The video: In a video shot at Dallas Forth-Worth Airport this week (watch below), former Miss USA Susie Castillo says she was repeatedly groped by a Transportation Security Administration agent. "I completely feel violated," says Castillo, who explains that she chose a manual patdown instead of passing through a body scanner because she worries that the machines release harmful radiation. Describing her ordeal, Castillo claims that "this woman touched my vagina four times" and that the TSA is "making me choose to get molested — because that's what I feel like — or go through this machine that's completely unhealthy and dangerous."
The reaction: Since the TSA's "enhanced patdowns" began last fall, "I've heard from a variety of people who came out of the experience feeling seriously violated," says Mike Masnick at Techdirt. But most don't go public about it. "What I find most nefarious about the TSA groping brigade" is that it inflicts so much emotional damage on its victims that they choose to keep their humiliation private. The agency can try to defend its practices, says John Sexton at Hot Air, but incidents like this one highlight just how "stupid" they are. Let's face it: "If your procedure leads you to vigorously frisk Miss USA for a bomb, there’s a problem with your procedure." Watch Castillo's video below:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
