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TSA Employee Caught With $200K Worth of Stolen Property
The plane moves me or I move the plane? writes "After years of people complaining about their luggage locks being broken in the name of the Transportation Security Administration, and after countless properly-stowed utilities and tools had been scrutinized from a paranoid point of view, an employee of the TSA (which is part of the Department of Homeland Security) has been captured with evidence of over $200,000 worth of stolen property he was selling on eBay. With the help of local police and the USPS, a search of his house found a great deal of property pilfered from the un-witnessed searches that occurred after luggage had been checked, where the rightful owner was not allowed. 'Among the items seized were 66 cameras, 31 laptop computers, 20 cell phones, 17 sets of electronic games, 13 pieces of jewelry, 12 GPS devices, 11 MP3 players, eight camera lenses, six video cameras and two DVD players, the affidavit said.'"
jesus christ.
i'm mailing my shit next time.
"If for any reason you're not satisfied with our service, I hate you."
And a partridge in a pear... TREEEEEEEEE!
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
And yet another reason why flying in the US sucks.
As well as any loose cash. I'm missing several million, so it may not all be there.
"Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?"
(But who is to guard the guardians?)
Juvenal, Satires, circa 120 AD
Parity: What to do when the weekend comes.
As always, the question comes down to, who will watch the watchers?
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
Extreme Programming - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Developers
You yanks are safe from terrorism!
Your own officers is a different matter though...
Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity
Stop searching shit. I'm a photographer and i'll be traveling to Ohio for a photo shoot by CAR. Yes its an 8 hour drive... but i'm not flying with my gear because i'm too afraid of my gear ending up on a different flight or in some assholes jacket pocket.
After having my TSA-approved lock ripped off of my new suitcase on its very first trip and basically told to F-O about complaints over it (Oh, it might have gotten caught in the machinery, and btw, why are you locking it at all) this is vindication - but no better protection than yesterday - of what a lot of us have been saying for a very long time. Yes I want my flight to land as safely as it took off since I'm in it, but providing a secret open hunting ground for minimum wage employees doesn't cut it for me.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
that there might be people who find this surprising.
At least you have a chance of getting your stolen stuff back from ebay.
Who says government doesn't work?
With all those laptops, they still have a lot of privacy invasion to do before this case is closed. And the RIAA will have to pull double shifts, as well - all those MP3 players means _a lot_ of threat letters to mail out.
These are the modern day (government approved) highwaymen and the only solution I can think of is to label them socially ("you work in airport security? oh dear - is that the time already ...") as the pariahs they really are.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
According to TFA, Brown has been employed as a screener since 2002. How much has he already sold?
Are there more sophisticated screeners in organized crime?
I'm so disgusted we pay people to waste our time, harass us, and steal from us. I'm looking at you, dept. of homeland security and TSA. Go out and get productive jobs, you leaches.
Here is Argentina ALL "TSA equivalent" employees, steal from travelers. If you came to Argentina, don't you ever put something valuable in luggage, carry it with you!.
...why the TSA is allowed to open up packages without the presence of the owner of said packages. If they were forced to page the owner to come back and observe the TSA performing a screening on the contents, that would cut down a lot on the opportunity for this type of theft to occur. If the owner doesn't respond to the page from the TSA, then the package simply is not allowed onboard is a fair policy I think. Also, make sure that the TSA personnel are required to fill out paperwork for every package they page the owners for will cut down on abuse of powers as well.
Imagine all the photographs of naked children that could be taken with 66 cameras.
Imagine all the child porn that could be download/stored/viewed using 31 laptop computers.
Imagine all the phone calls paedophiles could make with 20 cell phones.
Imagine all the children that could be lured into a paedophiles house with 17 sets of electronic games, and 13 pieces of jewellery.
Imagine all the children that could be tracked with 12 GPS devices.
Imagine all the children that could be deafened by paedophiles letting children use 11 MP3 players at high volume.
Imagine the sick movies made and viewed using six video cameras and two DVD players.
And the eight camera lenses......dear God the eight camera lenses!!!
I remember reading a statistic recently citing that over 100,000 laptops were "lost or stolen" within the realm of airline travel. Now I wonder how many of these occurrences are inside jobs.
I guess TSA Gangstaz (NSFW!) was actually a documentary then...
Then epoxy it together. When I get to my location, I tear it apart and buy more cheap luggage. Problem solved. I suppose now someone will see this and make epoxy illegal.
... for traveling light. Avoid checking any luggage at all, carry on only! Not only do you save time by not having to wait around for your luggage (which may never arrive) at the belt, but you can also stay within view of your gear.
I remember clearly the latter half of September 2001. Of course there were the plastic flags flying from almost every motor vehicle, but what stands out for me is the memory of how I kept scanning the horizon for explosions when I was driving.
I didn't feel safe. Not that I'd ever been safe, but my perception had always been so.
The thing that still puzzles me, though, is how we in the US have tolerated such a rapid erosion of civil liberty. It's not that our documented rights and freedoms haven't been violated all along, but now there are legal provisions--and already some legal precedent--to protect and justify such violations.
Sure, sure, human psychology, thinking with the fear centers of our brains, even the Milgram Experiment--these and more describe how we react to a perceived threat. And fear is known to reduce the blood supply to the brain.
I find it sad to consider that this particular finding will have no effect on the encroachment on human rights in these United States. I suppose this man is just one "bad apple." Like the cases of the prosecuted torturers at Abu Ghraib (and other locations), the years-later finding that the illegal and shocking techniques were known and even encouraged by the entire organization will have no effect on the policies which shall remain in place.
"Press to test."
(click)
"Release to detonate."
2) Pee on more luggage.
3) If there is nothing worth stealing, swap with other bags or just F**K it up a bit. That will show em'
"She [Unselding] also said that his crimes were rare and that less than 300 TSA employees have been terminated for theft.
