How Dare He?

A TSA screener in New York is looking for a new job after flinging a cup of hot coffee at an airline pilot who asked her to ease off on the cussing.

A TSA screener was arrested at JFK Airport for hurling a cup of hot coffee at an American Airlines pilot who told her and some colleagues to tone down a profanity-laced conversation in a terminal, sources said yesterday.

Normally, I'd say the pilot should have minded his own business and chalked this one up to someone acting like trash in public, but in this case I'll make an exception.

You see, the TSA wants arrest powers, meaning they want to be police*.  To me that means they should be held to a higher standard in conduct than I would hold most other government employees.  You want the ability to use the force of government to make me comply with the law?  Well then, you get to act like a professional when you're wearing the uniform I bought for you.  If you can't handle that, why should we trust you with the power to deprive citizens of their liberty when they refuse to take part in your 'security' Kabuki theater?

Yeah, the pilot could have walked away and let trash be trash, but if you can't handle being told to tone it down in public, then take off the uniform and go back to picking up cigarette butts in the medians.

P.S.  Borepatch has a couple of words to say about airport 'security' too.

*Call it what you will, but if you want the authority to arrest someone, you're asking to be a cop, with all of the powers and responsibility thereof.  To me, that means that you have the power stop someone from doing something that's illegal, even to the point of using lethal force to enforce the will of the law.  The responsibilities that come with that power is to be trained properly, to act like a professional, and to be impartial in your dealings with the public.  Don't want those responsibilities to go with the power to put on the flex cuffs?  Tough toenails.  If you can't do the things we expect of you, you shouldn't be wearing a badge and uniform, much less a gun and cuffs.  Willing to take those responsibilities and act like a professional?  Then we can start talking about whether or not your job requires you to have the power to detain citizens, but not until then.