

Those supporters must bolster the impression that everything is A-ok during the tenure of their favorite politician

[jefferson_dem]

31. Cute lecture.

Guess I'm convinced. I'll start queuing up a few of these "groping" videos and get comfy.

[Pholus]

33. It's more fun to experience in person. Sounds like you're cool with it, take my place!

[uppityperson]

54. And you gleaned that jefferson_dem "supports Obama in excess" in the last week?

My, you've been busy, haven't you.

[jefferson_dem]

57. Thanks.

:)

[JTFrog]

202. Welcome back.

:eyes:

[GoneOffShore]

30. I suggest you go over to Flyer Talk

Where there are people of every political stripe who are against the TSA's intrusions.

[jefferson_dem]

32. Meh.

We all pick our issues. This isn't one of mine. Enjoy yourself. Drudge sure is. Here are a few of the "ledes" on that cesspool of a site --

Airport body-scan radiation under new scrutiny...

Government in our pants...

TSA agents eject man from airport for opting out of 'groin check'...

'You touch my junk and I'm going to have you arrested'...

BIG SIS DOUBLES DOWN: Scanners are safe, pat-downs discreet...

POLL: Are new security screenings affecting your decision to fly?

MAG: Abolish the TSA...

VIDEO: Nude Protest in Germany...

[CreekDog]

87. calling people perverted because they complain about the TSA search?

real classy you are.

[name not needed]

73. You know what's creepy? A corrupt government agency abusing a child.

[daleo]

83. It's the groping that is creepy.

Government agents patting down three year olds is creepy. People agreeing with this in the name of security is creepy.

Those who trade their liberty for temporary security will lose both - that's what Ben Franklin said 200 plus years ago and it is still true.

[krabigirl]

95. Yes, it is creepy when a tsa goon can fondle you in the name of "security."

[druidity33]

139. read the news lately?

in objecting to the "nude" scanner, people can opt for an ENHANCED patdown. That involves squeezing the the genital region (to check for unnatural bulges), as well as squeezing the chest of any woman who could hide something in their bosom/bra. It is 100% more intrusive than the traditional patdown search.

You should know this if you are going to continue to defend this practice...


:shrug:

[jefferson_dem]

162. I'm not defending any practice...

I'm only only raising questions about those who have just become all hot and bothered over this issue. News? Much of this is historical. You do realize the video in the OP was posted to youtube over a year ago, right?

[Xithras]

178. The fascination is how Americans are so willing to march like moronic sheep into the TSA lovefest

"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."

Had a "security agent" attempted to feel up Martha Washington, old George would have pulled his sidearm and shot him dead. And nobody would have objected, because it's always been legal to use lethal force to stop a rape.

Congress passed a law mandating unreasonable searches, directly contravening the Constitution. The people should be rioting and revolting against the imposition. Instead, they're meekly agreeing to it.

This has happened before in history, and it NEVER ends well.

[COLGATE4]

219. You're mistaken. The courts for years have found that there is

no Consitutional protection against searches/seizures in specific places, i.e. at the border or at security checkpoints in airports. In addition, you are deemed to have given your consent to the search when you go through the TSA line - if you don't agree with the search, you are free to turn around and leave. But you can't get on the plane unless you are searched. No consitutional implications there.

[Pamelita]

22. Greenwald: Americans "are slowly trained to submit to authority, no matter how stupid and expensive"

http://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/3908957533904896

[Pholus]

27. +1

[Mimosa]

72. I said the same thing as Greenwald earlier. And keep wondering why.

Over on this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9559869&mesg_id=9560301


Mimosa Sun Nov-14-10 04:20 PM
Response to Original message
24. The populace is being trained and conditioned into passivity in the face of 'authority'

Threats of terrorism have benefited the government to do what they probably wanted to accomplish anyway. :(


There are ways we could be certified as 'safe flyers' i guess. Do they do this crap in Israel, where they have had to cope with the terror threats far longer?

[Mojorabbit]

78. +10000

I am amazed at the people here who think this is ok.

[jberryhill]

207. Everyone should agree with Greenwald on this - he's an authority on the subject /nt

[tinymontgomery]

34. What would

happen if you started yelling pervert pervert get you hands off my child's crotch you pervert? And say it loud. Also what would happen if an adult said while they where being searched " that feels really good can you mover further to the left/right so you can get me off or up so you feel my C**it and get me off if your a female? I mean what would happen if you start embarrassing them? Really.

