This is a photo of the TSA booth by the security check-in point at Indianapolis International Airport.
Why is this a problem? Follow me over the fold for a high resolution image of that wallpaper on the TSA official's desktop. Warning.... NSFW... unless you work for TSA.
Updated with action item for tomorrow.
According to a story published at Gizmodo, here is the high resolution image of the file used on the desktop of that TSA workstation:
Anyone who reads my rantings knows I am as big a supporter of sick humor as the next guy. But, even I know when things have gone from funny to frightening. Let's see where your comfort zone ends, shall we?
Ask yourself:
How would you react if you went to the principal's office at your kid's school and saw that as the principal's wallpaper?
How would you react if you went to your family's doctor's office and saw that as the doctor's wallpaper?
How would you react if you went to the police station and saw that as the desk sargeant's wallpaper?
How would you react if you went to your boss's office and saw that as their wallpaper?
How would your boss react if you put that up as your wallpaper?
How would you feel knowing one TSA worker was fired after colleagues used the full-body screen to see his genitalia? The reason he was fired? He didn't appreciate their sense of humor, so he pummeled them.
How would you feel if you knew TSA security screeners on the job were found to have criminal records? How would you feel about their "new and improved" screening procedures if the person recently nominated to head the TSA gave Congress misleading information about incidents in which he inappropriately accessed a federal database, possibly in violation of privacy laws? He didn't get the job, but it wasn't because of the bang-up work done by TSA or his former employer, the FBI.
We can argue about whether or not letting another adult grab our crotch is something we are going to tolerate. We can debate whether men should have the right to demand a woman give them a pat-down; at least that uncomfortable story might have a happy ending. We can debate whether gay travelers should be allowed to stipulate same gender gropers or not; it would bring a whole new meaning to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Talk about consciousness raising. Regardless of which side you come down on when it comes to adult on adult action, I think we can all agree that letting someone grope your kid really means the terrorists have won.
Think this is funny? Watch this and see if that doesn't wipe the grin off your face:
They can try and pretend this isn't happening. But we know it is. And it needs to stop.
Marchand's solution? "Try to turn it into a game." I can see it now, "Want some candy little girl?" Before you dismiss this as sensationalism, I'm not the first person to think of this. It is well-known that one reason pedophiles are so dangerous is they are relentless at gaming the system and looking for any weaknesses they can exploit. That's why school systems have such strict guidelines for employment, and even for contractors. Why wouldn't a pedophile gravitate towards this job? On what planet would that wallpaper be considered anywhere close to appropriate? I think it has gotten well past the point where it is safe to say that letting TSA grope you in the name of freedom means things have gotten way out of hand.
Oh... and for those who think the images aren't being saved. Here are 100 images out of 35,000 that were saved by the US Marshal's office at the Florida Federal Courthouse in Orlando. Check out the caboose on scan #24200... yeah....#24173 sure seems a bit saggy for my tastes, but #24219 was definitely doable. Those images are a bit blurry. But they were first generation. Here is the newer stuff. As you can see, this doesn't leave much to the imagination. It's obvious the guy "dresses left."
I could go on, but I'm sure we've found the limits of your comfort zone a long time ago, so I'll stop. Maybe that's something we all should do. Stop. Stop feeding this nonsense. Stop tolerating the invasions of privacy in the interest of theatrics. We know this sort of thing is killing tourism into the US. It isn't helping keep us any safer. It just degrades us.
If we can't protect our children from being molested by strangers, what the hell are we protecting? The last time people decided to boycott transportation, outrageous things that had been tolerated for generations suddenly started to change. Given their precarious state, I don't think the airlines could hold out half as long as the Birmingham bus company.
ACTION UPDATE:
Senate Committee on Science, Transportation and Commerce is holding an oversight hearing on TSA tomorrow. Sounds like it's time to let folks know how we REALLY feel. Here is a list of committee members.