Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? Last time I went throuth airport security, I had to get an unnecessary pat down. I guess wearing a sweatshirt that isn't skin tight is suspicious. Who knows. Next time I fly I'm walking through security butt-ass naked.
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? Thankfully, the TSA were on their toes when this potential terrorist tried to sneak past them- http://www.newser.com/story/105351/tsa- ... r-old.html
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? I went through airport security HELL on Sunday. The hubster and I were flying back from a much-needed mini vacation & 10th anniversary celebration and I was chosen as a "random" check. My stuff was searched in Turks & Caicos, and because we stopped in MIA, I had to go through security AGAIN. Well, after my passport was taken away to be "checked", they finally got around to going through my bag (even though my husband walked through security with it, they informed me the bag was mine...whatever) then I had a full pat down. Trust me, I'd rather go through one of those x-ray machines and have everyone look at my lady-bits rather than go through that pat down again. Being fondled by a stranger wearing blue gloves is nauseating.
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? I must have looked suspicious this year as I got the full treatment at every airport checkpoint heading to this years SDCC . . . it was a free-for-all for anyone wearing rubber gloves! Does anyone know what the deal is with swabbing the carry-on luggage?
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? they're testing for traces of explosives. I get randomly searched on the subways here in Boston all of the time. They look in my bag, swab it, and run it through a machine. It doesn't bother me one bit. They're keeping an eye out for suspicious things, I appreciate all of the work they do to keep me safe on the subway and in the air. Wow they pat you guys down...I've traveled all over the world and have been searched. It's an occupational hazard. Big deal. It takes a minute and a half for someone to look in your bag and send you on your way.
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? I couldn't care less about them going through my bag. But frankly, I don't like being fondled by strangers. I've been searched before with the wand, but have never had a hand pat-down. Having someones hands in the waistband of my pants and, without making this sound worse than it is, feeling my boobs, isn't par for the course anywhere. Like I said, take the naked picture of me. It's less of a violation than having some strangers hands in my pants and on my boobs.
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? Those scanners don't take naked pics I thought, I saw a few pics of what they show. Are they different for each airport or is there a "perv" mode? I don't care personally myself, pat downs, scans, bag search. If they didn't and more crap blew up we'd cry about how they didn't do enough. Tough line to walk and I don't see ANYONE coming up with something better to monitor that type of situation in the air.
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? Next step: knock everyone out with sodium penathol and make 'em travel naked.
Re: Suspension of EMS/SAL shipment from Japan to US ?? The 9/11 hijackers brought nothing illegal on the planes they took over and did not do anything to raise red flags until they committed that sick-ass crime against everything sane. Meaning if in some parallel universe all this security crap exited on 9/10/2001 guess what? It still would have happened. Also, people on this board actually think that subway bag checks mean anything? There has to be at least one person here who has snuck into tunnels. Or knows someone who has a key to get workers access to subway systems. It's not that hard. So yeah, keep on checking the bags of folks riding public transportation. That will stop them! They can't walk a few blocks to another station or sneak in otherwise. Sorry to say but if anyone thinks these security measures add up to anything you are an insecure fool. You know how those package/printer/toner bombs from Yemen got caught? NOT FROM BULLSHIT SCREENING! But from security tips sent from the Mideast to the U.S. Kind of like what should have happened prior to 9/11 but didn’t because nobody shared info and nobody played nice. At least THAT is working now as it should.
Dropping my .02 cents in... My company shares a building with the TSA. We interact with them on a daily basis and every one of them we have met, from the grunts who man the screening stations at the airport to the upper management, have been dim bulbs. In our building there's a TV outside the cafeteria tuned to CNN that has been covering it every day. As we walked by the set to throw our garbage away, there was a TSA guy in uniform just staring at the tube. We asked him if he was catching a lot of flak from people he knew lately because of this. "Oh, I don't really pay attention to current events or anything," he told us. The guy was watching a TV news story about his own job and it was bouncing right off of his cranium. They do training on the ground floor and sometimes you can see in the windows because they don't draw the shades. Powerpoint presentations about how different cultures wear head scarves and how to run the x-ray machines. You probably heard the story about how they had to shut down Newark Airport because someone went through an exit at the security checkpoint. The guy manning that post worked in my building. There was another person in my building (an upper level manager) who was on a personal trip and just walked through security without submitting to the checks. They thought she was exempt. They arrested her on the plane.