[Pholus]

38. Well, you'd miss your flight for sure. If the history of the TSA applies

any film that favors their case will be publically released but anything that might be embarassing to them will be lost in "camera malfunctions".

I'd not recommend it. I kind of like Amtrak or the car these days.

[tinymontgomery]

45. did car for the last 7 years

looks like I'm going to have to fly next year. As Arlo Guather said something like " if we all stood and and said the Alice Restaurant Massacre then it would be a movement" etc etc.

[Pholus]

46. I'm sorry. I have to fly for work too, going along with the crap because I'm on someone elses dime

but personally, I no longer travel by air for recreation.

I flew LAN in Chile a couple years back -- it made me remember what I used to LOVE about air travel.

Oh well, it was merely freedom. We'll never miss it.

[tinymontgomery]

53. Sounds like

you have it worse then me. Good luck.

[Pholus]

58. All part of the job ;)

[Hannah Bell]

47. the people doing the searches don't make the policy. embarrassing *them* won't do anything.

it's the people at the top who need to be embarrassed.

[Pholus]

51. Despite my militancy on this, you're right. But those on the top are shielded from the people.

[Hannah Bell]

107. yes, they are. i'm not against making waves on the ground; simply, i don't believe "embarrassing"

workers (some of them reportedly pretty low-wage) is the way to go about it.

[Matariki]

43. The comments on that page are disgusting.

Actually, on edit, half this thread is disgusting too. WTF is going on here?

TSA changes it's policy to pat downs involving feeling up breasts and genitals and I'm dumbfounded to have to read post after post of supposed progressives defending it and insulting people who find it reprehensible and disturbing. Really, what's happened to this place?

[seabeyond]

56. +1. desensitized to the point they dont even recognize the disrespect that is being given them

they even defend being disrespected in such a manner it would have been unheard of 5 years ago. it really is an eye opener in human behavior and being conditioned, and in such a small time, too.

[truth2power]

91. I agree. It's beyond disgusting to see people on this thread defending

what was done to that child.

For the past 20 years or more all we've heard is teaching children the difference between good touch and bad touch. Then people defend this. Appalling!

[Posteritatis]

93. Yeah, I was gonna say the comments on this thread aren't much better. (nt)

[krabigirl]

96. I agree. It amazes me..DU has changed.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

132. I'm surprised as well

I thought it was the right wing that loved the searches..you know the right wing authoritarian follower type. Traditionally the right say things like, "They can stop and search me because I've done nothing wrong, so therefore I have nothing to worry about".

I'm shocked that DUer's find this not only okay but mock those of us who see it as an violation to our rights.

Don't they understand it's their mothers, sisters, grandmothers and daughters that are being violated before their eyes. I don't let strangers see my body naked nor do I let them feel my breasts or genitals. Notice how they do it full view of the other passengers to humiliate further and as a warning.

[Odin2005]

48. That fucker is lucky he didn't have the SHIT beat out of him!

:grr:

Edit: Holy shit, posters are DEFENDING this crap!?!

[Liquorice]

60. Why are they searching small children? I think the whole airport security

thing has just gotten to an absurd level. I feel bad for that kid. Her mom certainly didn't make things any better. Children pick up on their parents emotions, and the mom clearly did not want her daughter searched. The mother should have helped her daughter to deal with the bad situation in a better way. I disagree with people who say the kid is a brat.

[W_HAMILTON]

74. Because she set off the metal detector twice...

...and it says that if you do that, no matter who you are, you get searched. They tried the metal detector wand, but she wanted no part of that, either. Then they went to a manual body search.

[greyl]

63. I think Steve Simon was trying to make himself some news here.

Plus, if you're looking for "groping" in the video, you must admit it came from the mother, not the TSA.

[Stevenmarc]

167. I agree. Here's a concept, put down the camera and attempt some parenting skills.

Look I really don't have any love for the TSA but if I thought my child was being touched inappropriately the last thing I would be doing would be making a video of it.

It's less of a video on an abusive TSA agent and more a video on how to raise a brat due to skewed parental priorities.

[Pholus]

223. When you face authoritarian thugs, intervene = arrested. To film? Not illegal (yet).

Self edit: Calling out removed.

