While unpacking during an overseas trip, a woman got a surprise note from the TSA about the vibrator in her luggage, finding a scrawled message on the TSA form letter reading, “GET YOUR FREAK ON.”
Blogger Jill Filipovic says that after her flight from Newark to Dublin, she opened her suitcase to find this special note from the TSA scrawled across the agency’s official search form.
“guess they discovered a ‘personal item’ in my bag,” Filipovic tweeted along with a photo of the note. “Wow.”
The item in question was a small, inexpensive silver bullet vibrator from the sex toy chain Babeland, chosen because Filipovic thought it “wouldn’t raise any flags at TSA.” Now “I’m grossed out,” says Filipovic, “but it’s also hilarious.”
The TSA says it’s investigating the incident. Meanwhile, other bloggers are cracking wise. Here, a sampling:
Conservative agenda?
“Is self-pleasuring really considered ‘freaky’ by anyone’s standards these days?” asks John Del Signore at Gothamist. “Or is Newark airport subcontracting out their security screening to Focus on the Family?”
Mission accomplished
“As part of its ongoing efforts to make air travel as uncomfortable as possible,” says Dan Amira at New York, “the TSA is now, apparently, leaving behind little creepy notes about the personal items it finds in your checked luggage.”
Just saying
“Given that ‘groping’ leaps to many people’s minds the minute the TSA is mentioned,” says Anna North at Jezebel, “it might behoove agents to exercise a little discretion when going through people’s stuff.”
Touchy subject
Is this “hilarious or horrifying?” asks Lauri Apple at Gawker. “I’m gonna go with ‘horrifying lite’ — if only because there’s the chance that the agent(s) touched the ‘item’ without washing his/her/their hands, or wasn’t paying attention to other potentially freaky things,” like, say loaded guns.
The lesson
“On your next business trip,” says John Giuffo at Forbes, “you might want to leave your more private possessions at home — unless getting your luggage handled is how you ‘get your freak on.’”
And that’s the buzz at HitsUSA about TSA Leaves Note About Vibrator In Luggage.
Tags: tsa, TSA Leaves Note About Vibrator In Luggage, TSA vibrator note, vibrator
October 27th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
TSA Agent Suspended In Vibrator Note Investigation
A US airport security agent who found a vibrator in the baggage of a transatlantic traveler, and then advised her in writing what to do with it, is facing disciplinary action.
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Wednesday that a handwritten note that lawyer and blogger Jill Filipovic found in her checked luggage was “highly inappropriate and unprofessional.”
Filipovic tweeted a picture of the note, which read: “Get your freak on girl.” Under the image, she added: “Just unpacked my suitcase and found this note from TSA. Guess they discovered a ‘personal item’ in my bag. Wow.”
“TSA quickly launched an investigation and identified the employee responsible,” the federal agency said on its blog.
“That individual was immediately removed from screening operations and appropriate disciplinary action has been initiated.”