Reporter stopped by TSA agent who didn't know District of Columbia is in US

[peabody]

22. I actually applied to work at the TSA

back in 2003 or so. It was around or just after the time of the tech bubble bust and I along with
a ton of other engineers got laid off. So to keep my family fed, I did what I had to and applied to the TSA
since they were one of the few employers that were hiring at the time. Well, the first process was
a screening test on a computer where you had to demonstrate some common sense stuff like
understanding English. Perhaps the hardest part was trying to see the weapon in pictures of
x-rays they flashed on the screen. But, generally the test was pretty easy and I finished earlier
than most people despite getting there late. To my shock, the lady said I had failed! There was
no way I could have failed--it was so easy. In the parking lot, I ran into another engineer that
I ended up talking to in the waiting room prior to the exam. He seem pretty articulate and smart
too and he told me he failed also! So, I don't know what kind of people the TSA looks for but
I have a pretty low opinion of their screening standards.