The TSA Feel-Me-Up Game Follow-up

Now that the media is distracted by the retail hand puppet that is Black Friday, we can look back at the TSA Feel-Me-Up Game and see how we did.  It flopped.  However, through an amazing coincidence, Boston Logan only had lines open to the usual metal detectors, instead of the the ‘nude’ scanners. 

Despite some furious backpedaling by the TSA, those who did go through the effort to opt out got appropriately felt-up.  One female passenger got an object lesson in feminine hygiene products from the TSA when she was confronted with a pat-down.  Other groups, like pilots are also bent about the system.  This link is a good article from the NYT.

At the same time, it came to light that a TSA mook at Atlanta has been accused of abducting and sexually assaulting a woman.  He had previous convictions for harassment and stalking, which didn’t disqualify him from becoming a TSA screener.

We’re also not going to mention the gloves the screeners use.  Unlike any other barrier protection device in medical use, the TSA fondlers only change gloves when they want to, not when you want them to.

That’s OK, because at least one media outlet has picked up on what makes sense regarding screening and it’s CNN.  We’ve banged this drum before on roaddave as far back as October 2006. 

The answer is you have to use people to solve a people problem.  At the core, terrorism is a people problem, in that there are people who want to cause mayhem for whatever reason, using aircraft as their stage or weapon.  The Israeli airline El Al does this as a matter of course.  It is intrusive and takes trained, well-paid, intelligent agents with a lick of common-sense, but it works. 

Isn’t that what we really want?  Working, sensible, as-secure-as-possible air travel?