The T.S.A. Gets Retired Teacher, Able Danger Got Lawyers

Phyllis Dintenfass is now a criminal.  On July 26, a federal jury in Green Bay, Wisconsin, convicted her.  Phyllis Dintenfass is 62 years old, a retired teacher.

In September 2004, at the airport in Appleton, Wisconsin, Phyllis Dintenfass did that which many travelers only fantasize — she “assaulted” a Transportation Security Administration (T.S.A.) screener, Anita Gostisha.

At trial, Gostisha testified that she was performing a “limited pat-down search” of Dintenfass.  She said she was using the backs of her hands underneath Dintenfass’ breasts when Dintenfass said, “How would you like it if I did that to you?”  Dintenfass then allegedly pushed Gostisha against a wall and grabbed her breasts.  Dintenfass said she didn’t push but did grab the screener’s breasts.  “I was mortified that I had done that.  I was reacting to what felt like an absolute invasion of my body,” she said.

Dintenfass is scheduled to be sentenced on November 1, facing up to a year in a federal prison and $100,000 in fines.  By all published accounts, she has throughout her life been a law-abiding, peaceful person.  Even if she gets nothing more than probation, which is to be hoped, a clunky, stupid, expensive and badly executed security policy has claimed yet another victim.

The threat of terrorism against this country and its citizens, inside this country, is going to continue, undoubtedly in a number of tangible manifestations, for a long time.  If the homeland security answer continues to be random searches of the entire traveling population base, performed inconsistently and sometimes inconsiderately, then we defend ourselves with little more than a bureaucratic mojo bag.

“Profiling” is a volatile word, but as a former T.S.A official told New York Times columnist John Tierney this week, “Rather than treating every airline passenger as a potential terrorist, you should husband your resources and concentrate on the higher-risk passengers.”  Our own extensive research provides no example of 62-year-old female retired teachers participating in terrorism.

A potential irony, as details of what operatives of the Pentagon’s murky Able Danger intelligence program knew and when they knew it regarding Mohammed Atta continue to trickle out, is that kicking the crap out of some Pentagon lawyers and providing the information to the FBI might have, just might have, ultimately eliminated the need for the T.S.A., not to mention the collective fear of a nation.