Criminalizing the TSA Grope

In Concord, New Hampshire there is a proposed bill to charge TSA gropers with Sexual assault when they fondle prospective travelers.

The bill (HB628-FN) “makes the touching or viewing with a technological device of a person’s breasts or genitals by a government security agent without probable cause a sexual assault,” according to the introductory text of the bill.

“Let’s put their name on the sex offender registry, and maybe that will tell them New Hampshire means business,” said bill co-sponsor Rep. Andrew Manuse, R-Derry.

“That is a crime in this state, and we should charge them every single time,” said bill co-sponsor Rep. George Lambert, R-Litchfield.

Things got pretty ugly, when a witness was told by Rep. Laura Pantelakos that he could just choose not to get on a plane if he doesn’t like it.

WMUR reported on a visibly upset Concord resident who recounted to the Criminal Justice Committee how he recently had to cancel a visit with his mother because he did not want to submit to pat downs. The man made a point of overemphasizing the word “submit.”

After the hearing, Rep. Laura Pantelakos (D-Portsmouth) told the man that he does not need to get on an airplane if he doesn’t want to. “That is your choice,” she said.

“F—K you!” the man barked back, though the comment was bleeped out by WMUR.

I suppose she could have been a little more polite by suggesting he just bend over and take it like a man.

Update: 3/4/2011

Texas also introduced a couple of bills (HB1937 HB1938) designed to criminalize the TSA scanning and groping.

 

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Blogging is something I do for myself. I've been blogging since Sept. 2003, mostly about politics, guns, and observations about the word around me.
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