Dear Patrick:

The reason you and your crew are searched along with the passengers is to continue the spread of fear by this government. Frankly, I'm happy you are frisked and searched as well. Why? Because you have unions that you can go to and complain to and the airlines might listen to. We passengers? Especially us frequent fliers who are subjected to this constantly, what voice to we have? If we complain to the airlines, our emails and letters are sent to the Homeland security and we get tagged thereby delaying us and missing our flights. How dare we even speak out loud to these people as they search through our bags.

Flying internationally, when I return, I'm always - that's 100% of the time - sent through the red line of customs even though I never have anything to declare. It's because I (one time really tired after a long flight and had a short connection time for my domestic flight) told the immigration officer that I filled out my form and it contained all the information she needed and she had no more right to ask me other questions - which is true they don't have the right to demand answers to private affairs. Immigration officers are the same as TSA employees. The United States is the worst place to fly into and fly out from. At a time when the dollar is lowest it's been for over 40 years, we should have tourists from everywhere flocking to see our beautiful country, but they avoid it because who wants to be treated worse than cattle?

Keep up your tirades on the insanity of TSA check points and checking and rechecking your bags after international flights. You are our voice. Let's just hope they still treat you the like they do passengers so that we don't loose our mouthpiece.

Pete Thelen

Mr. Smith,

You are logical, obviously. So, consider the premises. The true purpose of TSA screenings is not to protect the safety of passengers, airline personnel, or potential targets. Rather, the goal is to inure Ameicans to a post-privacy world. And train Americans to be subservient, compliant sheep.

A real success story, to the ruling class of this country.

Mr. Smith has no alternative, but passengers, if you don't like TSA, conscience demands you support the alternative: nationwide high-speed rail service.

My favorite experience at the airport was when my three year old son was selected for "enhanced screening." He cried, of course. How does it make us safer to use absolutely no intelligence? And when was a single terror event thwarted by TSA? As for the no pitiful little knife rule, does no one remember that the hi-jackers claimed to have a bomb? That was why they weren't immediately disabled, that and the old rules of hi-jacking, i.e., the hi-jackers expected to live. Boxcutters wouldn't get you control of the plane today, never mind a butter knife.

However, TSA is NOT the reason I have cut way back on my flying. Airlines are. There is a reason Southwest and JetBlue are marketing themselves the way they are. We are all sick of being treated as though we are a nuisance to flight attendants. This started long before 9/11/01. Remember "air rage?" Guess what? The airlines caused it. It's hard not to get furious. I generally fly first or business class and that service on American airlines is so much worse than it was that I dread ever flying coach again. I won't, in fact. I'd rather stay home and use my time to lobby congress for high speed rail.

As for the people being sheep, I'm more concerned that we aren't trying our leaders for war crimes or out protesting this latest wire tapping law. The TSA inconveniences us, but the Patriot Act undermines our core principles and constitutional rights. Since we won't be traveling as much, let's all do something about it.

p.s. Isn't it dangerous to take caffeine away from a pilot? Just asking?

The end point of the TSA spiral is all passengers wearing surgical scrubs and paper shoes for the flight.

I've flown hundreds of times since 9/11 and have been hassled by TSA exactly once.

Most of the nasty, do-what-I-say-because-I-said-so behavior I've been subjected to came from flight attendants and gate agents.

A couple months ago, I flew Alaska Airlines from LAX to National. The pilot informed us that we'd have to remain seated for the last 90 minutes of the flight because of security regs specific to National. I told my seatmate, offhandedly, "Huh. I can't believe he's doing that; That rule was rescinded, I dunno, five years ago."

A flight attendant overheard me, whirled around, and explained to me that the pilot has absolute authority on the plane to enforce whatever rule he chooses IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY. Well, yeah. That makes sense in an emergency. But this wasn't an emergency. It wasn't even a bumpy flight. The pilot just decided, arbitrarily, to lock us all in our seats for the last 90 minutes.

I'm sure the TSA autocrats all believe they are acting in the interest of safety, too.

I think ‘Heard a similar story’ pretty much summed it up -

When he asked why the bottle opener wasn't allowed they said it was because he could use it to seize control of the plane. He responded "that's going to be a problem, because I AM GOING TO BE IN CONTROL OF THE PLANE [I'M THE PILOT!]". In the end, he had to give it.

I suspect that most but not all of the TSA screeners are, how can I put it delicately, "challenged" in terms of their IQ, education, or social skills, maybe all three. Otherwise they would have a nice office job where they wouldn't have to put up with the intellectual and scatological abuse I'm sure they receive on a daily basis from the traveling public. (There is another option of course - that some of them just like screwing with people.)

But keep this in mind. They have to enforce often contradictory and/or inane rules knowing full well that if they screw up they will be reprimanded, could loose what to them I am sure, is a "good job". Or worse some passenger they let through might actually manage to do harm with the object that they okayed.

Next time take the train.