More trouble with the TSA

By William R. Toler

A man arrested during an airport search is now suing the Transportation Security Adminsitration.

Aaron Tobey was arrested for disorderly conduct in December after he stripped down to his shorts for an enhanced pat down, according to Wired.com. In addition to making the search easier, Tobey had a paraphrased scribbling of the Fourth Amendment written on his chest in marker to protest the procedure.

Two weeks later, county prosecutors dropped the charges against the 21-year-old University of Cincinati student. Earlier this month, Tobey filed a law suit seeking $250,000.

Tobey claims in the suit that he was “arrested without probable cause, falsely imprisoned and maliciously prosocuted for the partial removal of his clothing and display of the text of the Fourth Amendment on his chest during enhanced screening procedures.” He also insists that his First and Fourth Amendments were violated.

According to the complaint, a TSA officer told Tobey that “by purchasing a [plane] ticket and commencing the screening procedure, he had surrendered his…rights and consented to a search of his person.”

After the initial interrogation, Tobey was asked by an Air Marshal about his intentions; affiliation with, or knowledge of, any terrorist organization; and if he had been put up to it by “a third party.”

That’s not the only recent complaint of the TSA. NBC-17 reported that an autistic, North Carolina man suffered embarassment when his pants dropped when he was asked to take off his belt and suspenders.

“They did not put him in a private area,” said Marilyn Falk, a friend that was travelling with him. “Instead they insisted that he undress in public.” She added that they did not protect his rights as an individual.

The TSA has faced scrutiny since introducing its highly intrusive new procedures late last year, prompting satire and just ire from privacy advocates. If you’re gonna fly the not-so-friendly skies, you either have to get groped by the Touchin’ Squeezin’ Assholes or go through a naked body scanner.

Yet another reason I prefer to drive.