Let me be the first to say I support security in our airport. I don't gripe about screening lines. I wear slide-on shoes to expedite the process. I wouldn't freak out if I had to walk through one of those x-rayers. What happened today, though, got under my skin.
My mother flew out of our tiny airport this morning. She has had her knee replaced and will set off the metal detector. She loaded her carry-on baggage into the trays and sent it through the scanner. When she was called to walk through the detector, she informed the agent she would set it off due to her new joint. I had to stand quite a distance away since I wasn't flying with her, but I could hear bits and pieces of the conversation.
He asked her to stand to the side. For several minutes, she was in a secondary line with another traveler in a wheelchair in front of her. Then I saw a female TSA agent talking with her, demonstrating some methods she'd use to pat her down. My mom was smiling, this gal was smiling, so I don't believe it was a tense situation. But seriously - how much resistance will you put up when you have 30 minutes until your flight and you just want to get off the ground. Besides, Mom is a rule follower and even if she had two extra hours, she probably would have obliged.
Then the screening began. I actually thought there would be the wand used. Mom intentionally wore loose-fitting pants so she could show security her scar. In the past, she has had the wand waved over her entire body. If only her knee region set it off, she showed that scar and went on her way. Not thing time. She got the full-body pat down. I basically watched this TSA agent give my mother a breast exam. Literally she rubbed her back, then reach around the sides of her breasts. Then she ran her hands over her shoulders, and down the front of both breasts. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
I'm not suggesting that this TSA agent acted unprofessional, in any way. But was this procedure really necessary? Why should I, as an air traveller, be forced to submit to this violation? I've read many airport security horror stories and this isn't quite as bad. But isn't there a better way?
As my mother's two-layers-short-of-a-gynecological exam came to an end, I mouthed, "Oh my God!" to her and she waved me on, "It's okay. I'm fine." But again - what else would she have said as the agent stood 12 inches from her? Unreal. Again - there HAS to be a different way.
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