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."
Airport security has gotten worse and worse. What next, peopel without arms and legs cant get on planes? Oh wait, that already happened.
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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.
In Soviet America, the system shits on you! ... oh wait...
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!
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.
I'm not really a web designer, I just play one on the Internet.
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.
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
I think they were afraid that Kennedy was going to get drunk again and fly the plane into Chappaquiddick...
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.
FLR
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!
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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!
paintball
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.
********* sig: If you don't like the law, get filthy stinking rich, and buy a better one.
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.
Reinvent the wheel only at either a lower cost, greater effectiveness, or your own personal enrichment and satisfaction.
Just give everyone on the aircraft a gun.
:D
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!
The mean time before death or serious injury for a hijacker would be about 10 seconds.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
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... :-)
I play Nerd-Folk!
I notice you posted anonymously. Afraid of something?
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!
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.
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.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.