[coffeenap]

65. Video added in 2009 according to youtube. Nt

[jberryhill]

67. Infant resists being waterboarded in church

If you think that's awful, check out this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0lz0857XG0

[flvegan]

71. Again...bin Laden's folks must be beside themselves with satisfaction.

Stay afraid, America. Stay very afraid.

[somone]

75. It's wrong and it looks stupid

But then, I guess TSA is already making plans to offer free vaginal and rectal exams for all travellers :sarcasm:

[Pholus]

79. Recommended reading: The TSA Blog.

http://blog.tsa.gov/

I learned a LOT from reading the official party line compared to the comments of the public.
It's worth an afternoon to understand the context of the nude-o-scopes in the plan to keep
us all safe and compliant. The highlights that tipped me into realizing exactly how these
machines are going to be a threat to us.

1) They still refuse to actually provide images linked to the capabilities of the current
generation of machines. They shows some nice, safe, blurry old images but if that was
all there was to it, why did that one TSA guy assault another over the pictures taken of
him and the subsequent comments about the size of his package from his coworkers? The
sample pictures don't look like they image your privates at all!

2) It was fun to watch the tapdance when people tracked down the original RFQ and showed that
TSA specifically requested the ability to store and transmit images. The party line went
from "the capability to store and transmit does not exist" to "this mode is disabled by
default and is used only for testing" once someone provided the documents and backed
them into a corner. Wow, that did wonders for my trust for TSA.

3) The compilation of biometric databases using scan images from these machines. Yes, that
was a federal courthouse and NOT the TSA but given item 2 I am not willing to be generous.

[boppers]

88. Do you have a cell phone, a bank account, an internet connection?

Huge amounts of data is compiled daily. By law.

It's really hard to avoid, unless you live entirely differently than most people do.

[Pholus]

89. Yes, but I have this old fashioned notion that a picture of my penis is kind of private, thanks.

I know, a pre 9/11 mentality. I'm sure you'd rather that I just not worry about it and find out how Bristol is doing on Dancing with the Stars, right?

[boppers]

98. Did you get an ID? Like a driver's licence?

Facial biometrics already captured.

Born after the 70's? DNA captured.

[Pholus]

135. By and large in the current epoch: Biometrics = Water Dowsing. Waste of cash.

Wasted by people who watch 24 too much. However, the dream of being able to decide someone is a threat and instantly knowing everything about that person cause you've been watching them since birth is a sirens call.

You seem cool with that boppers -- I actually have fun trying to contaminate every database I can. You should see my driver's license photo. I'd hate to see software try to match up that expression with my normal one.

[Pholus]

92. I mean, seriously, what are they gonna do with a biometric database. DROP EM! Yup that's him!

You want to cut the deficit? Start with people who think we need a nationwide database of everything about everyone. They have too much free time on their hands.

[jancantor]

111. Well, a Penis lineup

is the next step. "Penis #6 can you turn to the right and slightly engorge?"

[alarimer]

151. Propaganda, pure and simple, from the TSA goon squad.

Fuck the TSA. I am trying to figure out how to tattoo that on my back so it shows up in the porno scanners.

[Pholus]

154. You have to READ the blog COMMENTS to get the gold.

Repeated questions from posters dodged, ignored or addressed obliquely by the TSA reps.

You can learn a lot from this interplay about what is really happening.

[Lucian]

84. I am so glad the TSA is protecting me from three-year-olds.

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[boppers]

101. It's not too hard to figure out how to make a three-year-old into a bomb.

Recall the dog attack? They cut open living dogs, put bombs inside of them, sewed the dogs back up, and tried to get them on planes.

The dogs died before being put on a plane, but suffice to say that anyone, and anything, can be wired up.

Whether or not this means we should search everything just to avoid getting blown up every once in a while is another issue, but suffice to say that a three-year-old can be just a lethal as, oh, an old printer, a boom box, a bra, undies, or a shoe.... all bombs.

[Lucian]

110. Sure.

Anything can hide a bomb. I can saw off my big toe and form a bomb out of something that looks like my big toe and sew it back on. ANYTHING can hide a bomb. It doesn't mean we need to go overboard with the search process. We all have rights, and our dignity, to protect. I'm not okay with being groped by someone who has a tiny bit of power given to them for the sake of national security.

