Airport pat down today

As for me, I guess the pat down was random.
Click to expand...
I'm sure it was just that. (random) Wait till you folks get in one of those new air blower booths. They don't slow you down a bit getting to your gate. I hope the day will come where the TSA will have very littler interaction with people flying. But till that day comes. I welcome anything they can do to make my flight safer. If by chance a pat down on 603Country is required in front of me. Hey TSA go for it. 603 Country: I hope your pat down is given by a gorgeous 21yr old Red Head with a personality to match her looks. Heck I might volunteer for a pat down myself if that were the case._:p
 
Well I am sitting in the airport in Saint Louis, ready to go back to Phoenix.

Once again, no pat down here. Just the magnetic detector.

Go figure.

Interesting thing though, I was in line for the back scatter and I asked the TSA person to opt out and go for the patdown.

Her reply was interesting. She said if you initiate contact with a TSA employee at the station, it triggers an automatic patdown.

I replied that did not matter to me...I just wanted to opt out of the back scatter.

Her reply was: "I did not select you for a patdown, just keep that for reference for the future."

Strange?????

Geetarman
Click to expand...

She's being unusually reasonable: telling you that keeping your mouth shut *until* you are selected for the backscatter machine (or whatever) will make both your lives easier. That's good advice.

I refuse to do the backscatter thing too because I'm convinced they are unsafe (or at least may be unsafe and TSA doesn't test them to make sure) -- but it hasn't come up yet. Whenever I've flown it has just been the usual magnetometers and the only thing new is I have to take my shoes off.

I wonder what happens if you show up barefoot?
 
She's being unusually reasonable: telling you that keeping your mouth shut *until* you are selected for the backscatter machine (or whatever) will make both your lives easier. That's good advice.
Click to expand...

Maybe...maybe not.

I have not seen any PSA announcements saying not to talk to them. You can talk to a police officer without fear can't you?

Smacks more of discouraging anyone from questioning them.

Geetarman:D
 
I can sure see where some folks might object to the very personal hands-on treatment.
Click to expand...

And I are one of them!!! Thus, I opt not to board commercial aircraft at a public airport...

Brent
 
haven't flown commercial in almost 4 years. Take AMTRAK.

I used to work for a defense contractor. We were all ways pulled for screening. Our Employer had a form letter explaining that what we were and why we triggered the positive test.

RDX and HMX residue never comes out of your clothes.
 
Strange, I've talked with several TSA folks while waiting for the line to move through the screening machines and never had anything unusual happen to me. She may have been blowing smoke so she didn't have to talk to you. Some of those folks can be downright unfriendly to live in Texas.
 
I took a buddy to the range shooting on the way to the airport to fly out. After, he said I wonder if I should wash up and change cloth's, funny, I was thinking the same thing afterwards.

We were still at the range, and asked the range master what he thought, and he agree's maybe at lest bring the range receipt. He said a guy had to come back and get a receipt before they let him on the plane. Not sure if that was true. But my buddy change in the parking lot, no problems.
 
Sure Shot Mc Gee said:
I'm sure it was just that. (random) Wait till you folks get in one of those new air blower booths. They don't slow you down a bit getting to your gate. I hope the day will come where the TSA will have very littler interaction with people flying. But till that day comes. I welcome anything they can do to make my flight safer. If by chance a pat down on 603Country is required in front of me. Hey TSA go for it. 603 Country: I hope your pat down is given by a gorgeous 21yr old Red Head with a personality to match her looks. Heck I might volunteer for a pat down myself if that were the case._:p
Click to expand...

The blower booths are on their way out in favor of the dangerous back scatter porno booths. The TSA claims to have done health tests on them, but will not release the results or the procedures, so they can't be verified, and they won't allow any outside parties to test them. I tell everyone I meet to avoid them.

Whether you like the TSA or not, very little that they do improves our airline and airport security. Most of their stuff is simply "security theater" designed to put on a good show. It's all a smoke screen. They refuse to employ tactics that are proven to increase security and focus on ineffective techniques and things that don't matter.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus that ate your iPhone.
 
The blower booths are on their way out in favor of the dangerous back scatter porno booths. The TSA claims to have done health tests on them, but will not release the results or the procedures, so they can't be verified, and they won't allow any outside parties to test them. I tell everyone I meet to avoid them.
Click to expand...
I think it's most telling that they will not allow their screeners to wear radiation dosimeters.
 
With the new body scanners and abolition of the older metal detectors it's never been easier to sneak guns and other contraband onto airplanes.

How To Get Anything Through TSA Nude Body Scanners

It's all nothing more than security theater. The scanner completely missed the large nail clippers in my small side pocket last time I flew and I know that it has enough metal to set off a metal detector.
 
The blower booths are on their way out in favor of the dangerous back scatter porno booths. The TSA claims to have done health tests on them, but will not release the results or the procedures, so they can't be verified, and they won't allow any outside parties to test them. I tell everyone I meet to avoid them.
Click to expand...

I refuse to go through anything with ionizing radiation. There was a new booth some sort of "radio wave" detector last I went through, and I did not go through that either.

I am going to state that the security fools understand human physiology even less than the medical profession. The medical guys will categorize radiation exposure in terms of risk. So its only a 3% chance of skin cancer, or something like that, well its not very funny if you are one of the 3%. They cannot guarrentee that exposure will not have unfortunate consequences for people 20 years down the road. Given what they exposed people to in the Atomic Tests, Vietnam (agent orange, etc), and the number who died from cancer, it is not a safe bet to assume they now know what they are talking about.
 
Hey I say if you don't like security checks then don't fly.

If you fly enough you learn how to breeze through the process with little trouble. And for the 50$ or more they charge for baggage I can buy lots of tooth paste and undies when I arrive. If I fly on the companys dime then I don't care. A lack of carry on bag will help you along. Nothing is more annoying than an inexperienced traveler holding up the process. Arguing over tooth paste and stuff. Everybody wants to be special during air travel. There's no need for a carry on bag on domestic flights. Cough up the baggage fees and make everyone more comfortable.

I think security is still too lax in the US. I have been to many countries and many are stricter than us. I have been places where the pilots screen and interogate passengers in the waiting area; and that's after going through all the other security to get to that point. I'd rather have an uncomfortable search than another 3000 dead.
 
The problem with TSA is that they do security on a reactive basis which is ineffective. Like most security, police and corrections they function on an illusion of protection. I have been pulled out and patted down several times once because a foil gum wrapper set off the machine. Meanwhile there was a 4in folding knife in my carry on that I had forgotten to take out and made it through the xray machine. I did check it on my return flight. Its hit and miss. I would not try to intentionally get something through but lots gets through unintentionally.
 
Yeah, I normally opt for the mid-flight boarding too...
Click to expand...

What I mean is that if I want to enjoy a flight I will ask a buddy who is a pilot with his own plane if I can buy some fuel and go for a ride...

Never even walked thru the airport terminal... Entering thru an entry door on the street side and onto tarmac thru the hangar door is so much more peaceful...

I have no need or desire to travel commercial air travel...

Brent
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top