National body scanner opt-out day on Nov 24 (liquid, weight, ticket)
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If they were shuttered during the travel time to Grandma's, makes sense that they would be when people are coming home. I delayed my trip back on amtrak a couple of years ago to the middle of the week over Sunday since the crush just before the holiday was a bit much. I suspect that the tsa and homeland security people did not expect the anger and outrage and may have not expected the behavior of their agents either. I hope these things are gone, but considering the investment I have my doubts. After all the holidays travel is done and the people who seldom fly (and would be telling their family how it was) are home we'll see what happens.
It would be good to know that people still can be mad enough to make a difference though.
I flew MCO>CLT>ATL on Tuesday morning, and ATL>CLT>MCO yesterday afternoon/evening. Very few liesure travelers (even my flight from CLT to MCO last night only had a couple of kids on it--normally it would be half full of families headed out to see Mickey on a Friday night.) Mostly business travelers on every leg I was on. So I'd definitely say that the holiday travel is over for another week or two.
So I'd definitely say that the holiday travel is over for another week or two.
Agreed. I am currently sitting in an airport and it appears to be nearly all business travelers. Starting next Friday, the 17th, it will pick up again with holiday leisure travelers. I will be going through RDU (Raleigh) soon so it will be interesting to see if their scanners are up and running as I have consistently been directed to use them (though I opt out) at that airport.
As a side note, RDU's TSA are also the rudest when it comes to opting out. I always politely inform them that I opt for the pat down over the scanner and they get pretty frustrated doing the usual screaming, making you wait for the sake of waiting, etc.
I fly again on Monday (not unhappy that my meeting this Friday was postponed so I have a full week at home). One of my more frequent routings, MCO>CLT>PHL then return Friday PHL>MCO. I'll keep you posted...
If they were shuttered during the travel time to Grandma's, makes sense that they would be when people are coming home. I delayed my trip back on amtrak a couple of years ago to the middle of the week over Sunday since the crush just before the holiday was a bit much. I suspect that the tsa and homeland security people did not expect the anger and outrage and may have not expected the behavior of their agents either. I hope these things are gone, but considering the investment I have my doubts. After all the holidays travel is done and the people who seldom fly (and would be telling their family how it was) are home we'll see what happens.
It would be good to know that people still can be mad enough to make a difference though.
That's probably their plan. Hunker down until the public outcry subsides and then start herding the sheeple through the stripsearch radiation machines again. I hope public outrage remains high and we can put this failed experiment in airport theater to rest once and for all.
So some people want communist rules on the America people. Hilter started this way. For the safety of Germany. So are we becoming like CHINA> NORTH KOREA CUBA just to name a few. I love my country and our government can and could be good. How ever It keeps crossing the lines. Do people really know the differents between DEMS> REP> SOCIALIST????? THEY are using fear to back up why they are doing this. However, I dont think the TSA~S really enjoy doing these pat downs nor the screening. BUT< they have to to keep their jobs. Just like we have to do thing to keep our jobs. I dont think the airlines have a choose anymore.
Heaven forbid but, if a plane went down because of some kind of explosive, I got a feeling that most of the people complaining about the TSA now would be the first ones to complain about not enough security...it's kind of like, damned if you and damned if you don't. Yes, the Government is and has used scare tactics before but a lot of the public has brought a lot of this on themselves. I fly very little but, if I flew regularly I might see it in a different light.
Heaven forbid but, if a plane went down because of some kind of explosive, I got a feeling that most of the people complaining about the TSA now would be the first ones to complain about not enough security...it's kind of like, damned if you and damned if you don't. Yes, the Government is and has used scare tactics before but a lot of the public has brought a lot of this on themselves. I fly very little but, if I flew regularly I might see it in a different light.
Apparently the tonerbombs were meant to take out a plane or two. They got lucky and got a tip. But guess what? They were in the mail, placed there in cargo as uninspected mail. Nearly every plane carries mail. Nobody inspects it. Ditto shipped cargo.
The tip proved fruitful and the toner bombs didn't go off. But it is a demonstration of how insecure the airline industry is despite the naked scanners and the sexual assualt. Literally strop search every passanger and you still have the airport workers (no security), mail and packages. You can't take away the rights of a few people and declare its to make us all safe when far more with access just walk in and out.
Nobody is saying to take away all the security, but find something unobtrusive that works. The military uses dogs for sniffing explosives. A dog and a handler by the metal detector could find them hidden anywhere in the body. and unlike the "sniffer" machines no longer in use, as they picked up false positves if you walked across the yard and the dog had done its deed in the grass, dogs are trained not to sniff out one element that randomly happens in the environment.
And real human perception, not glorified and federalized rentacops would help. They need people who do the eye test to see if people show the signs of something amis as customs and the Isralies use. And some simple combinations...one way, no luggage, etc. Spend more time with people who are more likely than someone with two kids and lots of luggage. And STOP abusing passangers by subjecting them to radiation or the molest. The airlines are going to see a drop in ticket sales out of this. Many people have vowed not to fly.
