Ever since 9/11, Americans have been forced to undergo humiliating searches at airports that have left many wondering whether the terrorists really did win in the end. We have all seen the videos of American children, little old ladies, and even nuns getting fondled, under the reasoning that we need to prevent terrorists from getting on our planes ever again. In the meantime, we have also seen videos and photos of people who actually fit the profile of the terrorists be given a free pass with minimum or no frisking as they are allowed board airplanes.
These are the very same types of planes that Muslim men commandeered to fly into the World Trade Center Towers. Now I offer you a video of another American citizen who will tell you how she was humiliatingly molested at the airport by a TSA agent. This citizen's name is Susie Castillo, an actress and model. In 2003, Susie was Miss USA. In the video, she tells you what she went through at the LAX Airport.
Here's the video I made right after going through the invasive, unjust, unconstitutional and ineffective "pat down." Honestly, I don't like that I'm putting myself out there like this, Susie Castillo's, former Miss USA When I hear accounts like this from our women, I ask myself, what has happened to the men of America? I am personally saddened by the way American men have become such cowards. After all, only cowards would allow a perfect stranger to feel up their wives and children while they just stand there watching. I am also confused as to how easily American men have allowed these same strangers to look at X-Ray photos of their wives and children that show intimate details of their anatomy. Some will call this a stretch, but I wonder what today's men would do if they were alive in Europe during WWII. What would you men do if you were Jewish, and the government was rounding you, your friends, and your relatives up to be systematically eliminated? Throughout my life, whenever I asked that question, I get the same answer. They tell me that they would rather have died fighting than willingly to walk into a death camp with the stench of burning human flesh in the air. If that be your answer, then why are you now walking so willingly into the death camp? You realize that the Nazis did not start with the death camps, they started with just arm bands so that the Jews could be easily identified. So why are American men allowing the humiliation of our women and children to happen right before our eyes, while the ones responsible are allowed special privileges? I am just asking a simple question, because sometimes I feel that the terrorists have won. What else can explain the way red-blooded American men will stand by and allow a perverted TSA agent to look at X-Ray photos of his wife that show intimate details of her body without doing something? You do know that we outnumber them right? Just as the Jews outnumbered their captors at the train stations, the ghettos, and even the death camps. You men can stand by and allow this humiliation to continue, but as for me and my wife, we will not fly until it is stopped. We do have the numbers to force them to stop. All we need to do is stop flying. Wake up men! No woman or child should be forced to go through what we are allowing our women and children to go through. Men of America, it is time to wake up from your stupor and start defending your women and children against those who are defiling them right before your eyes. If we do not, then we do not deserve the freedom our ancestors fought and died for. I ask you, what are our soldiers fighting and dying for in Afghanistan if it's not for our freedom? If we do not rise up and tell our government enough is enough, then I want our boys to come home. They should come home, because as long as the men of America allow this humiliation to continue, our boys are dying for nothing! |
What follows is what Susie Castillo
wrote in her blog on facebook Dear Friends,
To be quite honest, I almost didn't post this video and blog because I kept asking myself, "Am I just being a baby?" I'm also not one to stir up controversy. In fact, I do my best to live a very positive and healthy life. However, in the situation I'm about to describe, I felt truly violated and believe I should let my voice be heard. Ultimately, I hope others will do the same. Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." So, that's what I'm doing by sharing this experience. On my flight back to Los Angeles last week after hosting the red carpet premiere for "Fast Five" in Rio De Janeiro, I connected in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) where I had the misfortune of being selected to go through one of those full body scanners that emits radiation. Now, if you don't fly very often, you might not worry about it. But I'm a frequent flyer and don't wish to be irradiated more than I already am on flights (we get a pretty large dose of radiation while flying due to our proximity to the sun; the longer your flight, the more your radiation exposure) and in life in general (we're exposed to radiation all day every day; it's called "background radiation"). So I will always "opt out" of going through these body scanners, especially since the long-term effects of radiation are quite well documented: it mutates our cells, often in irreversible ways, and causes cancer. I'm all set with that! Anyway, after "opting out," I proceeded to follow a very nice older female TSA employee to the "pat down" area. It was an inconvenience, but I thought, "No biggie. I just went through this at LAX for the first time and it wasn't too bad, so let's just get it over with." Well, this pat down was completely different. It was MUCH MORE invasive than my first one at LAX, just a week before. To say that I felt invaded is an understatement. What bothered me most was when she ran the back of her hands down my behind, felt around my breasts, and even came in contact with my vagina! Honestly, I was in shock, especially since the woman at LAX never actually touched me there. The TSA employee at DFW touched private area 4 times, going up both legs from behind and from the front, each time touching me there. Was I at my gynecologist's office? No! This was crazy! I felt completely helpless and violated during the entire process (in fact, I still do), so I became extremely upset. If I wanted to get back to Los Angeles, I had no choice but to be violated, whether by radiation or a stranger. I just kept thinking, "What have I done to deserve this treatment as an upstanding, law-abiding American citizen?" Am I a threat to US security? I was Miss USA, for Pete's sake! Besides, is this procedure really protecting us? I remember hearing about an Al Qaeda terrorist successfully evading security detection by placing a bomb in his rectum. All in an attempt to assassinate Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef. So what if that happened in the US? Would we then be subjected to random rectal exams in addition to x-rays and being groped by strangers? How far is this going to go? More specifically, how far will WE let this go? As they say, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. I think it's time to stand up for our personal liberty. As a frequent flyer, I knew getting a "pat down" was inevitable, but I never expected it to make me so upset. When it was over, I grabbed my things, walked over to my husband who was waiting for me, and was completely overcome with emotion. I have never felt more violated in my life than I did that morning at DFW, and I've heard of others feeling the same way after these "pat downs." Just a couple weeks ago, a video of a six-year-old girl being patted down by TSA made headlines. Talk about unjust and unacceptable. So I decided to speak to a TSA supervisor about how I felt, and make a video about what happened to post on my blog. This "pat down" is a total violation of our rights (we shouldn't be searched this way without probable cause or a search warrant), therefore I will be filing a complaint via phone, online and also in writing with the TSA to complain each and every time for as long as the TSA is violating my rights. |
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