Airport Security

I missed my flight today because of bad planning, but let me tell you a little story about security...

Because I was running late, the bag I would have checked I had to take with me through security for carry-on. I was in a hurry, and besides the slow antics of everyone, I was set for a suitcase check because of various tools I had inside of it. The tools, which I had planned on checking, were a small exacto knife, some pliers, and a large flat bastard file. They were tools for bassoon (a wind instrument) reed-making. (The security guys were also perplexed by the instrument itself) They searched my suitcase and removed most of the tools. Then they re-ran the bag through the monitor, gave to me, and I ran off only to miss my flight. I was in such a hurry then that I didn't think about it, but when I got in the car to go home I asked my mom (who they had given the tools to as she waited on the outside of security) if they had given her the flat bastard file. They had not. I checked my bag and sure enough it was still in there. They wasted my time removing all these puny deeply buried tools and in the end left the most dangerous one in there: A file that is steel and has the exact same dimensions as a ten-inch knife, and is already quite dangerous in itself:

10 inch flat bastard file


They left this in the bag, even after a second scan.

This whole security thing really seems insane to me. A plane is just as public as place as any. Terrorists can attack anywhere. To be safe we would need security everywhere, and even then we can never truly be safe without losing our freedom. Has one terrorist ever been caught by airport security?

[edit on 23-11-2004 by Raph]

Your right ..they did "drop the ball on this" through carry on Passenger screening you are not allowed to have any tools and knives (etc).

as far as security....before Sept 11 only 10% or less of luggage and passengers where screened...now its at 100%...which doesn't mean that they are perfect (we are only human and humans make mistakes) BUT the point is that screeners find things all the time that passengers don't know about...bio chemicals, loaded guns, hidden weapons in shoes, lipstick, etc all the time..and those individuals get processed through the legal system.

what people seem to forget is what sept 11 victims and relatives don't forget...security is paramount to ensure our safety in flights...

I think I could sacrifice 2hours going to the airport early to fly safer,

I think I could sacrifice the fact of allowing somebody search my belongings as it is his/her duty to help make me safe and others safe...

if you think about it...all these things are little in comparison to our lives...

Security has never been & will never be perfect. If you can't except that they will make mistakes then don't fly.

I have family in the airline industry and I'm very familiar with airports. To me nothing much has changed, except it takes longer to get anywhere.

All they had to do is secure the cockpits & change a few policies. Bomb sniffing dogs & machines can take care of the rest. Nobody with a knife is going to take over a plane anymore, so why worry about it. A 10 cent pencil can be just as deadly as a knife. People are aware now & many would rather die taking a knife wound then to let some jackoff fly the plane into the ground.

Just had a DAV convention in Florida this past week; he's Wisconsin's DAV treasurer. Anyway...

The Milwaukee Airport security team had him strip off his artifical leg to check for anything out of the ordinary.

What makes this funny is that he spends time at my godfather's lodge in Canada during the summer and smuggles into America Cuban cigars in the shaft of his fake leg... yet the Canadian / American border guards never check that.

Well don't give them any ideas & erase your post or you wont be smoking any more of em.