U.S. expresses regret over frisking of Indian ambassador

How is it suddenly "humiliating" when applied to a foreign national - regardless of his status - but postulated as necessary for security when applied to us Citizens of the USA?

Such humiliations are reserved for the little people, i.e. the rest of us.

It's only OK to sexually assault your own citizens, after all we're the ones so afraid that we permit our government to "keep us safe" by doing this kind of crap. Us United States citizens deserve it.

What a double standard, if the TSA makes exceptions for any traveler, it negates the stated "benefits" of the pat-downs.

This is absolute BS. First, no one would be exempt...then flight/cabin crews would be exempt (which this I understand)...then certain government officials would be exempt...now certain foreigners will be exempt?? Hey TSA...how about you get your story straight and quit harassing us??

Is there any data (anecdotal or otherwise)on how many persons have been caught trying to get on a plane with serious contraband? By serious, I mean something that legitimately has the ability to bring down a plane - I am NOT talking about nail clippers, etc. On the other hand, if this is meant to be a deterrent, is there any data on what has been deterred? How is it known that N-O-S and groping are anything but "security theatre?" Remember the joke about the pink elephant toenails...

If a terrorist is caught in line at the airport, we need to fire every chief of every intelligence service in the US govt

Aww come on... they didn't want to be accused of profiling so everyone gets felt up. Besides, Everyone (at least everyone in this administration) knows that U.S. citizens are more likely than foreign nationals to hi-jack airplanes to fly into buildings.

...and the people that hired them.

Aww come on... they didn't want to be accused of profiling so everyone gets felt up. Besides, Everyone (at least everyone in this administration) knows that U.S. citizens are more likely than foreign nationals to hi-jack airplanes to fly into buildings.

Got double-posted. :( Wasn't intentional.

It is still beside me how all of these people and titles are on "exclusion" lists for the security procedure, but regular joes like us are subject to invasive sexual assault to board an airplane. I think that if there are rules for US citizens to pass through security, then the rules should be applied to everyone flying commercially regardless who you are or what you do.

From wikipedia: Rule of Law

The rule of law is a legal maxim that states no person is immune to law.

The phrase has been used since the 17th century, but the concept can be traced to ancient Greece. Aristotle put it this way: "law should govern". Rule of law stands in contrast to the idea that the sovereign is above the law (rex lex), a feature of Roman Law and other legal systems.

Someday people will look back on the war on terror like we look back at the red scare of the 50s... an overhyped threat, with the media's collusion, used to justify vast expansion of the power of the government. There will always be a cause celebré and a new group of well-meaning and no-so-well-meaning people ready to tax and control us for our own good, cf. communists, global warming, global cooling, peak oil, ocean acidification, desertification, overpopulation, killer bees, bee die-offs, etc.

The Vienna Convention is explicit that "without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State."