Airport Seize Your Stuff? Look for It on eBay

Ron Paul urges supporters to contribute to 'End the TSA Money Bomb'

(NEWSER) - Rand Paul's "detainment" by the TSA couldn't have been timed better: Dad Ron is now using Monday's incident to raise funds for his presidential campaign, the Daily Caller reports. The elder Paul emailed supporters asking them to contribute to his "End the TSA Money Bomb," so that he can work to dissolve the "theatrical sham that is the TSA." More»

Ron Paul's son being detained 'indefinitely,' says spokesperson

(NEWSER) - Apparently the Pauls are willing to go quite far to maintain their libertarian principles: Rand Paul, son of presidential candidate Ron Paul, was detained by the TSA at Nashville International Airport this morning when he refused to submit to a patdown, WSMV reports. A Paul spokesperson confirms that the Kentucky senator "was being detained indefinitely. The image scan went off, he refused patdown." A tweet from his father cites an "anomaly" with the body scanner, Politico notes. More»

...because it was a cupcake in a jar

(NEWSER) - Cupcakegate 2011 is proving to have quite the shelf life. The TSA commented on the sugary brouhaha this week, by way of a blog post on the topic. If you'll recall, security agents in Las Vegas confiscated a cupcake that Rebecca Hains was trying to take through security late last month because of its gel-like frosting. Outrage ensued. But as the TSA explains, there's one problem with the whole story: Hains wasn't carrying a traditional cupcake through security. More»

Explosives, snakes, and a harmless science project

(NEWSER) - Americans love griping about the TSA, and with good reason. The TSA, for instance, pocketed an estimated $376,480 of your loose change in 2010, notes the Huffington Post . But before your blood pressure shoots too high, consider this: TSA officers stopped some crazy and dangerous things from boarding flights this year. On its blog (yes, the TSA has a blog), the much-maligned agency relates the top 10 "good catches" of 2011. Among the notables:

• A half-ounce of C4 explosives: a passenger flying out of Yuma said he just wanted to show it to his family

Man was taken into custody by FBI

(AP) - A man who identified himself as being active in the military was detained after trying to go through a security checkpoint at a Texas airport with explosives in military-grade wrapping, federal and local officials said. The man was stopped yesterday at a security checkpoint at the Midland International Airport about 9am and taken into custody by the FBI. More»