TSA vs Senator Rand Paul

[chasfm11]

So if their rules are pass/fail and fail means full body pat down, well, I have to say that the TSA in Houston (IAH and Hobby) do not subscribe to that rule

I truly believe that TSA, in general, does not follow TSA's rules. In other words, they often make up the rules at they go along. As evidence, I'd point to the two recent 80+ women who where "searched" by TSA, after which they admitted that they did not follow their own rules. In some cases, I believe that it is probably a training issue. In others, I think that some TSA agents are succumbing to the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and that is only a matter of time before more rogue agent encounters surface.

I'm not condemning the rank and file agents. I suspect that many are good, hardworking people who are just trying to do their jobs. The organization as a whole, is a different story. I just went through TSA checkpoints at Dallas and Orlando in the last two days. I can attest to the same procedures not being followed at both checkpoints.

[Bennies]

There are a variety of walk through devices in use, some beep, some don't.

This is correct. Not all airports have the x-ray/nudie-scanners. For instance, Cedar Rapids (CID?), only had metal detectors last time through. It "randomly beeped"...I know it was random as I was wearing my usual flying attire...which *never* beeps...the TSA person said it was "random"...I said "well let's go through again, it won't beep"....nope....got pat down...that didn't go very well.

I have been wondering about this. I go through check points multiple times a week and have been doing it for 7 years wearing the exact same uniform. A couple of months ago the metal detectors would just randomly start beeping every once in a while. Not immediately but after a second or two when I passed. I would look at the agents and every time they tell me not to worry about it and let me pass. I was figuring it was some kind of random alarm so they can feel up passengers at random. I have had it happen multiple times now.