"The actions of a few individuals in no way reflect on the outstanding job our more than 43,000 security officers do every day to ensure the security of the traveling public," she said. "
What an interesting statistic. 300/43000 = 0.7%. So, catching 0.7% of their employees stealing isn't significant? And those are only the ones caught. And yet we hear all the time on /. about the next expensive and probably worthless scheme to screen terrorists is okay even if it yields a percent or two of false positives along the way??
It's pretty pathetic if they can't even trust their own staff to the tune of 0.7%. Maybe they should improve their security.
Usually the cops look the other way
I guess it's the Post Office :-)
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
How is that different from a tariff ?
\u262D = \u5350
but I am comforted to learn from the article that:
I read that as
"CLOSE TO THREE HUNDRED EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN TERMINATED FOR THEFT!"
I like microcars
Given human nature, the opening for unobserved luggage searches, the non-accountability the security agencies, it all adds up to people and their property being safer on the freeways than the airlines.
I have a friend who claimed that global warming and the end of oil would doom the airlines. It's more likely that these sorts of actions by the people who are supposed to be keeping us safe that will force more people off the airways and back onto the freeways.
The best part of the article is near the end. Something along the line of "Don't worrie, crimes like these are REALLY rare. Only about 300 TSA employees have ever been fired for theft".
300 employees fired for theft. If you read the article (i know, i know...) the only reason this guy got caught was because he's a retard (putting his return address on the stuff he sells, always using the same name on ebay, etc). So if 300 were caught, there's probably several times that many. Then you add that the TSA has like 40-45 thousand employees... and that adds up to 2/3rd of a percent of their total workforce (of course, the 300 figure is over time, but its still interesting to put the numbers in perspective).
Thats just insane. It takes only one person to steal enough to really ruins some people's days. And here you have -hundreds- (just the ones that were caught!!!). I'll suffer through GreyHound busses, thank you.
That's a Wallstreet, Lombard or Pismo. I'm guessing Wallstreet from it's thickness. Best laptops Apple's ever made, IMHO!
I think it's sick that people get raped in prison by fellow inmates, but didn't this guy ever stop and think what would happen if he got caught and sent to prison
"awesome little camcorder, but missing the instructions"
"Grey Market Item, no Nikon warranty. Product works and as described"
"Great seller! $10k equipment! I love it, Very fast shipping. Thanks!!!!!"
Imagine all the terrorist activities that could be planned with 31 laptops.
Imagine all the terrorist planning and setup that could be done with 20 cell phones.
Imagine all the terrorist messages and beheadings that could be filmed with 66 cameras...........
I bet someone could write a list for the RIAA too.
Oh wait, this is real hard property...
That is not exactly an encouraging number.
How dare you criticize anything the administration does during any of the wars they fraudulently start.
If you criticize anything you're with the terrorists.
It's all being stolen for your security.
Most of that equipment could be used to access or record information that could undermine the current administration with stuff like facts.
Swing by UPS on your way to the airport and just ship your stuff to yourself. You don't have to deal with security and it will be delivered straight to your hotel room. It might even be cheaper than checking it.
I've always just assumed that anything I checked would be up for grabs. Has anyone been outside recently? This is the world we live in. It's only going to get worse. Next they'll just be randomly shooting passengers in the head, purely as a preventative measure.
... sorry but this shit just ain't acceptable.
Its another of a long and growing list of government abuses that are easily amounting to be worse than the terrorism its supposed to be protecting us from.
"Those who sacrifice freedom in exchange for security, will have neither."
who said that?
When you pay people roughly minimum wage to run security.
You don't exactly get the best people and you get the opportunity for theft.
That said, my electronics NEVER get checked. They go through the x-ray machine where I can keep a fairly good eye on them.
the Federal Bureau of Taking All Your Shit
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/1/24/
you know it is.
Read radical news here
That would certainly make for a lot of cases of adverse possession
He may not be the only one going to prison if the buyers aren't returning it.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
465 transportation security officers have been terminated for theft since May 1, 2003
Does anyone find this a little extreme? That's a little over one firing for theft every 4 days!
Makes one wonder...
I have never trusted baggage handlers. The only stuff that has ever gone in my checked bag is clothes and toiletries, and I still put a TSA lock on it (and a zip tie, so I'll know at a glance if it's been opened).
Anything of any value at all gets carried on with me, especially small electronic items. I just don't understand these people who will put valuables in checked bags-- especially items small enough to be carried on.
~Philly
I'm going to specifically ask during the interview if I can be put in charge of the "un-witnessed searches".
asked "who watches the watchers" yet?
Unless you'd like a room at the Hotel Gitmo.
I'm surprised that you're shocked that there might be people who find this surprising. People are often surprised by things which, if they just stood back and looked at the bigger picture, shouldn't be surprising at all.
But if anyone's shocked that I'm surprised, I wouldn't find that surprising --- I'd be astonished!
I was traveling through Cincinnati Int'l, where you have to go through security to get out of the airport (which is dumb as hell) - I speak french, and had just arrived from Paris. I witnessed firsthand a TSA employee trying to wrongfully take something from a person who clearly didn't speak English, and the employee was taking advantage of this - it wasn't until I intervened and demanded a supervisor come before the agent let up.
What the fuck is up with this?? If this is SOP for Security Theater, the sooner the TSA and DHS fall apart, the better.
Quiz: True or False -- On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your middle name?
He should've at least used the stolen laptops to run BOINC projects, that insensitive clod!
Taking Stuff from Airtravelers
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
Thank God we have the TSA watching over us to keep us safe!
(I've had stuff stolen out of my bags by TSA, sigh)
Quoting the TSA:
The actions of a few individuals in no way reflect on the outstanding job our more than 43,000 security officers do every day to ensure the security of the traveling public," she said.
