- Texas is an awesome state...

I will have to disagree with you on that one :-) I've lived in Texas for 11 years (moved here for a job oportunity and I used to compete in rodeo) and find nothing awesome about it except that we dont pay state income tax. I've lived in California, Arizona, and now Texas, and I would say that Texas is the worst or at least the least scenic of all the places I have lived. The only reason I haven't left is because my girlfriend has a great job that would be hard to find elsewhere and I have a lot of friends here. I think my next place of residence will be in south Florida around the Ft. Lauderdale/Aventure area. I go there a lot and find the beach, food, and culture of the Miami and South Beach area to be a lot more awesome than anything you can find in Texas.

Hopefully the heat's not getting to ya this summer. I hear it is real hot right now.

It's not that bad in my opinion, but I used to live in southern Arizona where it gets a lot hotter, so I am probably already a little desensitized to it. Frankly, the heat isn't that bad, it's the allergies that are the killer :-(BTW, I would love to visit NZ at some point. I've seen so many pictures and shows filmed there and it really looks beautiful. One of these days I will have to get to that part of the world.

The big deal, is what they are doing, is illegal in all 50 states. Try touching a women's breast in public in front of a cop with or without her permission and see if you aren't charged with sex crime, and after spending time in jail/prison, have to register as a sexual predator for the rest of your life. No one is suppose to be above the law, not even the President, so what gives them the right to violate what is normally considered a serious violent crime. They don't even do it in private, I saw a 25 year old woman go through this the last time I flew and she was terrified!! I felt so bad for her.

Well I don't know the laws pertaining to the TSA, am not going to pretend I do know them, am not a lawyer, and haven't followed it closely enough to know how it became authorized in the first place, and frankly am not going to research it enough to find out just for the sake of forum debate. Having said that, I though it was implied that if you chose to take the pat down, you basically know what they are going to do. Hence if you feel uncomfortable with pat downs you should them proceed to go thru the scanner. It's too bad that the lady you mentioned was "terrified", but I can't see what is so terrifing about what they do. Then again maybe she really wasn't "terrified", unless of course you approached her later and asked her if she was? I watched my girlfriend get her pat down and she wasn't terrified nor did it look terrifying. It's not like they are doing a cavity search or trying to gain sexual satisfaction from doing it, plus women do the womans pat downs. I could see if men where doing the ladies how it would be uncomfortable for women and frankly I would rather a woman pat me down than a man, but that's just me. The men who have done mine since then have all be very professional and I haven't had anything uncomfortable done to me or felt unconfortable all the times since.Anyways, this is one of those topics like many that you could argue over and over with essentially no outcome that is going to make a difference anyways, except that those who participated wasted time they will never get back. Just like every rule or law known to mankind, not everyone will support it for various reason. Personally I dont mind it but I would be fine without it as well. All the times I have been to the airport since they started this process I have never seen or heard anyone complaining about it before, during or after the process.

I will have to disagree with you on that one :-) I've lived in Texas for 11 years (moved here for a job oportunity and I used to compete in rodeo) and find nothing awesome about it except that we dont pay state income tax. I've lived in California, Arizona, and now Texas, and I would say that Texas is the worst or at least the least scenic of all the places I have lived. The only reason I haven't left is because my girlfriend has a great job that would be hard to find elsewhere and I have a lot of friends here. I think my next place of residence will be in south Florida around the Ft. Lauderdale/Aventure area. I go there a lot and find the beach, food, and culture of the Miami and South Beach area to be a lot more awesome than anything you can find in Texas.

I've been to Austin for the South by Southwest music festival. I had a great time. Didn't see much else though so can't say much for the rest of it. It's just flat from what I remember.Sometimes being in one place too long can get to ya so I can understand what you're saying, I've lived in California as well and did like it there, crazies included...Never been to Florida but South Beach and the Florida Keys is a place I want to see someday. I'll even go through the TSA fiasco to see these places again. But hopefully by then they will tone it down a wee bit.Cheers