[boppers]

116. I'm fine with being naked and prodded for a group's "security".

That being said, other people have other histories, and I can see why they'd be upset about being treated like potentially lethal weapons.

If anything, private flight industries should see a boon of pilots and passengers who are tired of large-scale commercial flights, and their checks.

[Pholus]

136. If you want to discuss defending against movie plots, head on over to Bruce Schneier's blog.

He has a contest every year.

[proud2BlibKansan]

90. Are 3 year olds likely to be terrorists??

How stupid. That poor little girl.

[jberryhill]

100. Can smugglers use children?

Yes. People have smuggled drugs in babies' diapers. What makes you believe it is impossible to conceal a weapon on a child.

[Name removed]

114. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

131. Are they taking diapers off the babies?

By feeling the outside of the diaper you can tell what's in there. Same with colostomy bags, female hygiene products, adult diapers, prosthetic limbs, bras for women who have had mastectomy's, pregnant women's bellies, on and on.

To be very safe we should be naked..the items above removed, then anal and vagina probed. You first.

[lpbk2713]

105. Now anyone associated with air travel is an ogre.

WTG TSA.

(I am from the gummint and I am here to help you.)

My ass.

[Bill McBlueState]

109. man.

I would beat the hell out of anyone who did that to my three-year-old, and I'm not a violent person.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

125. Yes the idiots say....

"stranger feel my frightened child's body all over, squeeze my breasts, touch me anywhere you want, and take a pictures of my naked body..even if I'm pregnant".

You fuckers deserve a fucking probe up your arse. It's coming, thanks to you fucking sheep. Where's all this 'freedom' shit and 'home of the brave' you go on about, mindlessly I must say.

[Gravel Democrat]

134. At least the Brit gets it

Cheers





We did, however, at one time, kick your ass

So there's that

And once the sun never set upon Her Majesty's Empire. It's just our turn.

[jberryhill]

142. It was the British that started the liquid ban /nt

[Pholus]

147. Yes, I saw on TLC that all brits are cloned out of tanks and programmed to think identically.

Seriously, I know you're trying to have some fun but really?

[jberryhill]

148. The first body scanners were deployed at Heathrow, too

I really don't understand your comment. The extreme policies originated in Britain, so obviously the British people are failing to hold the line on this issue.

[Pholus]

149. Not ALL British people, jberryhill. Just like I CERTAINLY am not like the Americans who want this.

[jberryhill]

152. I have no idea what you are reading, but I didn't say anything about "All British people"

I'm talking about the British government, which was the first to institute liquid bans and body scanners.

[Pholus]

155. Cool. So it was the "British Government" then...

Sorry, after the waterboard video I thought you were just poking at people for laughs.

My mistake and no problem! :)

[jberryhill]

156. Well I hope you didn't miss this one, either

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4VFTkcfDb4

[Boudica the Lyoness]

175. We were you

We kicked are own arse. By the way, I have taken a chunk of the US for her Majesty and I've planted the Union Jack and everything.

[Pacifist Patriot]

173. Checked out the situation at Manchester airport lately?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

182. Britain has gone to shit since Thatcher.

Our forefathers would be disgusted. I have lived in the US since '73 and I was commenting about Americans who were okay with these extreme violations of ones person. Are you okay with the searches TSA are doing? Everything in me tells me it's wrong.

[Pacifist Patriot]

214. It disgusts me on either side of The Pond.

[silverojo]

130. This is disgusting

Anyone laughing at this is even more disgusting. I don't have kids, but I do have a heart. She thought these people were stealing a stuffed animal that she loves--it's not like a kid this age understands the complexities of terrorism and airport security. The attitude of the agent did nothing to reassure this little girl.

Think about it this way...if this were done to an Arab-American child, the people calling this girl a "brat" would be screaming about racial profiling, and how cruel and racist the officer was. But hey, she's Caucasian, so she's just a spoiled brat, in their minds. I hate bratty kids as much as anybody, but she wasn't bratty--just upset and scared.

Actually, she's a smart little girl. Kids aren't supposed to let strangers touch them inappropriately, and parents are supposed to teach them to raise a fuss if it happens. If more kids were like her, fewer child molesters would get away with their crimes so easily.

