Defending The Skies Against Congress And The Elderly

theodp writes "After watching a burly airport screener search her lymphoma-stricken father, forcing the frail and faltering 78-year-old to hand over his oxygen meter, stand at attention with arms spread for a wand search, take off the Velcro strap shoes that he'd struggled to put on, and strain to keep his balance as his belt was tugged repeatedly, a Newsweek columnist wonders: have we lost our common sense when it comes to passenger screening?" An anonymous reader writes "CNN reported that Kennedy wasn't alone in being listed in the airport watch list as reported in a Slashdot article. Rep. John Lewis, D - Georgia, a nine-term congressman, has been stopped many times because his name appeared on an airline watch list as told to Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on border security. He contacted the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security and executives at various airlines in an effort to get his name off the list, but failed. Instead, he received a letter from the TSA indicating he has cleared an identity check with the agency even though he might still be subject to extra security checks."

Security?

[MasterSLATE]

Airport security has gotten worse and worse. What next, peopel without arms and legs cant get on planes? Oh wait, that already happened.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Congress and old people do far more damage to this society (and me personally) than any "real" terrorists. This all sounds fine to me. *shrug*.

The terrorists aren't going around telling us "we're the greatest generation" all while bilking my generation out of enormous quantities of cash via taxes to give them free medical care, free prescriptions, social security, etc. And Congress... well... that one is obvious.

Yehaw!

[BluRBD!E]

In Soviet America, the system shits on you! ... oh wait...

Didn't you just read...

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess you must not have RTFP(previous)A:

In Japan, Yoshiyuki Sankai has built a robot suit, called Hybrid Assistive Limb-3 (or HAL-3), designed to help disabled or elderly people.

For once our government is being proactive -- this time to guard against the dangers posed by the superpowered mecha-old-people!

Bozos

[sfled]

As in the rest of our society, the people on the front lines of security at airports are trying to do a good job with an overwhelming amount of work for low wages under pointy-haired career bosses/bozos.

There are, however, a certain small percentage of self-important assholes who take sadistic delight in inflicting misery on innocent travelers. As with all bullies, their day will come. Meanwhile, I recommend a dinner of bean & cheese burritos and beer shortly before going thru a security point. "I fart in your general direction," is my motto.

Re:Logic

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

If you're suggesting that there's any age, sex, race, religious disposition, disability etc that procludes someone from being a terrorist trying to get onto a plane then I'd like to see your evidence.

As an armless, legless mudjahidin, I resent that remark.

Re:hmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think they were afraid that Kennedy was going to get drunk again and fly the plane into Chappaquiddick...

Conspiracy Theory of the Week

[Cytlid]

Sounds like Tom Ridge and GWB got drunk one night and put all the names of democaratic senators they could think of on that list. Bet Teddy was #1. ... or not.

Re:Conspiracy Theory of the Week

[Ken@WearableTech]

and John Ashcroft couldn't make it because he was busy whiting out the orignal copies of the Bill of Rights.

A real mickey mouse oparation.

[t_allardyce]

All I can say is.. lighters and matches are not banned while smoking is, no one in the government has bothered to explain or do anything about this, that scene in Farenheit 911 where the guard says the woman can only have 4 books of matches just sums up the whole security thing. No one even talks about this!

Riiiight....

[raehl]

George: These democrats are really getting to be annoying. We must do something about them.

Dick: Let's put their names on the terrorist watch list so they can't fly!

limbless can't fly

[Hanzie]

Blockquoted from parent linked article:

After Price had checked her luggage, she alleged that she was stopped by an Air France agent who told her that "a head, one bottom and a torso cannot possibly fly on its own."

Well, in one sense, it is quite true, since if she could fly on her own, she wouldn't need Air France in the first place. However, since she was denied transportation only after her luggage was checked, it would appear that she could manage other forms of transport on her own.

I would hazard a guess that Air France is currently contemplating dropping off that particular employee mid-flight to allow him to demonstrate his particular ability to fly on his own using his arms and legs.

I'm certain that this would more than satisfy the poor woman who was so shabbily treated by Air France.

Re:Security?

[Cliffy03]

I sympathize with anyone who has anything negative to say about the government.

Note to Michael Moore:

Don't bother flying.

You know what? I've got solutions for this.

[syukton]

The cockpit of a plane should be inaccessible via the cabin. An airplane should carry two pilots and two co-pilots, and they would board the aircraft from a different hatch than everyone else; a hatch which only opens into the cockpit. Hijacking problem averted.

Then we can return to our regularly scheduled NOT BEING SO FUCKING AFRAID OF EVERYTHING.

Re:Security?

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

There aren't enough deep-fat fryers to keep up with demand for Bio-Diesel on any reasonable scale. Sorry, won't work.

If you want fat-powered vehicles to work on a large scale and sustainably in America, put Americans on bicycles.

Oh, I have a better idea.

[EvilStein]

Just give everyone on the aircraft a gun.

If one idiot gets up and says "I'm taking over!" then the other 240 passengers can take say "No you're not!" while training a nice red laser sight on the terrorist's sweaty forehead.

