14 ms·

I Was Arrested for Learning a Foreign Language. Today, I Have Some Closure

485 points by tellarin 12y ago

thomasfl 12y ago
"Five years ago, the Philadelphia police thought that carrying Arabic-language flashcards was enough to warrant the arrest of an innocent traveler." From a norwegian standpoint, where police are not allowed to wear guns, it's fascinating to see how the answer to security problems is more police, harder prison sentences and more violence. What about increasing happiness? In northern Ireland they eventually got rid of terrorism after they started realising that happy people are much less likely to become terrorists.
- darkhorn 12y ago
  What they did in northern Ireland to make people more happy?
  - dalke 12y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_peace_process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_peace_process . There's no easy answer. It was a lot of work. I don't know enough to summarize the process.
  - adventured 12y ago
    It wasn't specific to just the north. Ireland slashed the corporate tax rate, set up a global tax evasion hub, and lured thousands of very large companies to their shores, drastically boosting employment and skill development, which took their per capita income from half of Britain's to greater than Britain's in ~20 years. That significantly reduced the number of disgruntled persons, reducing the supply of terrorist-willing types and reducing the native support for such behavior.
    - gaius 12y ago
      Don't forget the buckets of money "from the EU" (i.e. The UK). And the British jobs lured there by the artificially low taxes. Like Scotland, Ireland plays the victim card very well to extort money from the English.
      - adventured 12y ago
        Definitely, it was an expensive peace. I suppose most are though.
      - GFK_of_xmaspast 12y ago
        Given the historical realities of the English-Irish relationship, good for them.
      - coldtea 12y ago
        >Like Scotland, Ireland plays the victim card very well to extort money from the English. Yeah, if only the British haven't raped their freedoms, they'd be playing the victim totally virtually.
        gaius 12y ago
        Look up the Barnett Formula and the West Lothian Question. The history of the UK is the history of the exploitation of the English.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
        mcguire 12y ago
        Absolutely. The English should have kicked the Scots and Northern Irish loose a long time ago. Hell, they missed their chance last year.
        ambrood 12y ago
        Oh c'mon. The parliament in Westminster is effectively the English parliament, the MPs from outside England notwithstanding.
  - pjc50 12y ago
    Among many other things, reform of the police with firm commitment to even-handed policing. De-escalating the police and military response to fears of terrorism. Involving the Catholic/republican community in the political process.
- joesmo 12y ago
  This is America (and specifically Philadelphia where the police is especially corrupt). The goal of police is not to stop terrorism or crime but simply to fill up the jails and create profit for themselves and others by reaching or passing their quotas and making high-profile arrests. And sometimes, ad demonstrated by recent NYPD events, they don't even do their jobs and still get paid. Crime prevention and offender rehabilitation are not the goals of modern American policing and the modern American prison system respectively. Profit is.
  - chrislgrigg 12y ago
    This is a bit of the stretch. Philadelphia is a complex city with complex problems and its police department reflects this. It has plenty of problems but it also has a lot of cops who care.
    - existencebox 12y ago
      Growing up in Philly, that was not the perception of the kids who got thrown into dumpsters during a police raid on a prom. This is anecdotal, but in one of the hotbeds of police/citizen conflict, I don't think it serves a purpose to try and pull the "there are always good ones" card. Yes, there are, but until the systemic problems are dealt with they aren't the ones having an impact.
      - pluma 12y ago
        There were good Wehrmacht soldiers, too. Can't blame Allied soldiers for shooting at them, though. I'm saying that as a German, mind you.
        existencebox 12y ago
        This is absolutely a complete and utter tangent but you touched on something I've really been wondering about: Watching a lot of ken burns lately, heard him tell quite a few stories of German regular army officers going out of their way to protect enemy combatants/POWs from being killed/taken to death camps to the extent that there seemed to be quite the little power struggle from among the nazi ranks; naturally (but unfortunately) since it was an American documentary it wasn't the primary focus, but I'd love to hear of any german made documentaries that do justice to the "people" side of things from the non-american point of view. (maybe this is assumptive and rude but I figured a German on HN would be the best person to ask; hope it wasn't too out of place!)
- anomalous 12y ago
  I don't know that it's worthwhile to compare small countries with ethnically homogenous populations, homogenous communities, different social values, and citizens with reduced access to weaponry to a large, ethnically diverse nation, with diverse and segregated communities, with different social values and history, and citizens with greater access to firearms.
  - deleted 12y ago
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  - pjc50 12y ago
    thomasfl's comment did point out Northern Ireland, whose communities were so segregated there's a mini Berlin wall in part of the city ("Peace Line"), and where there's plenty of firearms and also high explosives. Disarmament was a critical and controversial part of the peace process.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
      After reading your comment and it's parent I had this thought: Whereas the case for firearm ownership in the US is ostensibly to call to arms a militia to overthrow a tyrannical government, what has actually happened is the populace are too busy shooting each other to realise tyranny. Although, I think, to believe what I just wrote requires a bunch of biases and leaps of faith with regard to rates of violence governmental tyranny. I'm reading Steven Pinker's 'The Better Angels of Our Nature', which is doing a good job of highlighting that, even in the US, violence has decreased over time. Edit: a word
    - tankenmate 12y ago
      Actually there are several peace walls in Belfast; and also there are more now than there were during the '70s / '80s. Also, there are parties on both sides of the divide who are still armed; it's just the largest and most politically engaged groups who are no longer armed.
  - Zigurd 12y ago
    > homogenous populations What I think you mean to say is "populations that are treated with equal discretion and respect by police, and, when they are very young, by school discipline." Otherwise someone might think you are a racist.
- jkot 12y ago
  Yeah, Norway is shinning beacon of humanity. Except barnevernet which has even lamer excuses and is for life, not 5 hours.
  - pgrote 12y ago
    I was ignorant of the term, but am unsure how it is different than other country's child services. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Welfare_Services_(Norway) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Welfare_Services_(Norway...
    - jkot 12y ago
      Norway has way too many similar cases, for such small country of only 5 million people. Barnevernet also puts artificial obstructions for adoption by biological relatives, such as grandparents. As someone said, accused parents in such cases have less rights than Breivik.
      - ambrood 12y ago
