In which an undercover TSA agent interrogated me in Charlotte last night | Hacker News Reader

In which an undercover TSA agent interrogated me in Charlotte last night

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1. Is there any proof that it was a TSA agent? Seems like he assumed that.

2. Can the TSA actually even "setup" anyone like this? I thought they were stuck at the security lines. I didn't think they roamed the airport, unless they were with dogs (and especially didn't think they go "undercover").

3. It doesn't seem like he ever got confirmation from them that they were actually TSA.

4. It seems to me that it's more likely he ran into someone who had more extreme, right-sided views than an actual "set-up."

With regards to #2, the NYT recently had this story on the increase in federal agencies running undercover ops. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/us/more-federal-agencies-a...

I had a somewhat similar experience the day shellshock was announced on a layover in Atlanta flying between two different universities. I had been browsing the news and coding for maybe an hour after dinner at the battery-charging station in my completely empty terminal, and three clean-cut men in their late thirties sat down on all sides of me and started joking about how I was in trouble.

Long story short, after a few minutes of awkward chit chat where they repeatedly try to determine whether I "believed in absolutes", they let me know that, yes, they were "professional interrogators". They then all immediately got up and left for what they claimed was their flight to Minneapolis.

Sounds like they were professional bull shitters. A professional isn't going to say that to you.

I have no idea who those three people were. I do agree that "unprofessional" is a good way to describe their behavior. I emailed a few colleagues about it but it was all too strange to speak publicly about. There was also a bit of a religious vibe to their questions, so there is a (small) chance that they were evangelicals claiming to be interrogators.

First they interrogate you, then they mess with you, then they recruit you.

Why do you think it's the TSA and not some other agency, or just some weird drunk people?

Could have been another agency. Beats me.

How do I know it wasn't just some drunk guy? That's a good question. I've been thinking about it all day.

1) There were two guys working in a team, I caught them making eye contact. The senior guy was behind me.

2) The guy just suddenly leaves. Usually at a bar, folks say "Nice meeting you" or "See you later", but once I started smiling, the gig was up, and he just made a quick excuse and bailed out. No parting words or anything. He was made, and his partner told him to get out. That was very unusual. Never seen anything like it. I smiled when I realized he was baiting me, and then he's just out of there.

3) His political opinion changed three times during the conversation. First he was right wing, then he started in with Occupy stuff, then he pivoted into John Birch society nonsense. He wasn't well-read in any of it, but he kept acting in a conspiratorial manner, as if he and I were privy to the way things _really_ were.

4) There was no prelude. Usually when you meet a drunk nut, you start off with the weather, then sports, then slowly you realize there's a rant coming on. This guy just dove in.

5) He did not drink his drink, and he was not intoxicated in any way that I could tell.

I could be wrong, but I know what I saw. It was a very strange experience. Maybe it was a training op?

This is called transparency. In a well run country you could file a complaint, get official response, look into an agency budget to figure out whether they would do it, file a FOIA request, go to an investigative newspaper, or maybe even ask the file on you.

All that without a fear.

So you had a conversation with some guy in the airport and assume he's an undercover TSA agent based on what exactly? Nothing in the article substantiates the title. A conversation at an airport bar isn't exactly an interrogation. As far him leaving abruptly, it's an airport... it happens all the time. Everyone is coming and going.

Let's say he was undercover TSA. Which I'd say would be highly unlikely considering what TSA does and how they operate. But let's say he was. What exactly was his end game? Had you taken the bait and had a conversation about Ferguson what was he going to do? Detain you for having an opinion on a major news story?

TSA is about airport security. They don't give a shit what you think about Ferguson, the left, or the right. I'm not a fan of TSA as an organization and I've had run ins woh idiot TSA agents going through security but this is just plain silly.

As for it being some other type of undercover federal agent... your story still doesn't provide an explanation as to WHY they would be doing this to some random guy at an airport bar. Typically undercover ops are highly targeted. You don't get anywhere just randomly targeting strangers in an airport.

Sounds like the author needs an industrial strength tinfoil hat.

Another explanation? He was selling something. It's not uncommon for people to approach strangers with random small talk in order to try and all them something and abruptly move on when it's clear it won't go anywhere. It's also not unusual for the person I be a clean cut young white guy.

I used to get approached by people selling some crap Ameay affiliated ecommerce sales program a few years ago and it was always young, clean cut adults who would strike up random conversation at a grocery store, etc.

I'm guessing it was either that or just some random idiot. Nothing in this story screams you had a brush with an undercover government agent.

>> TSA is about airport security.

TSA is about airport security theatre. Sorry, had to fix that for you.

Sometimes, there is simply no why, there is just "because". Even/especially when govs are involved.

Undercover security theatre?

That story made little to no sense at all.

I think it says something about yourself, when you meet weird people and attribute their weirdness to some government scheme.

It speaks volumes. Either you are a complete look or you have a reason to be weary of being investigated by an undercover government agent. I'm pretty sure I know which is the case here.

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Right-wing populism resembles the left-wing positions it coopts, but with perverse differences.

Left-wingers tend to say that the government is running as intended. "The government is all broken" sounds like nostalgia for national founding mythologies. (Benevolent Founding Fathers, etc.) "A major change is coming" maybe sounds more apocalyptic than revolutionary.

I am puzzled to see this on HN. Maybe it is one of the "you have to be there to understand" moments. Lots of far reaching conclusions, hardly thought provoking. I expected "Coincidence? I do not think so!" at the end of it.

"A big problem" - mild, very mild.

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