The Ork Heard Round The World... [The Stars and the Cookie Jar]

Jesus fracking Christ, who fracking Metafiltered me while I slept?

Well, it was good for a laugh. Or something. Now I'm going to slither off to hide under our bed and have a panic attack.

However, since I can never, never let well enough alone:

Where did I once use racist, sexist, xenophobic or classist language?
It was not a post to elicit sympathy. There are better causes that need sympathy, or rather, empathy. In fact, today is World AIDS Day. Skip going to Starbucks and put that $5 in an envelope and send it to your favourite AIDS research fund, hospice or meals program. It was a post to all the actual-people-whom-I-know who expected to hear from me hours before they did, and who deserved an explication.
It was originally a locked post. However, I have never locked a post about what happened to me when I was younger, so I figured.
Yes, it is weak on detail and physical description. But there are some things you hold back from the large public fish tank that is the internet. There were comments made and descriptions noted that are private.
I call my beloved my beloved all the time. In usage. It beats the pants off 'baby', if you ask me.
Of course it's all about me. It's my LiveJournal, you bunch of wankers.
If you don't know the backstory, and can't be arsed to scan six entries down, don't make assumptions. This is a personal journal, directed at my usual readership of, like, 6.5 people and three cats.
Of course the entry had a certain tone to it. It was written hunched-over in the airport just after a panic attack. And I am a writer; it's my profession. If a journalist, G-d forbid, should get raped, she or he would describe it publicly in the most keen and polished possible tones. It is, believe it or not, a coping mechanism.

Now bang off.

ETA: With apologies to all who offered genuine comments and advice, that post is now, sadly, locked. I do not need to get put on a no-fly list.

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There are some folks who hang out on the internet for the sole purpose of kicking people in pain just because they can, and because they enjoy seeing people in pain. They're miserable, petty-minded, vicious little losers who wouldn't have compassion for someone if they saw someone with an axe buried in his/her head, and would probably point and laugh, and make stupidly insensitive remarks about the axe being a funny-looking hair barrette, and the blood gushing from the wound it created being a bad choice of hair gel.

There are a lot of people who know better, and you're going to hear from them too, and they're the important ones. Sad to say, your case is not isolated. A journalist's daughter received the same shabby treatment. There are a lot of women now who don't want to fly. Ironic that it took THIS from our own countryman to make women feel this way, when terrorists didn't stop them!

I think we all need to write our representatives. Mine are virtually worthless, but my God, this ought to outrage anyone. I'm writing anyway.

Good luck to you.

[link] [reply]

Ignore the idiots. *squash*

I try to give five dollars every third time I shop or at least once a month at Bread and Circus - they have tickets you can buy at the register to buy someone with AIDS dinner.

I'm so sorry I posted a link without permission. It was inconsiderate of me.

And I'm sorry people are fucking assholes who need to be strung up with their balls in a truss.

:-*

Oh, hon, linking is allowed, it's okay! Shhh. We love you.

[link] [parent] [reply]

Okay. I just wanted to say I'm sorry because I realized later how many people were coming and I didn't want you to go through the abuse anniesj went through.

Hi. Just aniother random person who got here through links. I too think ye deserve sympathy.

And respect. Your report of what happenned to you was very well put together and even with the urgency and pain in your writing, you did yourself and yours credit by bveing a good person through it all.

Anyways just wanted tyo say I think you have acted very cool through all this madness.

Good on you.

I got here through links, too, and I agree with illmantrim -- although I read your entry not as a cry for sympathy but as an account of what happened, I think you do warrant sympathy, as does anybody who is put through that sort of situation. You should have been treated with the respect that you deserve.

I think the world needs to know about things like this. The treatment people are being subjected to in the name of "security".

If those who suffer such indignities keep quite how do we know what is being done in our name.

As you say, it is not the security checks that are the problem, it is the manner in which they are targeted and carried out and the lack of redress for those that overstep the mark.

