61-year-old Yukari Mihamae apparently wasn’t pleased with the Transporation Security Administration and took it out on a TSO at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Thursday. Entering the security checkpoint, she grabbed the left breast of the female agent, squeezed it, and twisted it.
Such behavior must be condemned. Lawless behavior should not be countered with lawless behavior, and no one–not even TSA clerks–should be groped.
But I find it quite ironic that while the TSA gets away with groping travelers every day, this woman has been charged with a felony count of sexual abuse and faces a hefty fine and jail time.
Shouldn’t public policy simply be that we, as a society, do not accept groping?
I will have more to say on the Court decision upholding the use of full body scanners tomorrow.
Well, the TSA is just doing their job. They don’t actually grope anybody. I’m not fan of pat downs, but it’s really not that bad. 10 seconds of minimal touching as opposed to grabbing someone’s breast and twisting it.
Come on, BR! I’ve been groped by the TSA before–they do grope and I cannot excuse it by saying they are merely doing their jobs!
Agreed that the traveler’s behavior was totally wrong, but I’m silently cheering for her in a way.
While I don’t like our current “options” for security, I just deal with the body scanners until it changes because I have a bigger issue with total strangers actually feeling my body than them seeing an image of it. Seriously… I am the ONLY blogger or person that feels the same way? I can’t be. Flame me if you want to about that, but I’d love some feedback either way. (I need to make a post on my own blog about this!).
@Darren: I won’t flame you and cannot blame you (too much)–I’d rather deal with full body scanners than intensive pat downs as well, but I simply refuse to go through the machines because it would give the illusion that I accept them. At least with pat downs, I am protesting each time I get one.
And the policy won’t change if everyone claims they don’t like them but goes through them anyway.