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. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
Gee, you still use checks over there?
Well, some places still honor them. And cash is still accepted nearly everywhere, too, although we see less and less of it. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
The public school system & media here in the usa is breeding nothing but
rats. "Michael" wrote in message m... I have often wondered, with GA under increased scrutiny, how long it would be before one of us was investigated as a suspected terrorist. I never thought I would be first. I came home from the airport last night to find a business card stuck in the door of my apartment. It had the embossed gold emblem (which costs quite a bit extra - I guess, unlike the company I work for, the federal government isn't exactly watching its pennies) of the FBI, and a note on the back asking me to call. I did, but of course everyone had gone home for the day so all I got was voice mail. In the morning, I left another message - seems nobody was in the office at 8:30 AM either - and eventually got a call back. The special agaent (what is a special agent, anyway, and how does he differ from a regular agent?) informed me that he needed to speak with me personally. At first he didn't want to tell me what it was about, being vague about having to investigate a complaint, but when I pressed him he broke down and told me I was under suspicion as a terrorist! I nearly cracked up. I suppose that had I actually been an international terrorist, I would have immediately driven to the airport and taken the next flight out of the country. Or, given that the Mexican border is only a few hours drive South, I could have left that way. Then again, I suppose I would have done that the previous evening, the moment I saw the card. But since I'm not a terrorist, I simply made an appointment to meet him at work. He showed up at the receptionist's desk later that morning. He wore a suit and tie and carried a briefcase, so he didn't look out of place. I escorted him to my office, told him to take a seat, and closed the door. He showed me his ID, and we got down to business. The agent had NOT done his homework. He didn't know how old I was, where I was born - anything. Since I am a naturalized citizen, I know I have a file at the INS - but he didn't, and didn't even bother to check. After we got through the basics, the story came out. Seems that someone at my apartment complex had pegged me as suspicious. I was getting packages and magazines with aviation markings, and some of them were marked as hazardous materials. Of course for shipping purposes, aviation paints, primers, dopes, preservatives, and adhesives are all considered hazardous materials. Yup, you guessed it. The stuff I had shipped to do my annual this year (and it was a big annual) made me a terrorism suspect. A dark tan (we don't have much of a winter in Houston, and I tan easily) and a beard sealed the deal. I told him about my airplane, and the annual I was doing. I even showed him a picture. Like most people, he was amazed that the plane was a 1965 model, and noted that they seem to hold up better than cars. No, they don't - they require lots of care. Thus all the boxes of parts, primers, paints, lubricants... He examined my pilot and flight instructor certificates, and seemed confused. He said he couldn't find an expiration date on my pilot certificate. I had to explain to him that unlike flight instructor certificates, pilot certificates don't expire. He carefully noted the numbers on his pad, but I could see his heart wasn't in it anymore. A few minutes later, I escorted him out of the building. I guess my moment of glory as a suspected international terrorist was over, so I returned to my desk, wondering how much tax money was wasted on this nonsense. Michael The pilot formerly known as a suspected international terrorist |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
deleted
A few minutes later, I escorted him out of the building. I guess my moment of glory as a suspected international terrorist was over, so I returned to my desk, wondering how much tax money was wasted on this nonsense. Michael The pilot formerly known as a suspected international terrorist ^^^^^^^^ Uh huh, right.... Has Jay got your mug shot? Just so we can all be on the lookout for you. Seriously, Mike, I'm glad you got the guy straightened out. You might explore the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act). Unless you already have the information, I think you are entitled to know who tipped off the FBI. You might want to give him or her the same information you gave the investigator. As a former employee of the US government, I was the subject of numerous background investigations related to sensitive jobs I worked on. I had a right to, and did, request and receive a report on those investigations, the statements made, and the list of people questioned. The reports consisted of photocopies of the actual forms, notes and letters pertaining to the investigations. In some cases, the material was redacted to conceal names of certain people who were not germaine to the investigation. |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
