Austin Powers star 'Mini-Me' butt-searched by TSA goons

(NaturalNews) If you're an Austin Powers fan, you will recognize him as the pint-sized actor who played "Mini-Me." His real name is Verne Troyer, and he's the latest high-profile American to be victimized by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

As reported by the New York Daily News, it is a sure bet that Troyer wasn't saying, "Yeah, baby!" when he was rather thoroughly searched -- including his buttocks region -- by a TSA agent.

Troyer shared a photo of his invasive search on his Facebook page, which shows him bending over on his scooter while going through the security line at Los Angeles International Airport. The agent appears to be conducting a pat-down, but it's not all that clear from the image.

"TSA struggles," Troyer captioned the photo.

'They are profiling'

As these invasive photos generally do, the TSA was quickly criticized as overzealous (to say the least) by fans of Troyer and others who are simply fed up with the police-state-Gestapo treatment at the nation's airports.

Many fans brought up his dwarfism disability, a condition recognized as such under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"They are profiling," quirked Allan Volker on Troyer's page. "I bet they searched every little person that came through today and that is wrong!!!"

Not everyone saw the search for what it was: overly invasive.

"Oh wow it's nice to see how you guys don't a f--k about the security of the country," piped Anthony Torina. "I'd check everything if I were a TSA officer, people are screwed up. Famous or not, handicap or not."

More on that in a moment.

TSA security screenings involve passing through a metal detector and having all carry-on luggage screened by an X-ray scanner. Also, the checkpoints are set up to detect explosives or traces of them. And more recently, extremely Advanced Image Technology -- a very revealing X-ray machine, basically -- is being employed at checkpoints, according to the TSA's website. And of course, the agency defends its actions by noting that searches like that conducted on Troyer are just standard fare.

"The screening process for a passenger who uses a wheelchair or scooter is determined by their ability to stand and walk," Ross Feinstein, press secretary for TSA said in a statement to the Daily News.

"A passenger can be screened without standing, walking, or being required to transfer out of a wheelchair or scooter," Feinstein added. "In this specific case, a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) conducted a thorough patdown while the passenger remained seated in their scooter. The screening was in accordance with established TSA policies and procedures."

More heinous TSA treatment

The image reflects earlier incidents of drastic TSA overreach -- techniques that have repeatedly been called into account and question by some members of Congress and airline security experts:

-- Earlier this year, also at Los Angeles, a woman said TSA agents would not let her disabled sister board a plane because she could not speak. Reports said that Sherry Wright was shocked at the treatment they both received at LAX, where her sister was due to fly to Phoenix.

The report said the problems began when Heidi, who was left bound to a wheelchair and unable to write or speak following a stroke a decade ago, was stopped by the TSA because of an expired driver's license.

-- In March, TSA agents forced a prostate cancer victim undergoing traditional therapies to change his adult diaper he was wearing due to incontinence. One of the agents, a supervisor, did not understand what an "incontinence product" was, which resulted in a very public explanation of the product, thereby embarrassing the prostate cancer sufferer even more.

Read more TSA-induced embarrassments here.

Sources:

http://www.nydailynews.com

http://nypost.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://nypost.com