Unfortunately, the world is full of pained individuals who can only improve their own self image by denigrating others. So those who do stand up and be counted, who share their stories with the world will be subjected to unfair and cruel responses. I hope they didn't get to you.

theaardvark
http://www.arseburgers.co.uk/blog/

I found your journal through

rm. I think what happened is horrible and the meta shite is just ridiculous.
There are people out there who still believe that women should be seen and not heard, that we are merely tits and ass to be touched and used as they see fit. I think you should file a complaint, but that is my opinion and you should do what is in your heart to do.
*hugs*
I don't want to sound impertinent, but mind if I friend you?

(deleted comment)

I friended you too - not because of the nonsense of people or the cross-linking, I just found you and enjoy your style. I hope you don't mind - though with what seems to be a sudden influx of people you might!

This is your journal, indeed. I hope that in the end there's more support than any other feeling left over.

Same with me. I hope you don't mind.

Coming in from

cedara, I'm very sorry to hear your story; it's not the first, nor will it probably be that last of those :((( I was nervous the one time I flew to the US this year, but I was lucky. Hope you've better luck next time too.

I'm sorry it all turned into such a mess of crazy comments. And yes, you do not need to get put on a no-fly list.

Legal? Yes. Right? Not so much.

In any case, as to tone and such, those of us who, I dunno, read understood that you write. And those of us who write/scribble/whatever understood what the point of that likely was--not only to tell the story, but to have told the story because having a narrative is a way to begin making sense. Never thought your point was to get sympathy (ew).

Thank you for telling the story publicly in the first place, though. Much as I'd rather it not been a humiliating experience, I'm glad I got to read about it.

Now bang off.

Of course, will do, but first I just wanted to drop in and let you know that I friended you. I would have mentioned it at your post yesterday, but felt that you were probably already receiving enough comments to your inbox.

Also, I just realized my bad timing. I promise I didn't friend you only because of the horrible event that happened to you, but because I have seen you in some of my friends' journals and thought you were interesting.

Finally, like so many other people, I'd like to express my horror at what happened. I have to fly to and from DC this summer, and now I'm dreading it.
*hugs*

Ooh, you mustn't mind me being a grumpypants. I do not mind being friended! I just got miffed at the Metafilter people, and my Online Big Brother was having to beat people up in the comments, so I got cranky.

just when i was getting into a good discussion

hope you arent too traumatised

I only read the original post a few hours ago after coming from a link on a friend's journal, and I admit that I did link it again not for any political reason but because it scared me.

I'll be travelling to the US in less than six weeks and it does scare me that I might be treated that way myself when I arrive there.

Keep on tranglin', 'kay?

sounds like it was an interesting post.. I have no idea what it was really about tho... o_o;

it's like you said, dude -- the what is legal; the how is Not Okay. bring a complaint, say i. get Loud People With Law Degrees to do some of the yelling for you. [nods determinedly][declares that "determinedly" is in fact a word]

I know this is a bit forward of me, but I've been advised that you should go to the ACLU about this. I've gotten advice from several (http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25974) sources (http://www.livejournal.com/users/chn_breathmint/322477.html?thread=424877#t424877) that TSA staff are in fact not allowed to perform such searches, and if so you do have every right to press complaint.

I'm planning for a trip myself, and ... hovering on the verge of cancelling it.

I would have emailed you this, but - I don't know you that well, or your email addy, at that.

Again, apologies.

- Mel

I didn't get to offer hugs and support in the last entry (yes, another random person referred from various places), so let me do so quickly now.

What is Metafilter?

I'm so sorry you got flack over this :(

Do take care.

I metafiltered you (FunkyHelix). I was in a chatroom last night with people who are on your friendslist, or found you when those on your friends list mentioned the post. I was shocked at your horrible experience, and figured more people should hear about it. I also know Metafilter is widely read, and figured if someone out there had advice to help you, they could best find you that way. Unfortunately, Metafilter can be filled with fucktards in large groups, and for them it was easier to shit on you rather than show an ounce of compassion. It wasn't my intention for you to fill attacked, especially after already feeling violated.

My sympathies. I hope things turn out well for you.

"...feel attacked."

I need to remember, spell check is my friend.

Excuse me, but I wanted to chime in.

I read it, and glad of it. I don't know who said what to you, and I hope it wasn't too horrid.

