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 ...
I flew out of Reagan a few months ago.
I’m in a wheelchair, and they were obsessed with my wheelchair.
When flying up to DC the TSA agents seemed to think I was the threat. I can walk , just not well (MS), but they wanted me to go stand in the scan machine...so I did. They said I needed to put my hands above my head, and I couldn’t get them higher than my shoulders, but that was okay. The wheelchair didn’t draw any special attention.
Coming back from Reagan, the wheelchair was the deal, but I never had to get out of it...they just swabbed the entire chair, and it took a long time, they wanded me.
If some prankster wanted to really screw things up at an airport, all he would have to do is discretely spill a bit of gunpowder on the carpet at the airline check in line.
Suddenly ALL the bags would cause the alarms to go off.
Get Global Entry. My wife and I are going for the interview in two weeks.
Every time I’ve gotten randomly swabbed, I’ve passed the test. I knew a guy who worked for a federal agency that failed the swab test, and got the special treatment behind the curtain. He wasn’t happy about it, but he made sure to wash and rinse his hands very well before trips through security.
In the case described above, the woman had probably used a lotion, hair product, or cosmetic containing glycerin. Nitroglycerin for heart troubles can also trigger the machine, as can fertilizer, and of course ‘gunpowder’ if you load your own, and fireworks.
It’s no secret that the machine looks for glycerin compounds and nitrogen compounds.
Any TSA person who loses their job because of this would soon be working for the private company with the same rules.
How much does that cost a year?
I flew from Green Bay to San Antonio. I had a bottle of water, my toiletries had liquids of more than 3 oz, I had both my laptop and iPad with me and was wearing a coat.
Got to boarding, the agent took my ID and ticket, looked me square in the eye and said, “have a nice flight.” No xray, no pat down, no fluids confiscated.
Saw the agent a while later while I was walking around and asked him why he let me through. I loved his answer. “Your a middle aged white guy probably going home from a business trip. You don’t look Arabic and it’s Friday, so the radicals are at the mosque. I doubt you are going to blow up a plane in Green Bay Wisconsin.”
I was profiled and rightfully so. Israel does it and hasn’t had a problem in 40 years.
One time $100 per person, for life.
Plus, streamlined entry in customs if coming from overseas.
Once, flying from the Dominican Republic (DR) through Puerto Rico. I went through security in the DR just fine. Had to go through customs in Puerto Rico, then through security again, where they confiscated my craft scissors - folding scissors with a blade of maybe 3/4". Then I get to my gate, and see a woman walking by with the same sort of scissors on a lanyard - meaning she'd obviously gone through security without getting her craft scissors confiscated!
My most recent trip from the DR, TSA in NYC took the can of Off that I'd forgotten was in my backback. the irony there was, I had purchased that can at a shop in that very airport on my way down to the DR!
Neither was a huge loss, but seemed a bit petty.
Still worth it if you fly with any frequency as it gives you automatic TSA pre-check for U.S. departures as well as expedited reentry from overseas travel.
Dude, you are not supposed to try to check Scotch and pudding in your carry on. Please stay out of my line next time. This slows down the line.
Actually the $100 fee for Global Entry is good for five years. After that you have to renew for whatever the fee is at that time.
Thanks for the clarification.
We have to go to San Diego, right to the border crossing for the interview. Should be interesting. Other locations were booked.
I see one stupid bitch every week screaming at people to make sure they stand on the yellow footprints in the scanner EXACTLY on top of them, she had better not see ANY yellow at all.
I always shift my right foot foot a few times just to piss her off, maybe she will stroke out.
I’m flying up to Chicago for IMTS next month. NOT looking forward to the TSA encounter.
I know someone who was bringing me bottles of Italian wine....that were confiscated by TSA.
The private screeners are much worse than the TSA. San Francisco uses private screeners. They are the most unprofessional unpleasant screeners ever. Screening is not their priority. Checking out members of the opposite and the same sex is one of their priorities. The other priority is being nasty.
I know.
I just don’t travel very often and wasn’t thinking. I felt stupid enough, thankyouverymuch.
You don’t have to be so nasty.
No question.
Frankly, I think that’s what TSA exists for. Legalized theft.
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