On Thursday November 4th TSA prevented me from taking my commuter flight to EWR to work my BOM (Mumbai) trip. I was detained by TSA for two hours. I have an artificial hip.
I had the choice of either going through the body scanner and subjecting myself to radiation and violation of HIPPA laws (medical privacy laws) or being sexually molested. I have adjusted as much as I could since my pelvic area was violated by TSA in April 2010. That event affected my job performance, personal life and health for months.
I don’t wear a bra, company or union pin, earrings, watch and wear pull up pants without a zipper. The pilots I’ve seen going through secondary screening and a fellow First Officer on my last trip had never had their chest, butt, and groin area inappropriately touched. I made a decision on November 4th as a professional pilot that safety of flight could be compromised as a result of being physically violated by TSA today and as a result I would be overstressed and fatigued for my flight to BOM. TSA is now affecting my livelihood.
I just found out from a friend today that even if there is just a metal scanner at the check point in FLL all passengers alarming are aggressively molested. TSA is no longer wanding and patting down only areas that alarm. Until November 1,2010 TSA was only molesting the women that had to go through secondary screening. Now anyone going through secondary is being groped.
The FAA is involved in a major fatigue study. I feel the largest impact on fatigue is stress. Pilots are subject to physical, mental and emotional stress everyday they get on an airplane caused by going through TSA security. We have all had background checks and have been fingerprinted and yet I cannot go to work now because of an artificial hip. I could carry a gun and not be molested but not just carry my artificial hip. I and any other pilot should not have to submit to physical molestation to do our job. Pilots are on the front line of security.
I greatly appreciate the support of everyone I have flown with and shared what I have been going through. I know none of you would want this happening to your wives, daughters, sisters and mothers. Now everyone, men, women, and children who have artificial joints, shrapnel, petal plates and screw will be groped everywhere, not just where they alarm.
Subjecting ourselves to additional radiation with the body scanner and its invasion of medical privacy (if anyone has a pace maker, IUD, radiation implant for prostate cancer etc. etc. ) or being sexually molested should not be part of our job. TSA is now actively groping the breasts, butt, pelvic and groin area, and running hands up thighs until they stop. It is a hugh stressor, contributes to fatigue and safety of flight. Now it is costing me my livelihood.
TSA approved the crew pass some time ago but it is up to the company or union to implement it. A short time fix would be to continue using the wands and only pat down the area that alarms. I was told by TSA that would not be happening as there is too much big money involved with the body scanner.
A friend of mine yesterday saw TSA run their hand all over an elderly women and then pull the front of her pants out and run their hand on her skin between the passenger’s stomach and pants.
Subjecting ourselves to additional radiation with the body scanner and its invasion of medical privacy (if anyone has a pace maker, IUD, radiation implant for prostate cancer etc. etc. ), or being sexually molested should not be part of our job. TSA is now actively groping the breasts, butt, pelvic and groin area, and running hands up thighs until they stop. It is a hugh stressor, contributes to fatigue and safety of flight. Now it is costing me my livelihood.
TSA’s response is they are just doing their job. Sound famliar?
Thanks for listening and your support and please send you complaints to the following address.
Thanks Ann Poe
Thank you for writing this and calling out horrible policy for what it is. I’m appalled that the US has come to this, and I engaging everyone I know, traveller or not, about these policies that I believe history will prove to be against human rights and an embarrassment.
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Ann, you are a patriot and I salute you. I for one am aghast at the idea that we have instituionalized the concept of virtual strip searches or gropes by federal officials in order to freely move about our nation. Even worse we have to stand by and watch our children get fondled or know that a potential pervert in a booth is looking at their naked bodies, again just to be able to fly.
Note: It’s HIPAA by the way and unfortunately the TSA is not a covered entity therefore HIPAA privacy regulations are not applicable here. Regardless it is still a privacy concern.
Why is the TSA even worried about pilots? This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. If a pilot intended to bring down an aircraft, they don’t need to carry anything on-board to accomplish that. THEY’RE FLYING THE DAMNED PLANE, REMEMBER!?! Sheesh.
I hadn’t even considered that. This fact alone makes it completely unccessary.
down with the TSA boycott flying We the Sheeple.What a bunch of perverted scumbags
control freaks.Piss off TSA
Ann you are a hero and a patriot. Because you stand up we’ll stand up too. I wish you the best of luck and I’ll pray for that. God bless.
Editor’s note: Try commenting again, foo. You’re welcome to disagree with us, but you may not behave like an asshole here. Be respectful, and watch your language!
I appreciate that pilots are finally starting to boycott these invasive procedures. But please be aware that you are losing my support every time you finish your story by saying that only pilots and crew shouldn’t have their freedoms violated. Why leave the passengers out? Not one of us should have our freedoms violated! Please speak up for everyone, not just your fellow pilots, on this issue. You have far more power than I do. If you will take everyone with you in this fight, please be assured that you have my support. But if this movement is just for pilots, you can count me out.
