Crap like this…
Boy In Wheelchair Searched By TSA
Now, let me say this first. I don’t think the father who posted this really needed to add the little pop up boxes of text. A video like this speaks for itself, and it’s freakin’ ridiculous.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for safety, and I have no problem walking through metal detectors and allowing my bags to be searched before boarding an airplane. But is it just me or has the TSA gotten a little out of control?
I mean, come on people!
I understand not allowing travelers to pack firearms or knives in their carry-on luggage. And confiscating lighters and flammable liquids at the security checkpoint? Yeah, I get that too. But really? My half-used tube of Aquafresh? And a pair of tiny baby fingernail clippers? You’ve gotta take those too? I’m not sure I understand what sort of security threat I pose with those in my posession. I’m a mom, not MacGyver.
And the little boy in the video? I’m not exactly sure what the agent was looking for. I mean, a 3-year-old in shorts and a t-shirt seems relatively harmless to me. Okay, so maybe the cast on his leg might warrant a bit of a closer look if you’re feeling particularly over-zealous that day, but a full body pat down and two separate swabs of the child and the wheelchair he’s sitting in? That, my friends, is asinine.
I gotta give credit to the boy’s parents. They managed to keep their cool and let the TSA agent finish his inspection. I’m not sure if I would have been quite so patient. The minute my 3-year-old started getting a full-body pat down by a stranger (even a stranger in a uniform), I probably would have been demanding to see that person’s badge, license, supervisor, full criminal and credit history dating back to his/her elementary school years, and the names of at least three references. Because really, how am I supposed to know this guy isn’t some pervert who managed to get hired on as airport security and spends his day getting his jollies by touching little kids and helpless old ladies? Nope. Not happening folks.
If you ask me, the only way we’re going to make our skies friendly and our airports safe again is to start from the ground up. Stricter guidelines and requirements for hiring, as well as extensive background checks, training, and better salaries for employees. Then maybe, just maybe, a little boy with a broken leg won’t have to all but strip searched just trying to get to Disneyland.
Lori Romano 