Quote:
Originally Posted by djplong
In today's Boston Globe, Derrick Jackson writes a column that is basically pro-scanning/patdown. Jackson has a different view of innocent African Americans being pulled over randomly while driving, but I digress.
The comments section got very heated in places but one of the comments stood out to me:
My response? How would those passengers feel if they knew, going on to that plane, that the security guards ignored the metal scans that everyone goes through and allowed the terrorists on the planes with boxcutters? You know - the security agents that at least had to have a high-school degree, unlike the TSA agents today.
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We dunno if this kind of story made it around (didn't notice it in the VDS!), but we first heard it on one of those alternative airways yesterday, so we assumed it might have a bit of conspiratorial tone, so we searched words like scanning, lobby, etc....
here was one result:
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/sto...storyid=100758
We just flew back from Lisbon, Portugal (in the nick of time we just heard!) this week and took several flights to and from through some of the 'tightest' places on the planet, Amsterdam and Paris.
It was very fast, but rules and contraband varied.
The French never liked plastic yarn scissors! AMS didn't like some of the bike parts and tools(heavens, even a small roll of duct tape, ?)
Jeepers, they have metal cutlery in business class, and their headfones could strangle the pilot (who gets scanned even though he'
s driving a megaton bomb and has a sidearm!?!?)
Driving the van from Spain into Portugal was a surprise.
An open border for decades, this year, they mobilized the troops for three days and pulled us over for a check.
After pleading 'no speak' (though our son knows the tongue) they found an English tongue
"Obama's coming, 'Naht-o meeting', everybody out, what's in the back?"
"personal goods and our daughter"
The rear door opened, she rose to a shotgun-toting guard, thankfully not pointing.
They were nicer than they needed to be, one admitted they ar4e on strike but still had to do their thing.
The dog was friendly and we passed the sniff test in and out and left no hair on the seats.
They asked about any alcohol, tobacco, weapons, and one time pacifist materials.
Good heavens, dare say someone bring in peace to a country hosting a nato conference!
Personally we are not offended by the touch and Xray, but are appalled at the money, time, and delays this system is imposing.
There must be a better way. Maybe we will look back and laugh as we do now at the time wasting , twice and thrice repeated interviews of old "has anyone put anything in your bag without your knowledge?"
Is an airthug gonna say "there might be a gun in there"
We often think that turning over airport protocol and crowd management to Diuney would be the best.
Maybe the whole world?
L and L