Airport checking and frisking kids and babies

[Scoutfish]

Okay, I am more venting than anything else, but sometimes, it irks me to no end when people think only within their own bubble or lifestyle and not around the lifestyle and thinking of those who threaten us.

 

Basically, It really gets me ill to see people outraged over childern, infants, elderly ande such being scanned, checked or patted down at airports.

 

I just caught a glimps of the oversight hearing concerning a YouTube video of a chile being patted down. It was a young girl, and the airport security person was a woman, The Security person was very CALMLY and POLITELY explaining to the girl everything she was doing . She wasn't snappy or mean or pushy about it.

 

Somehow, this video went viral and sent mainstream public into a frenzy.

 

Then as I am walking out of the room, I hear a congressman smugly say how ridiculous it was about the IDEA of a child wanting to blow up a plane.

 

At this point, I realized what a total idiot this guy was and wish I could have been there to personally tell him so and why I came to that conclusion.

 

And here it is...simple as day:

Terrorists do not think in a good, well meaning or respectful manner.

 

They do not stop their plans based on their enemies tabbo morals.

 

Yeah, what I am saying is that - while that senator , you, me, or anybody else could not lower ourselves to the position of using infants, children, or elderly as bomb carriers or suicide bombers - the terrorists DO!

 

They have done, still do it and will continue to do it!

 

And pasting all over the national news that we are all but going to stop checking the aforementioned

people for such things only invites...no, begs the terrorists to use those means and methoods.

 

Again, what people do not realize is that the terrorists does not use our line of thinking. They do not stop and say:

 

, Wait! The infidel American pigs might be upset if we use little Billy as a bomb, send Achmed instead!"

 

Nope! Not gonna happen. They do not share the same morals, ideals, or any kind of religious thoughts we do.

 

And the whole point of security is to prevent/catch them before they do something based on their thinking and actions, not ours.

 

So Mr. Congressman whose name I did not catch, wake up, look outside your window and see the real world as it is, now how you think it should be.

[packsaddle]

My 90ish MIL gets the full Monte every time. So did my 90ish mother before she died.

This summer I have watched them cop a feel on aged persons, pregnant persons, and, of course, me. "I hope it was as good for you as it was for me..."

In one airport there was no electricity so EVERYONE got felt up..."higher, higher, yeah, that's it, now harder..."

 

I accidentally left a quarter in my pocket when I went through one search so....I got the full Monte, OK so far - but then they x-rayed the quarter, all by itself, in its own tray. I'd really like someone to explain how necessary that was to x-ray an individual coin.

Previously I had an identical experience with a table napkin.

 

My students have 'stumped their toes' in many various ways - one of the best was the one who had about a tablespoon of water still in the bottom of his otherwise-empty water bottle. They made him get rid of the water and when he merely drank it they got 'huffy' and made him leave his stuff while they searched it AGAIN and made him take the water bottle back out of security, get in the very back end of the line and wait to go through the entire process again so that the water bottle could be x-rayed empty. So he did. As I waited, I asked a nearby TSA person how many times terrorists merely drank the explosives? I got a cold stare.

 

Then after the bottle went through the x-ray, some anonymous guy in the line who was just being nice picked up the water bottle and handed it to my student. This was evidently a really bad thing to do. The TSA person stopped everything and not only put the water bottle through the x-ray again but ordered that BOTH my student AND the guy get the full Monte. Because I had already had my crotch grabbed at this particular airport, I took great enjoyment in knowing what both of them were about to experience.

 

But I have to tell you - NONE of this has much increased my feeling of security. If this is the level of cognitive application I am confident that a truly cunning person will have no problem penetrating our system. I know this for a fact because of all the stuff I often forget to remove from carryon bags and it goes through undetected. Ham-handed and thoughtless are terms that just don't do justice.

 

On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoy the look on the face of my MIL as they feel her up. She's a very private person and it gives me the chance to needle her later - about it being such a long time between intimate encounters. Her neck gets red with embarassment and she fumes. I just laugh.

 

My students came up with the idea of a new style of clothing...a print that makes it look like you just wet your pants...or perhaps had an even worse accident. I like it! I'm not sure how they'll finesse the smell though.

[Scoutfish]

Yeah, there is such a thing as being stupid and way over board..especially the waterbottle thing you mentioned, but I am saying you can't ignore a whole catagory of persons just because you or I wouldn't use them as a means to act .

 

And it's is just a representation of our society: For every person who does their job well, there is another who just shouldn't be allowed to even work there...or at Mac Donald's

 

It does make me wonder though how they would react to a colostomy bag though.

 

[nolesrule]

packsaddle, care to share which airport the stupidity took place so I can avoid going there?

 

When I travel with my family, we usually get something extra from the TSA, just because we have two small children and we're traveling with so much stuff that sometimes we forget to take something out of the diaper bag or backpack that needs to be x-rayed separately. Every once in awhile, it's something stupid like forgetting to take off my watch or take my phone out of my pocket.

 

Usually, they just send the item through the x-ray no waiting, but my wife once got a random pat down ("I hope you have flowers and a box of chocolates"), we've had the diaper bag searched twice, and we've had an item or two go through the chemical test.

