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So you can get to the front of the security line, see the x-ray machines, metal detectors, scanners, etc., you're free to turn around and leave, and the TSA cannot prevent you from leaving.

I'm afraid you're wrong.

It's a fourth amendment issue only if they prevent you from voluntarily leaving after deciding that you'd feel violated.

"Once a person submits to the screening process, they can not just decide to leave that process," says Sari Koshetz, regional TSA spokesperson, based in Miami. Such passengers will be questioned "until it is determined that they don't pose a threat" to the public.

Once you are near the TSA security check points, you are not allowed to leave. The "Don't touch my junk" guy was told that he was being ejected from the airport while simultaneously being told that he would be arrested and fined $11,000 if he tried to leave. Not only was the underwear dude in San Diego arrested, another passenger who filmed the encounter on her iPhone also was arrested and had her phone confiscated for "illegally filming".

What's your position on this now?

Except you can't actually call anybody from the world's tallest mountains...they don't have a cell tower on Everest, do they?

Apparently, there is coverage

The TSA says they are all about the war on terror.
But their actions prove they are only interested in conducting a War on Diginity.

Groping children
soaking a man in his own urine
Arresting people for wearing watches with exposed gears
Arbitrary strip-searches
Detaining people armed with flash cards
Forcing mothers to drink their own breast milk
Forcing a woman to remove her nipple ring with pliers
Requiring women to remove their bras
Requiring a woman to remove the brace on her sprained ankle and then making her walk on it to prove it was sprained

The list of abuses is into the thousands. Every once in a while they get a taste of their stupidity. But it isn't anywhere near enough.

GoGo uses cellular service, not sat links. The whole thing about using your cell phone on an aircraft is utter bullshit and has been since day one.

Heres an map old map of some of their towers.

http://www.gadling.com/2009/12/07/aircell-headquarters-chicago-internet/

Analog cell phones worked just fine on aircraft. Digital doesn't have the power to do it at 35k feet, of course, you also have a battery that'll last a couple days instead of just one with digital but thats another argument and that problem can be addresses as well.

http://www.gadling.com/2011/03/09/amtrak-police-chief-to-tsa-stay-off-our-property/
The TSA did try the train "Your papers ... " thing via Visible Intermodal Protection and Response.
US rail operators did talk about the searches ... after they saw what was been done on their station.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/188504/2059127.aspx

This is how they smuggle drugs too. And when the package is intercepted, it is the passenger that goes to jail.

This is one reason why I try to never check-in luggage. Of course, I seldom fly anymore.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/28/baggage-handlers-arrested-in-drug-smuggling-bust-at-detroit-airp/

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1992-04-24/news/9204240104_1_baggage-handlers-orlando-international-airport-luggage

http://www.gadling.com/2008/04/22/madrid-airport-luggage-handlers-smuggle-17-kilos-of-cocaine-into/

etc. etc. etc...

http://www.gadling.com/2011/05/20/the-tsa-pokey-pokey

So the flooded generators caused the meltdown, and the tsunami caused the flood, and the earthquake caused the tsunami. But what caused the earthquake? Who had the means and opportunity? Who had the most to gain? Some circumstantial evidence is difficult to ignore, as when you find a trout in the milk.

I've often wondered why the TSA's "Behavioral Detection" crap can't detect thieves like Brown, Burton, Simmons, Defelis, Noukeo, Burley, German, Persad, Webb, Pepper, and Arato, or actual sex offenders like Sean Shanahan and Charles Henry Bennett, or complete suicidal whackjobs like Diego Gonzales who was an actual TSA BDO. Shouldn't his fellow BDOs have noticed... I don't know... something wrong?

> t's not (yet...) illegal to possess US currency. Period.

You clearly don't keep up with current US law. As of Aug 18th the courts have ruled in "USA v. $124,700" that possession of large sums of money is automatically evidence of drug trafficking. Any money found on your person is immediately forfeited to the state and you may be charged with some drug offense.

Even before the judgement people had their money seized. For example, a few years ago there was a notable case of a trucker being stopped at a weigh station near El Paso, where a police officer searched the truck and confiscated $23700. Although carrying the cash was still technically legal, the trucker was taken into custody and spent six hours in jail. ACLU later filed a suit to get the money back, but as far as I know that still hasn't happened.

