Nanny State

Woman Jailed While Attempting to Shield Daughter From TSA Pat Down

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Mothers: Don't try to protect your daughters from invasive Transportation Security Administration searches—not if you want to stay out of jail, that is

A 41-year-old Clarksville woman was arrested after Nashville airport authorities say she was belligerent and verbally abusive to security officers, refusing for her daughter to be patted down at a security checkpoint.

Andrea Fornella Abbott yelled and swore at Transportation Security Administration agents Saturday afternoon at Nashville International Airport, saying she did not want her daughter to be "touched inappropriately or have her "crotch grabbed," a police report states.

After the woman refused to calm down, airport police said, she was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to jail. She has been released on bond.

The more invasive and frequent the searches, the more frequently we'll see conflicts and incidents like this. The pat-downs practically encourage bad bad behavior on the part of TSA agents: Way back in 2004, the ACLU warned that hands-on airport searches offer an "invitation to sexual harassment."