Sounds like fun! :D

Encourage Passengers to Carry Weapons

[Detritus]

If it was up to me, I'd encourage passengers who had CCW permits, and off-duty police officers, to carry their weapons on the plane. Other passengers would be free to carry knives or stun batons.

The mean time before death or serious injury for a hijacker would be about 10 seconds.

There IS a way to get off the do not fly list...

[GlenRaphael]

Change your name. Senator Kennedy should just legally change his name to something else, get some new ID, and his problems will be solved. If that's too much trouble, he could always buy or make a fake ID and use that... :-)

Re:Security?

[Registered Coward v2]

If the US Government can't even decide to clear their own Senators for air travel, I sympathize with anyone who has anything negative to say about the government. "I realise that you're a senator, privvy to confidential information, on the board of various committees, but I'm just not sure if I can trust you to get on an airplane."

Well, in fairness to the TSA, Sen Kenendy may have tried to drive home after leaving Logan.

Re:Security?

[Anonymous Coward]

> Senators can be terrorists too.

Damn right! Just look at that senator who melted in "X-Men," he turned out to be a killer blue babe with orange hair.

Can't be too careful.

Re:I don't understand the focus on airline securit

[djw]

I notice you posted anonymously. Afraid of something?

Re:The Real Problem with Airport Security

[endersdouble]

Shame! Shame on them, for failing to stand up to those damn groups! We cannot let civil liberties stand in the way of security! To think, we cannot just go ahead and blame everyone with darker skin than us for 9/11! While we are at it, why not just ban those damn towelheads from the country? Surely only those who worship Allah could contemplate attacking America, the home of all that is good and holy (except those politicans who give into groups who want that damn equal protection thing.) Remember, we cannot let the ACLU win!

Re:Security?

[fyngyrz]

Some/most U.S. citizens are:

stupid/ignorant/evil/jerk-offs/small-minded/"can't think for themselves"/un-informed.

Absolutely. Just like many of our politicians, the President being a terrific example of an utter dumbbass. Some choice quotes for you:

• "If a person doesn't have the capacity that we all want that person to have, I suspect hope is in the far distant future, if at all." -George W. Bush, May 22, 2001

• "First, we would not accept a treaty that would not have been ratified, nor a treaty that I thought made sense for the country." -George W. Bush, on the Kyoto accord, April 24, 2001

• "It's very important for folks to understand that when there's more trade, there's more commerce." -George W. Bush, at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, April 21, 2001

• "This administration is doing everything we can to end the stalemate in an efficient way. We're making the right decisions to bring the solution to an end." -George W. Bush, April 10, 2001

• "I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically." -George W. Bush, speaking at the Radio & Television Correspondents dinner, March 29, 2001

• "Ann and I will carry out this equivocal message to the world: Markets must be open." -George W. Bush, at the swearing-in ceremony for Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, March 2, 2001

• "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' -George W. Bush, Feb. 21, 2001

• "The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants." -George W. Bush, Jan. 2001

So much for George Nuke-you-lar Bush. Now, tell me again why you support a representative system as superior to a democracy?

Re:limbless can't fly

[Anonymous Coward]

"...were she buckled into her seatbelt and a pot of scalding hot coffee to fall into her lap, she would be unable to prevent herself from serious injury..." Strictly speaking, with no legs she doesn't have a lap to spill coffee onto. But I see your point.

Re:limbless can't fly

[Nakkel]

... not to mention the french kiss

No, no, Im pretty sure thats freedom kiss now.

Re:That's easy.

[lrhegeba]

The setup you describe reminds me of ConAir. So why not add
#6. Handcuff the passengers to their seats. In case they would want anything the stewardesses are there to help. It would be a little price to pay for feeling and being secure.

Re:Security?

[pboulang]

Only if I were allowed to take notes... now where would you say is the best place to start *looking* for loose women?

It's actually good

[BCW2]

If they keep all the Congresscritters from flying. They might have to stay in Wasington and actually do their jobs.

If brains were dynamite, no one in Washington could blow their nose.

Re:Security?

[GooseKirk]

Or break the system for everybody. I sent an email to the TSA asking to please be put ON the list. I justified it because although I have a full-time job and generally have shit to do, I sympathize with leftists and protesters and peace activists. So even though I may not be doing any protesting or other such nefarious activities, I'm inclined to think they're OK, and it seems to me like that oughta be enough to get me on the watch list. I also told them that I have many friends who feel the same way, but I wasn't sure if it was my patriotic duty to give them their names, or if that'd be unamerican, and to please advise. I never heard back, but I continue to be allowed to board airplanes.

It also doesn't seem to work if you volunteer for the extra-special screening search. I always enjoy those. Some people get annoyed, but I just see it as an opportunity to annoy them. There is a legitimate argument that the screeners themselves are just doing their job, and it's a lousy job to have, and so on, so you shouldn't annoy them. But I figure the more we can annoy them, the more they're going to bitch amongst themselves, and hopefully over time the gripes will flow up the ladder to the decision-makers.

I'd really like to see more and more people added to these lists and subjected to the extra-moronic searches, and more people being annoying. Hopefully at some point the system would start to break down, and people would demand something better.