Although he's no longer working at Logan, Sean Shanahan was a member of the TSA. While the article is correct that background checks cannot predict future behaviors, I know this incident won't come as a surprise to many readers here. The age of consent in Massachusetts is sixteen and this girl was a full two years below the minimum.

I can't help but notice the lack of response from TSA workers over the enhanced pat down. Why haven't any of them complained formally about the procedure or written anonymously to the groups fighting this? They're much too preoccupied it seems, soliciting children, stealing, and making crude jokes at each other.

Yes, I realize not all members of the TSA exhibit criminal behavior. I've had excellent experiences flying all over the United States. I'm also white, able-bodied, fluent in English, and probaly look too tired to be cause for concern. I know the worst incidents make the news, and thousands of people will fly without problems. The TSA is just like any group of professionals. Except they aren't. They control access and mobility. They're gatekeepers. They can decide if you fly or not.

What about this guy, who asked a twelve year old to be his sex slave? Or the one who stole thousands of dollars in passenger's items? Or another arrested for posession of child pornography. Or this beyond unfunny prank. The most unsettling thing from this incident is the investigation that followed, showing that five TSA employees saw this prank and only one reported this garbage to a superior.

That's disturbing to me. What else goes on that no one reports in the name of national 'security'? I don't want to wait to find out. And you know what? I'm not compromising anything by demanding a higher standard of this agency.