TSA wrecks Texas caribou hunters meat

The Anchorage Daily News ^ | May 31st | Craig Medred

[_Jim]

    Well, let's start with you're opinion of the impact a bomb

Step 1: Substituting in the above sentence full words for contractions before attempting comprehension:

    Well, let's start with you are opinion of the impact a bomb ...

Step 2: Attempt comprehension of the written text:

Error, sentence does not compute as phrased ...

[4Freedom]

The truck or car that brought this box to the airport or a table it was placed on could have had black powder or gun powder residue on them that the box picked up.

If this box made TSA's ETD machine alarm, this guy's lucky he received it at all.

I'm not crazy about this whole TSA thing either, but this may not be entirely their fault.

Oh, and TSA employees are non-union, so far.

[4Freedom]

I apologize for the typo, so what's your opinion?

[Jarhead_22]

And you know the rules are not being enforced, how?

I know the rules are not being enforced because this guy's meat, that wan't supposed to be touched, was ruined.

Do you know this person has not/will not be disciplined?

Even if discipline is forthcoming, that helps Mr. Williams how?

[Jhoffa_]

I'm not crazy about this whole TSA thing either, but this may not be entirely their fault.

The article says they broke the rules.. It is their fault.

Oh, and TSA employees are non-union, so far.

Aren't the screeners TSA? If so, they are union.

[Trust but Verify]

See post #39. Would you have them just pass packages with explosive residue through without further inspection? I suspect not.

The TSA is in a no win situation with a lot of people on this forum. Damned if they do. Damned if they don't.

[_Jim]

... impact [an exploding] bomb ...

That would be a major catastrophe.

Wouldn't you agree?

No.

I would classify it as a manageable experience.

Look at the really, minimal effect the bomb that went off had, overall, at the summer games in Atlanta a few years back ...

[4Freedom]

I feel sorry for Mr. Williams, but this meat might have been packed at a hunting lodge where the box somehow came into contact with explosive residue that set off TSA's ETD machine.

Would you want to fly with a box, that tested positive for the presence of explosives, that TSA was afraid to physically inspect because there might be expensive meat inside?

Sorry, but if any other passenger's any damn package, computer or bag alarms the ETD machine while I'm in line, the TSA better investigate that alarm.

If some passenger goads the TSA into letting his baggage pass without being thoroughly, physically inspected after it tests positive for the presence of explosives trace and the TSA can't determine it was a false alarm any other way, I'M NOT GETTING ON THE PLANE, AMIGO.

I don't know about you, but I'm worth more than $28 per pound.

[Rockpile]

Speaking of the Denver Airport--my mother's sister, a septuagenarian widow was travelling with a church group to Mexico City about four years ago and was robbed by the Denver airport security thugs. They seized her to be frisked and interrogated as a potential hijacker while one of them stole her money,ID and her PASSPORT. She was in the custody of the security thugs when her purse was robbed. Of course none them saw anything and there was conveniently nothing to be seen on the security cameras. She missed the flight and had to get a temporary passport. Eventually caught up with her group and they took up a little collection for spending money.

I didn't find out about this for a long time and was pretty aggravated that nobody went to an outside agency like the state police or FBI but they didn't.

Rockpile-----Airline free since 1985.

[American in Israel]

You bring up good points, but the food was wrapped in paper and the paper showed that in some cases they did not even bother to check the meat, they just cut it and moved on.

You may be right about the meat packages triggering something with trace residue, but xray would have worked.

I know that shipping meat by airlines does not work anyway, a few Americans have tried to ship good roast beef and steaks over here and it never makes it. (Kosher beef vacumes, nothing like a thick American Steak hot off of the grill). Somehow the suitcases ALWAYS gets "lost" and you get it back next week in a rather ripe state. We figure the dogs trigger on a juicy steak every time and the suitcases are delayed.

Serious Bummer. I am jonesin for a real steak...

[Squantos]

Eggzactly ! Airlines will go the path of trains. Absorbed by goobermint and you'll then pay for your ticket at the counter and or mine April 16th of every year.

I will not subject myself or my family to such fake safety measures that have no problem shooting me from the sky with an F-16 but worries about an armed, pilot having small arms conceiled upon their person for defense of the cockpit.

Their excuse.....he could kill a lot of people.............not that he couldn't flying the dang plane into the dirt.

Drive when ya can for now but look forward to seeing all those neat rest stops on the interstates being used for safety inspections in the future. Thats the next step for them to take IMO.

Stay Safe !

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Cutting open packaged game meat or fish is against both TSA policy and procedure, he added.

I'll bet you dollars for donuts that this was the work of some emplyee at the TSA that was determined to teach a lesson to what they perceived as a gun weilding, Bambi killing Right Wingnut.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"The government doesn't have any customer service,'' he said.

Nor should it. They work for us! We are the ones that should dock our workers when they don't perform to previously agreed-to standards and practices.

[4Freedom]

"...manageable experience."

A large bomb exploding among as many as 2,000 men, women and children waiting in line at a crowded checkpoint would be a "manageable experience"?

Not to mention the major terminal damage and gore that would take days or weeks to repair and clean away?

What if it wasn't an isolated incident?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Who has the boxcutters now?

Check eBay.

[_Jim]

   A large bomb exploding ...

A 'large' bomb', as you put it, would impose significant 'weight' and volume requirements on it's 'human transport host' and would be more than just a little OBVIOUS as well ... all factors leading to it's discovery (the way MOST ALL of these 'nuts' are discovered before they are able to complete their 'task') ...

No points - not a viable, hypothetical situation.

Try again ...

[4Freedom]

I have done a lot of traveling in the Caribbean and the locals there always seem to be lugging carry-on bags loaded with frozen food. Along with butcher knives and all kinds of things you'd never believe.

As I recall, the x-ray machine operators can't see through food that's frozen solid, regardless if it's wrapped in paper, plastic or aluminum foil.

Next time I'm in line at a checkpoint, I'll ask one of the Screeners about it, again. You might do the same. We can compare notes.

I'm a steak lover, too. Butter-basted over white-hot coals. Mmmm, mmmm, nothing beats that.

[4Freedom]

Jim, I see passengers 'carry-on' bags that weigh close to 100 lbs every time I travel. They check bags that weigh as much onto the plane all the time.

But the scenario we're discussing is one in which a large bomb explodes in line before any airport employees ever take a look at it or ascertain its weight or even wonder about the bags contents.

A big guy could load one of those wheeled bags with a couple of hundred pounds of explosives and get right in line and then detonate it before he ever tries to pass it though the x-ray machine.

Nobody's scrutinizing the passengers or their baggage up to that point at any of the airports I've been to.

Completely, "viable, hypothetical situation."

Wouldn't you agree?

[eno_]

The TSA is in a no win situation with a lot of people on this forum.

Untrue. They could use the CAPPS information that WOULD HAVE STOPPED 9/11 to focus on the actual likely terrorists.

Or do you believe it is irrational and/or unreasonable to call the current airport security system and expensive, degrading, ineffective charade?

[eno_]

Look at the really, minimal effect the bomb that went off had, overall, at the summer games in Atlanta a few years back ...

Yeah, as long as there is a domestic nutter to blame it on. Or, as in the case of AA587, an FAA team player willing to destroy their own credibility by declaring "It wasn't terrorism." before the fires are out.