Ann will have to speak for her own personal take on this, but that is not our position at FedUpFlyers. We absolutely do advocate liberty and justice FOR ALL!!!
I’m glad you’re advocationg natural rights. Unfortunately the organized voice of pilots is currently a collection of unions who are far less likely to stand up for the general public. Even if 90% of pilots see this as a human rights issue it will be difficult for the unions to sue and negotiate on behalf of the public. They just aren’t set up to do this and the politics won’t allow it.
Thank you for organizing under the banner of all people.
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Even the most “vivid” scan I have seen do not shown internal body parts or implants, IUD’s.
Secondly, detained for two hours seems a bit odd, has to be more to the story than that?
I do however agree, that the AIT is going too far!
I’ve provided some topics that can be Googled, realizing that I probably have more experience in this realm than most if not all of you on this list…. Think MICROWAVE OVEN, when you think about this technology. Smaller doses, yes – but what about over time and exposure?
Active Denial System;
The ADS works by firing a high-powered beam of electromagnetic radiation in the form of high-frequency millimeter waves at 95 GHz[8] (a wavelength of 3.2 mm). Similar to the same way that a microwave oven heats food, the millimeter waves excite the water and fat molecules in the body, instantly heating it and causing intense pain. (Note that while microwaves will penetrate human tissue and remove the water to “cook” the flesh, the millimeter waves used in ADS are blocked by cell density and only penetrate the top layers of skin, so it will not damage human flesh [source?].) Such is the nature of dielectric heating that the temperature of a target will continue to rise so long as the beam is applied, at a rate dictated by the target’s material and distance, along with the beam’s frequency and power level set by the operator. Like all focused energy, the beam will irradiate all matter in the targeted area, including everything beyond/behind it that is not shielded, with no possible discrimination between individuals, objects or materials, although highly conductive materials such as aluminium cooking foil should reflect this radiation and could be used to make clothing that would be protective against this radiation.[9] As demonstrated on Discovery Channel’s “Future Weapons”, all living things in the target area receive a similar dosage of radiation.
W band:
The W band of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum ranges from 75 to 110 GHz. It sits above the U.S. IEEE designated V band (50–75 GHz) in frequency, yet overlaps the NATO designated M band (60–100 GHz). The W band is used for satellite communications, millimeter wave radar research, military radar targeting and tracking applications, and some non-military applications.
A number of passive millimeter-wave cameras for concealed weapons detection operate at 94 GHz. A frequency around 77 GHz is used for automotive cruise control radar. The atmospheric radio window at 94 GHz is used for imaging millimeter-wave radar applications in astronomy, defense, and security applications.
Less-than-lethal weaponry exists that uses millimeter waves to heat a thin layer of human skin to an intolerable temperature so as to make the targeted person move away. A two-second burst of the 95 GHz focused beam heats the skin to a temperature of 130 °F (54 °C) at a depth of 1/64th of an inch (0.4 mm). The United States Air Force and Marines are currently using this type of Active Denial System.[1]
In terms of communications capability, W-band offers high data rate throughput when used at high altitudes and in space. (The 71 – 76 GHz / 81 – 86 GHz segment of the W-band is allocated by the International Telecommunication Union to satellite services.) Because of increasing spectrum and orbit congestion at lower frequencies, W-band satellite allocations are of increasing interest to commercial satellite operators, although no commercial project has yet been implemented in these bands.
I really would like to see the Pilots and Attendants unions go on strike over this.
Exactly how long do you think it will remain a problem when the entire (or the vast majority) of US air carriers can’t get off the ground due to lack of crews? Crippling the industry (and I don’t just mean the consumer lines (eg. passenger jets), every carrier (including FedEx, UPS, all the cargo carriers, etc)) should feel the wrath of you all.
Ann, I support you 100%.
It seems to be a dichotomy of putting terrorists in charge of fighting terrorism.
I can’t quantify the level of abuse among the TSA ranks, but I’ve heard and have read enough just in the past two weeks to suspect it’s much worse than the average American traveler thinks.
Since the pilots themselves are in control of the aircraft, the fact that they’re being subjected to such “abuse” is laughable. However, the average traveler (read: especially elderly, children) also deserves a better solution.
It’s one thing for a casual (2-3 times a year) flyer such as myself to boycott, but what can we do to help the weekly or daily commuter that relies on flight to earn a living?
listen, until we tell the government enough is enough and stop invading our privacy… they will continue to bombard us like this… jefferson said we should overthrow the govt every 20 years or so…. we about a century overdue
anyway…. ima stab the next tsa guy that goes for my junk with a lead pencil
I sympathize with you Ann and have felt the humiliation of allowing the TSA to grope me unnecessarily because of two artificial hips and titanium rods up my spine.
