It was Christmas Day 2011 when I got taken aside in San Francisco by the TSA on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Washington D.C., with a transfer in SF.,
The TSA agent said,,”Your eyes are red.,What have you been doing?”
I told him that I just got off a 10 hour flight from Vietnam. He makes me go to secondary check where he proceeds to pull items out of my suitcase one at a time.
“What’s this “
“It’s a sock,” I answer.,
He pulls a shoe out. “What’s this?”
“It’s a shoe.”
He examines the shoe closer and finds a blade of grass stuck to the sole of the shoe.”
“What’s this?”
“A blade of grass?” I answer.
“Hey bro!” he says calling to his partner, “We finally caught one.”
Not knowing the difference between a blade of grass and marijuana “grass” he sends the blade of grass for analysis. I wait several hours until I see the disappointed look on his face when the analysis comes back negative.
He walks slowly over to me with his head hanging down and a pout on his face and says, “You can go.”

I will always remember what a dunce TSA bro said. . I will always remember his 6 ft 3 in. Partner who finger raped me in the interrogation room at the airport.

I realized that the USA I was born in was dead that Christmas Day as I missed my connecting flight from SFO to Washington D.C.

I feel for you. I couldn’t handle dealing with border patrol or TSA as many times as you have. That one experience was traumatizing enough for me.