The Department of Homeland Security comes under fire for this one, and rightly so!! A Texas woman was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane.
Hamlin, 37, said she was trying to board a flight from Lubbock to Dallas on Feb. 24 when she was scanned by a Transportation Security Administration agent after passing through a larger metal detector without problems.
The female TSA agent used a handheld detector that beeped when it passed in front of Hamlin’s chest, the Dallas-area resident said.
Hamlin said she told the woman she was wearing nipple piercings. The agent then called over her male colleagues, one of whom said she would have to remove the jewelry, Hamlin said.
Hamlin said she could not remove them and asked whether she could instead display her pierced breasts in private to the female agent. But several other male officers told her she could not board her flight until the jewelry was out, she said.
She was taken behind a curtain and managed to remove one bar-shaped piercing but had trouble with the second, a ring.
“Still crying, she informed the TSA officer that she could not remove it without the help of pliers, and the officer gave a pair to her.
This is absolutely ludicrous, they could have done a pat down but that wasn’t offered. One must wonder why not?? After removing the nipple piercing she was allowed to board even though she was still wearing a belly button ring. Let me try to understand this Homeland Security, a belly button ring is ok but a nipple one isn’t?? Sounds pretty lame to me.
The woman has hired well known Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred.
Complete story here:
UPDATE: I heard on CNN this morning the TSA has modified it’s position on this. They now will allow the passenger to request a visual inspection. They did not offer an apology to the passenger Mandi Hamlin.
There always seems to be an utter lack of common sense working in various government positions. People, who, for some mysterious reason, have become entrenched in a robotic life where they are prone to “follow a procedure” to the cliff of stupidity and legal malaise. And even while they are doing it, they allow some other violation, likely more serious, to go on unchecked.
I’ve been on one flight in the past 7 years. Luckily (or not) I don’t have to go many places where luggage would be an issue. And I keep my nipple piercings to a minimum, like none. (Maybe I’ll get a Prince Albert when I take in my first dose of illegal drugs while downing tequilla with my senorita bonita…after winning a lottery and moving to Puerto Vallarta.)
A side note: Look folks, what happen 7 years ago was a tragedy. It really shook up our complacent attitude towards safety and life. However, replacing it with procedures that are doing nothing more than “going through the motions” of providing us with some banter about “being safe” does not get it. We are spending plenty of cash, wastfully I might add, to get very little safety. And the technology and ability to protect are available. But does the federal government go about it right? No. We have more problems at sea ports, border patrol and other avenues, than on a commercial flights. But I suppose this is another one of those using “20th century” ideas, procedures and tactics to combat future problems. Outside the box people!!!
She could have tried asking for the highest manager there; they tend to have more common sense. If you’re dealing with an idiot, ask for the boss. Keep doing so until you get to a place of sanity. This just makes me ill.
The lawyer should make the underlings pay, but they will most likely go after the government as they have deeper pockets aka your pockets in the form of taxes.
Jason - I so agree! Excellent comment!
Grandalfe – I wonder if she did ask to speak to a supervisor? Not sure it would have done much good in this case. Jason said it well, “prone to “follow a procedure” to the cliff of stupidity” Sounds like that is exactly what happened here.
Two things, came to me as I checked back here:
1. Couldn’t help it but I wondered if you… never mind.
2. Most people, read close to 99%, have NEVER asked to see a supervisor. No really…, never.
Agree with the rest of you, and wonder why anyone would want this self-same government system, to have control of a national health care system, when it shows itself, regardless of party affiliation, to abuse any power it receives with a complete lack of common sense on most important issues.
Lifelong politically correct politicians voting themselves even more money and power, in Congress, while taxpayers hand over their freedoms, thinking a new face in the same old political machines, means any real change to THEIR rights, will be sadly disappointed, in my opinion.
Simply blaming everything on one president, when the different branches of government have progressively left the Constitution behind, while blaming everyone else, doesn’t excuse them either.
The woman has a great advocate in Gloria Allred and should win the day. It does seem that the average taxpayer may once again have to pay for government incompetence.
More often than not, I think that lawsuits just hurt the rest of us, but in this case, I think the woman was really treated shabbily. OUCH on the piercing!
This was on all the news channels here in Canada, I often hear other dumb stories about the cautions home land security in the US takes, it makes one wonder if they hire anyone who actually can pass a test of common sense, I probably would not pass the airport security as they just might want me to remove my pace maker and heart valvue that I had to have put in a couple of years ago as they also are made of medal.
