Gut Reaction

I am sure a lot of you have seen the headline of
“TSA Orders 95-Year-Old Woman To Remove Adult Diaper During Search”
And it angered or upset you… it sure did me… after working over 17 years in
a care center (nursing home to those my age).

But the story is a little more than that. They didn’t have her
remove it as they were searching her, but had her daughter
take her to the bathroom to change it as it was soiled. And yes,
it was a embarrassing thing for both of them. And yes, it was stalling
the TSA’s search. But not quite like the headline had you believe.

But even with that said, it still is outrageous and where the hell is
common sense. I know, I know, those of you who were at war, know
that the enemy uses elderly, and children. I was told that by my uncle
who, while in Vietnam, was going to remove a bicycle in a parking lot… and he had a local remove the bike . Only to have said bike blow up. So yes, they use items, the old and young.

But this is not quite the same thing. Are you really going to try to convince me
that in our good old USA, that a daughter is going to wheel her 94 year old
Mother to a plane and have dynamite in her mother’s underpants? I don’t think
so. So while the OFFICIALS.. say that this was just part of the routine… we need to change that routine and have common sense rule…

We need to give the elderly the respect they deserve. Just like the elderly man
who had cancer, who went to see his son. Yet TSA made him sit down and
remove his shoes. Which he was trying to do with great effort. So much that
his daughter, who was dropping him off, tried to go over and help her father, and was refused as she didn’t have a ticket to ride a plane, so she was not allowed in that area. So she stood there for 22 minutes while he tried to put
his shoes back on…not even a TSA agent took pity on him. When his daughter requested them to help, she was told if they helped everyone they wouldn’t have time to do their job…. Too bad…
Our elderly deserve better.