Slashdot Mirror
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."
Man, don't democrats have a sense of humor anymore?
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
First off, to all who were talking about it. No, Democrats haven't had a sense of humor in 15 years or more. That's also the reason you only hear of Democrats being banned is because they are the only ones whining about it. But remember they are the ones who decided you can't profile on anything. Searches had to be random. Sometimes the lot falls to the elderly and sick.
Oh, well, damn, I'm so sorry that you're so irresponsible as to have kids that you can't afford to support!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
When will security at the airports protect foreign nations from GW Bush?
Fuck that! Save your own damn money and keep your socialist fingers out of my wallet!
Due to liberal nonsense, it's the obvious people getting overlooked and the most unlikely getting scanned.
It's not about hurting the feelings of a few people....IT'S ABOUT SAVING LIVES. Ever take a trip on El-Al? They've been in this business for almost half a century, and have no worries about pissing someone off. If you look dangerous, you get searched.
Maybe you can 'feel my pain', and maybe you hug a tree, and you'll start a bar-fight 'cause some mook's throwing away an aluminum can, but it all comes down to saving lives. Period.
But then, liberal ideas haven't been good ones since the 60's. Now the 'equal rights coalition' is about hating men, not getting women better jobs, the 'environmental' movement is about getting in the way and ignoring the damage they cause, setting SUV's on fire to protest pollution. And black men are no longer encouraged to do well, they're told they deserve money and an apology- and by no means 'act white' (cause you might get a job, and no longer need these people!)
Hear me now and believe me later: Liberalism is all about attacking what's _right_ with America, not about making it a better place. Things like curbing religious choice, stopping capitalism, guaranteeing jobs/healthcare/beanie-babies/whatever and it's all foolhardy. Just ask any former superpower who undertook them. Russia, France, Britain, and so on.
Sorry. Sometimes this awkward monsoon of wrong-thinking is just too much to bear. It's like all these people are under a Cold-War era spell and can't THINK for themselves. They line up to be told what to do.
--- For a good time mail uce@ftc.gov
I strongly disagree. Screening those of Middle Eastern origin and/or appearance would be the most sensible thing that could be done. It won't be done because the race card turns it into something politicians can't hide from fast enough.
An amusing article about this countries post 911 stupidity can be found here. The sad thing about it is that it's mostly true.
http://www.seanbaby.com/news/terrorism.htm
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
If every Muslim man under age 40 has to get a colonoscopy before flying, I don't care. I want racial and religious profiling and I want it yesterday.
For that matter, white skinheads ought to get the same treatment.
-ccm
Too much Law; not enough Order.
I bet 50% of the people who vote for Bush are voting because Kerry wants to make friends with terrorists instead of destroying them.
I bet 50% of the people who vote for Bush vote because Kerry would have us be nice to the terrorists so they don't hate us so much.
I bet 50% of the people who vote for Bush because the veterans who served with Kerry in Vietnam say that he can't be trusted to lead the country.
I bet 50% of the people who vote for Bush are voting because Kerry would turn over our national sovereignty to organizations like the UN, which allowed Saddam Hussein to enrich himself with the thoroughly corrupt oil-for-food program.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
I mean seriously, Law Enforcement is now fucking with rich old white guys just like they have the minority community forever.
All of the minorities who were singled out of unnecessary attention in previous years are now ignored. People are pretending like it never happened. All of a sudden a few rich old white guys get bothered by the same treatment that minorites have come to expect and it's time to raise hell?
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
but I'm pretty damned tired of U.S.'s anti-French sentiments as well.
And maybe we're pretty tired of the French anti-US foreign policy. It's all the more hypocritical when it comes from the country that practically invented unilateralism. Let's cite a few examples off the top of my head:
And those are just the ones I think of off the top of my head. I'd also point out the French athletes that I personally observed at the 2001 World Archery Championships that sneered during our National Anthem. I could also mention that I just spent two weeks in Florence and Tuscany and that Americans don't have the monopoly on anti-French sentiment -- many of my friends and the people I met in Italy dislike them as strongly (if not more so) then many Americans do.
Yes maybe the "Freedom Fries" were a bit much but why don't you point some of the blame at Paris instead of all of it at Washington because there's certainly enough of it to go around on both sides.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.