[BlackhawkPaul]

137. TSA=Security Theater

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater

Security Theater is a term that describes security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security.<1> The term was coined by Bruce Schneier for his book Beyond Fear,<2> but has gained currency in security circles, particularly for describing airport security measures. It is also used by some experts such as Edward Felten<3> to describe the airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks. Security theater gains importance both by satisfying and exploiting the gap between perceived risk and actual risk.

[zbdent]

140. hmm ... apparently, some people think that molestation is bad

unless done by a person dressed as an authority figure ...

How many times has the three-year-old been told not to allow some stranger to touch her?

[seabeyond]

144. having raised kids, most three yr olds dont even need to be told. they dont like it. they are

to little to be comfortable with strangers even talking to them, let alone in private space, which they naturally get.

but then per you post.... there is that too

[JitterbugPerfume]

168. how about parents explaining to kids

what can happen in an airport and maybe prepare them for what might happen? A parent should reassure the kid and let them know that they will be there and not let anything "bad" happen to them

It is not a "kid" problem , it is a parenting problem

[Gin]

170. she was obviously hiding something in those huge breasts...

so there is a code that indicates you have been preselected for pat down....what is the code? and if its random...how the hell does that make us safer?

[seabeyond]

174. 3. all the things that parent needs to do to calm the child down.... she cant because of security

rules.

when the child is at this point, the parent needs a calm environment (continue approach of sec denied parent that ability). the parents needs a place to allow the child to get it out for a few minutes before they can start calming, ... the parent was not allowed that.

the way this played out, every step of the way ensured escalation of childs stress, and not a parent around would be able to bring their kid "to heel" under the situation created.

[backscatter712]

179. There's a book for teaching kids how to deal with the TSA...

[TheKentuckian]

180. No, it is a sheep problem for accepting this insane bullshit

Something "bad" did happen. a vulgar invasion of privacy.

Reassure of what? That some stranger will be fondling them for no reasonable purpose?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

184. Yes I agree

Some of the peoples attitudes here are giving me the chills. It reminds me of all those mothers who comforted their children as they carried or led them into the cattle cars and gas chambers. So heart breaking! This is just the beginning.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

188. I would never do that

My sons are adults but if they were still little, I would tell them to scream bloody murder if a stranger grabs them in the airport. I'd never give them my permission to hold still for this awful and unnecessary molesting by these pigs.

[lonestarnot]

181. So, now why didn't the adult in this situation in charge of this child explain in 3 year old what

could possibly take place at the airport when they got there? Ridiculous.

[seabeyond]

190. i dont know, i just keep thinking these people think like people. i would not have guessed

even tsa would do this.

you are not the first to say, why didnt the parent prepare the child to be groped. but really, as much as my parenting insight allows, and reading tsa ever increasing invasions..... i truly would not have thought they would do this to a child

you can bet, parents now aware, having seen this, taking their little one on the plane is teaching their children to allow groping by strangers.... isnt that a lovely thing to be teaching our very young children.

or the parent is saying

fuck this shit

[lonestarnot]

229. Strangers doing their job as ordered madam, the job they're feeding their kids with and had

it been my kid and I hadn't had time to prepare the kid, (and I didn't watch any of the videos here) I would have taken him/her home and said no Disneyland until we get it straight that the stranger was doing his job, keeping underpantsers off the fucking plane. When planes are flying over my head, if a bomb could be planted on a kid inside those planes, I want the kid checked out too before the kid gets on the plane. I do not feel this is a sexual matter at all. Unless TSA are all pervs, and where is the evidence for that? If a terrorist would cut off the head of a live human being, why should age of the beheaded or splashed matter? Groping? No, if a pat-down, a feel-up, a what- the-fuck-ever, is going to keep the plane from another 9/11 it's is ok by me. I do not agree that TSAers are groping people until there is evidence.

Onto a different subject.

Wonder what people are going to do or say when we've created all the private prisons and they're being hauled off to one?

[seabeyond]

232. nope. i couldnt teach my children to be such stooges.... cant do it.

i teach them respect, reason, and think, by gosh, always think for self, think things thru, be informed and knowledgable. but cant tell them to be so very afraid of something that is not to be so very afraid about, at the expense of their rights. but then, as i say, i wont fly. so you can do your thing, we will do ours. when the kids go off on their own, they can do their thing. or maybe, reason will come back to this country.