        I recall a diplomatic incident with India when they tried to take away custody of Indian citizen children from their parents and put them in foster care or something.
      - thanksgiving 12y ago
        > As someone said, accused parents in such cases have less rights than Breivik. Hang on a minute. Here in the US, my tax dollars support your children. WIC and Food Stamps and school lunch programs which come from my tax dollars ensure your infants and children do not starve in case something happens to you or your income. As a parent, you get to claim tax deductions which means more money out of my pocket to cover for the loss of tax revenue. As I see it, your children are not your property. The children belong to the community at large. They are my investment. If you are damaging our collective investment, I very much expect you to be relieved of your duties to take care of my investment.
        12y ago
- klunger 12y ago
  As an American who lives in Norway, I understand just how confusing this may be to you. The difference, I have come to believe after living here for a few years, stems from a different perspective on long- and short-term interests. Americans are, in general, I think (please note this is my opinion and do not down vote me for making this observation) more likely to support solutions that appear to resolve the given issue in the most intuitive and seemingly fastest way. While the intention may be good, this rather simplistic view contradicts the reality that subtler, research-based and longer-view solutions are often the wiser choice. Examples of this include things like research into prison sentences and conditions and their relation to recidivism rates; or ideas about parental leave being better for businesses in the long term, despite the short term loss of productivity. In this particular case, it is an issue of very short-term thinking from the police who do not realize that their draconian tactics, which seemingly are for the best interest of security today, are in fact more likely to engender civil unrest (or emigration, in my case, since I have no appetite for that) in the long run.
  - hueving 12y ago
    You're right about the desire for short term goals. However, only focusing on long term solutions is not a luxury the US has. It has made many enemies who are trying to actively harm US citizens. It does need better long term strategies to prevent future enemies, but it also needs to deal with the people that already believe their path to a wonderful afterlife is achieved via blowing themselves up in populated places. Keep in mind the US is always going to be on someone's bad side as long as they assume the role of world watch dog. It's convenient for Norway to wash their hands of any messy killings, but they don't seem to care for the spread of ISIS either.
- pluma 12y ago
  But making sad people happier imposes on the liberty of happy people to be happier than the sad people. Something something nanny state.
Beltiras 12y ago
I'm a bit worried about my trip to the US in the spring. I'm going to make a point of having a hair cut, not carrying any suspicious books, cultivate a super submissive nature against authority figures (of which I carry a well-deserved suspicion) and practive my TSA-smile. Shouldn't have to be that way, but I really don't want to give any indication I am anything but White Bread.
- task_queue 12y ago
  We have selected you for further screening. Something about suspicious posts on the internet.
- RankingMember 12y ago
  Relax. Trust me, you'll do a lot better to not be Mr. Guy Smiley- that would be much more suspicious. Just put on your bored face and do as Romans do. On the other hand, it would be humorous if you wore a shirt, pants, and underwear with the American Flag on them. It'd make the TSA look extra ridiculous during a strip search, so make that Option B.
- adekok 12y ago
  The truth is that millions of people a year travel, and don't have any problems. So you're most likely to be OK. The worrying part is that you don't know what will be "alerted" on. Flash cards? Pictures of your kids in the bath? You have no idea.
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    > The truth is that millions of people a year travel, and don't have any problems. He's not worried about being one of those that won't have any problems. He's worried about becoming one of those that did and that chance is way too high.
    - dmix 12y ago
      I got secondary-screened upon arrival because: - I told the border guy I got paid via 'PayPal' and he had no idea what that was, they had to spend 20min Googling it - My friends friend paid for our plane tickets, so they grilled us why we didnt buy our own - I made a mistake on the customs claims sheet where I crossed something out and replaced it. Apparently they think this means you are trying to hide something and need to look through every piece of luggage, including possible hiding places in the luggage (that didnt turn out to exist). There are countless reasons to get harassed. Hardly has to do with obvious security issues.
morganvachon 12y ago
Between this glaring infringement of First Amendment, and Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, and the push to lock up the borders preventing easy egress from the US[1], it's really starting to feel like the United States is the world's largest prison. Sure, we (mostly) have freedom of movement and rights within the borders, but try to leave or come in and you end up harassed and detained for no reason. [1] http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2015/01/23/119302/higgins-sounds-alarm-on-bill-he-said-would-cripple-northern-border-and-kill-jobs http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2015/01/23/119...
jkot 12y ago
Yet another story from american airport. It kind of reminds me soviet countries, where people would get prosecuted for speaking English. On other side author was detained for 5 hours. That is practically rounding error in __ANY__ country. I would argue there are other causes, more worthy money and effort.
- intopieces 12y ago
  > I would argue there are other causes, more worthy money and effort. Serious question: How many hours does a person have to be detained illegally in the United States for it to warrant money and effort from the ACLU? You appear to have a specific metric for when injustice warrants response and I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you to task about it.
  - jkot 12y ago
    Serious cases starts somewhere around 2 months. Around that time permanent damage starts to pile up. I am not sure what exact laws are in US. But in most countries police has right to detain people up to 24 hours without a warrant. I think in that case it was 'illegal' because police officer forgot some paperwork or said something explicit on record. Easy shot for ACLU.
    - intopieces 12y ago
      The issue is that when you give the police an inch, they beat you to within that inch of your life. The system in place in most countries sounds horrifying when put into the context of the American policing system.
      - jkot 12y ago
        I understand where are you getting. But this is wrong battleground. Even most peace-full country, will have airport security with some sort of right to detain people. For example they could claim his passport is fake, and detain him until he proves his identity otherwise. This case does not really solve anything. With more similar cases, parliament just passes new law: Airport has special security rule, is not US soil until you pass some checkpoint whatever. Real solution is to go after causes where it really hurts. This guy got $5.000/hour. Now imagine someone who spend 7 months in jail at this rate.
mathetic 12y ago
