15 replies to this topic

[ScubaDrew]

First we have...

A TSA spokesman said the agency reviewed airport surveillance camera videos of the incident and removed the screener from security duties while an investigation is under way.

Will his/her secret decoder ring be confiscated? And why was the passenger charged with anything if he voluntarily produced the weapon? Poor dumb schmuck should have kept his mouth shut and just got on the plane.

"We know this is not a systemic problem in that our testing indicates TSOs [Transportation Security Officers] have a very high success rate at finding firearms.

Really? Cause with all the xrays and metal detectors not a single gun should get through, ever...

OTH my shampoo is quite dangerous...

[DandyDon]

Yeah, but they're protecting you from Lithium batteries in checked luggage!

Okay, that probly won't work either, most will probly get thru anyway, but they should get enough to power the agents' personal cameras.

I bet that cat was frantic when she got out of the bag and didn't know anyone.

[ScubaDrew]

Yeah, but they're protecting you from Lithium batteries in checked luggage!

Okay, that probly won't work either, most will probly get thru anyway, but they should get enough to power the agents' personal cameras.

I bet that cat was frantic when she got out of the bag and didn't know anyone.

I'll bet hubby is gonna wish he were married to someone else for quite a while too...

[Scubatooth]

John

would you mind if i sent a series of very pointed questions with you to the show to ask who ever from the Thousands Standing Around shows up at the seminar? Then would you be willing to video tape if for posterity and for it to be posted on the internet ?

[VADiver]

TSA folks are stupid, to put it bluntly. They are the same knuckleheads who worked for the industry before Sept 11th, but now they have a new name and fall under a federal agency. And some of the rules they mandate do nothing to improve the safety of the airlines, but only cause more delays, confusion and irritability among passengers.

I had several disagreements with them while traveling for work, even though I’m on official government orders, have a government ID and carry an official passport. It seems to me TSA needs to cast a wider net to attract employees…maybe they should try to recruit people who actually graduated high school?

[shadragon]

It seems to me TSA needs to cast a wider net to attract employees…maybe they should try to recruit people who actually graduated high school?

If you ever travel in Europe, especially Britain and Germany, you will find most of the security folks are ex-SAS, Royal Marine Commando, GSG-9, or some other derivative of Special Forces or Police background. They pay top dollar, oops, I mean Euro for experienced folks.

[peterbj7]

It seems to me TSA needs to cast a wider net to attract employees…maybe they should try to recruit people who actually graduated high school?

If you ever travel in Europe, especially Britain and Germany, you will find most of the security folks are ex-SAS, Royal Marine Commando, GSG-9, or some other derivative of Special Forces or Police background. They pay top dollar, oops, I mean Euro for experienced folks.

Not in Britain they don't! Contrary to what a remarkable number of people on this side of the pond think, we still use Sterling (pounds and pence).

[ScubaDrew]

If you ever travel in Europe, especially Britain and Germany, you will find most of the security folks are ex-SAS, Royal Marine Commando, GSG-9, or some other derivative of Special Forces or Police background. They pay top dollar, oops, I mean Euro for experienced folks.

I wasn't aware of that. What I am aware of though was all my travels through Europe went smoothly, and I was greeted by friendly people wherever I went even though I couldn't speak much more than basic 3rd grade English.

On the contrary getting in and out of my own country is such a PITA. I think that on top of being no more attractive than the crust in my brothers underwear, they are also jealous of the fact we are/were on vacation and they're not.

[Latitude Adjustment]

Coming back into LAX I had a long layover and had to go back through TSA, I had a PVC pipe open at both ends to protect a rolled up chart. TSA pulled the chart out and spent five minutes looking through the pipe. One saw me shaking my head and in a very stern voice told me this was serious business! I figured it was not the time to tell them what I had learned at Fort Bragg and that a pipe like that could be made out of "plastic" or maybe they already knew that and they aren't as dumb as they look.

[VADiver]

I told a TSA guy he didn't have the clearance to look at a laptop...that drove him crazy. His supervisor came over and asked what was going on and I explained the situation and showed him a letter of exemption and had a chat about government issued laptops and the simple fact TSA screeners DO NOT have the clearance or need to know to look at it.

To prove it was a lap top and not something that goes <boom> I had to turn it on--which I did but turned it off just as the welcome to windows screen came on. I had extra time so I spent the next couple minutes quizzing him on what he had seen, advising him not to tell the other guy what he had seen and basically telling him if anything was disclosed he would be held accountable under federal espionage laws.

It was a bit much, but I was bored and it helped me pass the time.

[Scubatooth]

Monte

If i had witnessed that i wouldnt have been able to keep a straight face or stop laughing as they dont seem to be able to find any similar to a bomb unless is says acme bomb on it with a big coil of wires and a old fashion alarm clock. Sorry I just have no respect for TSA as its all for show with no substance in more ways then i can count.

Vinny

LOL what was the look on the poor saps face? would it have been a kodak moment? Then is there anyway i could get a copy of a letter(or the gist of it) like that as that would be something to keep the chuckle heads out of my laptop. It technically already has a exemption under the HIPAA for the research data on it but i would like to make it more substancial.

Question do you use TrueCrypt on the laptop as well?

[Scubatooth]

Back from the Texas Dive Show--where the TSA folks bailed on attending.

Yes, you read that right.

I spoke with the folks at Dive Chronicles (the event sponsors) and they told me that TSA was at their Florida show, where everything apparently went fine. TSA was then scheduled to show for this event, but it's now alleged that someone higher up in TSA nixed the plans to have their people (who, BTW, were also divers) attend.

I checked; no black helicopters circled overhead the entire weekend.

LOL Isnt that rich but not surprising considering some of the bad PR they have gotten recently and have been trying to spin. Then if they did show they would have gotten grilled alive on the questions that would be presented. Would make a great serial Utube video.