[ContentiousObjector]

David Williams says his packaged caribou meat was cut open and damaged by airport security personnel. (Photo by DAVID WILLIAMS)

[Jesse]

Your tax dollars at work. TSA doesn't have near enough to do, so they screw around trying to play Joe Friday.

And still, I know of at least three ways to get some bad stuff on an airliner that TSA never checks. Window dressing for the sheeple.

[FreedomCalls]

TSA is due to fire lay off 6000 of its lazy incompetant slugs finest workers by September 2003 according to this press release.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I suspect PETA.

[Electron Wizard]

The system is working AS PLANNED.

The Gore Commission, formed after the flight 800 explosion, proposed several regulations that were watered down due to protests from the usual suspects. One that was finally implemented was something called CAPPS (Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System). It was a profiling system that had the unfortunate property of being accurate. This lead to complaints and protests from Arab groups and the FAA started backing away from those procedures designed to investigate passengers flagged by CAPPS. They finally achieved their goal, which was ZERO complaints per year from all Arab passengers.

On 9/11, CAPPS flagged the majority of the hijackers. However, nothing was done to investigate any of them, because there was no method of doing so without alerting them that they had been flagged, and that might lead to a complaint. They couldn’t even ask them a simple question, like “Why are all of you carrying box cutters?”

After 9/11, the government was caught in a quandary. How do they appear to be doing something about airline security, when all of the hijackers fit a specific profile, yet they don’t want to be accused of “profiling?” Why, you design a system that is so incompetent and overbearing that all kinds of people are inconvenienced and burdened. Then if a special interest group was to complain, you could point at those other people and say, “We’re not ‘profiling’, look at what that grandma in a wheelchair went through!”

In fact, this newspaper story about a white guy from Texas being shafted (that’s right, I’m “profiling” in assuming that a hunter and fisherman from Texas that travels to Alaska regularly to hunt, is white, and everyone that reads the story will assume the same thing) is just what the FAA likes to see. It’s free publicity and helps keep the Arab special interest groups off their back.

[Smokin' Joe]

Who has the boxcutters now?

[JudgemAll]

Yeah, as if explosives "liked" to be frozen.

[American in Israel]

Seems to me if you wanted to search a box of meat you could use an airport xray screener real easy. From the slices on the picture a lot of the meat wrappers were cut but never pryed open or the paper would have torn. This was clearly harassment, and deliberate destruction of the passengers property.

I have flown in and out of airports a lot, and airport security is just a dog and pony show. The only Airport security I have seen that had an ounce of common sense was El Al. But then they profile.

One would think if they were serious about terrorism they would put a little effort into hiring serious screeners, not acne prone bored teenagers with a badge.

I have wondered many a time, if screening is not their focus, what is?

[Trust but Verify]

Let's just all ignore the fact that this was one screener who was going against TSA rules in manhandling this man's caribour.

There, now you can all have a go at ME and tell me how stupid I am for injecting a little truth into this harangue you all have going here.

[verity]

''The value of this caribou meat is about $28 per pound...

What a bargain! Bwahahaha!

[cardinal4]

We go twice a summer as well. The first salmon run is around the end of June then we go back in the end of July. What we did with the salmon is filleted it, wrapped it with a plastic sealer thingy that our friends had and then froze them. We put them in a cooler with dry ice and a note taped on the top: Frozen Salmon caught 2July 2002. and taped the cooler shut. When we got back to STL, the box was intact. Im really surprised that Alaska TSA would do something like this, it makes me think the guy wasnt from Alaska. I wouldnt put it past some of the TSA boobs here in the lower 48, though. Since we are airline employees we get the double whammy; our bags are automatically searched and we are put in the security line. Why? Who knows. I have been background checked at least three times since 9-11 and am drug tested every two months or so. Yet Im deemed the biggest risk, next to Mohamedd Atta. Another problem we have is that we would have no recourse since we are employees. Since we dont pay to fly, we wouldnt have been reimbursed for the fish. The TSA sucks.

[Jhoffa_]

Appeals to the airlines that hauled the meat brought no response, Williams added. They said it's not their fault.

It's not their fault.

It's our fault for over-reacting and putting un-accountable union jackboot's in charge of air travel.

[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.

[WFTR]

I just finished a commentary about this kind of incident in Saving a few more jobs. The airline industry is hurting, and a large part of why it is hurting is that the new security procedures have made flying an even more horrible experience than it used to be. September 11 was bound to do some damage. A hurting economy is another big factor. However, stupid actions by security are only going to make everything worse. Likely one or two airlines will fail. If they continue this kind of nonsense, three or four airlines will probably fail.

WFTR
Bill

[JimRed]

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

And now the terrorists and drug smugglers know exactly how to disgiuse their contraband...

[TheBattman]

"I'm a hunter and fisherman, too,'' Jarman said. Cutting open packaged game meat or fish is against both TSA policy and procedure, he added.

Jarman just opened the TSA to a lawsuit.

Certainly there are far larger issues to worry about than a bunch of Caribou meat that has been contaminated by idiot TSA workers - BUT - I certainly can understand how totally mad I would be if this were my meat.

The exact reason that all this "Homeland Security" mess is a danger to our freedom is the FACT that the power WILL be abused.

I have an idea - as I don't want my tax dollars going to this guy - I say make the TSA workers on duty that day pay the man for his ruined meat. Maybe even force them to pay for another hunting trip.

[hattend]

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

Goodness, how could this have happened then? TSA idiots hiring idiots. RTF memo, people!

[RightWhale]

''The value of this caribou meat is about $28 per pound, and we are afraid to eat it. Would you eat it?''

If that's all there was, sure. Seems a long way to go for some dry, stringy meat.

[BJungNan]

''The value of this caribou meat is about $28 per pound, and we are afraid to eat it. Would you eat it?''

What could they do to it. Of course eat it. What an idiot. And what does this guy think they are supposed to do, just take his word for it that its a gourmet roast inside. In case he has not heard, there is a war on. He should have been preparred for the possibility his meat would be inspected.

[P.O.E.]

If caribou meat is $28 a pound, maybe the economy could use a boost from increased drilling AND hunting in ANWAR.