There's not much more that I can offer. Yes, my beloved beats the pants off of baby. I use it too, and some other, non-standard endearments.

Condolences, for all of it.

Terry Karney

Hi, in from MeFi. I know EXACTLY what you're going through - I had an incident this past summer that got me MeFi'd, too. Yes, you'll get in the asshats and the trolls and the bozos - that's par for the course.

I wish I'd gotten to read the original incident, just so I understood what happened.

Whatever else happens, good luck to you and yours; fair skies and decent travel.

I don't understand AT ALL how people could be anything but incredibly sympathetic for you after reading that post. Assholes. I hope you won't worry about that in future as (at the risk of sounding scarily stalkerish) I like reading about your life and would like to continue doing so. :D

*more hugs*

*hugs

also, as other people have said. while the *act* of doing serches is not illigle, i think you can get them on unprofecinal conduct. becous it sertenly sounded like that to me.

dionysus here from milliways.

i read about the horrid experience that you had, and poked around the tsa website just in curiosity.

they do have information about filing complaints about improper conduct of screeners.

here's the site: http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_multi_image_0082.xml

many hugs and warm wishes.

Best wishes as you work through all this -- I was here yesterday, and read nothing but goodwill. I'm so sorry that people decided to attack every aspect of what you wrote. That's not only insensitive, it's flat-out wrong. Not as if I weren't already aware, but we've got a long way to go in this world with compassion.

And good for you for taking care of and standing up for yourself in such a sh*tty situation.

*shakes head* what is wrong with the world? What is wrong with people? and why did I pick yesterday and today, of all days, to be busy as all hell and not following LJ? Man, there are a few people out there whose ass I am sorry I didn't get to kick - but I'm arriving late and there is no point in creating more wank now. I'm sorry I wasn't there though.

*HUGS TIGHT* Giant hugs to you, and lots of love.

I found you through a link about your experience that was already locked, so I came to your main journal to try and find out what happened.

Whatever it was, it was obviously way out of line, and given it involved women and the word "searches" I can guess.

It's good that word is getting out about this kind of thing. Personally, I'm good with the security measures being performed, but in no way am I good with people who abuse their authority for their own jollies.

I'm sorry that you had to go through whatever it was that they did to you, and would strongly urge you to use that link further up to report unprofessional behavior to the TSA, as well as contacting your local news sources to let them know as well.

Best wishes from a total stranger. ;)

Having come to the story too late to actually comment to that post, it was pointed out to me that while apparently you don't appreciate hugs from strangers, perhaps I could offer you virtual cookies instead. Which... may or may not be any better; but perhaps you will understand the sympathy meant.

While I have never been detained in an airport (which is what I vaguely understand to have happened), I have had panic attacks, and they suck to the power of infinity halved. Roughly.

Sorry to hear that some assholes decided to screw up your post. Frankly, I think that your post is important and something that people should be permitted to read.

Of course, you have no reason to listen to me as you've never seen or heard from me before. However, I do feel that the air nazis are getting out of hand and until more people hear about this kind of crap, it's not going to get better.

If I might suggest something: Re-open your message, but disable posting replies or screen replies by people not on your friends list. That will help keep the riff-raff out.

Cheers.

I didn't comment on the update yesterday because there were so many.
I also linked you, and hope none of the ugliness was brought from my link.
I've flown twice since 9/11 and was only stopped once because, I too, was flying one way. My father was dying and when they asked me why I wasn't returning I got ugly, "Well, since my dad will most likely be dead by this time tomorrow, I thought I'd hitch a ride home with my husband and kids after the funeral." They let me go after x-raying my shoes.
I hope you can recover from this quickly.
(((hugs)))
M

Just to let you know, most of the people at MetaFilter (myself included, I like to think; same username over there) are pretty reasonable.

The thing is, the vast majority of them are very curious people (pun intended), the sort of people who are compelled to ask why something happened.

Further, if you read the MeFi thread, you'll note that there's an almost unanimous condemnation of what happened to you, and what's happening to people on a daily basis courtesy of the TSA, Homeland Security, etc.

...god, people are idiots.

including me. sorry, sorry, sorry -- I'm not the one who metafiltered the post but I linked to it and I'd been telling people about it -- I should have thought.