Alright guys...I am going out on a limb here, only because I love the USA but i really hate the crap coming out of it right now. If I ever criticize you guys that is only because I think USA can do better....Back in the early 1980's there was a small town called Athens, Georgia that was a wee little university town that on a Saturday Night used to only have 2 bands that would play...those two bands were the B52's and REM. Those two bands went on to become really big in the later part the the 1980'sThis is just a little reminder of how much the rest of the world loves your country because the rest of the world still loves this stuff today....From Buddy Holly to this crap (REM and B52's together in a Video) and beyond....you guys are really cool...Your culture will defeat your government because it has before...CHEERS:(Sorry you have to watch in YouTube)...that is also an American Issue and not mine, but we still love you anyways...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQ0vDAbF7s

To me, the TSA has seemed a complete waste of money providing nothing but aggravation for many years. In all the time they have been in existence, they have caught almost, but not quite, one terrorist. They are simply a massive, foolish response to a threat which does not exist.Instead, the TSA picks up small-time drug users and extremely dangerous matrons with oversized plastic bottles of suntan lotion. Screening tests have repeatedly shown that a high percentage of concealed weapons are not detected.If I were a terrorist bent on doing damage in the US, why would I choose an airplane, where a TSA agent might get lucky and stop my attack? There are so many other soft targets.

The big deal, is what they are doing, is illegal in all 50 states.

Of course it's not illegal. It's authorised by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (US Code Title 49 Subtitle 1 Chapter1 § 114)

To me, the TSA has seemed a complete waste of money providing nothing but aggravation for many years. In all the time they have been in existence, they have caught almost, but not quite, one terrorist. They are simply a massive, foolish response to a threat which does not exist.

Terrorists have told you that they're no threat to aircraft? We must be grateful that those actually in charge of anti-terror operations don't hold such silly view as expressed in this thread.

Here are a few examples of what the TSA has been doing, in total disregard to previous statements from the head of the TSA and Department of Homeland Security about not frisking kids under 12 years old.Parents of 6-Year-Old Girl Pat Down at Airport Want Procedures ChangedVideo shows shirtless boy pat-down from TSAKirkland 6-year-old patted down by TSA agents This after a change earlier this year which falls into line with what was originally stated last year when pat downs were first started. Granted, the boy should have put the Gameboy in the tray to be xrayed, but once it was known he had it on him, it should have been sent through xray and him walk back through the metal detector. TSA pats down a screaming toddler This was taped by the young girls reporter father and broadcast all over the US news stations and led to the change referred to in the above video.

Of course it's not illegal.

Until it gets stricken down as unconstitutional.

Unless and until thast happens it is legal.

Until it gets stricken down as unconstitutional.

Unless and until that happens it remains legal.

I just got back from DC, and security was a breeze this time through, at GRR they were freidnly, at BWI not so much, I said hi, and got no response, so I said thank you just to see, and got no respinse just a stare.

I just got back from DC, and security was a breeze this time through, at GRR they were freidnly, at BWI not so much, I said hi, and got no response, so I said thank you just to see, and got no respinse just a stare.

It could well be that the security people themselves, or most of them, recognise that searching & pat-downs are distasteful and intrusive, and so maintain a demeanour of stone-faced detachment with the person they're having to do it to, lest they're perceived by that person as being a bit pervy. I could understand that.

It could well be that the security people themselves, or most of them, recognise that searching & pat-downs are distasteful and intrusive, and so maintain a demeanour of stone-faced detachment with the person they're having to do it to, lest they're perceived by that person as being a bit pervy. I could understand that.

Lol.

Much as I love the US and the Americas, I was truly shocked and appalled at how my wife and I were treated at O'Hare recently.This was not just security personel either. Pretty much every kind of employee we encountered, ranged between indifferent, to outright rude and offensive. Being in a wheelchair has it's own problems to start with, but you try getting a connecting flight when nobody cares or helps ("...not in my remit, sir"!).Chicago seemed to be VERY angry that day. Yet just a few hours before, we'd been treated like royalty in Texas.

It could well be that the security people themselves, or most of them, recognise that searching & pat-downs are distasteful and intrusive, and so maintain a demeanour of stone-faced detachment with the person they're having to do it to, lest they're perceived by that person as being a bit pervy. I could understand that.

Yea and that reminds me of that line from the movie Silence of the Lambs..."it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hoes again"

Yea and that reminds me of that line from the movie Silence of the Lambs..."it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hoes again"

Ah yes, the gardening scene with the Tooth Fairy...