I'm of South Asian ethnicity and have a few Middle Eastern friends. We're all used to getting the secondary protocol at the airport due to our last names. Funny how they say a few bad TSA employees shouldn't reflect upon the other employees, yet they treat anyone with a brown shade of skin as a criminal.
One of those cameras belonged to CNN. I dare them to defend the TSA after that shit.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
His ebay account is still visible, and there are hundreds of sales listed over the last year. I assume that it all gets confiscated from the buyers? Do they face criminal charges for receiving stolen goods or are they just out the money they paid?
And as you tread the halls of sanity, You feel so glad to be, Unable to go beyond. I have a message, From another time..
But this summer, Brown got too ambitious for his own good, allegedly stealing a $47,900 camera from an HBO crew and a camcorder from a CNN employee, authorities said.
Steal from Joe Sixpack and Lizzy Hockeymom all you want. But don't screw with corporate media!
-- I Am Not A Terrorist.
For those of you that want to put a face to the name:
http://www.myspace.com/hersheybar88
If I were in charge of things, there'd be security cameras recording the inspectors. Also, each inspector who opened a bag would be required to stamp his/her identity number on a tag affixed to the bag. If anything was reported missing, those inspectors would be the first ones looked at, particularly if their id number shows up on a lot of bags with missing items.
You're not prevented from locking your luggage. The TSA doesn't want you to lock your luggage because they're searching it after you check it. Therefore, locking it makes it difficult for them. However, if you lock it, they'll deal with it. You might not like the way they deal with it, but they'll deal with it and you've broken no law by locking your luggage. TSA does offer a compromise; you can use one of those locks they have keys to. It's not foolproof; there have been lots of reports of those locks being destroyed. However, it's worth a shot.
Some of us have been forced to learn the ins and outs of this crap in more detail than we wish. If, like me, you travel with firearms, you'll learn that the FAA is statutorily in charge of what can and can't be checked and the TSA can't order me to do anything that violates FAA regs. FAA regs mandate that luggage with firearms must be locked. Period.
There are some tips and tricks for dealing with this situation but they're beyond the scope of this discussion. My point is simply that it's incorrect to say that we're "prevented" from locking our baggage. We most assuredly are not.
It seems like the TSA should setup a database for all of the theft reports. It would seem like it should be fairly easy to identify time/location patterns and cross reference those with staff schedules.
That combined with some judicious ebay/craigslist surfing for missing items might stem this a lot.
That should be on top of more obvious steps such as putting some kind of tamper proof seal on the luggage at dropoff. If the TSA wants to inspect the luggage then they are only allowed to break the seal while under camera and supervision. The luggage would then need to have a new tamper proof seal applied. If a passenger receives their luggage with a broken seal then it will be obvious that theft has occurred.
And as you tread the halls of sanity, You feel so glad to be, Unable to go beyond. I have a message, From another time..
I think this guy will get a stiff sentence, maybe not 10 years but I bet 5+. This enough should deter other TSA employees from stealing. They should put posters of this criminal at all airports to deter TSA employees.
TOP DSLR Cameras Reviews of the top DSLRs
I hope not.
The best advice you can give someone, if they are going to be encountering certain parts of our empire, that no longer have a constitutional basis, is to leave your stuff at home, or ship it to yourself.
Otherwise your valuables will be confiscated in the name of the Empire of the USA.
Do not bring stuff on board with you, or through checkout. Ship it separate.
This is nothing but a scheme to get free stuff by government employees or contractors.
It has nothing to do with keeping you safe.
-Hack
Got Geometrodynamics? Awe, too hard to figure out? Too bad.
Remember Tom Daschle's "you don't professionalize unless you federalize" nonsense. We conservatives tried to tell everybody, but nobody listened. Well, now you have a cluster-fuck of enormous size. Quit your whining and live with it.
So I have a good friend who is on the rather kinky side. Last year, he went on a trip to a certain event that involved bringing various "toys." So he packed various items into checked luggage, and went through the security screening. When he arrived at his destination and opened his luggage to unpack, he discovered a slip of paper that indicated that his suitcase had been opened by a TSA screener.
What he found remarkable was not the paper itself, but where it had been located. It was very neatly and securely wrapped around a large black rubber dildo.
The first thing that came to mind when he told me this was to ask whether he had put it in some kind of ziploc bag. (I am a big fan of storage bags.) He replied, "Why would I do that?" I then pointed out that perhaps the person who put that paper there would have chosen to "handle things differently" (gloves notwithstanding) had they given some thought as to where this object has been.
The moral of the story, my friends, is don't put anything worth stealing in your checked luggage. For example, I would never put computers or electronic equipment in checked luggage. That is like putting a giant bulls-eye on your stuff, saying, "STEAL ME." And sometimes, putting something a little...distasteful might even help prevent stealing. I imagine the TSA screener wasn't about to abscond with an already-used (though clean, my friend claimed) sex toy.
Rev 13:16-17 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Why do we keep voting for the lizards? There are two small subtle things to push:
1) Restore the US house of representatives to 1 per 40000 or so citizens - as was the case until 1910, when they fixed the number at 435, which is 1 per 700000 or so at present.
2) Push for approval voting (vote for up to N) at the local level (already in place in many places) and ultimately for the election of electors, senators, and representatives. Plurality voting locks in a two party system and keeps the lizards in power. We've lost sight of the fact that the people in Washington are supposed to be *state* politicians whose job is to represent the state in Washington.
...and a partridge in a pear tree...
I maintain that for every initiative where the police or the government want to increase their powers of surveillance of the people, the people should put DOUBLE the amount of surveillance right back on the government. IMO webcams should be installed in every TSA location where bags are inspected and searched, and those webcams should be available for view on the public internet. The owners of the luggage remain anonymous while the names of the inspectors on duty should be in plain view and updated in real time as the shifts change.
