Nothing happened. He said he didn't have any coins and was not traveling internationally. Sadly I had to read the entire original article to figure that out..

Nothing happened. He said he didn't have any coins and was not traveling internationally. Sadly I had to read the entire original article to figure that out... imagining being on either side of this exchange was just too painful. By his account all parties were acting beyond ignorantly. I'm against security theater and all for asserting your rights at the airport. But that doesn't change the millennia-old fact that if you want or are dependent on someone for something you should probably avoid being a dickhead about it. If you want to opt-out of the scanners, opt out. If you want to ask if this or that process is required, or why, just ask. If you don't want to speak, don't speak. I like to think about MLK in these situations. He was fighting for an incredibly just cause, yet acted respectfully and understood the consequences. If you're acting like more of a dick than he was, your cause had better be bigger than his was.