A Letter to Congressman Evans (9/28/2004)

Dear Congressman Evans:

The tactics of the Transportation Security Administration at the Quad Cities Airport, serving northwest Illinois and eastern Iowa, are increasingly nasty and unnecessary. I use that airport about 4 times a year and each time the TSA staff conduct searches in a hostile way. Earlier this year, I was stopped and searched, although I had set off no alarms; while I was detained for a body search, another person going through security grabbed my briefcase as it came out of the scanner and walked off with it. I had to scream that it was mine and run after him. He claimed he made a mistake, but then he had no briefcase to begin with. The TSA didn't care.

A few weeks ago I was again stopped and searched in a very gruff manner. Again I had set off no alarms. I should mention that I am a 62-year-old retiree with white hair and bifocals-hardly a terrorist profile! After I took off my shoes as directed, I was told to stand barefoot on a filthy mat for the search. I politely said I would prefer to remain seated until they sent my sandals through the scanner so I could wear them while being searched. The TSA staffer snapped that the mat was no dirtier than a motel carpet. She made me unzip my jeans so she could feel my waistline and stomach (by the way it was summer and I was not wearing bulky clothes); she patted down my legs; she made me stand in various positions for a long period of time, waving the wand over and over. When I asked about protection of my purse and baggage coming out of the scanner while I was being delayed in the booth, I got another snarl as a reply. I said that my briefcase had been snatched last time, but the searcher said -oh well, that was probably a mistake by the person who took it.

Two days later I related this incident and my frustration to a group of friends (women in their 60s) at a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. I said I was going to report it to you, my Congressman. Some said if I did that, my name would probably go on a TSA list and I would be targeted for increased harassment. Another reminded me that an American citizen was detained at O'Hare as a possible terrorist; he is being held without charges and without access to a lawyer. She said I too might be whisked away if I file a complaint. Another pointed out how Senator Ted Kennedy has been denied access to plane travel at both the Boston and Washington DC airports because his name is on a terrorist list, and that his politics have probably singled him out for ongoing harassment by the Bush administration. Others noted that the Bush administration has used the Patriot Act to try to silence dissension and that several Bush cabinet members have warned the public we had better be careful about what we say.

I mention this because later our waitress told us that some diners at a nearby table demanded that the restaurant manager tell us not to discuss our politics. The manager informed them he couldn't tell his patrons what they can discuss while dining there. .

I am beginning to think we have as much to fear from an administration that seeks to silence us as we do from terrorists. Are we losing our rights as citizens and instead becoming subjects? The TSA tactics at the Quad Cities airport are a reminder -shut up, or we will harass you further or stop you from traveling. Yes, we do need homeland security, but surely there is a better way to handle airport screening. We do not need rude treatment of law-abiding citizens. As one small step toward true homeland security, I ask that you investigate the procedures of the TSA at the Quad Cities Airport in Moline to determine if they are abusing their authority while neglecting their real responsibility. Americans need to be wary of losing our freedom to phony security measures.

- Judith Kohler

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