Airline passenger, Amy Alkon is accusing, Transportation Security Administration Agent, Thedala Magee of what amounts to sexual assault. On March 31, 2011, Amy Alkon was passing through security at LAX in Los Angeles and wound up getting the dreaded pat-down. During the pat-down, Amy Alkon claims Thedala Magee pressed the side of her hand into Alkon's vagina, between her labia, four times. During and after the pat-down, Amy Alkon made quite a scene by crying and then accusing the TSA agent of rape.
Now, rape is a very serious word, but pressing ones hand into a vagina, even through clothing, is a very serious act. The act of pressing a hand between labia through clothing may not exactly qualify as rape under many legal definitions, but it certainly is a hostile violation of one's personal space and would absolutely be considered a crime in just about any situation. For some reason, TSA workers are allowed to commit these sexual offenses on innocent people without probable cause. They get to do it, and they do it with impunity.
Of course, people are now attacking Amy Alkon and questioning her truthfulness, but is that really fair? If Alkon's story is true, this poor woman was sexually assaulted by a government worker. It does not really matter if the sexual assault is legally sanctioned by the federal government or not. If unwanted sexual contact takes place, it is sexual assault. How can we, in good conscience, doubt Amy Alkon's story? When a person claims to have been sexually assaulted, do we not owe it to the victim to offer the benefit of the doubt?
Sure, Alkon could be exaggerating a story for publicity. It is a sensational story. Her story, however, has a lot of credibility. TSA workers are constantly jamming their hands into people's crotches and poking around in there. Is it really crazy to think Alkon's vagina may have been violated in some way during this interaction? Thedala Magee certainly had access to Alkon's vagina and had the opportunity to push her hand between Alkon's labia if she wanted to do so. Should we not assume Alkon to be the ultimate authority on whether or not her vagina was compromised?
Well, Amy Alkon decided to fight back against the TSA agent using her right to free of speech. She recounted her alleged assault on the Internet in a post titled "Don't Give the TSA an Easy Time of Violating Your Rights." She even identified the accused by name: Thedala Magee.
Thedala Magee did not like her name being published on the Internet by the alleged victim. Magee has hired attorney, Vicki Roberts, and she is now threatening to sue Alkon for defamation. She has even offered to settle out-of-court for $500,000. Is that not just adorable? A woman claims sexual assault, and even though there is likely to be a full-color video of the accused with her hand in the victim's crotch, the accused has the nerve to threaten a lawsuit and offer to make it go away for some quick cash.
Thedala Magee was probably informed by the TSA she has every right to sexually violate people, and Magee probably thought she would never have to answer for her actions. These TSA buffoons, put on their uniforms, and they feel they can go to work and do whatever they wish to people because they are acting under the authority of the government. Some people just believe that, if the government does it, it cannot be wrong. Even worse, some people think, "I was just following orders," is a completely adequate excuse for all sorts of terrible behavior.
Well, fortunately, we have the Internet for things like this. Thedala Magee may be able to force Amy Alkon to remove her accusations from the her Web site. Magee may even be able to squeeze some money out of Alkon, but one thing Thedala Magee will never be able to do is escape the shame that is going to be associated with her name all over the Internet from now on. And, you know what? Magee deserves to be shamed.
These TSA workers may just be going around following orders, but they volunteered for the job, and they are getting paid to routinely terrorize innocent people who simply want to get on a plane and go somewhere. Yes, the federal government is instructing them to violate people, but these TSA workers do not have to take these jobs. If they choose to be willing participants in an ongoing assault on the civil liberties of innocent people, then these TSA workers deserve whatever shame comes their way, even if that means they get publicly exposed by name as the sex offenders they are.
If there were more gutsy people like Amy Alkon who would have the courage to stand up to these sanctioned sexual assaults, fewer people would want to become TSA agents and those who continue to do the job might be more likely to be a little more respectful of people's privacy, rights, and human dignity. We should sympathize with Amy Alkon in her pain and applaud her for her bravery.
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