Violated During TSA Search
BY Herschel Smith
8 years ago
LOS ANGELES — A breast-cancer patient said she felt violated and humiliated in a public TSA search at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday after two security agents put her through what she called an aggressive pat down.
Denise Albert, a frequent guest on the PIX11 Morning News and co-host of “The Moms,” was traveling through LAX security when two TSA agents pulled her aside for a manual search because she was trying to bring a necessary medical cream with her on her flight, Albert said.
“I always let them know I have a medical port and that I am wearing a wig,” says Albert.
Albert said she has brought the cream on previous flights and has shown it to TSA agents before without issue. This time, she was told if she wanted to carry the cream, she would need to undergo a full pat-down with pressure.
She posted a video to her Facebook page of the two TSA agents “aggressively attempt[ing] to do a body cavity search in public” after making Albert remove her shoes and explaining that they needed to conduct a full body search using “as much pressure” as they needed to.
Albert said she told the agents she could not remove her shoes since she was not wearing socks and had an infection on her feet, a side effect of her treatment and chemotherapy. So they let her sit down and remove her shoes.
“After at least 20 minutes of sitting there because they were debating how to proceed, I told them my feet were freezing,” Albert’s post reads. “Also a side effect from chemo. They refused to help me.”
Then, after a female TSA agent “forceabl[y] and aggressively” put her hands down the back of Albert’s jeans, the agents explained they would have to “apply pressure from head to toe” which presented another set of problems for Albert. She wears a wig and did not want them to remove it, and has a lumpectomy medical port in her chest, which she did not want agents to touch.
“I started crying,” said Albert. “It was overwhelming and horrific. I could not believe what was happening.”
After the female agent conducted a search and a supervisor arrived, Albert said her bags were emptied and she was made to feel humiliated once again after another agent joked about the fake eyelashes in one of Albert’s bags.
“I told her, it’s because I don’t have real ones from my cancer treatment,” Albert’s post reads.
Without going into too much detail, once while flying my wife was subject to similar humiliation. This woman obviously doesn’t understand the TSA or their purpose.
The TSA is filled with hicks and goobers whose job it is to (a) act out security theater, and (b) perform intrusive acts of others. They must do this for two reasons.
First, they must try to convince the ignorant masses that something good is happening and that the public is being protected. Of course, that’s all a lie.
The second reason is that this numbs and desensitizes the public to intrusive behavior of the federal government and makes them accustomed to government knowledge and approval of all aspects of our lives.
I’m sorry this happened to the woman, but she isn’t the first, and she won’t be the last until we rid ourselves of this ridiculous gaggle of miscreants and misfits.
Prior: TSA Category
On December 8, 2016 at 12:33 am, Josh said:
Almost fifteen years ago to the month, my wife and I entered Hartsfield-Jackson Aiport in Atlanta (dreadful city). The place was crawling with National Guard. There was a working tank parked at the center of the main entrance. Absolute security theatre of the highest order.
Anyway, we made our way through a very quiet security line (it was very early in the morning), and my wife encountered one of the nastiest women I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. This TSA agent stopped her, and then in plain view of the rest of the terminal, proceeded to grope her genitals – all of them. Full, open-handed, slow motion groping. She then proceeded to lift her shirt, almost remove her bra under her shirt, and continue this molestation.
This removed me from my stupor and I began protesting. Not loudly, but certainly sternly. My warnings caused the women to cease her disgusting assault, but they also drew the attention of some National Guardsman of some apparently important rank who seemed to be the supreme ruler of the security theatre. He positioned himself roughly an inch from my nose and asked me a simple question: “Is there a problem here?” When his subordinates began encircling me from behind, I ceded my argument with a “No, sir,” and we continued on our way, instead of going to jail.
That incident disabused me of any notions involving my “neighbor” cops and soldiers siding with the populace against the government, should it ever come to that. Humans have a rich history of abusing one another, and mounds of research indicates that most of us will obey authority figures, even to the point of harming strangers.
No, we are on our very own, should civil conflict ever place the government at odds with its citizenry. Make no mistake.
On December 10, 2016 at 3:04 pm, Ned Weatherby said:
This sucks. I haven’t flown since my cancer issue – hope to not have to. I too hold out little hope that armed government agents will be my friend. BTW – the alleged airport security by these hacks is like placing a safe door on a grass hut.
On December 8, 2016 at 8:51 am, Fred said:
I don’t fly anymore.
On December 8, 2016 at 9:42 am, Col. Douglas Mortimer said:
TSA = Thousands Standing Around… What a bloated, useless agency staffed with minimum wagers, gropers, creeps, petty tyrants and thieves. If I can’t drive to where I’m going, I tend to not go. I haven’t gotten on a plane in 3 years and I’m good with that.
On December 8, 2016 at 11:20 pm, Frank_in_Spokane said:
More like Total Sexual Assault …
On December 8, 2016 at 1:03 pm, Danny Ray said:
In September I watched almost the exact same treatment of two Catholic nuns neither of which could’ve been less than 60 years old. The reason for this treatment was their metallic crosses.