3 ms·
Many years ago but post-9/11 ('02 or '03?) I was waiting on the security checkpoint line. The line was moving very slowly and I was bored out of my mind until I
by lost_my_pwd 13y ago
Many years ago but post-9/11 ('02 or '03?) I was waiting on the security checkpoint line. The line was moving very slowly and I was bored out of my mind until I noticed a poster informing people of things that were banned from the plane. It included illustrations of things such as WWII pineapple grenades, a scythe, machete, chainssaw, etc. and I pointed and laughed at the absurdity. The thought of someone trying to stuff some of these items into a duffel bag was hilarious as well as the idea that someone felt it necessary to warn people about these prohibited items.
Right away I saw a blue-shirted supervisor whisper to one of the checkpoint gropers and when it was my turn, I was pulled aside for 'additional' screening with more than one groper participating and more whispering between the gropers and the supervisor. One thing I did make out was, "...was laughing at the sign...,' which solidified my fears about the direction of our country post-9/11.
Besides feeling violated, what bothered me the most was not the idea that these people could be bullying someone who would dare to question their actions and authority but that these people really believed that my actions were worthy of suspicion. That our rights and safety was in the hands of people lacking any imagination, independent thought, discretion, or sense of reason.
- DanBC 13y ago> The thought of someone trying to stuff some of these items into a duffel bag was hilarious as well as the idea that someone felt it necessary to warn people about these prohibited items. Did you say "oh wow, I was laughing at that poster because who needs to be told not to bring a machete onto a plane?" Because people try to take loaded handguns onto planes. (30 this week, 13 with chambered rounds) (http://blog.tsa.gov/ http://blog.tsa.gov/) See also the meat cleaver.
- glenra 13y agoA loaded handgun is a fine thing to take on a plane. I imagine the hilarious part was more on the "chainsaw" end of the scale.
- DanBC 13y agoLoaded hand guns are not allowed in hand luggage, only checked. Cultural note: sentences like "A loaded handgun is a fine thing to take on a plane" are the reason many people in many countries think that Americans are batshit insane.
- glenra 13y agoI realize guns aren't allowed in hand luggage, but they should be - there's nothing actually wrong with them. It's no more inherently dangerous than having them in the luggage one takes on a bus or a train or a ship or a private car. I can't speak to "people in many countries", but if you think having a gun on a plane is "batshit insane", my guess is that you've been fooled by Hollywood into believing a few false things. (Perhaps you saw Goldfinger but never saw the Mythbusters episode debunking it?) A gun fired on a plane can't cause "explosive decompression". No, not even if fired through a window. The pressure difference isn't large enough to be "explosive" and the air pressure is continuously maintained - planes are constantly leaking quite a lot of air by design so leaking a little more wouldn't hurt anything. The 9/11 gambit could work ONCE but can't work today - the front doors are locked and the passengers and crew know to resist. Committing any sort of deliberate crime on a plane is infinitely stupider in terms of likelihood of getting caught and ability to get away than committing one on the ground. The TSA "protects" us from "movie plot threats", not actual threats. We would be on-net safer if airport security were entirely eliminated - far fewer people would die than do today as a result of it. (TSA kills people today by making travel by air more expensive in money and time. This causes people to drive on long trips instead of fly, leading to extra deaths in auto accidents.)