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Female Blogger Threatened With Defamation Suit For Writing About TSA 'Rape'

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After a particularly aggressive patdown in March that might be better described as a feel-up, advice blogger Amy Alkon graphically described how she sobbed loudly while a TSA agent put her hands “into” her — four times. She screamed “You raped me” after the LAX patdown and took the agent’s name with plans to file charges of sexual assault. Those plans fell through after consulting an attorney, but she did blog about it and included the agent’s name, thereby inflicting her own assault — on the… (www.forbes.com) עוד...

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canuck44
canuck44 0
Absolutely great...this has been picked up by all sorts of bloggers from all political corners. The letter in response to the threat is wonderful and the threat itself did more to publicize the incident than the original blog posting. This of course was an attempt by the TSA thug to shakedown a member of the public that backfired. It needs widespread circulation to ensure this type of behavior is discouraged.

Unfortunately, the TSA will probably promote her.
AgentX
AgentX 62evenandover 0
Another security technique that needs to be shelved....
rick737
richard weiss 0
Anyone who has passed through airport "security" has witnessed the behavior described by Alkon. She needs to proceed with her campaign against this over-zealous TSA thug. The battle cry should be THE TRAVELERS ARE COMING, THE TRAVELERS ARE COMING, AND WE AREN'T GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.
vanbess
vanbess 0
We the citizens need to push our representatives at a state level to make the activities of the TSA Felonies -- if this were anyone else they would find themselves in prison
xmacfly
ALLEN McLEAN 0
These people always manage to top the last fiasco with an even more extreme example. I hope Amy wins and the TSA ends up being directed to look at more appropriate screening methods as part of the settlement.
alistairm
alistairm 0
One more reason not to fly through the good'ol US of A on my way to HK or Japan or Manila!
cm5299
Chuck Me 0
This is dumb on many levels.

The TSA procedures are silly. More about "feeling safe" than actual safety.

"Rape"? Get out of here. Four times? I can see why the TSA is pissed. That's a serious word to be thrown around.

Then there's Forbes. Really? This is what is going on at Forbes these days? Blogs posing as journalism?
w7psk
Ricky Scott 0
So Chuck
Having someone penetrate the body (TSA Agent actually felt into her private area) isn't rape.

So if a male TSA Fingers your Rear you will be ok with that.

All in the name of Safety dont cha know.
cm5299
Chuck Me 0
I'm saying I don't believe her story. I'm saying it's a stretch of the truth.

I'm not saying the TSA is right on this one. I think there's plenty of stupidity to go around.
canuck44
canuck44 0
@Chuck Me: Actually the word is perfectly correct from both legal and diction points of view. Rape does not have to involve intercourse particularly now that we have gender confusion. Here is a correct definition:

"unlawful sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception"! Add to that threat of arrest.

This is not just Forbes...there are now over forty references to this egregious conduct on line in high circulation blogs including Drudge which gets over a million hits per day.
cm5299
Chuck Me 0
I know the definition of rape and I don't care how many sites report it. That certainly doesn't make it fact. How many millions saw Rather report on the documents about W's bogus guard service? That certainly didn't make it fact. Blogs are just people with opinions writing crap online (much like I'm doing right now). Why they are taken seriously, I have no idea. No matter how many people read it.

I'm think her story is a stretch. She couldn't even find a lawyer to take her case to even sue. That should tell you something. I'm sure it didn't hurt the number of readers of her blog though.

Stretching things like this does nothing but #1 minimize more serious sexual crimes and #2 serves no purpose in trying to get change the TSA. There are plenty of real legitimate concerns with how the TSA operates with no need to stretch things like this.
hollardds
hollardds 0
the victor here is Al-Qaeda. they clearly won and their efforts now drive the fear that cause us to be treated this way. I now only fly commercial airlines when absolutely necessary. And the fear has spilled over into other mass transit, entry to gov't buildings, and even theme parks and other tourist attractions. THEY WON!!
canuck44
canuck44 0
"Blogs are just people with opinions writing crap online"...unfortunately with the state of journalism blogs are all we have left to remove the liberal filter inserted by the likes of the NY Times and Washington Post. At least in a blog an opinion is listed as such, not disguised as "news".