Why is any TSA employee allowed to leave the baggage area with a laptop under his arm?
Search the employees on the way out, problem solved.
No sig today...
"Of course it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a dildo... always use the indefinite article *a* dildo, never *your* dildo."
when are you lot gonna do something about this crap??? It's about time you all got uppity and refused to travel... a few days without revenue should soon get the airlines banging on congress's door to get the TSA reigned in...
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
How many pairs of panties did they find among the loot? As long as you're stealin' ...
To bad you cannot take an airline that does not need to use the TSA and just risk it. Regular airlines would go out of business in a week if you could.
Too early in the morning here. :)
"...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
Will likely get you a free body cavity search. Such agencies don't like you pointing out their corruption, have unlimited power to do anything to you and pretty much no oversight. Sure a small player might get caught every once in a while, but it's not going to stop the abuses. Even Congressmen have run afoul of the TSA and even they seem powerless to change the status quo.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
TSA should be forced to implement a loss prevention program at each airport. Screeners would only be permitted to inspect checked luggage in a highly monitored area. Companies like SAIC could then sell them a centralized video monitoring service to oversee the inspections and report suspicious behavior. Corporate taxes should foot the bill and then make some money back on the service.
What, did they mis Leonidas in the last attack?
This. IS. TSA!!!!!
I had an Airport Express go missing from a bag checked at the Airport. I was flying Alaska at the time, but I'm doubtful that they were the ones that actually took it, especially based on this article. Nevertheless, I don't absolve them of responsibility - when I complained, they sent the report up to corporate so they could avoid any law hassles, and then sent me a rebate in the order of 50 bucks on the next flight, about half of what the item was worth. The justification was they have an extensive list of items that they absolve themselves of responsibility for.
Lesson learned. I don't fly anymore if I can help it, and when I can't help it, nothing but carry on for me. I hate to be the guy that takes up the overhead space, but I need to be able to arrive without some TSA employee taking his cut of my stuff. Worst case, I'm not leaving it up to them anymore to decide if the police are informed.
It is a solemn thought: dead, the noblest man's meat is inferior to pork.
You might want to bring your own K.Y., as I expect you'll be asked to "bend over" at the border.
You cannot waive your constitutional rights (or ammendments therein)
There is no constitutional right to protection from search and, in some cases, seizure of items checked on airlines.
paintball
I say cut off both of his hands. He won't use them to steal again. Problem solved.
How ya like dat?
This is just one more reason why my wife and I prefer to drive instead of flying. We have traveled large portions of the country by car and motorcycle. It's more fun and we get to see more of the country.
Also, remember that it was Democrats that clamored to Federalize baggage screeners after 9-11. They said it was their fault the terrorists got on board with box cutters. (Even though at the time box cutters were not banned from carry on.) They wanted to make the "Professional" screeners by making the Federal employees. Then do you remember how many of them turned out to be illegal aliens? And all the screaming the Unions did when we tried to keep the illegals from having TSA jobs? And now we have proof that these TSA Professionals are allowed to dig through your luggage without supervision and steal whatever they want. How many others have not been caught yet? Maybe they should search the homes of every TSA employee with an eBay seller account.
Anything run by the Feds is bound to be screwed up.
I originally posted information on a Certificate of Search as well as a Bill of Lading, information on security deposits to assure that all enumerated contents within the alleged luggage, would arrive in same form and condition as though you packed your bags at the airline terminal.
What people should really understand is that they are really just packing their bags at the airline terminal and when property is sorted to qualify that it only needs to be done once and SEALED for the duration of skip across the skies and lands unless there is an emergency that warrants the necessity of the crew to employ the contents of the luggage as a decoy or implement to evade the domestic or foreign foe. If there are any words used in the contract of said ticket to enter the court, negotiate the terminal clerk, board the craft, and not expressly written in said contract then it is not law but commerce; commerce is regulated by an assertive U.S. Congress (a corporation in District of Columbia) not to be confused with an actual appointment for Congress between these USA (congress is defined as "commerce", gotcha)! If the people vacated corporations and payed one-another to help them fly discreet private as opposed to public private, it may be more competitive like comparing INS/ICE to the elective Coyotes(people smugglers) under grace.
There is one thought I would like to close, and it would need abatement by each one of us the next time we are queried to our particular choice of property in our luggage, but it has evade me just now as I was typing. I'll respond again when I remember it.
On another note, how there is a commercial relationship (congress, legal) as opposed to a lawful standing (even public), notice how they are all merchants in voluntary modes of conduct whereas when they document a waiver of right via implicit through memoranda of a Miranda lie or avert from the alleged Amendment/correction to their Constitution, if anyone were to assert from any contact with them after the scheduling that would be treated as an offense as though evading "law enforcement" as in breach of trust while if it were documented properly that you revoked and rescinded your signature for the appraisal of your property into their defacto corporate sole entity created by a birth certificate (with stipulations to their indocrination structure of licensing and under privilege) then one is not evading but moving on to other business "without prejudice."
Learn those words in commerce as your signature. I see some persons on Slashdot do use it properly.
According to TFA, the TSA scumbag (Pythias Brown, eBay ID 'alirla') has been placed on administrative leave and will soon be fired. On top of that, his eBay registration has been canceled. :-) Pity (for eBay) because he has 100% positive feedback.
guy I knew working in a certain airport in a certain southern California valley airport seemed to always have new skis, complete sets of Ping clubs, and great luggage. Rumor has it they were all... STOLEN!!! The airline didn't care, it was too hard to deal with the union.
Si vis pacem, para bellum! For evil to succeed good men need only do nothing!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Only when the TSA requires every bag to be ticketed with the screener's information and timestamp every inspection, including a key fob to keep track, and require every employee to be a two man team, will thefts cease.
