Homeland Security

So, I submitted a complaint about how I was mistreated by TSA agents upon re-entering the country. Homeland Security is, from what I understand, the overseeing company (or parent company) to the TSA. I'd tried complaining on the TSA website, but they disregard complaints as a matter of course.

I filled out the form on the Homeland Security website, and I didn't actually tell them how badly mistreated I was by the TSA agents. I was afraid to make myself vulnerable and share that, and then get laughed at, mocked, and ignored. They wrote back and scolded me for, and I quote, "Your application did not include an acceptable, detailed, written description of your difficulties with airport screening or United States border crossings."

I wrote back and explained that I was so beaten down that I couldn't cope with more people pretending to care, when in reality they were all laughing at me behind my back, and I begged them to just give me some assurance that they cared.

They closed my case.

Here's an analogy: a kid is bullied by a mean kid in school. The kid goes to the teacher and reports it, knowing full well that the teacher is the mean kid's dad.

"Thank you for telling me about this, David. I promise I'll look into it," the teacher says somberly. As soon as the teacher's alone with his son, whom we'll call Junior, the teacher says, "Great job, Junior! Keep stealing his lunch money just like Daddy taught you, okay?" And they high-five.

I was expecting that going in, and I was braced for it, because I've already been so damaged by all of this. But there was still a tiny part of me that hoped I was wrong.

I wasn't.