> "Do you know who did 9/11?" Taken totally aback, I answered: "Osama Bin Laden." Then she asked me if I knew what language Osama Bin Laden spoke. "Arabic," I replied. "So do you see why these cards are suspicious?" she finished. As horrific as the situation, I think we can all enjoy the humorous nature of the conversation above. Lack of shame and intelligence is surreal.
- lazyant 12y ago
  Yes, that line sounds more fit for "The Simpsons" than real life.
- yabatopia 12y ago
  "Do you know who did 9/11? Osama Bin Laden! And did you know that Osama Bin Laden had shoes? So you see why your shoes are suspicious and we have to arrest you?"
  - pluma 12y ago
    Add one more step and it sounds like something out of Monty Python.
  - ecdavis 12y ago
    "It is cheap, basic and widely available around the world. Yet the Casio F-91W digital watch was declared to be "the sign of al-Qaida" and a contributing factor to continued detention of prisoners by the analysts stationed at Guantánamo Bay. Briefing documents used to train staff in assessing the threat level of new detainees advise that possession of the F-91W – available online for as little as £4 – suggests the wearer has been trained in bomb making by al-Qaida in Afghanistan." http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/25/guantanamo-files-casio-wristwatch-alqaida http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/25/guantanamo-file...
    - MichaelGG 12y ago
      Available on Amazon for ten bucks: http://www.amazon.com/Casio-F91W-Digital-Sports-Watch/dp/B00KZA5O4W http://www.amazon.com/Casio-F91W-Digital-Sports-Watch/dp/B00... Looks nice enough for what it is and the price.
Red_Tarsius 12y ago
For a moment I thought the title was a Clojure joke. Anyway, this must be the 10th article I read about the paranoid surveilance system at USA airports. So many bad experiences, it actually makes me fearful of coming to USA, but I'm sure that's the point they want to make.
navytank 12y ago
Haha, this was a friend of mine! According to his retellings, the day also included: * Being asked if he was a communist * Asking one police officer why he was being detained, and being answered "I don't know, what'd you do?"
- darkstar999 12y ago
  That second one is in the article.
revelation 12y ago
Great of the ACLU to post the actual court orders and opinions that would otherwise locked behind a rent-seeking government contractors "portal". Here is why we can't have nice things: We caution, however, that the detention at the hands of these TSA Officials is at the outer boundary of the Fourth Amendment. Once TSA Officials were satisfied that George was not armed or carrying explosives, much of the concern that justified his detention dissipated. However, it did not totally vanish or suggest that further inquiry was not warranted. Suspicion remained, and that suspicion was objectively reasonable given the realities and perils of air passenger safety. The TSA Officials still were confronted with an individual who was carrying Arabic-English flashcards bearing such words as: “bomb,” “terrorist,” “to kill,” etc. In a world where air passenger safety must contend with such nuanced threats as attempts to convert underwear into bombs and shoes into incendiary devices, we think that the brief detention that followed the initial administrative search of George was reasonable. (https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-rehiel_3rd_cir_qi_ruling.pdf https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-reh...) It's basically pages upon pages of personal opinions and value judgements. At the end of the day, the law does nothing to protect you when the judge dealing with the government appeal is a right-wing nutjob that attaches no significance to constitutional freedoms.
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jqm 12y ago
This is horrible, and the abuses of police and security personal in the US are egregious. In addition, US foreign policy as of late (late being the the last 150 years or so) is also pretty lame. That said, I often suspect there is more to stories like this than is being told. More than the book and flashcards. A suspicious look. Furtive eye movement in the TSA line. A "look" that might be interpreted as capable of violence. And lastly, pissing someone with a gun and a badge off with an insolent attitude. None of which makes what happened right of course. But maybe there is more to the story.
- jpindar 12y ago
  "He did not know how long she had been looking at him, but perhaps for as much as five minutes, and it was possible that his features had not been perfectly under control. It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself--anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offence. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: FACECRIME, it was called."
  - jqm 12y ago
    Yep. I think that's exactly the kind of thing they look for. What I didn't realize was better stated above. 80 cards handed to TSA agent 10 of which contained "alarming" words in Arabic. I thought there was more to the story. Not justifying this arrest but really.... what does a reasonable person expect from cops and security agencies? Almost seems like deliberate antagonism rather than being innocently caught up.... but who knows.
DanBC 12y ago
Don't talk about bombs in an airport. While the reaction from security staff is stupid you have to be a fucking idiot to think that hand-written flashcards with words like... > “bomb,” “terrorist,” “explosion,” “attack,” “battle,” “kill,” “to target,” “to kidnap,” and “to wound.” ...are not going to arouse suspicion, especially among low-paid staff with little training. https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-rehiel_3rd_cir_qi_ruling.pdf https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-reh...
- zo1 12y ago
  I wouldn't chalk it all off to "low-pay" and "little-training". Those things wouldn't necessarily be a problem, even if they were the cause, if adequate repercussions were in place for such behavior. Everything else aside, how are we to expect them to behave accordingly and justly if we do not punish/reprimand them for doing the opposite?
- sebular 12y ago
  Wow, what a disappointing response. Talking about bombs at the airport is not the same as having literature in your carry-on with the word "bomb" on it. The last novel I brought on a flight talked extensively about bombs, should I have tossed it in the garbage before going through security? When people like you rationalize every individual curtailment on civil liberties without considering the bigger implications and precedents being set, that's how you wake up to discover you've completely lost freedoms that your parents took for granted. And you go even further, talking about how citizens should have to consider how their actions are going to be perceived by low-paid, under-educated TSA agents, rather than giving a moment's pause to wonder why low-paid, under-educated TSA agents are handling security for our nation's airports. Question nothing, blame the victim. Superb critical thinking.
  - zaroth 12y ago
    Not in carry-on. Passed a stack of cards directly to an agent. Almost comically stupid. TSA's job is to alert on oddities. A stack of cards with Arabic on one side and English words like "bomb" and "terrorist"... This takes the cake. TSA alerts as they should, they are not qualified to do any more. The police should have called this guy an idiot and told him to get lost but it doesn't surprise me that it was beyond their pay grade and it took a few hours to call in a unit that could actual evaluate this guy. Read Section I of the court doc and this is actually a reasonable edge-case [1]. Not to mention the recent travel to the middle east! https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-rehiel_3rd_cir_qi_ruling.pdf https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-reh...
hownottowrite 12y ago