And we need to establish that the government has to respect rights and treat us with respect. TSA rentacops are not doing it. And from the way their behavior is described, it sounds like a lot of them really enjoy the power trip. And it will just get worse as they get used to things.
And they DO have a responsibility to make the right choice. People can and should know that touching private parts of the body is supposed to be wrong. It is wrong if its yoru neighbor who wants you to date him and he gets all hands or the nice man who gives all the kids candy or the tsa.
We are not automatically criminals when we take a trip and THAT is what has to be understood and reflected. Or we are heading off to a country we won't much like.
Heaven forbid but, if a plane went down because of some kind of explosive, I got a feeling that most of the people complaining about the TSA now would be the first ones to complain about not enough security...it's kind of like, damned if you and damned if you don't. Yes, the Government is and has used scare tactics before but a lot of the public has brought a lot of this on themselves. I fly very little but, if I flew regularly I might see it in a different light.
I disagree. If a plane went down I'd blame the FBI and NSA, because THEY were the ones who failed to gather and/or interpret and/or share the intelligence that could have prevented it. It's a proven FACT that the various government agencies had the intelligence to stop September 11th, they simply failed in their duties to properly analyze and share it.
Heaven forbid but, if a plane went down because of some kind of explosive, I got a feeling that most of the people complaining about the TSA now would be the first ones to complain about not enough security
Some would, undoubtedly.
Those [like me] who have been complaining about airport security intrusion since I read the 4thAM and had the wisdom to actually understand what it means ... nope. Not a chance. I've been making the same complaints since the 70s. You wanna search me, by ANY means? get a warrant; have fun trying to explain to a judge how a bookish nerd with a large vocabulary and a disdain for gratuitous authority displays enough Probable Cause to justify a search warrant.
But how is that bomb going to go off? in your little game-theory, here?
Is it in the cargo hold? It's beyond the capacity and function of TSA.
Is it on a passenger? hidden in clothing? a body cavity? It's too small to bring down an airliner - maybe a commuter plane or 6-seater - but it would make everyone miserable, kill the bomber and maybe seriously injure those near him. Make everything smell like burned blood and hair ... yuck. Those in First Class may find a testicle has landed in their martini. Nope, not olives...
Is this bomb on a passenger and large enough to kill the plane? Then it is the size of a backpack, likely has a cell phone trigger, and it would in fact be within the [current] scope of TSA's duties. But because TSA is currently spending so much of their effort in gaining compliance with pointless, nuisance procedures, and pilfering toothpaste and criminally expensive airport coffee, and because the position of conveyor x-ray tech is so damned tedious in the first place, chances are better than average that the bomb the size of the backpack has escaped TSA detection anyway. TSA is notoriously poor at detecting the test bombs and guns brought through their lines by federal agents auditing their effectiveness. Well over half get through.
But they've got bins full of shampoo and snow globes!! They can open up a knick-knack and sundry shop when we finally wise up to their incompetence.
Those [like me] who have been complaining about airport security intrusion since I read the 4thAM and had the wisdom to actually understand what it means ... nope. Not a chance. I've been making the same complaints since the 70s. You wanna search me, by ANY means? get a warrant; have fun trying to explain to a judge how a bookish nerd with a large vocabulary and a disdain for gratuitous authority displays enough Probable Cause to justify a search warrant.
But how is that bomb going to go off? in your little game-theory, here?
Is it in the cargo hold? It's beyond the capacity and function of TSA.
Is it on a passenger? hidden in clothing? a body cavity? It's too small to bring down an airliner - maybe a commuter plane or 6-seater - but it would make everyone miserable, kill the bomber and maybe seriously injure those near him. Make everything smell like burned blood and hair ... yuck. Those in First Class may find a testicle has landed in their martini. Nope, not olives...
Is this bomb on a passenger and large enough to kill the plane? Then it is the size of a backpack, likely has a cell phone trigger, and it would in fact be within the [current] scope of TSA's duties. But because TSA is currently spending so much of their effort in gaining compliance with pointless, nuisance procedures, and pilfering toothpaste and criminally expensive airport coffee, and because the position of conveyor x-ray tech is so damned tedious in the first place, chances are better than average that the bomb the size of the backpack has escaped TSA detection anyway. TSA is notoriously poor at detecting the test bombs and guns brought through their lines by federal agents auditing their effectiveness. Well over half get through.
But they've got bins full of shampoo and snow globes!! They can open up a knick-knack and sundry shop when we finally wise up to their incompetence.
I have no reason to doubt a word you are saying. I think the TSA is struggling with threats, public opinion and thus, trying to cover all the bases. Extreme as it might be. As for all the small items...I would think they are assuming some could be put together to make one big package.
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