[mainer]

183. It's not as bad as you all make it sound.

As a mom and a frequent traveler, I know what three-year-olds are like. Once they spin into a tantrum phase, there is nothing you can do to calm them down. I don't care if that TSA agent just wanted to play patty cake, that kid was going to be screaming and kicking because they took her teddy bear. And the TSA agent (a woman, by the way) was left in the really uncomfortable position of having to do her job and pat down a shrieking toddler who didn't want to be touched.

And by the way, the one restraining the kid was her own mother.

[Name removed]

185. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mainer]

189. Did you watch the video?

From the descriptions I read earlier up on the thread, I was expecting to see some horrible abuse, a kid being groped and raped, a beast of a male TSA agent cackling with glee as he assaults an innocent child.

So when I actually watched the video, I was puzzled not to see any beasts or raping or strangers holding down a baby while she screams in pain and terror.

In the video, the mom holds the kid. The black female TSA agent tries to pat down the kid. The kid is having a tantrum and shrieks and kicks.

Obviously you see a grotesque ogre trying to molest and rape a kid. Fire that TSA agent, string her up, and draw and quarter her! (Even though she could well be a single mom trying to raise her own family.)

I look at that video and I see a frazzled mom, a kid having a tantrum, and a hapless female employee trying to do her job and get this family through security.

If I make your skin crawl, your skin must be crawl at the slightest provocation and you have absolutely no ability to see both sides of a picture. Or any sense of proportion, if you think this is an example of Nazis and rapists at work.

[Mimosa]

193. WTH does race of anybody involved have to do with it?

I watched the video and I didn't even notice race.

BTW, 'hapless' is not exactly what we need in professional security personnel, is it?

And TSA agents have not prevented any calamitous incidents on planes during the past few years. Watchful pro-active passengers stopped the wannabe terrorists.

[mainer]

195. I'm looking beyond the uniform to the human being wearing it.

All you're seeing is the uniform.

[Mimosa]

199. No, I saw people.

But race wasn't an issue. I saw a scared little child.

[mainer]

203. Race isn't an issue to you. To the TSA agent, it certainly was.

And I see a woman who's already in a subordinate position in society. Which gives me some empathy toward the long, hard day that she probably faced at work. And here's this privileged little girl having a tantrum while her TV personality dad videotapes the whole thing, drawing attention to the TSA woman trying to do her job. And I understand why the TSA agent is feeling a bit in the spotlight and hapless.

As soon as we see ONLY uniforms, and stop taking into account the issues and pains that those people wearing the uniforms must be feeling, we stop being human ourselves.

[jberryhill]

208. You see them sitting on Santa's lap and being baptized in church too

But nobody calls it Nazi death camps when a toddler freaks out over either a picture with Santa or being baptized.

The father narrates the intro, and says she was "cranky".

Travel is tough on kids, because it doesn't work on their schedule.

Half of DU, when asked, doesn't even want children on airplanes, in restaurants, or generally in public in the first place. But the fact is that our species has them, and it can be difficult to know when they are going to have a tantrum or not.

If the child were acting that way on being told to stay in her seat - you bet your sweet ass that the overwhelming majority of DUers would be chiming in on how the little ankle biter shouldn't be on a plane in the first place.

But, for today, DU is staffed by the staunch defenders of children.

However, if you were the TSA agent, you might wonder why the little rich white kid is afraid of you. Perhaps you look different from other people that little rich white kid encounters under usual circumstances.

[seabeyond]

192. yes, and all us parents with little ones will now teach children to passively allow groping

from strangers.... here on out

[mainer]

194. Have you watched kids throwing tantrums in airports?

I just got home from a flight to Europe. In Heathrow Airport, I watched a toddler in baggage claim lie down on the floor and scream bloody murder, kicking and punching anyone who came near her. She was mad because her mom wouldn't give her something out of her carry-on. The poor mum, traveling alone with two other kids, just sat down on her suitcase, dropped her head in her hands, and cried. The kid kept screaming and shrieking, so loudly you could hear it in the whole baggage claim hall. No one was groping her. No one was going near that kid. But a lot of people couldn't help laughing because it was so over the top.

What I'm saying is that a screaming toddler doesn't necessarily mean abuse.

And by the way, when my kids were growing up, you could count on one or the other of them shrieking "DON'T TOUCH ME! STOP TOUCHING ME!" several times a day when a sibling got too close.