Summary of Agreement (not judgement): 1. Plaintiff received $25K (directed to ACLU legal and subject to tax) 2. Philadelphia PD must communicate the following for a period of months: "Investigative detentions may be made only on reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct and any arrest must be based on probable cause. A referral by TSA agents is not grounds for arrest unless an officer makes a judgment ofprobable cause; similarly, referral by TSA agents is not grounds for detention unless an officer makes a judgment that there is reasonable suspicion ofcriminal conduct. Any detentions or arrests should be documented on appropriate police paperwork consistent with PPD Directives." 3. No admission of wrong doing or error on anyone's behalf
- pmorici 12y ago
  Seems like a lame outcome. If there is no admission or finding of wrong doing it really feels like there was no accountability whatsoever. The $25k is a rounding error and looks more like a token payment than anything else. They don't even have to make that paragraph part of their permanent police training. edit: How did they manage to drag this out for 5 years and still not have an actual judge or jury rule on this.
  - afiedler 12y ago
    (Disclaimer: IANAL) Reading through the history of the case[1], it looks like the District Court ruled that the Federal TSA officers involved were entitled to qualified immunity under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The reasoning was that the TSA followed appropriated procedures and wasn't responsible for the longer (few hour) detention by the Philly Police. In my opinion, that seems reasonable. The TSA only detained him for 15-30 mins to question him about the cards, then turned him over the the state police. After that ruling, the parties settled. I'm not sure why the case wasn't pursued further against the Philly Police. It could be that the case wasn't likely to succeed under Pennsylvania law, or maybe the ACLU wasn't interested in continuing to pursue it, since a Pennsylvania precedent wouldn't be a "worthwhile" expenditure of ACLU resources. [1]: https://www.aclu.org/national-security/george-v-tsa https://www.aclu.org/national-security/george-v-tsa
userbinator 12y ago
It reminds me of this: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html "I was arrested for possessing a debugger"
coin 12y ago
He was never arrested but rather detailed.
- mcguire 12y ago
  The difference between arrest and detainment is one of the troubling issues in these kinds of stories. He would have been better off if he had been arrested.
- goodcanadian 12y ago
  A common misconception. Police try to make that distinction to avoid complaints, but the fact is that if they stop you for even a moment on the street to talk to you, from a legal point or view, you have been arrested. If you ask if you are free to go, and the answer is not an immediate, "yes," you have been arrested. There are clear rules about when they can do that and how long they can hold you without charge. He was definitely arrested. I'm a bit surprised that he did not win an unlawful confinement suit, but then I don't know all of the details.
- joshuaheard 12y ago
  The issue is whether you are free to leave. If a cop stops you on the street and asks you some questions, you are detained. If a cop puts hand cuffs on you, or puts you in the back of his car, or in a jail cell, you are arrested.
kmonsen 12y ago
What happens to your flight tickets in this situation? Do the airline give you a ticket to the next flight or do they just think you are too late for the current one and bad luck?
- khuey 12y ago
  The airlines are generally accommodating.
bdg 12y ago
Of all the countries in the world, this is the one I am the most terrified of ever setting foot in. At least if I went to a place like Mogadishu, I may be at risk, but I know they don't have the resources to waste on finding out unknown knowns.
- ceejayoz 12y ago
  > At least if I went to a place like Mogadishu, I may be at risk, but I know they don't have the resources to waste on finding out unknown knowns. Many of the places without those resources default to "you're fucked", not "we can't prove anything, let him go!"
droithomme 12y ago
I see some are saying that holding someone handcuffed in a cell for 5 hours is not an arrest but is only a brief detention, aka Terry Stop. This is unequivocally false. The situation described was an arrest. Here is some information about what an arrest is. http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/details?id=2167 http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/d... > What, then, is a correct definition of arrest, for purposes of federal Constitutional law? An arrest is a seizure of a person in which the subject is 1) required to go elsewhere with police, or 2) deprived of his freedom of movement for more than a brief period of time, or 3) subjected to more force than is reasonably part of an investigative detention. > So, if an officer has said or done things that would cause a reasonable person to believe that he was not free to leave or to decline the contact with the police and either the subject is required to leave and go elsewhere with police or a detention persists for more than a short while, or more force is used than is reasonable to simply restrain someone, then that person has been arrested.
baby 12y ago
This happens when you put idiots in a position of power. I've seen that everywhere in the world, not just in the US.
616c 12y ago
Different anecdote. I majored in Arabic. I have a chip on my shoulder. I live in the Arab world, and have stickers from many countries in the Arab world, and Iran, AND China (lived there teaching with a family for a year). Beyond being asked what I do for work in my country residence. I have never been harassed. I expected the opposite and joke about it often. I carry novels in Arabic, and used to carry learning materials for Persian/Farsi. I have not been stopped once. Whether or not you helped, thanks to this guy for making this effort.
- tomsthumb 12y ago
  What is your ethnicity?
keerthiko 12y ago
I grew up in Oman, and my Indian passport is issued from there. It's mentioned as a place of issue, but most TSA offices have never heard of "Oman." However, I have a few entry/exit stamps from Oman (where my parents live), which obviously involves some Arabic. When traveling in the US, if these pages get seen, I'm pulled for special screening and emptying out my baggage. Back in college I sometimes rushed to the airport straight after finals week and packing my dorm room, so I may not have shaved a couple days, and I was almost guaranteed to have to deal with an extra hour of special checking (which I would probably have to have dealt with anyway, so it was more important to reach the airport early than to shave). They'd make me go get my checked luggage and empty every suitcase and identify every item there and I'd have to pack it all back again. At least the random stuff they'd confiscate like pickled lemons from my mom would create extra space in my bag making it a bit easier to pack in a hurry. I've never actually been detained or questioned or made to miss a flight because of this, but I think that's just dumb luck and not because the process is just or reasonable. It's one thing I do not miss at all since leaving the states, airport security in America.
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arca_vorago 12y ago
Regardless of what you think here, TSA is theater and is not effective, and not only does it not protect us, it actually threatens our dignity and rights. The problem is that the lower level employees don't realize their part in the theatre play ongoing.
ender89 12y ago
The most baffling thing about this whole situation is that one would think that learning a language would be a very futile pursuit for a suicide bomber.
tomjen3 12y ago
Some closure? You have closure when the TSA is abolished and the people involved are hanged for treason, not before.