Grandalfe – the answer is NO. Your 99% statistic is interesting, where did you find that at? My husband and I fall into the 1% category.
Beth – I agree with you on the health care comment. I don’t ever want to see the US government in charge of my healthcare, god forbid! But I do think that for the millions of uninsured that slip through the cracks IE: single Mom working 2 part-time jobs and neither offer insurance, then the government has an obligation to insure these people. For a country as powerful as the US it’s shameful that all do not have decent health care insurance.
Mary Anne - Agree with you on the common sense, does anyone have the authority to make a simple decision instead of follow the rules and procedures? About the pacemaker, you can fly but you won’t go through the metal detector. You tell them at security that you have a pacemaker (or ICD) and they take you aside and do a pat down. My Dad has both and has flown with no problems.
How ridiculous is that? I’m pretty bull-headed so I can’t see myself taking my shirt off for any security guard. I don’t care if they think I’m, smuggling a bomb under there. lol
This is also probably why I don’t fly.
Excuse me folks, just poking my head in to see if everything kosher. I upgraded Elaine’s site here to WordPress 2.5 and I want to make sure everything is working.
By the way I stopped wearing nipple rings long ago so no problem on my end. It’s that darn slingshot that gives me problems.
I’ll be on my way now. Have a great day all!
Elaine,
The state government welfare system (using Virginia as an example) will already take care of the health care of single mothers and other lower income people through the welfare system. They go to the clinics and depending on their salaries, they and their children get the needed health care , maternity care, and shots. They can also get food stamps and other programs if they can prove they are eligible.
Having had experience with it myself in my first marriage, in earlier years, and having worked with women coming to our church needing help, where we could only give it for the short term, such as food and clothing, and then getting them to the right resources, I know exactly how the system works.
They can also get in job training programs for certification to help them step up to better jobs. This program is also available for divorced women that quality.
Virginia instituted programs that garnish the wages of the fathers of the children of single mothers. This is a great improvement over the welfare system of earlier years. It helps to determine who is in real need, and will certainly give those that are a step up, while putting more responsibility on a dead-beat parent.
Another woman had a son that needed mental health care and they had an excellent state facility for this. Eventually he was able to qualify for housing in a unit where the tenants work and maintain themselves. This woman has Lupus, with terrible complications, and she and her husband were no longer able to care for their adult mentally ill son, facing their own crisis of her no longer being able to work, their private health insurance maxed out, and she had to be put in a nursing home for care.
In my opinion, Virginia does an excellent job in its welfare system, and that is where it should stay…in each state…not through the federal government. The federal government is supposed to watch for the safety of its citizens…not become a broader socialized government.
The United States is the greatest country in the world, especially when it keeps to its constitution, provides freedom and opportunity, and upholds states rights.
Sorry for such a long comment. Maybe I should eventually do a blog on this issue. I just wanted you to understand my perspective. The idea that a single woman with children can’t get help from the government is simply not accurate. It is WHERE you go that makes a difference.
Kimmy – So if you and your family won an all expense paid vacation to Hawaii would you fly? If I had to bet I would say yes
Kirk – LOL all is working well.
Beth – It does sound like Virginia does well in caring for it’s citizens. I think more states could incorporate some of their policies. However there are states where people aren’t getting the help they desperately need and they slip through the cracks. Those are the 33-34 million Americans I’m referring to. You should do a blog post on the Canadian health care system since you have experience with both.
Recently I flew to/from SFO, and once again, my opinion that the TSA is mere window-dressing was reinforced. Should any of us feel safer because a woman with a nipple ring was unduly harassed?
I very much agree with Jason’s post.
If this is bad, the Walmart story on recouping money from a permanently disabled woman is at the edge of total meanness…and heartlessness.
It is also why I don’t go to Walmart.
Oh Bull.
I’m delighted she was stopped.
She removed “one” but had trouble removing the “second”.
How about everyone else entering the air from that airport that morning or afternoon? Me thinks” “best to protect the masses”.
~Nooner~
Jason – Walmart did the right thing and dropped it’s suit against the Shank family (just heard this on the 10:00 news before going to bed). Outcries from the public and all the media coverage was a good thing in this case!
Wow. I’m very curious as to how this story turned out. There’s not a chance in I’d remove anything from my body at an airport if pliers were necessary. There has to be a good mix of standard proceure and common sense in place when it comes to these things.