Is the TSA Too Power Hungry?

I was sent a link to a recurring Salon.com column called Ask the Pilot. His article this week talks about TSA holding too much power.

Mr Smith, a pilot on a well-known airline, was going through the same security procedures all passengers go through when he was stopped and informed that he was not able to bring an airline-issued butter knife in his bag. A knife that Mr. Smith has been carrying around for years, and that is the exact same silverware a passenger gets handed in First Class. Mr. Smith writes his article from the opinion of a pilot, who points out in his article that if he really wanted to do damage on a flight, he would hardly need a butter knife to do so.

The TSA screener did not care that he was a pilot, nor that the cutlery was taken directly off of an airplane. The screener simply saw a knife and flagged the bag. I'm not suggesting Mr. Smith shouldn't be subject to the same type of security as passengers, but I am questioning how after being informed of the item's origin the TSA screener still decided to confiscate the item. How many other minor items have been arbitrarily taken out of bags for the sake of "security"? Items like nail clippers, safety scissors, 4 oz. bottles of liquid, and small pocket knives all wind up in a warehouse in Harrisburg, PA, where the items are sorted and then put up for auction on eBay. Some of the items listed in previous articles really make you wonder about the TSA. Confiscating a wedding cake cutter that still has frosting on it? A Christmas ornament? Large snow globes from Disney Word? A pair of scrapbooking scissors? Surely, these items aren't really a threat to national security, are they? Especially if simply putting the item in your checked bag would make it alright.

Let's talk some more about the TSA and their regulations. If the metal detector goes off when you walk through it, you are subject to being checked with a wand. If you have a metal plate or screws, your doctor should have issued a statement for you to carry around to prove there is metal in your body. If it pings and you don't have a medical reason for the metal, but you know what the problem is, you're supposed to tell them and it will all be fine, right? Wrong. In April, Mandi Hamlin was subject to being checked with a wand and it detected her nipple piercings. She informed the TSA screener of the piercings, and even offered to go behind a screen to show the piercings to a female screener. Mandi's request was denied and she was forced to remove her nipple rings with pliers, because the rings had been on her for so long the skin started to grow back over the rings.

If confiscating mundane items and embarrassing passengers isn't enough, TSA screeners now have police-like uniforms, yet they hold no actual police authority. Airport Police - you know, the ones who carry the guns and handcuffs - worry that their authority is being undermined and that passengers will expect the TSA badge-wearing inspectors to handle incidents that require police assistance. I would be more worried about the badges going to their heads and possibly abusing the fact that they have a badge.

To try and improve the public image of TSA, they've created a blog where passengers can ask questions and leave their opinion. But be warned, the use of foul language or personal attacks will result in your comment being deleted. The blog is a pretty good idea, though I'm sure they're dealing with a lot more comments than they originally thought they'd get!

To see a list of permitted/prohibited items, please click here. But remember that items are always up to the discretion of the screening officer. If you think you're carrying an item that might get confiscated, print out the list and take it along.