A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » rec.aviation newsgroups » Piloting
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

"Homeland Security" in Iowa



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old December 29th 03, 07:06 PM
Jim
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I'm beginning to think that we all demand to fly commercially.... NAKED! It
would make things so much easier.
--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:84_Hb.6418$xX.15221@attbi_s02...
So we took my 26 year old, blonde, blue-eyed, 6' 4" nephew back to the

Cedar
Rapids airport last night, to catch his red-eye flight back to Seattle.

He
was as sick as a dog (flu?) and weak as a kitten, but go he must, so off

he
went...

The "Eastern Iowa Airport" is a pretty sleepy place on a Sunday night --
even the airport bar was closed (gasp!) -- and there were MAYBE 50 people

in
the entire airport terminal, including employees. Since we were no longer
allowed to go to the gate with him, we said our goodbyes at the entrance

to
the security checkpoint.

This area was staffed by TEN (10!) uniformed TSA guys, waiting to pounce

on
the terrorists who were (no doubt) thronging into the heartland. My

nephew
strolled through the X-ray machine, passed uneventfully, and then put his
single carry-on bag (a back-pack) on the conveyor...

...from our distance it was obvious that the TSA guys were suddenly tense,
and -- although we were beyond earshot -- it was easy to see that

SOMETHING
was wrong. My nephew, weak with flu, stood staring numbly at the people

who
had suddenly gathered around him. He was obviously confused.

Soon he was taken to the side. Within 30 seconds two uniformed police
officers strode purposefully past us, coming from another part of the
airport but obviously on their way to see my nephew. The other officers
were holding something that we couldn't quite see, and were speaking quite
seriously to him, all the while keeping him surrounded by a minimum of

four
TSA guards.

After 10 minutes of this, they took him into an area we could not see.

With
visions of rubber hoses and bright lights, we paced back and forth, unable
to do ANYTHING to help.

What could it be? He certainly fit the terrorist "threat profile" -- for
the "Swedish Liberation Army", perhaps. Since, to our knowledge, Sweden
had not been named an "Axis of Evil" country, we couldn't fathom what had
triggered this response.

After an interminable five minutes he emerged and gave us a weary wave as

he
headed off to his gate. Of course we were unable to find out what had

gone
wrong, or why he had been detained -- the TSA folks simply would not tell
us, and my nephew had no cell phone.

We drove home wondering what the hell my nephew could have done?

Today my sister called, to drop the other shoe. Turns out my OTHER sister
(his aunt) had given my poor nephew a wrapped Xmas present, to give to his
Dad. Inside this present was a "Leatherman Multi-tool" -- obviously
something that could be used as a weapon! My poor nephew had NO idea

what
was in this wrapped gift, and my sister had assumed that he would carry

the
present in his "checked" baggage -- not in his "carry-on" baggage.

Because
he didn't know if it was breakable, he had opted to carry the present

where
it could not be broken.

So, he is now on a permanent list of "potential terrorist threats", is

being
threatened with a $50.00 fine, was put through an awful situation over

which
he had no control or knowledge, and my sister feels thoroughly awful. He
barely made his flight, and (of course) his Dad didn't receive his Xmas
present, since the TSA confiscated it.

And the final irony of the whole story: the "Leatherman" tool, as with so
many things these days, was sealed in one of those plastic containers that
(you guessed it!) requires a knife or scissors to open...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"




  #2  
Old December 29th 03, 08:49 PM
EDR
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article , Jim
wrote:

I'm beginning to think that we all demand to fly commercially.... NAKED! It
would make things so much easier.


Naw... a french woman stripped down to her undies at the checkpoint
here in Columbus last summer and got arrested.
  #3  
Old December 30th 03, 12:36 AM
Peter Gottlieb
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Darn, missed that. I would have vouched for her, and even taken her home if
necessary.

"EDR" wrote in message
...
In article , Jim
wrote:

I'm beginning to think that we all demand to fly commercially.... NAKED!

It
would make things so much easier.


Naw... a french woman stripped down to her undies at the checkpoint
here in Columbus last summer and got arrested.



  #4  
Old December 30th 03, 01:03 AM
Jürgen Exner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

EDR wrote:
In article , Jim
wrote:

I'm beginning to think that we all demand to fly commercially....
NAKED! It would make things so much easier.


Naw... a french woman stripped down to her undies at the checkpoint
here in Columbus last summer and got arrested.


Yeah, but that could happen only in the US of A.
In France she would have been invited to a champaigne brunch.

jue


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Rules on what can be in a hangar Brett Justus Owning 13 February 27th 04 05:35 PM
Old Iowa City Sectionals on line! Jay Honeck Piloting 4 December 17th 03 09:59 PM
Battleship Iowa vets meet for reunion Otis Willie Naval Aviation 0 August 17th 03 10:21 PM
Last Chance -- Free Beer in Iowa Sunday! Jay Honeck Owning 1 July 26th 03 04:57 AM
Oshkosh Bound? Free Beer in Iowa! Jay Honeck Piloting 14 July 22nd 03 08:28 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:35 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2025 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.