My own little TSA mini-nightmare

Yes, I had to fly.

I had to break my own personal vow not to travel by commercial airliner until this the Transportation Security Agency is ordered to stand down in its systematic violations of Americans' constitutional rights.

Unfortunately, I had no choice and had to take a quick trip to the left coast.

So what happened to me?

I chose to get a dose of radiation rather than submit to gate rape. I've always preferred virtual strip searches to subjecting myself to fondling by members of the same sex.

Having done that, I thought the worst of it was over.

Silly me.

Not until I got home and tried to open my brand new, expensive rolling bag did I notice that the zipper had been broken off. I literally had to get a pair of pliers to open my suitcase – and presumably will have to do that to open and close it in the future. (I sure hope TSA doesn't have any prohibitions against pliers.)

When I got inside the bag, I found not one but two notices of baggage inspection left by the TSA. But I hardly needed any formal notices.

I had carefully folded my clothes before placing them in my bag. I had carefully separated the clean clothes from the dirty clothes. But what I found in my bag was that someone had pulled everything out and then stuffed it all back in with little regard for my future cleaning and laundering bills.

Guess who that someone was – a TSA agent. I actually paid someone to perform this service for me.

So I called the toll-free number on the TSA baggage inspection notice to see what my options were – and what kind of accountability there is for wardrobe abuse and vandalism against luggage zippers that are in good working order.

What I found most interesting about this call was that I was directed to the same toll-free number the public is told to call to report suspected terrorism.

I thought that was odd. I would think with TSA's overhead it could afford a special emergency line to report terrorist activity and another to report broken zippers. I was wrong.

I waited through the voicemail options and found that I had called after hours. The TSA apparently stops taking tips about terrorist threats at 7 p.m. Eastern.

You would think with the tens of thousands of TSA and Homeland Security personnel employed by taxpayers that they could man one 24-hour toll-free hotline to accept terrorist threats.

No sir.

Terrorists would be well-advised to conduct their heinous activity between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern or all their hard work might go undetected by authorities.

I know it's not the worst horror story you've heard about TSA. But when it happens to you, you're left with a sense of astonishment and violation that is palpable. So I share it with you.

Let me share a couple of other thoughts: I'm back to my vow to stop all but absolutely essential travel until these enhanced constitutional violations are scrapped by Congress. I really think this is a battle we can win – if only Americans take it seriously and don't just accept this humiliation and degradation.

I have made it possible for every American to sound off in a meaningful way about this nightmare. I hope you will take advantage of the opportunities I have created for you:

Sign the petition to end the "gate rape" and "virtual strip searches" at the airports. As the numbers grow, this information will be presented to members of Congress for action. Tens of thousands have already participated.

Take a minute to send a letter of protest to every single member of Congress, along with Barack Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet "Big Sis" Napolitano for only $29.95. That's 537 individual letters, guaranteed to be delivered by Fed Ex, for only $29.95. If you tried to do this outside the program I have created, postage alone would cost more than $206 and it would take many hours of work. But in one minute you make a dramatic impact with policy makers in Washington for less than $30.

Let's end this ordeal before Christmas. Wouldn't that be a Christmas present we could all enjoy?