 

But we've done it enough to get through relatively quickly without inconveniencing those in line behind us. We have enough items to send through... 2 strollers, 1-2 car seats, 1 kids stuff backback, 1 adult stuff backpack, 1 portable DVD player, 1 laptop, 1 diaper bag, 1 purse, 1-4 bags of liquids/gels, 4 pairs of shoes, 1-2 empty water bottles, jackets (in winter) and assorted pocket and wrist items. We've impressed many passengers, TSA employees, pilots and flight crews with our efficiency... and we don't exceed the carry-on limits.

 

 

[packsaddle]

Just thought of the solution. Butyric acid - smells just like doggie poo-poo. You can get the idea if you have a female Ginko tree somewhere close by. The fruits have butyric acid in them and they smell just like you-know-what. (Interestingly, you can eat the nuts - have to wonder about whoever discovered that)

So...we just apply a little eau-de-dog-poo before each trip. People will clear a path....

 

Edit: Nolesrule, CLT, MIA, and SJU. Believe it or not, the people in ATL have been overall good. But I consider MIA and SJU to be among the worst airports on earth.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

[Twocubdad]

This isn't security, it's security theater. While TSA is still sniffing grannie's sneakers, a high school JrROTC student breaches security and manages to stowaway in the wheel well of a jet. An airport employee uses his work credentials from one airport to waltz through security and stowaway on a plane at another airport. The terrorist -- and hopefully TSA -- are already working three generations ahead of anything you or I see at the airport.

 

Pack -- Tell your students to forget the special effects, just go ahead and wet themselves. But let me know if you're flying through Columbia.

 

 

Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -- Poor Richard

[CCbytrickery]

The next step is moving from blowing up the plane to blowing up the terminal where people are waiting in security. How will they protect us from that?

 

 

[Papadaddy]

We could do everyone a favor and just prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from flying....

[packsaddle]

A REAL favor would be to prohibit anyone weighing over 250 pounds from flying. I estimate the lines would be substantially shortened.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

Packsaddle: A REAL favor would be to prohibit anyone weighing over 250 pounds from flying. I estimate the lines would be substantially shortened.

 

Now we're going to discriminate based on weight? I'm six-foot-one and over 250 ... although I'm a little flabby now, at one time I weighed more, but had no body fat to speak of, all muscle. What would be the point of your suggestion?

 

I'm going over the terrorist attacks, and can't recall where anything brought on the planes was used ... do these searches actually accomplish anything, other than create an appearance of addressing the issue, and foster an illusion of security?

(This message has been edited by Old_OX_Eagle83)

 

Papadaddy: My childrens beloved grandmother passed away, a thousand miles away, are they not going to be allowed to attend to funeral?

 

The problem is not one of weight, or age, it's one of over reaction, and draconian measures.

 

(This message has been edited by Old_OX_Eagle83)

[Eamonn]

While I know that a correctional facility isn't an airport. At work I do have to pat down a lot of inmates several times a day.

Security comes before just about any and everything.

Inmates and some of the people who visit them will go to almost any length to get contraband into the jail.

Hiding stuff in artificial limbs, on babies, you name it? I'll bet someone has at sometime tried it.

At the airports in London while your standing in line to get past security, very often you have to encounter the happy smiling face of the guy who does the profiles, asking the set number of questions.

Even if I hadn't packed my own case or bag, I'm not sure that I'd be willing to admit that to him?

When President Bush was at the National Jamboree, I couldn't help feeling that the security was almost laughable. In part because there were just too many people going through all about the same time.

I'm not sure how true it is? But there was a story of a young Scout going into the woods for a pee and it seems there was someone FBI ? Or Secret Service? in full camouflage in the weeds and the Scout got the shock of his life when the guy stood up and let it be known that he didn't appreciate the bath.

Ea.

[BadenP]

The problem with the paranoia of people like scoutfish is that it causes an unnecessary panic among the people. Look not every Muslim is out there planning to do harm to the US almost all of them just want to live in a country not in a constant state of war.

 

The TSA patdown is a joke, those individuals are mostly undereducated,and poorly trained group who try to give the illusion of safety at airports. However of tests the agency gives them periodically to identify a potential security risk they fail 95% of the time. The truth is we can never be completely safe from those crazed few bent on harming the USA. It is time for more rational thought to prevail and for better electronic security methods to be developed so our airports will stop looking and feeling like police states.

[packsaddle]

Sorry, Old Ox. I'm being treated generously with lots of middle-aged, overweight, out-of-shape white people confirming the stereotypes of Ugly Americans in a foreign country. Make the limit 300#. It would still work.

[JoeBob]

1- If you don't want to be frisked at the airport, wear a burkha.

 

2- The next attack won't involve aviation.

.. a- Shopping mall sniper attack. Look how successful the two homegrown DC snipers were. Do it around Thanksgiving and destroy the retail holiday season, and the rest of the US economy...

.. b- Dirty bomb attack on a sporting event or a political rally. (I'm tempted to say that the GOP would be a better target, but I'm not sure that AlQaeda knows that the Democrats are their friends.)

[nolesrule]

JoeBob, don't give them any ideas. The GOP convention is here next year.