* * * * *
                                        
                Maybe one day sanity will return to the airlines
                                        
> Last Thursday I was flying to LA (Los Angeles) on the Midnight flight. I
> went through security my usual sour stuff. I beeped, of course, and was
> shuttled to the “toss-em” line. A security guy came over. I assumed the
> position. I had a button up shirt on that was untucked. He reached around
> while he was behind me and grabbed around my front pocket. I guess he was
> going for my flashlight, but the area could have loosely been called
> “crotch.” I said, “You have to ask me before you touch me or it's assault.”
> 
> He said, “Once you cross that line, I can do whatever I want.”
> 
> I said that wasn't true. I say that I have the option of saying no and not
> flying. He said, “Are you going to let me search you, or do I just throw
> you out?”
> 
> I said, “Finish up, and then call the police please.”
> 
> When he was finished with my shoes, he said, “Okay, you can go.”
> 
> I said, “I'd like to see your supervisor and I'd like LVPD to come here as
> well. I was assaulted by you.”
> 
> He said, “You're free to go, there's no problem.”
> 
> I said, “I have a problem, please send someone over.”
> 

Via jwz's Livejournal [1], “Federal V.I.P. Penn [2]”

I like Penn (of Penn and Teller [3]). He's great. And I think it's wonderful
that he's willing to fight (and can afford to fight) this craziness of
airline security. I think (and I think Penn thinks the same) that it's insane
that he gets special treatment just because he's famous (and if I may get
cynical here, that may also mean he has the resources to make this look
really bad, or the financial resources to fight this in court).

> I'm suing Attorney General John Ashcroft and various federal agencies, to
> make them stop demanding that citizens identify themselves in order to
> travel. Not only airports, but trains, buses, and cruise ships are now
> imposing ID requirements. This violates several constitutional rights. Stop
> showing ID whenever someone asks (or demands) it, and you will start to
> discover just what your rights are.
> 

“John Gilmore, Entrepreneur [4]”

So between Penn and John Gilmore's [5] suit against the Federal goverment [6]
on behalf of anonymous travel, this is slowly restoring my faith that this
current lunancy (Sleeping screener forces evacuations at Sea-Tac) [7] (link
via The Duff Wire [8]) will go away soon.

[1] http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=jwz&itemid=129875
[2] http://pennandteller.com/sincity/penniphile/federalvip.html
[3] http://www.pennandteller.com/
[4] http://www.toad.com/gnu/
[5] http://www.toad.com/gnu/
[6] http://cryptome.org/freetotravel.htm
[7] http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/102884_seatac05ww.shtml
[8] http://www.michaelduff.net/weblog.html

Email author at sean@conman.org

.