I feel fortunate that I have not yet had to endure an uncomfortable TSA (Transportation Security Administration) pat-down.
I have flown several times since the invasive search technique was implemented, but never experienced anything beyond a very mild pat-down and bag inspection (my little heaters that warm up for your feet and hands for skiing set off concern).
While I’ve had it good, we have all heard the horror stories. Today, the news revealed an incident from yesterday in which a terminally ill 95-year-old woman in a wheelchair was asked to remove her adult diaper to pass a TSA screening (the TSA denies it). I also learned today about a TSA snafu in November 2010 that horrified me. A passenger with a medical urostomy bag (it collects urine) told the agents that he had one, but they were careless and rough in their pat-down anyway, which caused the lid to come open and soak the man in his own urine. He didn’t have time to change before the flight, so he had to fly with clothes wet with urine. How is it ever OK to treat travelers this way?
I live in Texas, where our government is currently discussing an anti-groping bill to limit the amount of contact TSA agents are allowed to have with travelers. The bill “would make it a crime for a federal agent, such as an airport security officer, to touch a person’s buttocks, breasts, genitals or anus during pat-downs before a person can gain access to a publicly accessible building or airport,” according to the Austin American-Statesman. I’m very glad my state is condemning that inappropriate behavior, especially for the kids and elderly age groups. I hope that as these horror stories continue to emerge, the TSA is restricted in how far they can go.
In light of these developments, I present this infographic that I found very interesting. It shows the history of aviation security, which has led us to where we are today. If you have trouble reading it, click it for the full size.
This graphic was designed by EJ Fox; you can check out more of his work here. Source: Online Universities
Disclaimer: I was given a small amount of compensation for posting this infographic; while I usually don’t do that, I agreed to do so because I thought it was interesting, relevant, and objective (and I could use the funds for my upcoming honeymoon!).