485 points by tellarin 12y ago

"Five years ago, the Philadelphia police thought that carrying Arabic-language flashcards was enough to warrant the arrest of an innocent traveler." From a norwegian standpoint, where police are not allowed to wear guns, it's fascinating to see how the answer to security problems is more police, harder prison sentences and more violence. What about increasing happiness? In northern Ireland they eventually got rid of terrorism after they started realising that happy people are much less likely to become terrorists.

darkhorn 12y ago
What they did in northern Ireland to make people more happy?
- dalke 12y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_peace_process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ireland_peace_process . There's no easy answer. It was a lot of work. I don't know enough to summarize the process.
- adventured 12y ago
  It wasn't specific to just the north. Ireland slashed the corporate tax rate, set up a global tax evasion hub, and lured thousands of very large companies to their shores, drastically boosting employment and skill development, which took their per capita income from half of Britain's to greater than Britain's in ~20 years. That significantly reduced the number of disgruntled persons, reducing the supply of terrorist-willing types and reducing the native support for such behavior.
  - gaius 12y ago
    Don't forget the buckets of money "from the EU" (i.e. The UK). And the British jobs lured there by the artificially low taxes. Like Scotland, Ireland plays the victim card very well to extort money from the English.
    - adventured 12y ago
      Definitely, it was an expensive peace. I suppose most are though.
    - GFK_of_xmaspast 12y ago
      Given the historical realities of the English-Irish relationship, good for them.
    - coldtea 12y ago
      >Like Scotland, Ireland plays the victim card very well to extort money from the English. Yeah, if only the British haven't raped their freedoms, they'd be playing the victim totally virtually.
      - gaius 12y ago
        Look up the Barnett Formula and the West Lothian Question. The history of the UK is the history of the exploitation of the English.
        deleted 12y ago
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        mcguire 12y ago
        Absolutely. The English should have kicked the Scots and Northern Irish loose a long time ago. Hell, they missed their chance last year.
        ambrood 12y ago
        Oh c'mon. The parliament in Westminster is effectively the English parliament, the MPs from outside England notwithstanding.
- pjc50 12y ago
  Among many other things, reform of the police with firm commitment to even-handed policing. De-escalating the police and military response to fears of terrorism. Involving the Catholic/republican community in the political process.
joesmo 12y ago
This is America (and specifically Philadelphia where the police is especially corrupt). The goal of police is not to stop terrorism or crime but simply to fill up the jails and create profit for themselves and others by reaching or passing their quotas and making high-profile arrests. And sometimes, ad demonstrated by recent NYPD events, they don't even do their jobs and still get paid. Crime prevention and offender rehabilitation are not the goals of modern American policing and the modern American prison system respectively. Profit is.
- chrislgrigg 12y ago
  This is a bit of the stretch. Philadelphia is a complex city with complex problems and its police department reflects this. It has plenty of problems but it also has a lot of cops who care.
  - existencebox 12y ago
    Growing up in Philly, that was not the perception of the kids who got thrown into dumpsters during a police raid on a prom. This is anecdotal, but in one of the hotbeds of police/citizen conflict, I don't think it serves a purpose to try and pull the "there are always good ones" card. Yes, there are, but until the systemic problems are dealt with they aren't the ones having an impact.
    - pluma 12y ago
      There were good Wehrmacht soldiers, too. Can't blame Allied soldiers for shooting at them, though. I'm saying that as a German, mind you.
      - existencebox 12y ago
        This is absolutely a complete and utter tangent but you touched on something I've really been wondering about: Watching a lot of ken burns lately, heard him tell quite a few stories of German regular army officers going out of their way to protect enemy combatants/POWs from being killed/taken to death camps to the extent that there seemed to be quite the little power struggle from among the nazi ranks; naturally (but unfortunately) since it was an American documentary it wasn't the primary focus, but I'd love to hear of any german made documentaries that do justice to the "people" side of things from the non-american point of view. (maybe this is assumptive and rude but I figured a German on HN would be the best person to ask; hope it wasn't too out of place!)
anomalous 12y ago
I don't know that it's worthwhile to compare small countries with ethnically homogenous populations, homogenous communities, different social values, and citizens with reduced access to weaponry to a large, ethnically diverse nation, with diverse and segregated communities, with different social values and history, and citizens with greater access to firearms.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- pjc50 12y ago
  thomasfl's comment did point out Northern Ireland, whose communities were so segregated there's a mini Berlin wall in part of the city ("Peace Line"), and where there's plenty of firearms and also high explosives. Disarmament was a critical and controversial part of the peace process.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
    After reading your comment and it's parent I had this thought: Whereas the case for firearm ownership in the US is ostensibly to call to arms a militia to overthrow a tyrannical government, what has actually happened is the populace are too busy shooting each other to realise tyranny. Although, I think, to believe what I just wrote requires a bunch of biases and leaps of faith with regard to rates of violence governmental tyranny. I'm reading Steven Pinker's 'The Better Angels of Our Nature', which is doing a good job of highlighting that, even in the US, violence has decreased over time. Edit: a word
  - tankenmate 12y ago
    Actually there are several peace walls in Belfast; and also there are more now than there were during the '70s / '80s. Also, there are parties on both sides of the divide who are still armed; it's just the largest and most politically engaged groups who are no longer armed.
- Zigurd 12y ago
  > homogenous populations What I think you mean to say is "populations that are treated with equal discretion and respect by police, and, when they are very young, by school discipline." Otherwise someone might think you are a racist.
jkot 12y ago
Yeah, Norway is shinning beacon of humanity. Except barnevernet which has even lamer excuses and is for life, not 5 hours.
- pgrote 12y ago
  I was ignorant of the term, but am unsure how it is different than other country's child services. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Welfare_Services_(Norway) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Welfare_Services_(Norway...
  - jkot 12y ago
    Norway has way too many similar cases, for such small country of only 5 million people. Barnevernet also puts artificial obstructions for adoption by biological relatives, such as grandparents. As someone said, accused parents in such cases have less rights than Breivik.
    - ambrood 12y ago
      I recall a diplomatic incident with India when they tried to take away custody of Indian citizen children from their parents and put them in foster care or something.
    - thanksgiving 12y ago
      > As someone said, accused parents in such cases have less rights than Breivik. Hang on a minute. Here in the US, my tax dollars support your children. WIC and Food Stamps and school lunch programs which come from my tax dollars ensure your infants and children do not starve in case something happens to you or your income. As a parent, you get to claim tax deductions which means more money out of my pocket to cover for the loss of tax revenue. As I see it, your children are not your property. The children belong to the community at large. They are my investment. If you are damaging our collective investment, I very much expect you to be relieved of your duties to take care of my investment.
      - 12y ago
klunger 12y ago
As an American who lives in Norway, I understand just how confusing this may be to you. The difference, I have come to believe after living here for a few years, stems from a different perspective on long- and short-term interests. Americans are, in general, I think (please note this is my opinion and do not down vote me for making this observation) more likely to support solutions that appear to resolve the given issue in the most intuitive and seemingly fastest way. While the intention may be good, this rather simplistic view contradicts the reality that subtler, research-based and longer-view solutions are often the wiser choice. Examples of this include things like research into prison sentences and conditions and their relation to recidivism rates; or ideas about parental leave being better for businesses in the long term, despite the short term loss of productivity. In this particular case, it is an issue of very short-term thinking from the police who do not realize that their draconian tactics, which seemingly are for the best interest of security today, are in fact more likely to engender civil unrest (or emigration, in my case, since I have no appetite for that) in the long run.
- hueving 12y ago
  You're right about the desire for short term goals. However, only focusing on long term solutions is not a luxury the US has. It has made many enemies who are trying to actively harm US citizens. It does need better long term strategies to prevent future enemies, but it also needs to deal with the people that already believe their path to a wonderful afterlife is achieved via blowing themselves up in populated places. Keep in mind the US is always going to be on someone's bad side as long as they assume the role of world watch dog. It's convenient for Norway to wash their hands of any messy killings, but they don't seem to care for the spread of ISIS either.
pluma 12y ago
But making sad people happier imposes on the liberty of happy people to be happier than the sad people. Something something nanny state.

