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Patrick, I feel your pain - though I know I don't suffer the daily indignities of the security check because I'm not a pilot. I travel frequently, nationally and internationally, and have since I was about 20 years old (I'm in my mid-30s). Over the past year, I've noticed that some TSA employees actually engage in what I consider to be harassment of passengers, namely female passengers. This is not everyone, I should underscore, and at my home airport I actually have "favorite" TSA employees, and I'm always glad when I see that they are on shift when I happen to be passing through security. However, I've heard some TSA agents make sexually suggestive comments to women, including myself, as they "strip down" from their sweaters and overcoats and belts, and I've also had one TSA agent in Newark verbally harass and harangue a colleague (another female) and myself as we scrambled to unload our laptops and carry-on items, struggling to get them through security safely. It was so bad that my colleague was near tears by the time we got to the other side and put our shoes back on. I think this behavior comes from a combination of entitlement, a sense of being above the law, and feelings of disgruntlement (I would hate to work for the TSA myself). It's getting totally out of control. Let's hope there's a change soon. And I agree with you -- while this might come across as petty complaining, I actually believe it's a huge problem and a gross example of the inefficiencies of security and bureacracy in this age of "homeland security."
