Young child pat down at airport

[DMRick]

You have choices..those aren't being taken away. If you don't fly, it won't affect you.

The girl did go through the scanner..but it beeped that all was not right. Are you saying that they then should just let people go on through?

The child's pat down was not as invasive as others have said theirs was, so I assume it was not an enhanced pat down. The wanding my granddaughter got years ago was a lot more invasive IMO.

The threat is there for all of us. If a pat down is indicated and you choose to not have it, you don't fly. If that's a threat then it is what it is.

Yes, as things get scarier in the world, the government does play a bigger part, in hoping to keep us safe. This is not the same world I lived in in the 50's-60's...although the government did make us duck and cover even back then. I don't think ducking under a desk would have kept us safe if we were bombed, but we all did it.

As for teh TSA lying..was this not a modified pat down (using teh back of the hand)?

I'm having a tough time reading this thread. It seems like most of your are Numb to the fact that the Government is invading our lives more and more every day.

The Girl had already been through the scanner. The TSA's own website said that the only reason for an enhanced pat down would be if someone opted out of the scanner.

Plus the TSA lied in this USA today article "No 'enhanced' pat-downs for kids"
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/2010-11-17-tsa-pat-downs-children_N.htm

Also the parents were not told why the girl needed additional screening and were threatened. As they told GMA - a TSA supervisor made it clear in a non verbal way that “there would be trouble” if the parents “caused a fuss” and refused to allow the pat down to be completed.

I'll take more Liberty and less Security for $1000 Alex

 

[ols386]

I'm having a tough time reading this thread. It seems like most of your are Numb to the fact that the Government is invading our lives more and more every day.
The Girl had already been through the scanner. The TSA's own website said that the only reason for an enhanced pat down would be if someone opted out of the scanner.

Plus the TSA lied in this USA today article "No 'enhanced' pat-downs for kids"
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/2010-11-17-tsa-pat-downs-children_N.htm

Also the parents were not told why the girl needed additional screening and were threatened. As they told GMA - a TSA supervisor made it clear in a non verbal way that “there would be trouble” if the parents “caused a fuss” and refused to allow the pat down to be completed.

I'll take more Liberty and less Security for $1000 Alex

No, we just don't want to be blown up in a plane.

 

[5lilfish]

I have 5 kids. I watched the video and I really don't think I would be upset if it were my child. I would be annoyed at the delay but not upset by the search. The employee seemed very professional. She explained everything as she was doing it. The girl seemed fine. I think whatever reaction she had (afterwards) could be caused by 2 things: (1) just being approached by a stranger in uniform with gloves on would be a little upsetting to some little kids and (2) a reaction to the parent's reaction. Kids feed off of adults. If Mom was upset, then child will get upset.

I would probably have video taped it too....just in case.

Jess

 

[blu3d3vil]

No, we just don't want to be blown up in a plane.

You can be blown up anywhere. Whats next, grocery store patdowns?

 

[thewebbs5]

I saw the video I didn't feel like they are mean or rough to the little girl nor did I see them groping her..


It's only a matter of time until terrorist sp? starting using children for there mission.

actually it's not a matter of time. It has been done. Ask those that have been deployed overseas.

 

[Nette]

You can be blown up anywhere. Whats next, grocery store patdowns?

Exactly... like, say IN AIRPORT SECURITY LINES? Lots of unscreened people standing around waiting... seems safe to me.

 

[ols386]

You can be blown up anywhere. Whats next, grocery store patdowns?

Have there been terrorist attacks in U.S. grocery stores?

 

[ols386]

Exactly... like, say IN AIRPORT SECURITY LINES? Lots of unscreened people standing around waiting... seems safe to me.

I think that's a good point. That might be next.

 

[DaParkers]

Exactly... like, say IN AIRPORT SECURITY LINES? Lots of unscreened people standing around waiting... seems safe to me.

So, let's just get rid of the TSA altogether. Every man for himself.