Beltiras 12y ago

I'm a bit worried about my trip to the US in the spring. I'm going to make a point of having a hair cut, not carrying any suspicious books, cultivate a super submissive nature against authority figures (of which I carry a well-deserved suspicion) and practive my TSA-smile. Shouldn't have to be that way, but I really don't want to give any indication I am anything but White Bread.

task_queue 12y ago
We have selected you for further screening. Something about suspicious posts on the internet.
RankingMember 12y ago
Relax. Trust me, you'll do a lot better to not be Mr. Guy Smiley- that would be much more suspicious. Just put on your bored face and do as Romans do. On the other hand, it would be humorous if you wore a shirt, pants, and underwear with the American Flag on them. It'd make the TSA look extra ridiculous during a strip search, so make that Option B.
adekok 12y ago
The truth is that millions of people a year travel, and don't have any problems. So you're most likely to be OK. The worrying part is that you don't know what will be "alerted" on. Flash cards? Pictures of your kids in the bath? You have no idea.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  > The truth is that millions of people a year travel, and don't have any problems. He's not worried about being one of those that won't have any problems. He's worried about becoming one of those that did and that chance is way too high.
  - dmix 12y ago
    I got secondary-screened upon arrival because: - I told the border guy I got paid via 'PayPal' and he had no idea what that was, they had to spend 20min Googling it - My friends friend paid for our plane tickets, so they grilled us why we didnt buy our own - I made a mistake on the customs claims sheet where I crossed something out and replaced it. Apparently they think this means you are trying to hide something and need to look through every piece of luggage, including possible hiding places in the luggage (that didnt turn out to exist). There are countless reasons to get harassed. Hardly has to do with obvious security issues.

morganvachon 12y ago

Between this glaring infringement of First Amendment, and Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, and the push to lock up the borders preventing easy egress from the US[1], it's really starting to feel like the United States is the world's largest prison. Sure, we (mostly) have freedom of movement and rights within the borders, but try to leave or come in and you end up harassed and detained for no reason. [1] http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2015/01/23/119302/higgins-sounds-alarm-on-bill-he-said-would-cripple-northern-border-and-kill-jobs http://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2015/01/23/119...

jkot 12y ago

Yet another story from american airport. It kind of reminds me soviet countries, where people would get prosecuted for speaking English. On other side author was detained for 5 hours. That is practically rounding error in __ANY__ country. I would argue there are other causes, more worthy money and effort.

intopieces 12y ago
> I would argue there are other causes, more worthy money and effort. Serious question: How many hours does a person have to be detained illegally in the United States for it to warrant money and effort from the ACLU? You appear to have a specific metric for when injustice warrants response and I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you to task about it.
- jkot 12y ago
  Serious cases starts somewhere around 2 months. Around that time permanent damage starts to pile up. I am not sure what exact laws are in US. But in most countries police has right to detain people up to 24 hours without a warrant. I think in that case it was 'illegal' because police officer forgot some paperwork or said something explicit on record. Easy shot for ACLU.
  - intopieces 12y ago
    The issue is that when you give the police an inch, they beat you to within that inch of your life. The system in place in most countries sounds horrifying when put into the context of the American policing system.
    - jkot 12y ago
      I understand where are you getting. But this is wrong battleground. Even most peace-full country, will have airport security with some sort of right to detain people. For example they could claim his passport is fake, and detain him until he proves his identity otherwise. This case does not really solve anything. With more similar cases, parliament just passes new law: Airport has special security rule, is not US soil until you pass some checkpoint whatever. Real solution is to go after causes where it really hurts. This guy got $5.000/hour. Now imagine someone who spend 7 months in jail at this rate.

mathetic 12y ago

> "Do you know who did 9/11?" Taken totally aback, I answered: "Osama Bin Laden." Then she asked me if I knew what language Osama Bin Laden spoke. "Arabic," I replied. "So do you see why these cards are suspicious?" she finished. As horrific as the situation, I think we can all enjoy the humorous nature of the conversation above. Lack of shame and intelligence is surreal.

