Man Thrown Out of Airport for Refusing Pat-down

Hot on the heels of my last post about body scanners and invasive pat-downs, John Tyner apparently decided to opt-out and told the TSA agent at San Diego airport (SAN) that he did not want his groin to be touched. Specifically his words were: “If you touch my junk, I’ll have you arrested” – which is a phrase we should all say to a TSA agent at least once in our lives (women that includes you). To cut a long story short, the situation was escalated and resulted in him being thrown out of the airport. He then went home and posted about the incident on his blog, along with videos that were surreptitiously recorded by his cell-phone. Drawn-out but worth a watch listen (unless you like watching a ceiling move):

Part 2, Part 3

When asked by his father-in-law why he was being so obstinate about opposing this encroachment on his civil liberties, John replies “if I don’t do it, nobody will”. It’s nice to see someone have the junk to stand up for what they believe in, especially if they’re willing to miss a flight because of it. My guess is he really didn’t want to fly with his father-in-law.

Funny thing is that after being ‘thrown-out’, he was told that he couldn’t leave the airport or face a civil lawsuit and a $10,000 fine if he didn’t come back and finish the screening. Clearly John didn’t want the screening, so at that point I’m wondering whether he might have to live within the confines of the airport for the rest of his life. Thankfully he told the TSA to “bring it” and just left. You tell ’em John.

In related news: BoingBoing suggests this book on how to explain to your child why they will be felt up by a random stranger in a uniform the next time you fly. I hope they use baby oil…

Source: Network World

[Related] Body Scanner Images Leaked!