Bless his heart: World Net Daily‘s Tim Daughtry is concerned about whether gays traveling through the airport this holiday season are going to be subjected to pat-downs from TSA agents of the same or opposite sex!
Always looking out for you, Daughtry — who sometimes has “Dr.” in front of his name — wants to make sure the original reason for having members of the same-sex do the pat downs on passengers is in line with the original reason men and women are separated in bathrooms: to keep everyone comfortable.
The pat downs for passengers who choose physical groping over radioactive voyeurism must be conducted by same-sex TSA workers. This requirement is based upon the government’s desire to avoid any discomfort or embarrassment that passengers might feel from being groped by a government employee of the opposite sex. We can pause here for a moment to allow you to regain your composure.
But the TSA’s political-correctness detector seems to have blown a fuse here. Have the masterminds at the TSA considered the experience of gay and lesbian passengers forced to choose between radiation and rubdowns conducted by a same-sex stranger? And what about the experience of gay and lesbian TSA workers forced to conduct same-sex pat downs? How would those experiences differ from those of heterosexual women forced to endure pat downs by heterosexual males in the TSA or heterosexual women in the TSA forced to pat down heterosexual men? The phones at the American Civil Liberties Union must be ringing off the hook.
It’s as if the Obama administration has replaced “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” with “Don’t Gasp, Don’t Yell.”
Following the dictates of political correctness, should not gays and lesbians have the same right as heterosexuals to governmental intrusion without the sexual overtones? That would mean pat downs by a worker of the opposite sex for gays and lesbians. But the only way to ensure the politically correct match between the groper and the groped would be to engage in profiling.
But profiling, of course, isn’t “politically correct,” Daughtry (not pictured) writes. Which means this country either surrenders itself to the terrorists, or endures the humiliation of gays getting off before their flight.
Andrew
Let me preface this statement by saying that I’m most likely more left-wing than 90% of Americans.
But until Grannies from Kansas start to fly planes into building, if you fit the bill of what 95% of terrorists look like you should receive greater attention. For your own security as well as everyone elses.
Saywhatnow?
But what does a terrorist look like?
Sceth
All those people who feel uncomfortable being pat down are prude schmucks – but we wouldn’t be in a position if we privatized the TSA.
I have Indian skin and I totally wouldn’t mind if they took me into a room for a short interview and expedited most people by profiling. We would all get to our seats faster.
Sceth
*in this position
Jimmy
They say gay men are obsessed with sex, but it’s the right-wing loonies who are really perverted. Everything is about sex with these people. I don’t care if someone sees a x-rayed contour of my body, especially someone who is charged with ensuring the safety of everyone on the plane. Pat me down if it’s necessary, whatever. Bring on the dogs.
One thing is certain, if some nut gets a bomb on board a, airliner, and 250 people die screaming in a fiery mass of metal in the sky, these same right-wing perverts will blame the government for letting the bomber on the plane.
All this phony bashfulness and so-called humiliation is just that, phony.
B
No. 2 · Saywhatnow? wrote, “But what does a terrorist look like?”
… I think the point was that, whatever a terrorist looks like, a terrorist almost certainly doesn’t look like a 90 year old grandma who needs a walker to hobble around and would have trouble lifting her hands above her head. Even if this “grandma” was intent on blowing up the plane, she would probably forget where she stashed the explosives before she manage to board the damn contraption.
timncguy
If I recall correctly, the Israelis start the “profiling” process, which isn’t really profiling because they do it to everyone to start, when you purchase your airline ticket. They know everything about you and your past travels before you ever show up at the airport to get in line.
SteamPunk
@Andrew: The problem with that is that it begins to be “profiling”. Remember, Timothy McVeigh and the kids who shot up Columbine High School were terrorists, and they’d likely fly under the radar.
Also, I love the joke that someone passed along recently: Why are we assuming the TSA workers want to touch us in the first place? In an age where 1/3 Americans are obese, it’s not like we’re all 10s here 🙂
alex
From a social science perspective, profiling is warranted and should be implemented. Yet, it shouldn’t be racial profiling. What TSA should be doing is behavioral profiling.
Behavioral profiling ignores skin color and focuses on identifying actions that indicate a person is acting out of the norm. (Something akin to what can be seen on “Lie to Me” or “Criminal Minds”.) Body language is far more telling than most of us know. Studying body language was part of a communications course I took in my PhD program. Even as a casual observer, if I take the time to study people, I can pick up on things most people won’t see. Imagine if we had highly-trained people at airports.
j
@B: I’m sorry, but where was that rant going? I think you took a line for a walk and got lost. I’ve been patted down before, guy’s just doin’ his job and I had nothin’ to hide, the whole affair took about three minutes and I was on my way to a sunny location and an open bar. 🙂 I think I’m missing the issue here.
eagledancer
American Indian Two-Spirit with braids here. Whenever I have been “patted down” (and they’ve been doing it waaay before now)I’ve always been assigned a female TSA employee. I never say anything, but have always wondered if the “same-sex” examination is just policy or has some legal backing. I never say anything because I have always felt it represents TSA can’t do the job it’s supposed to do. Even politicians openly admit current procedures would not have dectected recent terrorists, and that TSA is pitifully behind the learning curve of would be bombers.
Brenda Daverin
As a bisexual/polysexual ciswoman, who would Daughtry suggest they use to pat me down? I’m a Kinsey 3, so there’s no way to skew on the side of lowered odds of being turned on here. Can I just pick the TSA agent I find least attractive and go from there?
Hilarious
@B: That’s called an assumption.
What most people mean when they make a post like yours is: “White people aren’t terrorist, just let us through.”
Now that it’s been written in clear bold letters you can say it out loud and see for yourself how ignorant it is.
The question “What does a terrorist look like?” is literally the TSA motto and with good reason. There have been terrorists in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Age hasn’t mattered nor has sexuality.
Everyone goes through the same 3 minute session you do. Now climb down off the high horse, suck your pacifier, and get over it.
People who whine about the TSA have to be the biggest babies on the planet. At most you’re there for 20 minutes if the line is ridiculously long and that’s only because of people who feel so entitled they have to give the TSA employees a hard time.
ewe
Same sex searches for me please and while its happening i will be sure to say “DELICIOUS” while doing my Marilyn pose.
Jeffree
@Alex: Good idea, butt behavioral profiling still isn’t considered as valid as other forms of profiling when dealing with multicultural or international populations. Physical mannerisms and gestures vary across cultures. Determining whether someone is acting “nervous” or outside the “norm” is a judgement call.
Although the Israeli verson of the TSA has incorporated that into their overall screening process along with background checks and , it’s not the principal tool. Our TSA agents in the U s are also not even well-versed yet in all the regs and protocols.
For Travelers, please remember that the TSA agent is not to blame for the chamges in procedure, so try not to take your frustration out on them. [oh, I don’t work for them or any govt agency/con.tractor!]
Jeffree
LOL, my first sentence should have had the word BUT in it, not that other word! Sorry.