First, I apologize for the rude picture from our Seattle alternative weekly newspaper. It’s a traveler in the hated full-body scanner giving the TSA* the finger. The report describes what happened to a Seattle guy that showed up at the airport with a boarding pass but told the TSA at the security checkpoint he did not have any ID to present. He was arrested and put in jail and later accused of trespassing, disorderly conduct, refusing to obey an officer and concealing his identity. This was in Nov 2009, and the first case of its kind .. but all charges were dismissed when the case was heard recently. It took jurors only an hour to decide. The lessons for me? Yes, you have all kinds of rights that technically the TSA cannot take away or enforce, but behave yourself nonetheless at the airport if you want to make your flight. (I suspect this guy left his ID at home or in the car and wanted to ‘test’ his case !)
*Transport Security Administration, in charge of security at US airports
