Pol takes ferry home after refusing TSA pat down.

Alaska State Representative Sharon Cissna was scheduled to fly from Seattle on Sunday, where she was receiving medical treatment, to her home in Juneau.

She had already gone through a body scan at SeaTac when she was told she’d have to have a pat down because they could see she had a mastectomy. She refused.

Instead she decided to skip the idea of flying and take the ferry instead.

No word from either TSA or the pol’s offce as to why a mastectomy would be the reason for a pat down.

(Frank II)

Update on February 24, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

After four days, she finally made it home. Her trip took the following route:

She rented a car in Seattle and drove over the border to a small airport outside Vancouver. From there she took a small plane to Prince Rupert, BC. Then, a two day ferry trip to Juneau.  Taxis also helped along the way. 

Comments

[K-eM]

They probably thought she was smuggling plastic explosives in her prosthesis.

I'm glad she refused since there are so many people with physical changes such as hers that shouldn't be discriminated against for it. As an elected representative of the people her job is to speak up for her rights and, concurrently, the rights of others like her.

[Monte]

What's not said here is that the airport is sourth of Seattle, and the Alaska State Ferry dock is in Bellingham which is about 70 or 80 miles nothe of Seattle. She had to find transportation from one place to the other, plus time in and out at each one. She didn't just walk out of the air terminal and cross the street to the ferry.

I've got a lot of admiration for her. This wasn't an easy decision to make considering what's involved. Then there was the long boat trip up the Inside Passage that usually includeds a night. At Juneau the ferry dock is nineteen miles out of town so that involded another ride. Boy, does she have guts.