Re:The TSA (Score 1)

"Police have said they shot a man dead at Stockwell Tube station in south London after he was challenged and refused to obey an order."

... traditional British bobby swinging a baton and carrying a pepper spray-like substance for self-defense gave way Friday to police with guns.... How many British police are trained in the use of guns, and the decision to shoot?

I've got that nerve deafness that makes it hard to understand speech when there's background noise. My right ear works at about 10% of normal, the left maybe 70%. In the quiet surroundings I work and live in, I get by without using my hearing aid, since it's just like being deaf only louder.

I have, on occasion, approached a transit boarding gate in a hurry. I could easily miss a plainclothes officer speaking to me, not notice or think that someone shouting in a crowded area meant to get my attention. I could get shot for being deaf!