security theater

TSA Makes Disabled Child Remove Leg Braces, Walk Through Metal Detector

TSA Makes Disabled Child Remove Leg Braces, Walk Through Metal Detector

The TSA forced a disabled 4-year old to get out of his stroller and remove his leg braces and walk unassisted through the metal director. After the humiliating and frightening incident, the boy’s father, a cop, told the supervisor, “This is overkill. He’s 4 years old. I don’t think he’s a terrorist.” It turns out that this didn’t even follow TSA policy, which would have allowed for the boy to be privately screened and swabbed for explosive material traces, without having to remove his braces.

Another case of TSA overkill [philly]

TSA Wants To Swab Your Hands For Bomb Juice

TSA Wants To Swab Your Hands For Bomb Juice

The new cool development in security technology is a portable bomb juice scanner that the TSA plans to begin using to detect traces of explosives on your hands. [More]

TSA Gets Some Damned Sense, Eases Flight Restrictions

TSA Gets Some Damned Sense, Eases Flight Restrictions

Good news, people who are in the unfortunate position of having to do business with an airline in the near future: the TSA’s embarrassingly reactionary new “security rules” have been eased as of this afternoon. Now it is up to the captain whether they’re enforced on each flight, reports CBS News. [More]

What Your Homeland Security Travel File Looks Like

What Your Homeland Security Travel File Looks Like

Homeland Security’s dossier on all your the travel you’ve ever taken looks something like this.

Homeland Security Boss: Before 9/12/01 Hijackings Were "Regular, Routine"

Homeland Security Boss: Before 9/12/01 Hijackings Were "Regular, Routine"

BoingBoing’s Joel Johnson recently interviewed departing Homeland Security boss Michael Chertoff — and we all know how much you love “security theater”…

Woman Says TSA Made Her Take Brace Off, Stand On Sprained Ankle

Woman Says TSA Made Her Take Brace Off, Stand On Sprained Ankle

A Washington woman says the TSA made her take off her ankle brace before passing through security. Now her sprained ankle is fractured. “Then she made me lift up each foot individually and put all the weight on it. It was incredibly painful,” said Lona Dunlap. According to the TSA website, TSA agents don’t make you take off your brace. Rather, they’re supposed to swab the brace and look for trace explosive elements. The TSA is reviewing video footage and says it takes the allegation very seriously.

Woman Removes Bra To Get Through TSA

Woman Removes Bra To Get Through TSA

Nancy Kates’s large underwire bra set off the metal detector in the Oakland, California airport. A TSA agent pulled her aside and patted her down, which set off Kates’ personal privacy alarm. “I said, ‘You can’t do that.’ She said, ‘We have to pat you down.’ I said, ‘You can’t treat me as a criminal for wearing a bra.'” Kates was given the option to “submit to a pat-down in a private room” or not fly. Instead, she took off her bra and passed through security just fine. Hooray for personal freedom!

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TSA can haz blog. [Evolution of Security]

TSA Confiscates Pudding, Misses Knife

TSA Confiscates Pudding, Misses Knife

Ah, the dangerous liquids ban. We’re all so much safer because of it.

Cigarette Lighters To Be Allowed Back On Airplanes

Cigarette Lighters To Be Allowed Back On Airplanes

Starting August 4, cigarette lighters will no longer be banned from airplanes, according to the New York Times. The two-year-old rule was enacted after authorities claimed that the shoe bomber (Richard Reid) might have managed to detonate his feet if he’d had a lighter instead of matches.