Following a wave of press coverage of the 95-year-old woman who was asked to remove an adult diaper in order to board a plane at Northwest Florida Regional Airport last month, radio host Burnie Thompson hosted a rally Thursday to protest passenger screening practices by the Transportation Security Administration.

"The last straw was the 95-year-old woman right here in our backyard," Thompson told about 130 people gathered at the Emerald Coast Convention Center for the American for Dignity rally. "We want no more humiliation and harassment."

Thompson said the TSA's screening tactics violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens from unreasonable searches.

"Buying an airline ticket is not probable cause," Thompson said. "If it is reasonable to search an American who hasn't done anything, what would be unreasonable?"

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© Nick Tomecek / Daily NewsA rally for Americans for Dignity was held at the Emerald Coast Convention Center to protest TSA procedures in airports.

The local tea party chapter helped publicize the rally, which organizer Mike Hill said was the first of its kind. He said other organizations are planning similar events.

"It's a movement," said Hill, a Pensacola resident and former state Senate candidate. "It is spreading across the state and the nation."

The Libertarian Party of Florida will host a similar rally in Daytona Beach on Sunday.

Jean Weber, the 95-year-old woman's daughter, received a standing ovation after she spoke at the rally.

"I think you all are here tonight because you think this is wrong and I know in my heart that what happened to me and my family could happen to you," she said.

Mary Esther resident Marilyn Oest, who said she is active with the local tea party, agreed.

"We feel like we don't have any rights anymore," Oest said. "I think what brought it to a head was the little old lady who had her diaper taken off and was treated like she was al-Qaida. There is no excuse for it."

Beth Ann Dale of Crestview said she stopped flying three years ago after she was detained at an airport for more than three hours because of a perfume bottle that was flagged as suspicious.

"We have to have security, but not to that extent," she said. "They take it too far and they are violating our rights."

Rebekah Johansen, a 20-year-old student at the University of West Florida, told the audience she was intimidated when she was taken in the "glass cage" after she was singled out for screening on her first plane trip a few months ago.

She said she understands the need for security at airports, but believes the tactics used by TSA are invasive and ineffective.

"In reality they are nothing more than security theater," she said.

She said the government has been slowly stripping rights from people, and the TSA screening process is another step.

Thompson said next he plans to find state legislators to sponsor legislation calling for changes to the TSA screening process.

In a room that could have held 1,000, many seats were unoccupied, but Thompson said he was not discouraged by the turnout.

"When you look around and see that there are empty seats, know that this is not the end. This is the beginning," he said.