Giving up freedom for security?
December 02, 2010 | 12:05 PM

On my way back to Oahu from Kauai, i tried to go to the metal detector side and the TSA agent on the Scan side flagged me over. I didn't want to but I figured it wouldn't be that bad, and it was around 10PM and I just wanted to get it over with already. I understood, a little, that in order to be kept safe that we have to give up some freedoms, so i just went over to the scanner. after the scan i was instructed to step over to the side where there was another TSA agent telling me to wait while the remote person reads the scan and then give the all clear over the radio that the TSA agent in front of me has in his ear. After about 30 to 45 seconds the agent clicks his radio on his shoulder and says copy. he then instructs me that he is going to have to do a pat down ALSO. I asked why and he said that the scanner could not see all the way through my khaki shorts. (Massimo cargo knee length khaki shorts from target) "Its a lot of material" he said. He told me what he was going to do and was very professional about it. I was not happy but there was nothing I could do at that point. He went over both sides of my chest from top to waist, then both sides of both of my legs once in the front and then again in the back. It was pretty intrusive and what didn't make things better was that the other 3 TSA agents by the bag scanner were all watching, not just glancing but intently watching every bit of what was going on. I went in there wearing shorts a t-shirt and slippers and i still had to get scanned and pat down. If TSA if going to force this technology on us and give us no options then at the very least it should work better. I am still unsure how the machine that can see my bones could not see through my empty pockets. Afterward it really did start to bother me more because i did feel... not violated... but very uncomfortable and if anything more untrusting of TSA. I think it was uncalled for and I do not think that this is the solution. It does not seem reasonable to me. I hope that something is done to solve this.

Rob Green