As for me and the TSA, here is something I posted elsewhere maybe a week ago:
As for the TSA, I was in Boston once, and after the standard security check, some guy in a TSA uniform came up to me and said I had been selected for a "random special security check." Right. Guy traveling alone with dark(er) features and a beard, I must REALLY have looked like a Taliban commando, right? But all you have to do is know the mentality of the idiots you are dealing with. So, I put on my best Southern Boot Camp Drill Sergeant accent, stood at attention, and said authoritatively, "alright sir, let's get this done." He was expecting me to object, or at least ask why. The last thing he expected was a military-type voice practically commanding him to hurry up and get to frisking me. He was so startled that he ran a hand loosely up my right side (took less than five seconds), said, "thank you," and got the hell outta there. I managed to keep a straight face for long enough for him to be gone before I broke into a grin.