For years I have been subjected to them frisking, poking, wanding, patting and feeling me up ad nauseum and have been verbally abused and treated like I have done something wrong. If you say one word they call a manager on you, which had been done to me before. The feeling one has standing there allowing a stranger to abuse you in that manner without compliance, without even a voice to say no is the most degrading experience imaginable. It is like allowing a sex offender to rape you with your mouth taped shut.
I have a tiny size 4 frame and wear fairly tight clothing…where do you think I would hide something as bulky as a bomb or gun on such a small person?
I found out years ago that common sense and TSA workers are like oil and vinegar they do not mix and repel one another. This year they seem to be adding something extra to the mix which is pure insanity.
My husband and I go to Mexico every January. With the TSA out of control, this year he only purchased one ticket and will be going alone.
I will not subject myself to this increasingly rampant and disturbing behavior because I know I will either get tazed this time or beaten down. They don’t mind hitting women these days either, evidenced by some of the youtube videos I have seen.
I have elected to stay home in the frigid winter instead of relaxing on a warm sandy beach because my freedom and my rights have been taken away.
How far will we let these evil monsters go? I am deeply afraid for this country especially when I tell others about this. I get mindless babble, obviously repeated from the T.V. “We have to go through some inconveniences so TSA can keep us safe”
They either do not know the extent of the full agenda that is planned for American citizens or simply are caught up in their own worries to even bother with reality.
I pray that the courageous few who don’t allow fear or intimidation to quiet them, like Michael Roberts, and those who still know the difference between right and wrong to continue this fight against those who would take away our precious dignity and fast fading freedoms to stand tall and stand determined to rid not only this injustice, but all the ways in which our beloved America is being destroyed by design.
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Ann, thank you for sharing your story, also thanks to Michael Roberts. The news that is coming about the full body scan or enhanced scan is beyond upsetting. I hope that we as citizens can put a halt to this disgusting situation.
My airport now has these scanners, so I guess I will be getting groped every time I fly. I have great concern about the cumulative effects of the radiation or MM wave technology. I told the TSA officer that I didn’t want to be exposed to radiation 50 trips a year when he asked why I was opting out tonight.
The pat down, including hands in the waist of my jeans, is way over the line.
I just wish that I felt like writing my senators and reps would do any good. They seem inclined to approve “anything for safety.”
Great new website!
I am flying to a family gathering on the 24th and I intend to refuse to be scanned (mostly as a show of solidarity for the flight crews). It boggles the mind that TSA feels it necessary to put the flight crews through this procedure. We have armed pilots in the cockpit (since 9/11) and oh yeah they are in control of the aircraft and locked behind a newly hardened door. If we have not weeded out a “bad egg” by the time of the flight an extra dose of radiation and public humiliation is not going to make the flight any safer. Seriously the TSA needs to pull their collective heads from their butts.
But it is just a small price to pay for freedom, for safety, so that we do not have more planes hit the twin towers. IF you do not like the X-Ray machines, and do not like to be groped.. Here is a neat idea
Let everyone fly naked! No clothing, and no carry on baggage. OK.. let’s compromize and allow people to wear those cute hospital gowns after they pass through a checkpoint or “safe zone” in the airport.
Because I have an ostomy, I wear a bag (to defecate into) .. sadly .. despite my generous offers the TSA never wants to open my bag. The last time I visited the U.S. I set off the metal detector, and I told the screener it was because of a heart surgery. They took me off to the side and saw the scars from my operations.
Again, the did not want to check the ostomy bag, in which I had put a small .22 pistol with two bullets in it. TRUE STORY
Does anyone else wonder why they even bother to check the pilot? The pilot doesn’t need to bring a weapon onto the plane… the weapons are to get the pilot to do what you want, when you’re the pilot, you do what the hell you want to begin with…
ACTUALLY the pilots should have [Expletive deleted - language, Bob] guns, then if some [richard] comes in with a knife, the pilot can say “Oh yeah? well I got this!” BANG BANG BANG!
Are you saying pilots can crash a plane? I KNEW IT. I bet all the terrorist are becoming pilots now. Think about it, they can easily crash any plane and we won’t recognize these terrorist. We must stand up for our freedom and security and ban all pilots NOW. They should never be allowed in an airplane EVER!
Isn’t that true of everything? I mean do they check the mechanics, baggage handlers, food suppliers, air traffic controllers, fuel manufacturers, fuel deliveries, and hundreds of other positions that to some extent protect our lives from almost certain death? My point is Terrorism is a blanket label that can be used for any mass of people, group, or individual. I bet that didn’t start anything so my wife is mildly wrong at the moment.
I have a short, funny song about this decidedly un-funny situation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYSA0tYhRlY I hope you enjoy it.
That is funny! Thanks for sharing it.