I've had probably close to 2000$ worth of merchandise, DVDs, and company equipment stolen. I once had government owned assets stolen out of a travel case.
I now dupe all my DVDs before taking them out on the road and I pack notices in each bag of company equipment: Government Owned Asset. The serial is recorded and registered with the manufacturer. Value is over 1500$ and will be prosecuted as felony theft: The government has an infinite numbers of lawyers looking to nail your ass to the wall- why steal this sort of trouble?
Oddly enough I've only had one bag 'misplaced' since I started the warning notices and then it was returned, a week later, from Vegas.
And I don't get it. I have been to New York (US) three times. Once before and two times after 9/11. The first time just a couple month after it. I never, ever felt threatended by terrorists. The only thing I felt threatened of was the leftist extremists that went wild after we took student government from them.
But even if islam terrorists attacked our city I couldn't imagine feeling threatened. Because they don't target me. They target at random. There are more than 80 million people in Germany.
I don't play the lottery. Why would I feel threatened?
Why are all you people afraid?
Gun-shmun- it's worse with skates. The TSA treats them like a 'weapon' because they have 'blades' and you have to put them in checked luggage. If they are lost you lose your opportunity to compete or go to a workshop. Replacing them isn't just a matter of going to the nearest pro shop and buying new ones. Skates for advanced adults run into the hundreds of dollars and have to be custom ordered, adjusted (sometimes more than once), then broken in. Lose your skates and you're looking at a loss of about six weeks until you're ready to compete again. It's easier to replace a gun.
I'm suprised that you're astonished that I'm shocked that you're suprised that he's shocked that there might be people who find this suprising.
Also, in fact, I'm rather unhappy with myself that I'm also suprised that...
thought I was nuts for checking my clothes and carrying my computer gear on business trips, many hard drives, two computers, some media, a PS2 slim, basically everything of small size and high value goes in my carryon luggage, the security check is a b*tch but its their job and I've (knock on wood) yet to lose anything; I have however learned not to use the bags that I use for shooting my rifles, the nut jobs actually picked up powder/residue of a foreign nature and flagged me to secondary search.....
Unix, an obscure operating system developed by bored researchers in an attempt to get a better game playing experience.
n/t
you had me at #!
Actually documenting your luggage isn't hard at all. A few snaps with your digital camera that stays with you in your carry-on luggage should do the job quite nicely in just a few seconds. If it's in the picture then you can make a pretty strong claim that you had it at that time. Did exactly that with a bottle of fine wine once that I couldn't carry-on any longer.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Front: Nearly 300 TSA employees terminated for theft.
Back: How many have not yet been caught!
Anyone have the balls to wear this on a flight?
I never flew until a couple years ago, and since then have taken several trips. Japan, Seattle, LA, Vegas, all from the east coast of the US. Since my first flight, I've never checked a bag again.
It was bad enough when all you had to worry about was your bag not making it onto the right plane, and things getting broken when the bag was thrown around. Now they're required to be unlocked, and are searched "in secret" by anonymous and untraceable employees.
Bring only what you absolutely need. Wash the clothes you bring if it's a trip longer than a week (or however long you can last with clothes that fit in 2 carry-on bags). If you have to buy or bring liquids or anything else that can't be carried on, either mail it, or put it in a bag/box by itself and check it. At least then you're risking as little as possible.
TSA is foobar.
President G"W"B was born foobar (inherited, genetic mutation, execllent example for needed abortions).
The obvious solution here is for every bag to be checked and a compulsory* list drawn up of all the contents - one copy for the traveller, one copy for the bag, one copy for the TSA and one copy in an electronic system so it can be retrieved at the far end.
If, during a subsequent search, anything is siezed, this must be documented, one copy for the TSA, one copy in the bag, one electronic copy, and one copy to be given to the traveller at their destination.
Then, if anything is missing when the bag is retrieved the TSA is assumed to be repsonsible for the loss unless it can prove that it legitimately siezed whatever is missing. (not just 'we seized it', but 'we seized it because...' - the TSA would also not have the final word on wether this was a valid reason.)
*Compulsory list to stop TSA goons pressuring people into not having a list drawn up. If a bag gets through undocumented; someone gets fired.
FGD 135
Now you understand the popularity of ever smaller devices!
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
Once Vulcan
Now Valkyrie
G"W"B
Born Foobar
Will be Foobar'ed, in first person
There's a lot of problems with the entire airport luggage system which should really be fixed ASAP. Problems being:
1) Handlers can stealing stuff while checking luggage.
2) Handlers *could* add drugs or guns to your luggage while checking. Nice easy way to transport since there doesn't seem to be any security behind the doors.
3) Missing luggage. Was it really missing or did the handler choose to take the whole suitcase?
4) On arrival, the luggage drop-off point is a non-secure open to the public area. Perfect for stealing something that isn't yours. Secruity doesn't know if its your bag or not and probably don't care. It would be much better if ticket + ID and lineup at counter would be only way of getting luggage after flight.
I'd like to know what the procedure actually *is* if they find a bomb or whatever in the luggage. Are there police in the luggage checking rooms. If so, why can't better supervision of handlers. I'd guess there's more potential problems as a % with the handlers than having a terrorist/hijacker on a given flight. Both should be given serious oversight.
The system sucks. I like the flying part, the time-saving part of it all. But I haven't once taken a trip w/o worry of losing my hard earned stuff.
I think the original plan with TSA was to make it more of a police-type organization, to provide a more law enforcement feel to airport security.
What we ended up with was just a replacement for the shopping mall security that individual airports had used before -- a dead end, low-wage job, poorly performed by a statistically over-represented number of minorities, now featuring uniform attire from airport to airport, a more surly attitude and all the personnel efficiencies of government bureaucracy, unionization and hiring mandates like affirmative action.