lazyant 12y ago
Yes, that line sounds more fit for "The Simpsons" than real life.
yabatopia 12y ago
"Do you know who did 9/11? Osama Bin Laden! And did you know that Osama Bin Laden had shoes? So you see why your shoes are suspicious and we have to arrest you?"
- pluma 12y ago
  Add one more step and it sounds like something out of Monty Python.
- ecdavis 12y ago
  "It is cheap, basic and widely available around the world. Yet the Casio F-91W digital watch was declared to be "the sign of al-Qaida" and a contributing factor to continued detention of prisoners by the analysts stationed at Guantánamo Bay. Briefing documents used to train staff in assessing the threat level of new detainees advise that possession of the F-91W – available online for as little as £4 – suggests the wearer has been trained in bomb making by al-Qaida in Afghanistan." http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/25/guantanamo-files-casio-wristwatch-alqaida http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/25/guantanamo-file...
  - MichaelGG 12y ago
    Available on Amazon for ten bucks: http://www.amazon.com/Casio-F91W-Digital-Sports-Watch/dp/B00KZA5O4W http://www.amazon.com/Casio-F91W-Digital-Sports-Watch/dp/B00... Looks nice enough for what it is and the price.

Red_Tarsius 12y ago

For a moment I thought the title was a Clojure joke. Anyway, this must be the 10th article I read about the paranoid surveilance system at USA airports. So many bad experiences, it actually makes me fearful of coming to USA, but I'm sure that's the point they want to make.

navytank 12y ago

Haha, this was a friend of mine! According to his retellings, the day also included: * Being asked if he was a communist * Asking one police officer why he was being detained, and being answered "I don't know, what'd you do?"

darkstar999 12y ago
That second one is in the article.

revelation 12y ago

Great of the ACLU to post the actual court orders and opinions that would otherwise locked behind a rent-seeking government contractors "portal". Here is why we can't have nice things: We caution, however, that the detention at the hands of these TSA Officials is at the outer boundary of the Fourth Amendment. Once TSA Officials were satisfied that George was not armed or carrying explosives, much of the concern that justified his detention dissipated. However, it did not totally vanish or suggest that further inquiry was not warranted. Suspicion remained, and that suspicion was objectively reasonable given the realities and perils of air passenger safety. The TSA Officials still were confronted with an individual who was carrying Arabic-English flashcards bearing such words as: “bomb,” “terrorist,” “to kill,” etc. In a world where air passenger safety must contend with such nuanced threats as attempts to convert underwear into bombs and shoes into incendiary devices, we think that the brief detention that followed the initial administrative search of George was reasonable. (https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-rehiel_3rd_cir_qi_ruling.pdf https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-reh...) It's basically pages upon pages of personal opinions and value judgements. At the end of the day, the law does nothing to protect you when the judge dealing with the government appeal is a right-wing nutjob that attaches no significance to constitutional freedoms.

deleted 12y ago

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jqm 12y ago

This is horrible, and the abuses of police and security personal in the US are egregious. In addition, US foreign policy as of late (late being the the last 150 years or so) is also pretty lame. That said, I often suspect there is more to stories like this than is being told. More than the book and flashcards. A suspicious look. Furtive eye movement in the TSA line. A "look" that might be interpreted as capable of violence. And lastly, pissing someone with a gun and a badge off with an insolent attitude. None of which makes what happened right of course. But maybe there is more to the story.

jpindar 12y ago
"He did not know how long she had been looking at him, but perhaps for as much as five minutes, and it was possible that his features had not been perfectly under control. It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself--anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offence. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: FACECRIME, it was called."
- jqm 12y ago
  Yep. I think that's exactly the kind of thing they look for. What I didn't realize was better stated above. 80 cards handed to TSA agent 10 of which contained "alarming" words in Arabic. I thought there was more to the story. Not justifying this arrest but really.... what does a reasonable person expect from cops and security agencies? Almost seems like deliberate antagonism rather than being innocently caught up.... but who knows.

DanBC 12y ago

Don't talk about bombs in an airport. While the reaction from security staff is stupid you have to be a fucking idiot to think that hand-written flashcards with words like... > “bomb,” “terrorist,” “explosion,” “attack,” “battle,” “kill,” “to target,” “to kidnap,” and “to wound.” ...are not going to arouse suspicion, especially among low-paid staff with little training. https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-rehiel_3rd_cir_qi_ruling.pdf https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-reh...

zo1 12y ago
I wouldn't chalk it all off to "low-pay" and "little-training". Those things wouldn't necessarily be a problem, even if they were the cause, if adequate repercussions were in place for such behavior. Everything else aside, how are we to expect them to behave accordingly and justly if we do not punish/reprimand them for doing the opposite?
sebular 12y ago
Wow, what a disappointing response. Talking about bombs at the airport is not the same as having literature in your carry-on with the word "bomb" on it. The last novel I brought on a flight talked extensively about bombs, should I have tossed it in the garbage before going through security? When people like you rationalize every individual curtailment on civil liberties without considering the bigger implications and precedents being set, that's how you wake up to discover you've completely lost freedoms that your parents took for granted. And you go even further, talking about how citizens should have to consider how their actions are going to be perceived by low-paid, under-educated TSA agents, rather than giving a moment's pause to wonder why low-paid, under-educated TSA agents are handling security for our nation's airports. Question nothing, blame the victim. Superb critical thinking.
- zaroth 12y ago
  Not in carry-on. Passed a stack of cards directly to an agent. Almost comically stupid. TSA's job is to alert on oddities. A stack of cards with Arabic on one side and English words like "bomb" and "terrorist"... This takes the cake. TSA alerts as they should, they are not qualified to do any more. The police should have called this guy an idiot and told him to get lost but it doesn't surprise me that it was beyond their pay grade and it took a few hours to call in a unit that could actual evaluate this guy. Read Section I of the court doc and this is actually a reasonable edge-case [1]. Not to mention the recent travel to the middle east! https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-rehiel_3rd_cir_qi_ruling.pdf https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/assets/george-v-reh...

