This morning (November 1, 2014) my twelve year old daughter and I tried to fly to Salt Lake City from Phoenix for a special event of a loved one. We had to be there by 1:00 pm in order to be a part of the occasion. Everything was going as planned until we came to the Gate B check station and the first TSA agent looked at our boarding passes. He seem a bit alarmed and asked me if my name was Ammon, I told him yes, he then circled my name and sent me down the line. I could tell there was suspicion but thought it may be because my daughter was a minor, or because my name is unusual and sometimes taken as Arabic.
When we reached the actual check station the Second TSA agent saw my boarding pass and immediately called for a Commanding Officer on the radio. Over the coarse (course) of several minutes he called multiple times for assistance, meanwhile the line behind me was stopped and backing up. When the Commanding Officer finally came the two agents conversed privately as they looked at my barding (boarding) pass and driver’s license. The Commanding Officer then directed me to an area and confiscated all of our possessions along with the normal clothing checked such as my boots, belt, jacket and so on.
By this time, we were feeling a bit scrutinized and those around us were staring and talking among themselves of the matter. They then escorted us to a back area were they rummaged through our items, testing it with devices and inspecting each article. The agent then began to check me physically and boy was that uncomfortable, no cavity check was completed but everything else was.
I asked the agent why we were being treated so differently and why we were selected out. He told me it was because my boarding pass was tagged with the bold letters “SSSS”. He also told me that this will happen every time you fly because you are marked. Beyond that he did not disclose of anything else. My daughter then asked him if she could put her shoes back on. The agent said that she could, but that I was not to touch my possessions. He then called for his Commanding Officer.
After a few minutes, the Level Three Officer showed up and asked me several question(s) and wrote the answers down on a yellow sticky note. This Commanding Officer then went to a computer and began typing and reading. The whole thing was very interesting to me. I thought to myself, “WOW, Harry Reid really does have me tagged in the federal database as a Domestic Terrorist”. I have never been charged and prosecuted with anything in my life, and yet Senator Reid, without due process, has declared me, for life, as a Domestic Terrorist. He unilaterally named me, Ammon Bundy, a terrorist against the people of this country, the people I love and would so willingly to give my life for.
After the Commanding Officer typed a few things in the computer, my boarding pass was written on and hole punched 5 times with stars mostly over the SSSS (see picture). Our possessions were then returned and we were free to go to the boarding gate. When we left the security area many people were looking at us in curiosity. The entire process took about an hour, and my daughter and I did not make our flight. We knew we would not make it to the event even if we got on another flight so we left the boarding gate area and went to ask for a refund from US Airlines.
U.S. Airlines resisted to give us a refund at first, they insisted that they could not be held accountable for what the government chose to do. I showed them the boarding pass and the SSSS, then told them why I believed I was marked and harassed. They immediately began to process the refund request, one lady said “that sends chills up my spine that they would do that to you”. I thanked them and we left the airport.
This incident reaffirmed to me the danger that the American people are in. When a very small group of elitist use the peoples power without authority, and are willing to destroy the lives of those who disagree or stand up to them, when this type of unlimited power is commonly exercised without checks and balances the people are in danger.
Ammon Bundy
bundyranch.blogspot.com
Facebook: Bundy Ranch