Yuck. Every airport I've been they've always been total losers: surly, slow, uncooperative and sometimes uninformed of TSA procedures.
I wonder what impact the use of those big scanners on the ticketing concourse has on stealing. I think bags that pass those scanners get shunted directly to airport baggage handlers, where theft from luggage may be procedurally more difficult. If the scanning takes place once ticketing has taken your bag, especially if its done in a separate area, I think you're at much greater risk, since they can open bags largely at will.
way off topic, rambling on about politics, maybe you would like to read this
Good luck with the revolution.
For the list of stolen items sold in the last 3 months...
Search EBay for the user name in TFA... (alirla)
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&ftab=AllFeedback&userid=alirla&iid=-1&de=off&items=25&page=1
It seems to me that the ability to own shitloads of guns hasn't been used very effectively over the history of the USA to enforce the constitution or the rights of human beings. It still might in the future, but I'm not optimistic. [emphasis added]
Uh...the Revolutionary War, for starters? The one in which the citizenry was literally and very directly the militia? Or perhaps, if you want to pretend that the history of the USA started as a discrete event when the Constitution was ratified, the Civil War?
I don't mean to start an oft-repeated discussion, but come on. At least try a little bit first.
...and a PartridgeInAPearTree ;)
Yeah, this compulsory list sounds great in theory, but think how much time, per customer, it would add to checkins. You can already easily be stuck in a line for 20 minutes or longer at most airports, just to check in and check one bag *without* having to go through the contents item-by-item with the airline personel. If you had to go through everyone's stuff, it would take 20+ minutes per customer, meaning that if you have 10 people in line ahead of you, you're waiting for 200+ minutes.
-1 Impractical
And I thought I couldn't hate the TSA any more than I already do... :(
I'm Australian. But I have an American wife and we regularly travel back to the US for Christmas and other family occasions. Unlike most non-Americans that post on Slashdot, I don't have the whole 'OMG the US sucks' mentality ... actually I love the US more than probably a lot of Americans do. It's a great country.
But I absolutely detest travelling by air to or within the US! Every time we fly back there, I dread the whole 'take off your shoes', the scary border dudes with sub-machine guns, the 'are you being honest about the purpose of your visit' (even though I'm with my US-citizen wife and have a record on their screen of over 50 previous US entries), the lovely little TSA notes in my luggage (we inspected your bags, we may have taken something ... or not! who knows...) and your bottom-of-the-barrel airlines (seriously, the US is the only country where you don't get food on the plane unless you buy it).
So yeah, now I have another thing to add to that list: "some TSA dude might have taken your camera". Hooray!
"She also said that his crimes were rare and that less than 300 TSA employees have been terminated for theft."
Up to 300 TSA employees have already been terminated for theft! And the TSA keeps going? How many victims per employee? Say conservatively an average 30 items each and that's 9000 victims! That's more than a certain event this decade that sparked off a war and the massive loss of liberty in at least 2 major western countries!
as I am worried about them putting shit in. Seriously if you can't trust the people you hired, then perhaps it's not a good idea to give them access to luggage which will end up on the plane.
... just one of the MANY reasons I DRIVE when ever possible. If my destination is in the continental US, I schedule sufficient time and saddle my fat ass into my nice comfy truck, where I can carry ANY of my transportable possessions without having to squeeze my liquids into a ziploc baggie.
Inconvenient? Perhaps... but at least I'm not patronizing the overly restrictive, power mad TSA and the airlines that allow them to terrorize their customers.
Yes ladies and gents... the terrorists have won.
chown -R us
I originally only reported about the laptop thefts as to coax discussion on laptop disappearance in contact with airline travel where it is stowed improperly among articles of clothing in the cargo belly. The other reports of stolen articles were from the URL I disclosed inline, and concerns how proper and genuine Slashdot editors are trying to their heart to verify every thing that crests their beloved discussion forum. I would prefer the discussion be about luggage certified once and only once, with a proper search and bill of lading, and a security deposit for the said value rather than "insurance" and unfaithful assurance from employees. Also, you should note that a run-on sentence and Sound spelling of words is my style, which the Slashdot editor cleaned a little bit; I didn't always have the opportunity to smash the faces of all that hindered my questions, so I squeaze them all in as though a run on someone's bank.
My thought I want to abate concerns the lawful standing to a legal behaviour a sort from the prying hands that avert from a proper cerified Search and a Bill of Lading acknowledging one's interest for the captain to subject to safety in his route. Where we would hope to be present durring all the alleged searches which are libeled to be, perhaps we could supplant their reasoning to become ours; that a terrorist would intend to watch 3 or more well-studied "officers" search his luggage and decide the proper moment to detonate the explosive charge for full effect (that he premeditated in obvious contract form). If ever there was a terrorist, perhaps it would be my sacrifice to route him out by being held to the same standard of security directive, but that wasn't the case for me back in 2002 when returning from Oklahoma. Back then, they didn't have their legislation in full force; when I entered the terminal with a large green plastic water/gas can full of amphibious species of tiger salamander larvae and creek chub, it had a large tube tucked into my belt buckle. They thought it was a 12 gallon colonoscopy container, when in fact it was full of slimy water and the such. On the plane, someone complained about me and that's when the true search occurred, for which I am grateful a little 115lb elderly tard would complain about a 250lb eunix cattlehand with a brighter-red-than-mohammad'sred-beard down to his belly-button and carying what looks like a gas can with a smile. :-) Those were the days when people were whining their bravery, while today they're unjust slavers that do less for the captain.
I'ld login if I could, but slashdot never would have accepted the article from me had it been accounted to my publisher to facilitate its copyright. Suppose Slashdot is buying that submit, to make their property, rather than accept as a full post?
