Apparently my daughter's asthma medicine is now considered a national security threat and as a result, was trashed.
Cheers!
The Israelis know how to take care of business. We only know how to take care of political correctness. God help us, it will take another 9/11 to change us.
I wish I'd though of booking El Al for our flight to Europe in three weeks. But no - we're on British Airways, changing planes at Heathrow.
Aw hell.
We have indulged in the sham of airline security since long before 9/11. Recent events haven't changed a thing. Neither the TSA, DHS, nor the Bush Administration are serious about airline security as long as profiling is not part of the security procedures. Making grannies and 4 year-old children take their shoes off while Middle Eastern men between the ages of 17 and 40 walk through the "security" screening untouched, is just BS.
Until we get serious about screening and quit the "Show 'n Tell" method of security screening that makes idiots think they are safe aboard commercial aircraft, we will be attacked and threatened again.
BUMP.
Something to factor in, is Israeli air traffic is insignificant compared to ours. They don't have a lot of people or airports to deal with. - tom
I have experienced, firsthand, what an El Al security check is since I flew from Budapest to Tel Aviv at the end of April 2006. It is a bit disconcerting at first but it is all for the safety of the passengers and crew members. That is why we choose El Al in the first place! It took about 10 minutes, but it seemed like hours, and it was done in an extremely respectful and friendly manner. I enjoyed the flight, touring the country and coming back with El AL to Budapest to continue my holidays. Would fly with them every chance I get. Try them, you will love them!
I always thought the proper response was "Carry your gun if you've got it." Or maybe handing out knives or batons to passengers as they boarded. After 9/11, everyone knows that the government's lies about "just relax and don't fight back; we'll take care of you" was a bunch of BS. The terrorists would have to know there would be a bunch more flight 93's if the people on board knew it was up to them.
The terrorists will be successful if they can get us to alter our lives to meet their threats.
Which is exactly what the P.C. elite are doing for them.
You daughter's medicine isn't considered a national security threat. It was not possible for them to confirm what it was, and they decided it best to let you trash it vs taking a chance on your possibly sneaking liquid exposives aboard an airplane. Sorry, but they found that very scenario was going to be used by the terrorists in Britain.
On Sat, I flew and, knowing my meds and such were a potential problem, I put them in my checked luggage. Obviously not everyone had been aware of that resolution, and some require immediate access to the meds. But what else could they do?
Thanks for the info, so, I may not be able to take my rescue inhaler onboard the airplane? I mention it, because I'm flying to Orlando in less than a week.
I'm kidding of course. I expected the brain dead civil servants.
BTTT
Additionally, I'm sure many restaurants in airports are seeing declining sales. I used to get my dinner at the airport after arriving if I had an afternoon/evening flight, but I do this no more as I have to retrieve my baggage and can not re-enter to go to the restaurant.
Amen.
The difference is that while the Transportation Security Administration screens out weapons, El Al screens out terrorists. While the TSA would not mind a weaponless terrorist on board a US flight, El Al on the other hand has no problem with a regular civilian with a potential weapon.
What an absolute load of crap.
http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/BenGurion/InformationforTravelers/SecurityInstructions/
(FYI: I couldn't get the web page to work right with firefox)
If you fly out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the recommend that you arrive three hours prior to your flight.
It is prohibited to carry sharp tools or utensils, such as pocketknives, scissors, nail files, etc, in your handbags or on your body.
Entering the terminal with a personal weapon is absolutely prohibited!
As the author mentions they are going to ask you lots of questions. They aren't going to only ask those questions if the person appears to be an Arab.
They do not just rely on profiling to pick out the most obvious candidates, the screen everyone considerably more throughly than we do here in the US.
If you think the procedures we go through here consist of suffering through indignities, you're going to face even more indignities there than you do here.
The author acts like flying out of Israel an American would fact less hassle boarding a plane than they do here, however the facts they present don't support that.
The author claims that profiling is used instead of the cumbersome regulations we use here. However, the evidence doesn't support that either.
While the government in the US avoids using the term profiling, they unquestionably do profile passengers looking for suspicious things. They endeavor to avoid messy, and generally useless legal battles by avoiding explicit "racial profiling". However, they do have different policies regarding citizens of different countries, and the FBI does investigate people who have a lot of ties to suspicious people in foreign countries, and such suspicions can land someone on the no fly list.
I'm not arguing against profiling. I think it's an excellent tool to use to concentrate limited resources on the highest risk passengers. I also believe it is a tool the TSA does use, though I think they should be able to use it more broadly than they have explicitly been allowed.
By contrast, our new government bureaucracy has given us pat-downs of 10-year-old girls, grandmothers forced to remove their shoes, mothers forced to taste test their own bottled breast milk, and hundreds of thirsty passengers forced to sit through transcontinental flights without books, music, or movies to pass the time.
Children can be overly trusting and susceptible to strangers asking them to carry something through security for them.
While suicidal terrorists tend to be young and idealistic, the elderly can also be extremists, and I've known a number of grandmothers that would be likely to carry something through security for someone who asked nicely without even considering the implications.
The foolish, and rather short lived, provision about tasting the contents of bottles was removed long ago.
Beverages are provided on flights, there no reason for passengers to go thirsty.
Books as well as electronic devices for playing music and video were not banned.
All because we don’t want to take the politically incorrect step of profiling. I’m glad political correctness trumps safety and convenience.
Profiling in Israel has not removed the need for banning certain items on planes there, and the more time consuming questioning they perform reduces convenience.
This article is seriously lacking in accuracy and honesty.
marshmallow: Apparently my daughter's asthma medicine is now considered a national security threat and as a result, was trashed.
If it was a prescription medication it should have been allowed.
They have now updated the regulations so that even if it is an over the counter medication it will be allowed if it contains 4 oz or less.
Their hastily made new regulations in the face of a specific threat did have some shortcomings. However, they are getting better at making changes to them relatively quickly.
Here's a couple useful links at the TSA website with more information. http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/new-items.shtm http://tsa-7.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/tsa.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php
Maybe we should outsource the TSA to Israel.
Bump
"Americans might balk at El Al-style ethnic profiling"? I'm laughing so hard I'm crying. Oh wait, I'm just crying.