:(

There's a lawsuit going on over exactly that kind of horrible conduct by the airports at the moment, if it helps any to know that you're not alone... of course, it could also be depressing to know they make a routine of it. >.< It's made it to CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/11/30/airport.patdowns.ap/index.html

Good luck getting your feeling of self-ownership back... it took me months to get over the time that a man twice my size pushed me into a soundproofed band room and tried to stick his tongue down my throat before I could scream, and I'd imagine this feels like the same type of unwarranted invasion. Ugh...

I didn't used to be ashamed of being American, but for the past year or two I have been. After this last election, I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep being ashamed of being an American for at least the next four years...

Tuned in after the entry was locked and have no earthly clue what metafilter is, but from context, it looks as though
MASSIVE HUGS
are in order.

Investigate your options for complaint. We should be fighting terror without terrorizing the populace.

"that post is now, sadly, locked. I do not need to get put on a no-fly list."

What happened to the America I used to know?

Where you could speak your mind without fear.
Where personal freedom and dignity were paramount.
Where the people were friendly and yet proud.

Resigned submissiveness is now the order of the day.

Eleven score and eight years ago that country was founded in a rise against oppression. Sic transit gloria mundi.

I should probably apologise too. Metafilter be damned, I was all ready to send it off to TPM, as I said in comments. Good job I didn't.

Personally, I am still of the opinion that people need to know what they voted for, that their government perpetrates despicable acts upon people and, because of this shiny democracy thing, that's actually their fucking responsibility, and they need to take some. However, the downside is that people are a bunch of dickheads and if they know that they've made a mistake and they've let something bad happen, they'll do every cognitively dissonant doublethink trick in the book to blame the victim so that somehow, anyhow, this isn't their fault. And nobody should have to cope with that in order for society's abundance of morons to slowly learn what a dumb thing they did.

Yeah, I was bummed to find the original post locked when I wanted to show it to the other people in my Civil Right class at work with me, yesterday, because it seemed pertinent. (If it would have made you feel any more comfortable, I'm bi and the woman who sat next to me in class is a lesbian.) I had the number for the TSA Office of Civil Rights there in front of me and so thought of you and wanted to post it to you. Anyway, here it is, the External Compliance Division: 571-227-2465.

I joined TSA to keep people safe, and I don't want any of my co-workers getting away with intimidating anyone or treating anyone badly. I think whenever someone is treated wrongly they should shout about it and agitate - not only for themselves but for everyone else who comes after them. Please shout. Shout to the right people. And if they don't give you answers, shout to somebody else. Get to the bottom of it, for everyone's sake.

Screw the rest of them. Good for you for posting it. I can't imagine how you were coherent enough immediately following the "happenings" to write about it so seemingly calmly and at such length.

More than anything, thank you for opening so many eyes to a very real threat to all of us. I, for one, thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting your experience out there like you did, for warning so many of us that we can't necessarily trust people that we think are there to protect us.

Again, I'm so sorry for what you went through - both the experience itself, and the crap you apparently caught in comments. You didn't deserve either.

If you wouldn't be horribly offended, I'd love to friend you. I'm very much enamoured of your writing style.

Go ahead! Welcome, welcome. Yeah, when I'm writing I can sort of turn off anything but the part of my brain that makes the words all go together, so it's a good thing for me to sit down and write when I freak out.

At the end of this month I will be flying into New York one way and then out from Vermont once again one way. I'm fairly paranoid about these things since my father's been stopped several times going between New York and Canada.

The whole time you will be in my thoughts. I wish you the best.

I knew of you before this post, I think through IvyBlossom, though I don't read your blog regularly.

I have been the subject of airport scrutiny, thankfully before 9/11, and not to that extent. It is no fun, and I admit I am now very uncomfortable flying.

I saw this post elsewhere and thought I would pass it along, in case you haven't seen it. Take Penn's advice and complain. You've probably had enough of the issue to last a life time, but you talked about it publicly, and they should know.

Federal V.I.P. Penn (http://www.pennandteller.com/03/coolstuff/penniphile/roadpennfederalvip.html)