Also, it has long been illegal to carry more than $10000 across a border. That limit is not a hard one. Last year, TSA detained a man for carrying only $4700. So even if you think you are within the legal limit, you'd be advised to seriously consider carrying your money in some other form, like a traveller's check.

And in related news, check this couple or shall we say "duo":

http://www.gadling.com/2010/05/03/detroit-airport-cop-and-tsa-worker-accused-of-stealing-pizza-and/
http://www.infowars.com/detroit-airport-cop-and-tsa-worker-accused-of-stealing-pizza-and-punching-clerk/
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/officers-accused-of-crossing-the-line

He's an airport cop, she's a TSA worker at the same airport. On the weekends these two love to booze it up
and ... watch the video!!

The short of it, they go into a gas station convenience store, she grabs two pieces of pizza and they try to leave the
store. The store clerk comes after the two demanding payment for the pizza, she takes out her TSA id card
and says she's with "Homeland Security". The store clerk not impressed by the two follows them out to the
pumps and tries to get their license plate. She opens the tailgate thus flipping the license plate up so the clerk can't
see it. Some back and forth. At one point then the clerk gets the tailgate but then the cop runs after him and
punches him in the face.

It turns out though, "Homeland Sekurity" used her credit card to pay for an item in the store, the shenanigans
outside the store trying to cover up the sign were completely unnecessary.

Just think about it, these fucks get to see you naked, they get to harrass you each step of the way until you're
in the plane.. :-) but in real life they are pathetic scum. Keep that in mind next time you see any..

Yeah. It's just cheaper to cut to the razor's edge on costs and let planes fall out of the sky. Price ain't everything.

I wonder if TSA agents are trained to actually take out and read the packaging/label of all batteries they come across as they rifle through your belongings.

Certainly. They're trained to take everything battery operated.

Southwest people are trained to smile and be cheerful. American Air doesn't.

Southwest has less delays and is more profitable and the passagers are better behaved and quiet and cuterious of others.

Correlation is not causation. There are hundreds of other factors as to why SW might have fewer delays and be more profitable. For example, SW doesn't adhere to the archaic hub system but instead runs a point-to-point flight schedule. They also fly exactly one (1) model of aircraft (B737) so they only have to train mechanics on one model and keep only one model's parts in stock.

As for SW passengers, sure they're behaved. There have been several incidents of SW passengers being thrown off of planes due to their clothing choices ( http://www.gadling.com/2007/09/09/southwest-airlines-imposes-dress-code-on-passenger , http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/06/news/fortune500/southwest_shirt). Nothing like a little Draconian discipline to keep people in line.

So the fact that many people do NOT like it doesn't matter, as long as one individual (you) can use it as a convinience, it doesn't matter.

Also as you go and visit the house in person anyway, you should be buying the house same house anyway. The only thing you gain is visiting some other houses.
That could mean you miss out on some other houses because of this. And that would mean you made an other houseowner unhappy, because you did not buy THAT house. Now if the neighbourhood was bad, you would not have bought it anyway.

So basicaly you give up your privicy for a few hours looking for a new house for a few hours. And yes, I like to call it privicy not having my picture taken each and every time I walk outside my house, no matter how legal it is. Just because it is not forbidden by law means you should be doing it.

So, you don't believe in solar powered bras http://www.gadling.com/2008/05/20/big-in-japan-solar-powered-bra-can-charge-your-ipod/ for charging your iPod or cellphone either?

Just like Yahoo they bent over for the local government. I used to work for a large international corporation and to do business in some countries you need to agree to some rules they have and it is for the international lawyers to hash out the details since some major ideas like womens rights, child labor, etc can be written agreement for that country but it is the details that are hard to get at like who is a child (ie. under 16 years old or 18 years old?). We cannot go to another country to "mock" their laws also like the of that kid call Michael Fay who 1994 "tagged" cars in Singapore which is a punishable crime.... boy I wish we had a law like that here to rid of all that spray paint junk on the walls here. http://www.gadling.com/2007/11/13/remember-michael-fey-does-caning-sound-familiar/. Nevertheless human rights are universal so we should respect human rights first and foremost and then take each countries laws into account next.

I agree. On the other hand, sometimes... people make it hard.

Old news is old.