Comments about ‘Chaffetz chafes over search’

Jason, thanks for being a leader. Thanks for not giving only lip service to the Constitution. You have my vote next term. We do not need to live in a police state.

"he started to identify himself as a congressman"

Did not take long for that to go to his head did it?

Welcome to our world, Jason. Only when we're harrassed, we don't get to pull the Congressman card. Thanks for making privacy matter.

After hearing both sides of the story, there are parts that the congressman said that I believe, and some that I don't.

I do believe him when he said that he was laughed at, and that he was made to go through the process of a full-body pat down. This is STANDARD procedure for the agency when someone refuses to go through the whole-body imager. The TSO shouldn't have told him that it was random; at that point, it didn't have to be random at all. He just had to go through the pat-down since he refused the whole-body imager.

Second, I don't believe the congressman when he claims that the TSO "thrust" his ID out at him. If the TSO didn't want the congressman to know his identity, wouldn't he try and keep the ID away from him? He had NO right touching any part of the TSO's uniform. Also, he was trying to turn this incident into politcial spin. I don't buy it.

Another example of the Gov walking on our rights. We need to decide how much freedom we will give up to the TSA. I have no question in my mind that some people would allow a full strip search of themselves prior to boarding a plane if it "makes our nation safer." It has nothing to do with safety, it may be a test to see where the public breaking point is. Thanks for fighting the fight Jason.

I believe the Congressman. I had a similar experience. When I expressed trepidation about being made to go through the scanner, they harassed me about it until the people in line behind me started getting frustrated. I felt pressured to just give in rather than stand my ground. They get VERY upset if you don't agree to do what they want you to do. They seem to take it personally.

Whoever supervises these people should be fired. They owe the Congressman a huge apology. What an embarrassment these people are!

Wah, wah, wah, what a spoiled, oversensitive crybaby. I'm glad the TSA do their job, they can do whatever they want as far as I'm concerned as long as I'm safe traveling by plane.

Every time I have been through security I too have been harassed. Both in SLC and LAX. I vote to disband TSA.

Recently went through security in terminal 1 at SLC. Chose the "expert traveler" lane, thinking it would be faster and I did travel a bunch a couple years back and consider myself to be up on the TSA requirements. Bad move. The other lane, whatever it was called, seemed to be moving quite a bit faster than ours. In looking to the front of our line, I saw that one male employee at the podium was checking our line, the first/business class line, and the crew check-in. To top it, he wasn't being very fast about it. I watched our line and was astounded to see that we were averaging a person from our line past the podium every minute. There were still 24 people ahead of me and it was going to take almost 25 minutes to even get to the x-ray line. Another traveler grabbed a TSA employee walking past to complain about it. The guy acted disinterested, but about 5 minutes later someone else did open another podium and we started moving much quicker. Less than 30 people ahead of me and it took about 20 minutes to clear the x-ray. Ridiculous.

The problem is that people say "they can do whatever they want as far as I'm concerned as long as I'm safe...

As Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Good for Chaffetz (and I don't say that very often). It's almost to the point where I would vote for anyone who promises to make flying enjoyable again.

Chaffetz is an embarrassment to Utah. This guy is such a joke.

I hope this video turns up on youtube, it will be a hit.

Chaffetz is correct. I believe him.

TSA is mad that can't use their little toy for primary scanning. It never has been approved for that use and has the majority of the house of reps agreeing.

It is time one of our two senators got the bill though the senate, or are they, with all of their seniority not able to?

I say the TSA can do whatever they want as long as they are doing it to Jason Chaffetz. LOL

Chaffetz--isn't he Mr. Smith goes to Washington (but without qualifications?).

I think the millimeter wave portal is actually one of the best weapons against airborne terrorism that we have. There are weapons that can be hidden in such ways that they could only be detected through a serious invasion of somebody's privacy. I just don't think honest citizens have to worry about what a remote screener can or can't see. I hate airport security just as much as the next person (possibly more--I try not to fly if I can get there by car in two days or less), but when I do fly, the full-body scanner is the least of my concerns.

These body machines would better serve the public if they were used at our border with mexico where smuggling is a major problem.

The only real issue that gets me irritated is voting against unions, that's a vote against the working american labor force. Utah needs more organized labor if the workers of Utah want to earn a decent wage so they don't have to be government dependents.

Apparently Jason Chaffets thinks he's above everyone else now.

They should have made him go to the far right machine where he belongs.

TSA is out of control when a sitting Congressman is treated as if he is a security threat.

Machines that strip search are a serious violation of rights of privacy.

Experienced airline employees call the "security" of TSA "eyewash." The airmail and freight in the bottom of the aircraft receives only superfical security checks.

Poor air traffic control is a far greater threat to passenger safety.