[luvtolean]

Again, with the nonsense.

BDA, plenty of people have told you this, and you continue to ignore or dance around it, but why not, I'll try again.

You might engage in some meaningful debate if your rhetoric could be put aside for a second and you focused on the topic at hand. You obviously keep up on current politics and are well informed. You certainly spend more time on news than I do.

But, instead, you often come off sounding like the conservative, rhetoric spewing ego of Jaim.

[Baketech]

Hey...what's 3 orders of magnitude when your are expressing righteous indignation....

[Proto]

Originally Posted by Baketech

Tangent..how about a link to substantiate that 11.1 billion number...

The correct figure is 11.1 million

Edit: too slow. Like my riding.

[navydevildoc]

Originally Posted by Baketech

Hey...what's 3 orders of magnitude when your are expressing righteous indignation....

I should go work for NASA!

[RAH-VFR]

RESPEK! ?
Sorry I'm a product of public education.

[phobiaphobe]

Originally Posted by RAH-VFR

RESPEK! ?
Sorry I'm a product of public education.

No HBO huh?

HBO: Ali G

Booyakasha! Who Is Ali G?

Highly recommended.

[BDA116]

Right, I come off sounding one way while you do not.
you can keep your self righteous attitude and convictions that mirror Jiam's extreme left. I don't really care any more.
I am just sick and tired of reading the self righteousness posted by certain individuals that think they know all and must be agreed with.

Fact is, it WAS the result of demo whining that got the TSA federalized and unionized.
Fact it, it WAS the whining and crying of demos that took profiling out of security equations.

Call it conservative bias all you want, but it is fact.
Just like when certain media outlets don't lean extreme left when reporting fact, it gets labelled as some far right nonsense rather than fact.

If the PC bullshit were taken out of the equation, we wouldn't have to worry about some TSA dropout shaking down grandma for her car keys, nail file and lotion.

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by navydevildoc

I feel that there is a certain amount of risk involved, and a certain amount of personal privacy invasion I am willing to take. Somewhere in between is where we need to be.

Yea, that's why I was a little surprised by Bake's initial reply. Why do we blow this out of proportion and somehow relate it directly to personal freedom/surveillance/wire tapping/politics/police brutality/etc.?

It's not as black and white as these posters sarcastically put it.

Anyway, I am surprised there haven't been more successful terrorist bombings on domestic and international flights (especially domestic considering our security past). I don't know whether to praise international security (much tighter than ours) or just the terrorist's fear of overwhelming backlash against them and their organization(s). Kill several people and you have some upset people, kill hundreds or thousands and there's a good chance there will be no where for you to hide on this planet, and money will be no object to "bring you to justice", or....eliminate you. They won't just lose a martyr, they'll risk severe loss to their organization (only to be eventually replaced with new recruits of course). I don't know, always wondered why more attempts haven't been made, and it has to maddening for authorities to try and intercept them prior.

So, how do you balance the two? Security versus freedom. There is no clear answer.

Oh and first class passengers will be allowed to keep their panties/underpants on as their benefit, after the cavity search of course.

[Security] Code red...I repeat Code RED...WE HAVE HAIR GEL!!!!

[prison cell] "so...what's you in for?"
[reply] ".........I snuck some hair gel onboard flight 1769......"

[luvtolean]

Well put SuperDave. (other than the international security...maybe they don't need it in the airports as they do it better outside, but IME, the US has the most strict policies/searches etc etc)

Even foreign countries have special increased security measures for flights heading to the US.

[Baketech]

Hopefully the Feds are monitoring this thread....

[luvtolean]

How was it put in the other thread, I'm sure they'd be interested in a transcript?

[CBRVFR]

Absolutely. On a temporary basis that's exactly what I would have done.

Originally Posted by sheepofblue

Or do I just hang with the world's loons?

If the thong fits...

[phobiaphobe]

When I went to Vegas last year, I got pulled aside and yelled at by a US customs officer for not bringing a carry-on. I guess the logic was that if I didn't have a carry-on then I must be hiding weapons on my person.

His words were "This is an Amurican world, you do things OUR way"

And FWIW, I always have a harder time getting back into Canada than I do getting into the 'States. That includes air and ground.

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

When I went to Vegas last year, I got pulled aside and yelled at by a US customs officer for not bringing a carry-on. I guess the logic was that if I didn't have a carry-on then I must be hiding weapons on my person.

I shouldn't be telling you this but, you see, we normally stuff illegal drugs into the drunk canadian's carry on luggage and arrest them. You had spoiled our typical procedure by not carrying a carry-on. Damnit.

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

His words were "This is an Amurican world, you do things OUR way"

Darn tootin'! Now squeal....yea.....squeal like a pig.....mmmmmmm"

[luvtolean]

I haven't flown to Canada in more than 15 years, so I don't know about it.

But that sucks you got a crap customs officer. I've watched them do it hundreds of time, they'll harass the hell out of a 80YO foreign national with US documents, and I'll go up and they'll be all biz, and no harassment. It's pretty consistent, so I'd guess it's how they're trained.

[sheepofblue]

Maybe you looked suspicious and they were trying to rattle you PhobiaPhobe. Not all comments made by law enforcement should be taken at face value.

[gthotchkiss]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

It's pretty consistent, so I'd guess it's how they're trained.

I'd say its just culture... Most of the doofuses that they have doing that job just like picking on people that they think can't do anything about it....

Check out this pic from CNN, prolly just a bad pic... but it makes this guy look way too slack to be carrying a gun that big in an airport!

[luvtolean]

I don't see anything wrong with that pic. Just timing of the shutter to make him look weird.

I find customs officers to be pretty similar the world over in demeanor.

In the US, they're "tougher" because it's the only country I've been to that will consistently do things like quiz you on what countries you've been to. What you do for a living, specifics about what you did...(they used to be more inquisitive when I went through, a 25YO in jeans a skater shirt and vans apparently didn't fit their profile of engineer ) Different officers were pretty consistent in this regard, but one might smile and the other might scowl while doing it.

Since oftentimes when I hit SFO or LAX I've been on planes or in airports for more than 24 hours, my brain isn't exactly sharp, and probably a third of the time I can't tell them where I've been while they hold my passport. Hell some of my trips will see almost a country a day. Try to regurgitate that iten after 24 hours in coach!

[luvtolean]

BTW, anyone thinking being forced to throw away any drinks you want to carry on board is no big deal, needs to look at this article.

Beware Airplane Water, Koeppen: Tests Show Frequent Contamination; EPA Imposing Rules - CBS News

I've had plenty of bottles tested in security, which is fine. But I'd be pissed if told to toss it.

[gthotchkiss]

Originally Posted by luvtolean

I don't see anything wrong with that pic. Just timing of the shutter to make him look weird.

Man... I just found it funny, I even said it was prolly a bad pic. I just got a chuckle and figured I'd share.... but NOOOooooo.... You had to go ahead and get serious on my comment, talking about shutter timing and crap!

[CBRVFR]

They serve your drinking water out of bottles...

[luvtolean]

Originally Posted by CBRVFR