Like their fascist idols, the stormtroopers of this regime steal from their citizens too.
If the TSA or DHS ever offers you a shower, politely decline....
...I came
I told ya so!
Whenever I have to fly on an airplane, I carry anything valuable as a carryon.
The few times I've ever used a checked bag, it was for clothes and other bulky items. If TSA wants to steal my dirty underwear, they're welcome to it!
Three obvious things:
1) If a rogue TSA employee can take things from your luggage at will, then they can also ADD things to your luggage. Big security risk there.
2) TSA employees are already scanned as they enter. They should also be scanned as they leave! It's common practice in casinos, department stores, and other places that have loose valuables and untrustworthy employees.
3) At a minimum, cameras should be covering every location within the baggage system. This would create a video trail, starting with the timestamp that is created when the luggage is first submitted to the airline. Then, upon report of theft, the video could be watched.
It's a sad day when the TSA is more worrisome than the terrorists.
Wouldn't it be great if airplanes were like trains, in that you personally carry all baggage with you, and that your baggage never leaves your possession?
Dr. Demento On The 'Net!
Someone comes at you with a Notice concerning your rights pursuant to Miranda code (it's not law, realy), then: If you continue to question the uncertainty of those matters concerning the disclosure pertinent to an alleged right sustained yet now prescribed to be negated by the alleged officer presenting to your person, then notice fails and he would muster his intellect in a manner of courtship that would impel an understanding to endorse those services prescribed in the memoranda. They are there to limit liability, perhaps even so far as limiting a liability of an action of course by a homerule like clan or even gEngland international banks attempting to salvage their interest in your currency by sending IRS through Bank of International Settlements under IMF towards you.
Most abridgements to the right to property are automated, so be aware of your interest in the property by placing a lien on the legislated person attached; you know, that plastic card that you indorsed the obverse side of the transmitting utility documents: some call that corporate sole could be post-facto to the birth certificate as an unnatural person, others say it is conduit by the verry licenture under commerce clauses by a DEPARMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES or US NAVY, yet when it is concerning a limted subject matter and derived from statute then be vigilant that notice is certain to the dispute or your expert witness (custodian) has abated for its lack: holding your Citizen, a UCC 1 and plenty use of civil authority through a notary, and holding a court of competent jurisdiction are all keys to upholding your birth-right to birth-death towards any libelous counterfeit to your good name and character not to be confused with automated press and legislated FIRSTNAME+LASTNAME combinatorial artificial personages. I could only wish I could give you examples, but I will not other than what was already provided by the Freemen of Montana.
I can't post because of that karma sy-stem Slashdot grafted onto the original discussion forum method. I'm the one that submit the viable text for this article, mine which that this subject is derived.
To those who moderated me Troll (x2): what fucktards you are. Your mother is a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries. So there, pissants!
:rolleyes:
Really - I got modded "Troll" for this? Fucking ridiculous...
"...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
There's some truth to this ... check out the last graph. Since Clinton FBI prosecutions have changed in a big way: child pornography prosecutions doubled, white collar crime prosecutions halved, organized crime prosecutions halved ...
There was the shoebomber, though touch anti terrorism laws did jack shit to stop him the people on the plane did that.
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (TM)
here reports on this too. Just to get a bit of perspective ? I am glad my suitcase wasn't raided by that person when I was at EWR, but I guess chances are pretty small that such a thing would happen.
Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
It all starts with that fancy Swiss knife that they confiscate. Those get given to their friends and sold on eBay, so why not steal the rest of your belongings, given the morality that that engenders.
Like the one used by the freedom fighter towards the end of the movie The Bodyguard (starring K. Costner, & W. Houston). If only that poor fellow wasn't assassinated by der Bodyguard, he would've ended the child-labored Cocaine manufacturing ring run by The Queen of the Knight (played by Whitney Houston). All I have to declare at the TSA checkpoint is a light-capture Gun, because it's bad cinema that kills more than non-gun domestic violence. I hear people have more problems with their Dewalt dildile Cocking Guns and Skizzors.
"Excellent and honest Ebayer!"
One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.
No trees were harmed in the posting of this message. However, a great number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
Simply paid off. The majority lives off the minority who pays the bulk of the taxes. Income redistribution makes for some very lazy and apathetic people. There is nothing about fairness in a progressive tax, it is all about control.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
Airlines have this policy
about vibrating luggage.
- Was it ticking?
- Throwers know modern bombs don't tick.
- Sorry, throwers?
- Baggage handlers.
But when a suitcase vibrates,
the throwers have got to call the police.
- My suitcase was vibrating?
- Nine times out of ten
it's an electric razor.
But... every once in a while
it's a dildo.
It's company policy never to imply
ownership in the event of a dildo.
We have to use the indefinite article,
a dildo, never
your dildo.
I don't own...
I had everything in that suitcase.
My CK shirts.
My DKNYshoes. My AX ties.
Never mind.
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
The below is from http://blogs.lexar.com/mattbrandon/2006/08/tighter_securit.html . No longer online unfortunately.
In essence: guns must be checked into a special routine (a la registered mail), put under lock and key. IOW, handed over, inspected, locked into a case under lock and key, taken away from you, returned to you upon arrival. As it is a gun tracking system routine the utmost importance is placed on accountability. Stolen guns are unacceptable to the TSA system. The tricks are, a starter's pistol qualifies as a gun and a license is not needed in the USA for one, and two the case containing the gun can be large enough to hold your laptop, or camera, etc. too! :-) Read one of the 2006 0r 2007 cryptograms by Bruce Schneier for the original tip.
##################
[ QUOTE ]
One note on using TSA rules to your advantage.
Weapons that travel MUST be in a hard case, must be declared upon check-in, and MUST BE LOCKED by a TSA official.
