San Diego congressman demands investigation into airport scans and pat downs.

A San Diego congressman is calling for a hearing into the Transportation Security Administration's rules about full-body scans and pat downs for airline passengers.

The request by Rep. Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista) comes days after an Oceanside man created an Internet-fueled controversy by refusing to undergo a scan or pat down at San Diego's Lindbergh Field.

John Tyner, 31, of Oceanside posted a video of his dispute with airport security officials.

Filner called for the House Homeland Security Committee to hold a hearing into the appropriateness, constitutionality and effectiveness of the procedures.

"We need to restore the people's confidence that TSA is taking privacy concerns seriously," Filner said.

Among other things, Filner wants to know if the procedures that Tyner refused to undergo are actually making travel safer.

Filner has had his own airport problems. In 2007 he was charged with assaulting a baggage employee at Dulles International Airport in Washington when he allegedly tried to enter a restricted space to look for his luggage.

The incident was resolved with the equivalent of a no-contest plea and an apology from Filner.

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--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: John Tyner, whose video of his confrontation with security employees at Lindbergh Field made him a media sensation. Credit: Associated Press.

Comments

[Mufon]

So this guy Tyner is the media's "victim of the week" with his publicity stunt undercover video, egging on a reaction from a TSA agent by acting like a crying teenager, and now Filner sees political mileage from it, so he wants an inquiry. Wasn't it a problem before the publicity stunt? It was, so why wasn't anybody doing anything about it before? Oh, that's right, no publicity in it then.

[markiejoe]

So Tyner and Filner want our government to keep us as safe as possible from attack, but then they don't want our government to do everything it can to keep us as safe as possible from attack.

A body scan and a pat down bother you in this time and place? To these boys I say: Get Over It!

[Drew]

Good for Tyner for standing up for his rights. The TSA is nothing more than security theater. Nude-O-Scope scans and genitalia grabs by TSA buffoons are violations of Fourth Amendment rights. The sheep who blindly march through the machines just because the government says they should are crazy.

It's about time public opinion turned on the TSA.

[Cyndy Greger]

Maybe if they had guys from Chippendales and women from Hooters doing these pat-downs people wouldn't have such a problem with it.

Just sayin'

I personally think a lot of it is un-necessary but it (1) makes some people feel better and (2) makes a lot of people a heck of a lot of money. TSA, companies who sell scanners, security consulting firms, etc.

Gone are the days when I could run through the airport and rush into the plane just before the jetway door closed. Now it takes 4 hours to get ready to take a 1-hour flight. Waste of time.

[rfmartin]

John Tyner is a shameless publicity hound. It is obvious from the picture above. Hasn't Bob Filner had enough embarrassment with airport security?

[freddy please]

Do children and the elderly go through the same invasive touching if they dont want to go through the full body scan?

[save the deserts!]

about time. no sexual assault is necessary to keep us safe and it is in violation of the 4th amendment prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure. spend that time and energy checking the CARGO, ya kooks!

[Dog Tired]

Free colonoscopy with every flight.

[tina]

In response to the person who called our TSA screeners "Bafoons"...which plane would you like to fly on sir or maddam? 1) Plane A screened properly to the best of those "Bafoons" ability or 2) Plane B - the kick back, rights in tact, non-"Junk" touching flight. Hum? Let me see - I bet you would be clammering to get on Plane A...along with everyone else. It's nice to want to shove our rights in the face of the very people in place to protect you but when nitty comes to gritty..You too want the safest flight you could possibly be on and it IS the Airport Authorities job to make sure that is carried out. In fact, let's try it for fun...try it your way. Let's let every passenger board a plane with pre 9/11 standards. Let's see how full that plane is. Oh, just you and guy who doesn't want his "Junk" touched would be on it. Criminals pick the path of least resistence to carry out their crimes. The car with no alarm, the house with the window left open, the girl walking down the street alone and oh yeah I forgot to mention the plane where no one had their "junk" touched.