hownottowrite 12y ago

Summary of Agreement (not judgement): 1. Plaintiff received $25K (directed to ACLU legal and subject to tax) 2. Philadelphia PD must communicate the following for a period of months: "Investigative detentions may be made only on reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct and any arrest must be based on probable cause. A referral by TSA agents is not grounds for arrest unless an officer makes a judgment ofprobable cause; similarly, referral by TSA agents is not grounds for detention unless an officer makes a judgment that there is reasonable suspicion ofcriminal conduct. Any detentions or arrests should be documented on appropriate police paperwork consistent with PPD Directives." 3. No admission of wrong doing or error on anyone's behalf

pmorici 12y ago
Seems like a lame outcome. If there is no admission or finding of wrong doing it really feels like there was no accountability whatsoever. The $25k is a rounding error and looks more like a token payment than anything else. They don't even have to make that paragraph part of their permanent police training. edit: How did they manage to drag this out for 5 years and still not have an actual judge or jury rule on this.
- afiedler 12y ago
  (Disclaimer: IANAL) Reading through the history of the case[1], it looks like the District Court ruled that the Federal TSA officers involved were entitled to qualified immunity under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The reasoning was that the TSA followed appropriated procedures and wasn't responsible for the longer (few hour) detention by the Philly Police. In my opinion, that seems reasonable. The TSA only detained him for 15-30 mins to question him about the cards, then turned him over the the state police. After that ruling, the parties settled. I'm not sure why the case wasn't pursued further against the Philly Police. It could be that the case wasn't likely to succeed under Pennsylvania law, or maybe the ACLU wasn't interested in continuing to pursue it, since a Pennsylvania precedent wouldn't be a "worthwhile" expenditure of ACLU resources. [1]: https://www.aclu.org/national-security/george-v-tsa https://www.aclu.org/national-security/george-v-tsa

userbinator 12y ago

It reminds me of this: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html "I was arrested for possessing a debugger"

coin 12y ago

He was never arrested but rather detailed.

mcguire 12y ago
The difference between arrest and detainment is one of the troubling issues in these kinds of stories. He would have been better off if he had been arrested.
goodcanadian 12y ago
A common misconception. Police try to make that distinction to avoid complaints, but the fact is that if they stop you for even a moment on the street to talk to you, from a legal point or view, you have been arrested. If you ask if you are free to go, and the answer is not an immediate, "yes," you have been arrested. There are clear rules about when they can do that and how long they can hold you without charge. He was definitely arrested. I'm a bit surprised that he did not win an unlawful confinement suit, but then I don't know all of the details.
joshuaheard 12y ago
The issue is whether you are free to leave. If a cop stops you on the street and asks you some questions, you are detained. If a cop puts hand cuffs on you, or puts you in the back of his car, or in a jail cell, you are arrested.

kmonsen 12y ago

What happens to your flight tickets in this situation? Do the airline give you a ticket to the next flight or do they just think you are too late for the current one and bad luck?

khuey 12y ago
The airlines are generally accommodating.

bdg 12y ago

Of all the countries in the world, this is the one I am the most terrified of ever setting foot in. At least if I went to a place like Mogadishu, I may be at risk, but I know they don't have the resources to waste on finding out unknown knowns.

ceejayoz 12y ago
> At least if I went to a place like Mogadishu, I may be at risk, but I know they don't have the resources to waste on finding out unknown knowns. Many of the places without those resources default to "you're fucked", not "we can't prove anything, let him go!"

droithomme 12y ago

I see some are saying that holding someone handcuffed in a cell for 5 hours is not an arrest but is only a brief detention, aka Terry Stop. This is unequivocally false. The situation described was an arrest. Here is some information about what an arrest is. http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/details?id=2167 http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/d... > What, then, is a correct definition of arrest, for purposes of federal Constitutional law? An arrest is a seizure of a person in which the subject is 1) required to go elsewhere with police, or 2) deprived of his freedom of movement for more than a brief period of time, or 3) subjected to more force than is reasonably part of an investigative detention. > So, if an officer has said or done things that would cause a reasonable person to believe that he was not free to leave or to decline the contact with the police and either the subject is required to leave and go elsewhere with police or a detention persists for more than a short while, or more force is used than is reasonable to simply restrain someone, then that person has been arrested.

baby 12y ago

This happens when you put idiots in a position of power. I've seen that everywhere in the world, not just in the US.

616c 12y ago

Different anecdote. I majored in Arabic. I have a chip on my shoulder. I live in the Arab world, and have stickers from many countries in the Arab world, and Iran, AND China (lived there teaching with a family for a year). Beyond being asked what I do for work in my country residence. I have never been harassed. I expected the opposite and joke about it often. I carry novels in Arabic, and used to carry learning materials for Persian/Farsi. I have not been stopped once. Whether or not you helped, thanks to this guy for making this effort.

tomsthumb 12y ago
What is your ethnicity?

keerthiko 12y ago

I grew up in Oman, and my Indian passport is issued from there. It's mentioned as a place of issue, but most TSA offices have never heard of "Oman." However, I have a few entry/exit stamps from Oman (where my parents live), which obviously involves some Arabic. When traveling in the US, if these pages get seen, I'm pulled for special screening and emptying out my baggage. Back in college I sometimes rushed to the airport straight after finals week and packing my dorm room, so I may not have shaved a couple days, and I was almost guaranteed to have to deal with an extra hour of special checking (which I would probably have to have dealt with anyway, so it was more important to reach the airport early than to shave). They'd make me go get my checked luggage and empty every suitcase and identify every item there and I'd have to pack it all back again. At least the random stuff they'd confiscate like pickled lemons from my mom would create extra space in my bag making it a bit easier to pack in a hurry. I've never actually been detained or questioned or made to miss a flight because of this, but I think that's just dumb luck and not because the process is just or reasonable. It's one thing I do not miss at all since leaving the states, airport security in America.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

arca_vorago 12y ago

Regardless of what you think here, TSA is theater and is not effective, and not only does it not protect us, it actually threatens our dignity and rights. The problem is that the lower level employees don't realize their part in the theatre play ongoing.

ender89 12y ago

The most baffling thing about this whole situation is that one would think that learning a language would be a very futile pursuit for a suicide bomber.

tomjen3 12y ago

Some closure? You have closure when the TSA is abolished and the people involved are hanged for treason, not before.