Posted on 08/26/2016 10:32:05 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
I have long been a believer that, in most cases, a private company will do a more effective and efficient job than any government agency charged with the same task. My recent travel experience solidified that belief.
It all started out with a half-empty water bottle at Ronald Reagan National Airport just outside the District of Columbia.
I had checked in the night before, checked my bag at the curbside when I arrived, and now had a full hour to go through security. With Congress gone since late July and much of the District emptied out until Labor Day, I didn’t expect long security lines. I was right. I breezed through in two minutes, until…
Like many airline passengers, I had forgotten to take my plastic bottle of water out of my bag before placing it on the moving belt for security screening. So, naturally, the screener pulled my bag and after I waltzed through the body image scanner with no hiccups, I joined the Transportation Security Administration agent assigned to check my bag.
As I suspected, the water bottle was the culprit but he still had to do a mandatory chemical test of my bag. That’s when they take those little black sticks with swatches on the end and rub them over your belongings, or sometimes the palms of your hands, and then run them through a machine. Fairly routine. Except this time my swatch sent off an alarm. No noise, just a flashing “Alarm” text on the machine’s computer screen. So, they tried again. Same response.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...
Submit, serf. And rejoice your borders are wide open...keeping you safe.
Ummm...remind me again who it was that thought the TSA was a good idea...
What infuriated me was when the TSA did a beat down of a mentally impaired young woman; images shows her with blood on her face after they slammed her to the floor. Then there was this five year old kid in a wheelchair but don’t get me going on that one.
Traveled to Houston for this past Christmas and just got back from vacation in Scotland.
In Houston, I had a jar of limoncello curd (that would be pudding, not a liquid). They confiscated it - AFTER making sure I told them the recipe I was going to use it for.
In Scotland, I had some small bottles of scotch packed in my carry on. The security screener in Scotland let me work it out with someone who was traveling with me so I didn’t violate the rules about maximum amount of liquid. If it had been in the US, the TSA would have confiscated all my scotch and sent me on my way. Buncha of thieves.
The TSA is horrifying.
I love that graphic. It may be hyperbolic, but it accurately describes the abject usefulness of this agency.
I have no plans to fly, ever, because of the TSA BS.
All that saved me is his colleagues were gathering to take a break, so he left my stuff in a pile and rushed off to follow them so he wouldn't miss his break. Real einsteins work there.
LOVE that gif!! Have been looking for it, for a while. Thanks for posting :) :)
We’ve gone ahead & paid for the TSA pre-check to cut down on nonsense, but they still make it a nightmare. Coming in through Customs is another one that needs to be looked at!
Wasn’t it among others Tom Dashle who repeatedly stated you don’t professionalize until you federalize during Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell and Rice’s watch.
56,000 additional unionized government employees.
In other words, a Democrat dream.
I had the same problem, flying from Hawaii, a few years ago. They wanted to do a “wipe test” on my laptop. I said sure, but I want to see the calibration sheet for the spectrometer. She gave me a very puzzled look. The gal called her supervisor and I told him the same thing. He told me to have a safe flight.
She brought it on herself when she took the open bottle of liquid through.
She brought mass incompetency upon herself?
Wow. I'd ask if that was sarcasm, but I know better.
I was pulled aside because of a cream prescription drug. In my case the drug did not set off any alarms but I was still subject to a pat down, having the entire contents of my bag reviewed, and a 20 minute wait for the explosives expert to review my prescription. I explained that the drug was in my carry on as the medicine was temperature sensitive. As a side note, I packed it in my checked in baggage for the return flight. Boy what a mess when I opened it. Unhappy about my experience but glad I had my prescription for the two weeks I was in an area where getting a refill was impossible.
What about the people that go through these "searches" due to a random selection? Are they at fault, too?
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