[seabeyond]

197. yes i have kids and the little one wasnt crying cause she couldnt carry soemthing. she was crying

because it had been a long day, she was tired, she was outside her elements and comfort zone, she was experiencing the stress along with parent, she could not process the same as older kids and adults do.....

and look what the mom did with hers... sat and cried. that is human. people. what we are. and what gov, tsa and people on this board ignore, sneer at, are snarky about

[mainer]

204. But TSA agents are never human, are they?

To be honest, when faced with a shrieking toddler, I'd be at a loss as to how to approach the kid too.

[jberryhill]

209. Start a thread on what DUers think about cranky toddlers on airplanes

...and see what you get.

[mainer]

210. Having been a mom with cranky toddlers many moons ago...

all I feel is sympathy for the poor parents! There's really no more powerless feeling than having an out-of-control child in public.

When I'm flying and I'm bothered by a screaming kid, it's really hard to blame the kid or the parent. It's just what kids do.

[jberryhill]

212. A lot of people don't have that attitude

If someone is having a problem, I'll volunteer to switch and sit near the cranky kid.

I don't get on a plane without -30dB foam earplugs, isolation headphones, blindfold, a nicotine patch, and Tylenol PM. Five minutes in, and I'm not really even on the plane.

The other thing with kids is that their eustachean tubes and sinuses don't always work as well as adults, and they are sometimes in real pain from pressurization and de-pressurization.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

218. Well you've got it all figured out

I guess a child screaming when a stranger grabs them should be ignored, like car alarms are in parking lots. :sarcasm:

It'll be nothing but entertaining when you get a massive anal probe up your arse....in public.

[mainer]

220. Nobody has it all figured out.

Which is why I prefer to step back and look at the situation with a thoughtful eye rather than resort to using the "N word" (for Nazis) or telling other DU posters how much they disgust me.

One thing I taught my children long ago: if you have to have to resort to sarcasm or calling someone a Nazi, you've already lost the argument.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

226. Sarcasm is not a method of last resort

but sometimes a handy tool. I have it figured out: Don't molest innocent people. Don't humiliate them and treat them like criminals entering prison.

[supernova]

198. Having had time to think about it

This situation was a breakdwon in several ways.

The kid is obviously stressed out/overtired and overstimulated from the travel. She was going to bawl anyway.

The TSA person showed not one iota of common sense about dealing with kids, esp not kids throwing a tantrum. The same scene plays out in malls every christmas when over eager relatives drop little susie into Santa's lap unexpectedly (from the kid's POV.) When you are that small, you definitely don't want strangers manhandling you


If you listened to the entire report, the reporter mentions that you can ask at the front desk if your child's ticket has been tagged for a pat down. The system randomly tags people without regard to age apparenetly. You can ask to have it deselected. I hadn't known that. It is a very good idea.

[Gormy Cuss]

221. A better idea would be to train TSA workers to check with a supervisor before searching a child.

Putting the onus on the parents to know ahead of time 1)how to read the ticket and 2) ask that a child can be deselected is a recipe for more incidents like this. Many family groups fly once a year or less and it's impossible on that infrequent schedule to keep up with the ins and outs of airport security.

[sally cat]

201. "Look at the absurdities inherent in the system!" apologies to Michael Palin

[felix_numinous]

205. OMG don't we have electronic sniffers and scanners

that can pick up on drugs or weapons? We can implement safe procedures (I am against irradiation of the public) that preserve our dignity, if that is part of the mission.

We have all the technology in the world to be used for surveillance, to read a watch from space --nevermind zap and kill people---yet they can't come up with something better than this crap procedure??? A dog can be trained to sniff out drugs and other substances, they can be a back up to the electronic sniffers.

It is not effective enough to warrant this level of harassment!!

[tblue37]

211. "This video contains content from Tribune, who has blocked it on copyright grounds." nt

[bluetrain]

230. What are they going to do with mentally challenged adults like say those with autism who can't

tolerate being touched and actually have the physical strength and size to put up a real fight?

[PavePusher]

233. There will be no security in air travel until our Second Amendment rights are restored...

in airports and on planes.

People who fight back against criminal actions are safer than those who submit. And fighting back is easier and more effective when you have access to proper tools for the job. Improvisation will only go so far.