The sad thing is that if they spent that same money toward preserving REAL
rainforests it might actually have some real benefit to the world. "Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:N4gQb.132988$xy6.545923@attbi_s02... WHY has Congress approved a rain forest for Iowa? It doesn't make any sense... No one here knows. This lame-brained idea has been proposed as an environmental and educational tool by a wealthy businessman from Des Moines. He's been shopping the idea around for four or five years now, with little success or interest from local developers. |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:3YfQb.4665$U%5.27293@attbi_s03... It has been my experience, both as a businessman, and as a credit union board member, that banks will accept ANY signature, even ones with a different name. Signatures are not required around here, except on government checks. Your account number is all they really want there. Everyone simply uses rubber stamps with their acct # and maybe some boilerplate legalese. |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Ok, rant on, Off topic:
Meanwhile, here in the Socialist Republic of Wisconsin, the DNR continues to buy up any piece of land inhabited by any animal other than a human, all in the name of protecting the environment and it's resources. At the same time, deer are so over populated that Darwin is pulling new diseases out of his hat in a futile attempt to control them, turkeys have become the number two road hazard (behind deer of course), sand hill cranes now produce more noise pollution than all the airports combined, more crop damage than Wisconsin's thunderstorms and tornadoes, and have become so friendly that pairs of them routinely return to peoples back yards each spring to hatch their young. They have actually spent money to re-introduce rattlesnakes into south western Wisconsin, and wolves into northern Wisconsin!! I would much rather have them attempt to create a rain forest, they've been wayyyyyyy too successful protecting the environment here. -- Jim Burns III Remove "nospam" to reply |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
"MRQB" wrote in message
The public school system & media here in the usa is breeding nothing but rats. What label would we have applied to the neighbors of Muhammed Atta had they raised the same question on August 11, 2001? I agree that it's a sad state when we have neighbors spying on each other, but this sort of thing is *normal* in Smalltown, USA. The difference there is that everybody knows everybody - and the same concept can be applied to neighborhoods anywhere. Get to know your neighbors and you'll start to figure out what's normal and abnormal. Had Michael's neighbor gotten to know him, he would have known the purpose of all those mysterious aviation-related mailings and hazardous materials shipments. That it has become more and more rare for neighbors to actually get to know each other, in my opinion, is even more sad than your rats. -- John T http://tknowlogy.com/TknoFlyer http://www.pocketgear.com/products_s...veloperid=4415 ____________________ |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
In article N4gQb.132988$xy6.545923@attbi_s02, "Jay Honeck"
wrote: I'm dumb-founded. Even though it will probably bring more guests to my hotel, I think it's the dumbest idea I've EVER heard. oh heck, we can come up with dumber ideas than that... -- Bob Noel |
#29
|
|||
|
|||
|
#30
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 22:59:09 GMT, Bob Noel
wrote: In article N4gQb.132988$xy6.545923@attbi_s02, "Jay Honeck" wrote: I'm dumb-founded. Even though it will probably bring more guests to my hotel, I think it's the dumbest idea I've EVER heard. oh heck, we can come up with dumber ideas than that... You got a public zoo there? Don |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
American nazi pond scum, version two | bushite kills bushite | Naval Aviation | 0 | December 21st 04 10:46 PM |
Hey! What fun!! Let's let them kill ourselves!!! | [email protected] | Naval Aviation | 2 | December 17th 04 09:45 PM |
BUSH REJECTED PLANS TO GO AFTER TOP TERRORIST | WalterM140 | Military Aviation | 7 | September 24th 04 01:09 AM |
Bu$h Jr's Iran-Contra -- The Pentagone's Reign of Terror | PirateJohn | Military Aviation | 1 | September 6th 03 10:05 AM |
more reasons for GA: John Gilmo I was ejected from a plane for wearing "Suspected Terrorist" button | Martin Hotze | Piloting | 80 | August 3rd 03 12:41 AM |