Sovereign Immunity sucks which is why she could not find an attorney.
BoeingFan59
Troy Raiteri 0
TSA is at it again! Many times I have heard TSA Agents stealing laptops,guns even (Yes an TSA agent was carrying a GUN!) now this? Please TSA do the world a favor and please get out of our airports. OH and why don't we have security at all the GA Airports as well huh?!
w7psk
Ricky Scott 0
PLEASE DO NOT GIVE them Ideas Troy
cm5299
Chuck Me 0
@Troy lol

How about a "9/11 surcharge" on GA? Same $2.50 per pax and segment we pay to fly commercial. :)
jimnbubba
James Gibson 0
These TSA agents are no more than glorified security guards,most are losers to begin with.
schaz
Seth Chazanoff 0
Re: Chuck Me's suggestion to extend the $2.50 tax per pax segment to GA.

I am a private pilot. I have never seen TSA anywhere near an airport that I've flown in or out of. They do NOTHING to earn it, and the threat is so minimal that there is no reason for them to extend to us their dubious "benefits."

It would make just as much sense to extend the tax to all automobile traffic.

brhett
Bobby Rhett 0
@Chuck - you sir are a misogynist. Apparently in your world a woman who is violated should sit down and be quiet because it takes a lawyer to legitimize her complaint. Perhaps one day you will experience a situation in which you have no legal recourse, and telling your story will be met with the same attitude you profess here. Aviation would be a much friendlier place for women (and men) if the attitudes you profess were not present.
brhett
Bobby Rhett 0
She may not have any recourse in criminal court againt the agent herself, but she certainly has administrative recourse within the TSA. It may take some "political will" for the TSA to actually address this, however, which is why the public is her best audience right now. This incident should not be dropped. I'd like to see the TSA supervisor's report on this incident- no doubt her cries were noteworthy. If the supervisor failed to generate a report, they need to be disciplined severely...the supervisor reports are the most important piece of information in any investigation.
dvbepd1
Dave Van Buskirk 0
I am a police officer who works with TSA all day and I would have to take this womans complaint with a large grain of salt
discrazt
Don Santiago 0
Fantastic! Let's just go back to pre 9/11 security days BECAUSE our freedom is more important than lives being lost to people who want to kill us. Go through airports in Europe and Asia and we're still below many levels of what they have.

All these haters of the TSA would be the first to complain that the government didn't do enough if another 9/11 happened.
discrazt
Don Santiago 0
Fantastic! Let's just go back to pre 9-11 security days BECAUSE our freedom is more important than lives being lost to people who want to kill us. Go through airports in Europe and Asia and we're still below many levels of what they have.

All these haters of the TSA would be the first to complain that the government didn't do enough if another 9-11 happened.
n42769
n42769 0
Pre-TSA I used to fly commercial at least once (usually more) per month. I refuse to fly now, and all the tourist destinations will be missing my $300 or $400 per day.
devsfan
ken young 0
I have to reserve comment until the facts come out.
I am one of those with an Anti -TSA bias.
However, "rape"?....Hmm.
Perhaps this woman is a bit hysterical.
Now, if the agent penetrated her with her fingers, that in my opinion is sexual battery and should be prosecuted as a crime.
The lawsuit is baseless.
Sailboss
Johnnie Poole 0
OK Amy, Here's some advice for you--Take a train! Until the radical Is lamists stop hiding bombs in their underwear (remember that guy) and shoes (that loser)the rest of us just need to act like adults and understand that the TSA folks have a miserable job. Eight hours of bitching prima donnas is a tough job! Al-Quaida and their wannabees have successfully hidden bombs in demented seniors, baby carriers, and small children. So suck it up and go through the line!
If you find a pervert, report them to the supervisor, give specifics about the unambiguous actions that creeped you out and act like an adult! They don't want creeps in their job, either. Slows everything down.
GZ871
GZ871 0
Who needs terrorists when you have the TSA

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