Penn of Penn and Teller's recent go round with the TSA. http://www.pennandteller.com/03/coolstu ... alvip.html
On the other side... I'm hearing a lot of news agencies reporting about this "Pat-Down Wednesday" or whatever they're calling it that people are are trying to organize next week. Basically everyone requests a private pat-down with a supervisor present instead of the scanner, and the TSA gets so overwhelmed that they stop doing it. Pretty dumb. I was listening to a radio show last night, think it was Coast to Coast, and someone called in to talk about what a security risk these backed-up checkpoints at the airports are. They said that if a terrorist wants to take out a lot of people, all they need to do is get an explosive, get on line, and boom. They wouldn't even have to take measures to get through the checkpoint. Gruesome thought but imagine what that would do to the already-flagging airline industry. To me, the scanners aren't a big deal. They already x-ray my bags, they can do the same with my body. And if someone is lingering on the screen for a few seconds, good for them, my dingus isn't really something someone would want a second glance at.
Roger, all good perspectives but I work in tech and I find it amazing how much high-tech is being used where anyone with a basic understanding of math and statistics can prove this is all bullshit. It’s like torture. The excuse is what? Beat someone up and get useful info? Guess what. NEVER HAPPENS! When you setup security checks like this the implication is these terrorists come out of nowhere, have no past history and the best/only choke-point to get them is at the transportation hub? BULLSHIT X 1000. Check the histories of past attackers and guess what? THEY ARE KNOWN! They are being followed and traced and it's not that big of a secret. Even so-called "sleeper cells" don't really exist that way. By the time they are "awoken" and gear up enough red flags are sent up to take them down. And tech never helps even when that doesn't happen. You know that attempted Times Square bombing this year? It's in Times @$%!@# Square. An area filled with more surveillance and cops of all types than you can imagine. Who spots the smoking van and alerts these high-tech cops? Two Vietnam vets selling crap on the street! This is all security theater. Nothing more and nothing less.
I think you're connecting two dots on two different pages here. The point of these security measures isn't to stop terrorism. The point is to deter people from bringing dangerous stuff on planes. Just playing devil's advocate here... GRRRR!!! I AM THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE!!! GO OUT AND DO EVIL THINGS IN THE NAME OF THE DEVIL!!! GRRRR!!! ...I think the scanners are a worthwhile measure provided that they're safe (I watched Captain Sully on the teevee this morning saying that they may not be). They can do this: Not quite Total Recall levels of technology, but look at the stuff it picks up. Pretty cool.
The privacy issue is an interesting one to me. People get naked in front of health care pros all the time for "safety" even if they're sure nothing is wrong but need an exam. But that's not getting bashed. "But dude, you can refuse it at the doctor" yes but they'll try to con you into it anyway if they feel it's "needed." "Insurance may not pay for this if you don't let me do it" is such a common (and generally empty) threat. Much like TSA. "But dude, at the hospital/docs office it's me saying 'I hope I'm ok so I consent'" Yes, so er, what's the difference at the airport? They have to check everyone to make sure YOU are safe, that includes you. This is a way to tell better then metal detectors. It's you saying "I hope I'm ok!" Blah Blah Blah I know, there's still a world of things to debate, but I'm just playing devils advocate too with the thought. Smurfette really let herself go (obligatory overweight blue lady joke complete.)
For decades people didn't balk at having their bags x-rayed, so why the ruckus now that it's being done to us?
AS much as I agree with Microman I'll take an x-ray as long as the airlines agree to give me half off the price of a ticket? How about that airlines you listening? Figure if I fly enough I'll have to sue you for the cancer I picked up anyhow, let's go halves.... Seriously though if someone is determined to do something , they'll do it. So yeah I'm leaning that the inconvenience is for the birds. Airports are annoying already for cryin' out loud. Security is a joke. It's just our government flexing for show. Maybe we should stop pissing off the world?
Maybe TSA can give everyone a colonoscopy. They can be sure nobody is smuggling anything and screen for cancer at the same time. But that would be treading into universal health care, and that's a whole nuther can'o'worms.
I once refused a colonoscopy because I was 32 (too young for one) and this doctor was one of these HMO “test, test, test, bill, bill, bill” guys. Meaning lots of unnecessary tests just so he can boost revenues even if the tests are ridiculous. So I refused, explained why. And guess what? I wasn’t surrounded by thugs and threatened with arrest. He simply said, “You’re right...” and we went on with the physical. In contrast, if you want to simply FLY ON A PLANE you have two choices. Naked body scans which can be shared with anyone and violating your privacy for what exactly? Or get molested. And it’s all done in an atmosphere where if you refuse or do anything but submit you are INSTANTLY treated like a criminal. If you don’t understand that difference, go get molested or scanned while going on vacation. The horror stories are already coming out and at this rate if the TSA doesn’t change something they are dolts.
I've chatted with this fella for a few years about food/foodie blogging- just got forwarded this story about his knuckle tattoos and being on a Delta flight... Not directly TSA related, but interested none the less: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dai...-pulled-from-flight-for-atom-bomb-tattoo.html