A "weapons" is defined as a rifle, shotgun, pistol, airgun, and STARTER PISTOL. Yes, starter pistols - those little guns that fire blanks at track and swim meets - are considered weapons...and do NOT have to be registered in any state in the United States.
I have a starter pistol for all my cases. All I have to do upon check-in is tell the airline ticket agent that I have a weapon to declare...I'm given a little card to sign, the card is put in the case, the case is given to a TSA official who takes my key and locks the case, and gives my key back to me.
That's the procedure. The case is extra-tracked...TSA does not want to lose a weapons case. This reduces the chance of the case being lost to virtually zero.
It's a great way to travel with camera gear...I've been doing this since Dec 2001 and have had no problems whatsoever.
Hope it works for you...
John
Posted by: John Arnold | August 16, 2006 at 08:52 PM
[ END QUOTE ]
##################
Fuck you for using them to push your police-state agenda.
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
a digital picture can be easily faked and is not evidence of anything, go with a 35mm camera if you are going to try to use pictures as evidence.
Air marshalls do it. They carry a stack of paperwork with them. It's tough for a foreigner to get a concealed-carry permit in most countries but it can be done. Where it can't, air marshalls don't fly.
Anyone on a diplomatic passport can do it. (Note that in some countries, this is frowned on and if carrying a gun isn't part of your job, you don't pull this crap with complete impunity.)
Head-of-state protective details do it. (They are also covered under the previous point.)
Hunters do it. Anywhere there's big game to be hunted and money to be made from rich Europeans or Americans who will spend multiple thousands of dollars to fly to your country and shoot your exotic animals, there will be some exceptions built into the law to allow the temporary importation of firearms.
Target shooters do it. Olympic rifle, pistol, and shotgun teams travel pretty much unimpeded (yes, there's paperwork and approvals to be completed long beforehand) to any place holding a competition. I have friends who travel to Brazil to compete every couple of years, each time carrying a pile of pistols. The world benchrest championships will see teams from all over the world going to whatever venue is selected. It happens *all* the time.
No, Europe and Japan are unlike the U.S. in that you don't throw a gun in your bags routinely just to get better luggage treatment. However, if you have a legit reason, you can take your guns with you to most countries. I'm retiring soon and the list of places I want to go to compete, carrying a couple of pistols with me, is too long for me to be able to afford them all. However, over the next few years I expect to take my guns to some subset of: Finland, France, Czech Republic, Spain, Russia, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil.
Basically, the law needs to be changed such that every government employee has no right of privacy when on the job.
This means that all recording (public/private) and audio/video of any gvmt employee is admissible in court.
Please explain to me, how these surches seized "un-allowed" items on the planes, since when am I not allowed to bring on my jewelry or pda, or even cd player on a plane???
5 golden rings...
This couldn't have happened. They told me so. I remember hearing them say this on the news talk shows. Next you'll be telling me they are listening in on American Citizens and recording and distributing their pillow talk conversations. Unheard of!
The "well-armed populace" bit is not about keeping the government from doing illegal things. The only way to do that is to replace them once in a while.
The point of a well-armed populace is to make sure government can't terrorize its citizens TOO much. In particular, the government must NOT be allowed to have a monopoly on violence and the means of violence (i.e. guns).
A well-armed populace is one that is (theoretically) capable of storming Parliament and the White House and physically deposing their rulers if they become too unjust to tolerate. You should never need to do this, but it needs to be possible or there is nothing to really keep your government from becoming totalitarian and fascist (as has been slowly happening in the U.S. over the last 10+ years). ...Imagine how scary it would be to live under a government like the U.S. government without having that final recourse as an option. It should be obvious at that point why the Second Amendment was a great stroke of foresight by the founders.
And that $200K probably doesn't even include all of consumables or stuff he already sold.
True story: A umm... "friend" of mine... recently went on a trip and had his/her bag "randomly searched". Upon arrival at the destination, he/she discovered that his/her suitcase had been searched because there was a TSA flier in it stating that it was "a necessary safety precaution" or some random BS like that. He/she had also noticed that a small bag of ... i guess some would call it "illegal substances", but others would not ... was now missing from the luggage. And yet, nothing on the flier stated that anything had been appropriated and no charges were ever pressed on the [former] owner.
Basically, his shit got ganked and there's nothin he could do about it. (What are you gonna do? Call up the police and say "dude, someone stole my weeeeeeed man...."?)
From the article:
Seriously? "will soon be fired"? It didn't happen immediately? The dude was caught red-handed and even confessed to the crimes; I don't think you need to worry about him pressing charges for "unlawful termination" if you fire him before his trial actually states that he's guilty. He better not be getting paid for these "leave" days.
wth?! 300? Only "terminated"? I certainly hope that they've all been sentenced to prison-time too! Abusing a federal "security" position to take advantage of citizens? (yeah yeah, bring on the President/Congress jokes...)
OVER NINE THOUSAND PEDOPHILES
Hang him by his fucking balls.
He is cheap, and nothing more than a common thief.
Message contains 1 attachment: spam.gif
"Those Stupid Asshats". You may update your story tags accordingly...
Bow-ties are cool.
This guy stole $200,000 worth of stuff before he was caught. What about the guy who stole $100,000 worth of stuff? The guy who stole a few cameras? The guy who just snagged one laptop for his kid? If it takes stealing $200,000 worth of equipment before they will catch you then why not steal?
The outrage shouldn't be over how much bad this guy did, but how broken the system is if he could steal that much before being caught.
set softtabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab nocp worlddomination
Actually, only 56.7% were satisfied with choosing any candidate.
The table in your provided Wikipedia link shows 122,267,553 votes for a host of candidates. Admittedly the majority of those were for two candidates. However, in 2004 there were an estimated 215.6 million registered voters in the US. See the table halfway down: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election
And this is just the guy they caught