Airplane Travel can Kill you

Well, folks the news is full of too much injustice - you know me - big mouth, well not mouthy, but the fingers do the talkin'.

Another story came across the news on the computer this a.m. In fact it was a video of a 45 year old mother protesting her treatment by the TSA, United States Airport Security - supposedly "protecting" the American Public.

Folks, my sister and I can both attest that these TSA folks, while most are sober, decent folks, have some real power nuts working for them. To make matters worse, the government's written rules and regulations give them unlimited power.

Now we have a 45 year old mother dead in a "holding cell" because she was "yelling and screaming." (The TSA's words.)

If I hadn't had personal experience and if I didn't know others who have had their civil rights violated by the TSA I wouldn't have such a tendency to disbelieve the story of this woman's death as related by the news.

In my encounter I remember insisting that the TSA personnel who were hassling me call the police. (Thank God I kept my voice low and modulated.) I needed the protection - the confronting agent was livid with fury when I refused to let him confiscate some of my items. I requested that I be allowed to walk my offending items, a key chain and a small film cannister opener, about ten feet over to my family who were waiting to tell me goodbye. He refused. However later in the fray, someone, I don't know who did give my items to my family. I guess the TSA agent must have been wanting something to help him develop his film.

This man was so out of control, I was very frightened, but also determind not to let my rights as a U.S. citizen be ripped away from me by being detained for something not against the law. I requested that the City police be called. The insane agent said they called the police, when in reality they had only called other TSA agents who only had HIS story (that I was supposedly carrying concealed weapons). I requested the other TSA agents look at the "weapons" but they refused, and the insane agent was not about to humiliate himself by showing anyone a key chain and a one and on-half inch film container opener. I really didn't care about the film thingie as I could buy another one, but I tried to explain to the agent the key holder was passed down by my grandma and it meant a lot to me, and, once again, my family was right there to take it if they felt that it could really take down a plane.

According to reports, the dead woman was only "yelling and screaming." She was probably terrified...............maybe I'm wrong, I wasn't there, but this situation "stinks" - as grandma would say, there is a snake in the woodpile.

Anyway, I was deprived of local City police protection. If I was a real terrorist now doesn't it stand to reason the REAL police would have been called? It's a long story, but they continued to hassle me as the crazy TSA guy waved my ticket in the air at me. He must have been amused at my anxiety and fear, as he was having so much fun he was smiling, and not letting me have the ticket as the airline issued its "last call for boarding." After several requests for my ticket, I finally grabbed it out of his taunting hands. As I ran for my plane I truly expected to be tackled or shot by the asshole. Yep, correct terminology. That's calling a spade a spade.

Anyway I think from the reporting in regard to the recent death, that there is a cover up when they are saying, "The woman even threw up in the agent's mouth that was giving her resuscitation without the aid of a device and he just spit it out and kept giving her mouth to mouth." I mean was that a necessary piece of the news? What WAS really going on?

In the mean time, remember, folks, if you get on an airplane in the USA, take only the bare minimum, (only items that you don't mind disappearing forever), be aware you can be legally accused of anything and hassled literally to death, so be VERY DOCILE, even if being pushed and shoved, or if they refuse to return your ticket or ID, or if your credit cards and money are rolling down the belt while you and your purse (carry-on) are being searched or your "underwire" bra is being patted down with you in it. Your life could depend on it. Don't scream. There will be no one there to help you and it will only make TSA madder. Perhaps you can call the American Civil Liberties Union later if someone happens to be videotaping your incident.