 

[ccgirl]

Haven't read all the posts but wanted to post my own opinion.

From the description of the parents, I the child might have been groped and fondled.

When I watched the video, I could see this did not occur. I thought it was handled in a discreet, appropriate and professional manner.

A lot of times a child's reaction to something is geared by how the parents react. In this case the mom/dad (in my opinion) reacted overboard so the child got nervous thinking something was wrong or they did something wrong.

Had the parents explained it as you were selected for screening and they were searching for things and trying to keep the plane safe and it was oky, you did not do anything wrong and mom/dad had their eyes on you the whole time I bet she would have responded in a more positive way.

Better yet, if we prepare our children beforehand as to what might happen the outcome is even better.

 

[DizBelle]

If and when the day ever comes that an American-born person rigs their 6 year-old up with dynamite and puts the child on a plane, I may agree that pat-downs of young children by airport agents are necessary, but until then, no way.

And when your friends and/or family are victims of that first attempt, only then will you think it is ok. But, by then, your friends/family are already dead. But I guess you'd be ok with that?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm having a tough time reading this thread. It seems like most of your are Numb to the fact that the Government is invading our lives more and more every day.

The Girl had already been through the scanner. The TSA's own website said that the only reason for an enhanced pat down would be if someone opted out of the scanner.

Plus the TSA lied in this USA today article "No 'enhanced' pat-downs for kids"
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/2010-11-17-tsa-pat-downs-children_N.htm

Also the parents were not told why the girl needed additional screening and were threatened. As they told GMA - a TSA supervisor made it clear in a non verbal way that “there would be trouble” if the parents “caused a fuss” and refused to allow the pat down to be completed.

I'll take more Liberty and less Security for $1000 Alex

More and more every day? Really? How? On the four or six or eight days a year I fly, I do that knowing full well that I will undergo some type of airport screening. I've been metal-detected, sure; but I've also been wanded and patted down in varying degrees numerous times. Yes, I'm taxed. Yes, the government creates/maintains laws I have to obey. But the hyperbolic "Government is invading our lives more and more every day. " doesn't help your stance.

The girl seems to have been though and set off a metal detector, probably/possibly more than once. According to the news reporter in the other video in this thread, policy states that if you set off that machine twice you have to be patted down. We don't know if that's what happened here; the parents only taped the patdown, anthey're only telling their version of what happened.

And "As they told GMA - a TSA supervisor made it clear in a non verbal way that “there would be trouble” if the parents “caused a fuss” and refused to allow the pat down to be completed." nonverbally? Really? What did that person do? Frown? Shake his head? Wag his finger (naughty naughty)?

 

[Cinderella94]

I applied the posters who are still trying to get through to the brick walls in this thread...I'm certainly not that patient.

 

[jdisnut]

I'm wondering after reading this entire thread, and I'm not certain where to find the information, how many incidences of domestic terrorism have there been in the post-9/11 years? I can recall international flights, to the U.S., but none domestically. Any ideas?

Perhaps we can use this fact as evidence that our security measures are working. Anybody who thinks that our government hasn't stopped many terrorist attacks is blissfully naive. Contrary to popular belief, the brave folks in our defense department are a whole lot smarter than us. Not everything that happens makes it into the media. Something we're doing is working.

And I stand by that remark. It's all politically correct to state that everyone should be treated like they're a security risk, but the fact of the matter is that a certain group of people hijacked a bunch of planes and used them as bombs on 9/11/11. Not one of them was an American born citizen. And please don't bring up Timothy McVeigh again because he didn't use a plane as his weapon of choice.

If you folks really think America is safer by permitting pat-downs of small children in airports, then I just don't know what to say. IMO, that kind of fear tells terrorists the world over "YOU WON!"

JerseyJanice, I hope you see this post before the moderators do and I receive my first reprimand since joining these boards more than two years ago. I'll probably be banned forever, but who really cares, right?

