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Airline travel after the underwear bomber.

4K views 55 replies 31 participants last post by  DrDirt 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I had the misfortune to travel by air to the U.S. on the holiday right after the underwear bomber was apprehended in Michigan.
Security was in pandemonium mode with each airport imposing different regulations on the travelers.
Many flights were canceled due to the staggering lack of focus and organization and the delays that caused.

I reported to the airport as instructed on the radio at 3 hours prior to boarding to allow for security checks etc.
I was preborded except for the bording pass and luggage claim checks.
Getting that pass was uneventful but for the incessant question "were are you going?"
I bit my tongue and refrained from saying read the*%$# ticket!
Next we all piled up at the U.S. customs desk TO ANSWER THE SAME QUESTION.
A short 200 feet later we were again halted to go through Homeland security.
They managed to have 2 lines going for 121 passengers and just as we got there the scanners etc went off line.
Of the 9 people I counted working there, none could enter the correct commands to the terminal to restart the scanner and we waited about 20 minutes in silence until a gentleman walked up to the terminal and typed for about 5 seconds and the machines went back on.
We were instructed to take off all metal objects as well as our shoes and pass through the security arches.
It was now taking about 5 minutes per passenger as most were failing the metal detector. It rang out at everything and in my case disliked my belt buckle sending me back out to wrestle with the belt loops and place my belt in a dish to be scanned separately.
In past experiences they merely scanned such things as belts, rings, earrings etc with a hand held scanner
After a inch by inch search of my entire body excluding my genitals I was released, totally disheveled and confused to yet another line as the terminal was now over crowding with delayed flights.
I thought to myself, what next a Vulcan mind probe?
Finally, we took off at 9:10 AM. --We were scheduled to leave at 8:00.
All in all we needed an extra 2 hours and 10 minutes to satisfy Homeland security of our intentions for a flight that was to be 2 hours and 45 minutes.
On the way back the security was much better and almost tolerable.
When the security guard pushed me back to remove my metal belt buckle this time I just dropped my pants belt and all,tossed them in a tray going through the scanner and marched relentlessly through the security gate.

You could have heard a pin drop in there.

This time they didn't bother to hand search me.???
There must be a better way.
I'm vowing to stay off the Airlines until they find one.

Happy New year All.

Bob
 
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#5 ·
Bob, I understand your frustration. I hate going thru that stuff too. But, the folks on that last plane that had a would-be bomber on it are wondering why there wasn't more security. My question is why people want to blame those who are trying to stop the bad guys instead of blaming the bad guys. I'm not getting after you…it's just that I worked with DHS for a few years and know that frustration too. You do what you can to protect the people - also knowing there is just no way to catch everyone/everything, and it's the people that give you the most grief. It's a no-win deal. It's really frustrating. I finally left that work and went to the hospital arena. That was even worse - I retired. Working with DHS was like coming home from Viet Nam again. The people at home, that you are trying to serve and protect are the ones that want your head on a platter….
 
#8 ·
LOL!

If it wasn't for all you dreaded Canadian terrorists hell-bent on destroying the U.S., it might not be so bad.

I was curious, though. After one guy tried to hide a bomb in his shoe, we now have to take off our shoes and put them in the plastic tray. So now that a guy has tried to hide a bomb in his underwear, are they going to take it to the logical conclusion and make us leave our undies in the tray with our shoes?
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
There are full body scanners that have been developed but the ACLU complains that it's an invasion of privacy. They're worried that pictures from the scans will wind up on the Internet and infringe on someones privacy. If it means detecting some one with something that can harm other people then I say it's a small price to pay for added security.
These scanners are very expensive but if our government's were serious about stopping these whack jobs from killing "infidels" then we would have them in every airport in the world instead of spending our tax dollars on studies of the long tailed blue newts sex life, or global warming propaganda!

Just a quick thought: Had this poor excuse for a human been successful in blowing his genitals off would he still have a need for the 40 virgins?
 
#12 ·
I'm with RetiredCoastie. The irony here is that you can be forced to wait in line for hours on end, have to endure questioning, etc. but the ACLU thinks it's too much to just have a regular pat-down/strip. If the TSA employees could actually just pat people down, manually search them, or use full-body scanners it would be safer, quicker, cheaper, more efficient, and easier for people flying. Unfortunately the safeguards in place are still inadequate, IMHO.
 
#13 ·
****************************** ignities or Fruit of the Booms?
Without the full body scanners, they won't be caught.
We're headed to Japan in a few months. I hope things are better by then.
 
#14 · (Edited by Moderator)
LOL Gene…****************************** ignities..haha

All kidding aside with the 10th anniversary of 9/11 right around the corner, you would think they would have tightened up things a little better. Thank god this guy was stupid and didn't do something correctly. I have seen a hundred news items about those full body scanners. They seem to work really well and fairly quickly, but I'm sure knowing our government bureaucracy they will never be put in place…they either cost too much or nobody in government has a connection so they can get a kickback for the contract. Putting these devices in place seems like it would close a big gap in airline security. Nothing is foolproof…as soon as we develop a counter measure they will come up with something else…maybe they will start eating the explosives and poop out a bomb….
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
On the Undie bomber:
I'd sure like to know how he got to Detroit when his old man ratted him out much earlier to the U.S. security over in Africa?
I dont think looking under an "84 year old widow's clothes" with a full body scanner is going to improve that kind of ongoing track record. <g>

Pommie it's always a good trip. (#45) The flying is becoming a bit over the top though.

Bob
 
#17 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ya I wondered that too…more bureaucracy…one hand not talking to the other. The second his old man ratted him to the US Embassy his visa should have been revoked and he should have been put on a no fly list. Just more slip ups by our crack government agency's. I'm surprised he wasn't invited to that white house dinner those other people snuck in to…maybe he was and his shorts didn't detonate that night?
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
They don't want to use remote controlled bombs….they want to blow up with the bomb so they can be a good marter and go to see Allah and live in a palace with 100 virgins. Wouldn't that be a bummer if in reality you went to all that trouble to detonate your junk with explosive skivvies, and instead of a palace you end up in a double wide, and instead of 100 virgins you get three drunk, middle aged bowling alley barflies, and instead of meeting Allah, you get to have lunch with Rush Limbaugh, and during the whole lunch he just tries to sell you an "EIB" T shirt….ohhhh, that last one really makes me shudder…
 
#23 · (Edited by Moderator)
Pommy
They have tried a bunch of times to do stuff over in the UK…but your guys are way more on top of things over there. I always read about a foiled plot in Britain. I was in Hethrow in '97 and even back then there was a much stronger police presence in the airports, complete with Uzi's and drug and bomb sniffing dogs.

From the info I have read that amount of explosives would have ripped a huge hole in the plane explosively decompressing it right before landing. Again, thank god the dude was a dumb ass and didn't do something correctly or that would have been a terrible disaster.
 
#24 · (Edited by Moderator)
theyre all dumbasses they just dont mention it when theyre getting brainwashed to strap a bomb for virgins…what are they gonna do if those virgins deny him or are lesbians? what if he gets them and then he does the deed with the final virgin then what? and what does that do for the guys left on earth that are getting nothing? idiots
 
#25 ·
Bob #2…

There are several reason planes don't fly on time:
1. there is something wrong with the pilot
2. the weather is unsafe
3. there is something wrong with the plane
4. there is something wrong with a passenger

In case any of these ever apply to me, I won't mind the delay!
 
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