Thomas Sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor. He must use a urostomy bag, which collects urine from an opening in his stomach. On a recent trip he was asked to step aside for a pat-down. You know what happens next.
"One agent watched as the other used his flat hand to go slowly down my chest. I tried to warn him that he would hit the bag and break the seal on my bag, but he ignored me. Sure enough, the seal was broken and urine started dribbling down my shirt and my leg and into my pants."
The security officer finished the pat-down, tested the gloves for any trace of explosives and then, Sawyer said, "He told me I could go. They never apologized. They never offered to help. They acted like they hadn't seen what happened. But I know they saw it because I had a wet mark."
Sawyer, soaked in his own excrement, was unable to clean himself until after boarding his flight.
Now, the TSA has special rules and procedures for passengers with disabilities and special needs, but those rules, available here, simply do more to further point out how ridiculous the U.S. security state has become:
The website says that travelers with disabilities and medical conditions have "the option of requesting a private screening" and that security officers "will not ask nor require you to remove your prosthetic device, cast, or support brace."
Yes, that's right. Want to hide something from view? Request a pat down, bypass the multi-million dollar nudie scanners, and then cite the TSA's own rules that say they cannot ask you to remove a cast or prosthetic. Security! [MSNBC]