You are an ugly, bigoted person. I won't be able to post in this thread anymore, but I figured I had to say what almost everybody in this thread is thinking -- including the folks who agree with your perspective politically or ethically. It's not what you believe, but how you have chosen to present your beliefs. I sympathize and apologize to the Muslim members of these boards. I hope you didn't read this thread. It's not worth the toilet paper you flushed this morning.

 

[marie1203]

There is never an answer that will make everyone happy if after Sep 11th we choose not to put any extra security in the airport people would have been mad. Since then there has been cases where terrorist where caught at security check points. If I have to go trough a pat down to maybe catch one guy that might blow up or crash a plane then by all means even if it just one and not all of them. Lets put ourselves in the situation that our family member might be in the place they are going to crash will you rather him just walk in the plane or have a pat down where there is a chance it might be caught?
Everyone that thinks that terrorist or drug lords are above kids is naive. In war zones it happens over and over again were this people put women and children in front of them because it makes the soldiers hesitate to shoot at them, sadly this is reality. I remember since Sep 11th somethings have gone away. I remember we use to have our car search before we got into the airport parking lot. I have missed a flight because i was "randomly" selected for the security search it was so random that when I had to go out and change my ticket the next time I passed through I was selected again . Later on when my grandpa was flying we found out our last name was a red flag for some drug problem (so I guess that makes everyone with our last name "randomly" selected) . No wonder why they took every single thing out of my purse and test for explosives and drugs. I saw the video I didn't think there was anything wrong. I think the little girl was scare it is her mom's fault she should have explain to her what was going on before they did it.

 

[Planogirl]

Prior to the attack on 9/11, the most destructive terrorist attack on US soil was perpetrated by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, male American citizen who served in the US Army and left Army service with an honorable discharge.

This individual used a vehicle to carry out his attack and sadly enough using a vehicle is still easily done as far as I can tell. That is not to say that such a person might not try to use an airplane at some point of course.

 

[FredinFL]

If you don't want your kid to have a pat down, try dressing them properly for the flight. No metal. No grommets. No hair clips. There are a lot of simple things you can do to cut down on your chance of being pulled for beeping the system.

Or just don't fly. i don't see it as giving up my rights, I see it as a way to try and keep it safer.

 

[blu3d3vil]

Have there been terrorist attacks in U.S. grocery stores?

Coming soon to a US Grocery store near you
http://www.ecoworld.com/government/international-government/kabul-8-die-in-grocery-store-attack.html

 

[LisaR]

So, let's just get rid of the TSA altogether. Every man for himself.

This is exactly what I have taken from this conversation.

1. Screen only Muslim men

2. All other upstanding people can simply walk on the plane without any screening.

I don't give our government much credit on most things but I am very thankful that they hold the same beliefs as on do on this topic. I agree that some of what they do is just for theatrics but some of it isn't.

My mom is 81 y/o, uses a wheelchair at the airport, and has a few metal body parts so has always required a pat down. A few years ago security was going through her bag while she was sitting there and they pulled out a Nintendo DS. My mom doesn't even know what that is! The only thing we could figure is that a kid stuck it in there accidentally while she was waiting for the sky cap. She had her bag (a big purse) on the ground, unzipped because she wanted easy access to her money so she could tip the sky cap. When he had to go behind the counter to get something, she put her bag on the ground near the wheelchair because it was too heavy for her lap. There were kids all around her. Thankfully it was just a DS that ended up in her bag. If I was a terrorist looking to do something destructive, I would seek out people like my mom. God love her but she is just getting to a point in life where she is just not that observant anymore. So while my mom doesn't fit the profile of a terrorist, she needs to go through security because one just never knows what she might have missed.

 

[Tomader]

I don't like what happened. If it was my child I would be upset. The way they are screening may cause me not to fly. My two older daughter's flew to Orlando this past week. One had to go through the full body scan while the other one did not. My question is why the one and not the other?? If your going to do this than everyone needs to be checked. Not selected people. How safe is that?? The one you let go could be the problem. My personally thought is I will think twice about flying.