At this point, I don’t get my boarding pass or license back from the other agent. Later I am told that the woman who gets the Boarding Passes and Driver’s Licenses, as you pass through the metal detector, hands the one she has off, and then takes the next one from the person coming through next.
But, she didn’t hand it to me. She likely gave it to someone else, probably the next person in line. I get out, after they inspect my bag for secret blow-up water (you know, our liquid diet hoax by the current administration to get them reelected). I realize I don’t have my ID and Boarding Pass. I go back to the TSA desk the the security area exit (I’m a few feet away), and an Agent Derreck says they have nothing of mine, without checking (across the room from where the actual thing happened). I get him to walk over in the security line to check for sure. He does and comes back empty handed. I ask, “How will I get on the plane?” He takes me to Jet Blue special services, where they cut me another Boarding Pass. But I have no DL, so the JetBlue woman asks me for other ID, and it turns out that 2 credit cards, my gym ID with picture, and costco ID with picture, are enough to get me another boarding pass. She double checks my California address verbally with me which I repeat back to her as I stand next to Agent Derreck.
While she was printing, Agent Derreck starts to talk about how TSA over in the security area has an “… ironclad process for bringing people through the metal detector.” Basically, they bring one person through, check ID and boarding pass again, and then once they give it back, motion the next person through the metal detector. This is how they regulate people coming through the metal detector. As he says this, a different TSA agent, a woman, walks up the JetBlue service desk and hands a New York State Driver’s License to the JetBlue woman, and says, “This person didn’t get their ID back.” Agent Derreck grabs the license from the JetBlue woman’s hand, and says to me, “This kind of looks like you.” To which I say, “That woman has tons of blond hair, and mine is brown, plus I live in CA.” He hands it back to the JetBlue woman. A couple of minutes later, another TSA agent, also a woman, walks up the the JetBlue service counter with a Driver’s License from Kansas, and hands it in, saying again that someone didn’t get their ID returned.
After getting my boarding pass reprinted, I say to Agent Derreck want to make a complaint about TSA. He calls Port Authority but only tells me he’s called “someone” and they’ll be there in a few minutes to take it.
Port Authority Officer M. Wapole (#1746) arrives, takes a report, gives me the report number, a phone number and the name of the officer and date and time. I ask for a copy of the report and he says I’m not allowed to have one. I am surprised. He says it’s private property. I ask how I make the complaint against TSA and he says he’s not TSA. So I go back to Agent Derreck of TSA.
Agent Derreck says he won’t take a complaint. He says I can make one at www.tsa.gov (so much for people without computers). I ask for his name and the agent’s name at the metal detector, and he covers his shirt. But I can see that it says “Agent Derreck” before his hand is fast enough to cover his name tag, in brass. He says, “I won’t give you my name or hers.” And walks off, with his hand over his right breast.
(from TSA: Incompetent and Not Afraid to Cover It Up)
This is just an excerpt. You should go read the whole thing. My favorite line:
“Who are these people kidding. Security Theater it is.”
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Blackmoor Vituperative
