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Comments (7)
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Save/ShareEverybody knows that at TSA checkpoints, you're not supposed to joke about drugs, bombs, or pretty much anything, right? Well, everybody except for one schmuck TSA agent, that is.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a 22-year-old college student was recently stopped by a TSA agent after she'd passed through security gates at Philadelphia International Airport. The agent produced a baggie of white powder and asked the young woman, "Where did you get it?"
Some 20 seconds (which probably felt like 20 days) later, the agent smiled and said he was just kidding.
Appalling.
Even more appalling: The incident occurred on January 5, just a couple of weeks after a man tried to blow up a Northwest flight on Christmas day.
Every traveler should feel somewhat relieved that, per an update in the Inquirer story, the agent-prankster is no longer employed by the TSA.
What's scary is that someone hired this person to be an agent in the first place.
MORE:
Slate asks: How to fix airport security?
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My Dad's suggestion: give everyone who signs a waiver the right to fly on a plane where people have not been screened--and they can be told they can't fly with no explanation. There would also be flights with thorough screening for those who prefer.
Posted By Patty on January 22, 2010, 6:13 AM
As a result of 'too-much-heaven-on-their-minds', (plus NOTHING in Bush's mind), pious citizens of our 'ally', Saudi Arabia, were easily able to fast-forward 359 of my former NYC coworkers to their eternal reward(s), circa 2001.
Thanks to the econo_theocratic Bush & his neocons, (continuing now under Mr. O'Bama), my former employer itched to merge with a larger company, a merger ever-so-slightly delayed by this mass casualty incident.
16 of his employees didn't survive; I did, (downsized), by a mere 6 weeks.
As a retired paramedic with mass casualty experience prior to my stalled office-manager career, I'm appalled by EVERYTHING the U.S. has done, in it's faux-heroic, never ending effort to avoid accomplishing anything, about anything, terrorism-related...
This 'TSA-Practical-Joke' story, where a passenger no doubt saw her life flash before her eyes, (like Russel Crow's fights in 'Gladiator'), reminded me to NEVER fly, under any circumstances, if/when the current 17-25% unemployment rate returns to it's normal, (easily prevented), 5-8%!
If AA & United had gone under as a result of Sept.11th., we WOULDN'T be seeing 'panty bombers'!
If 'all boats rasied' were worldwide policy, instead of wealth_concentration & poverty enhancement, Alquaida would need the Wall St. Journal's assistence to maintain it's 'employee roster'!!
Let's bring 'em home from the corporate welfare program, (middle east div.), then bring back FDR's W.P.A., shall we?
When the corporations understand how much profit their letting slip though their insect-mouthparts, directly due to all the people who don't purchase goods & services via enforced poverty, they'll get on board...!
Posted By R.G. Frano, EMT-P (Ret.) on January 22, 2010, 6:28 PM
What R.G. Frano said.
Also, I hope TSA continues to screw up like this. We need to get rid of them entirely and this kind of thing only helps with that. Hopefully there's a limit to the extent of ineptitude even US sheeplike citizens will take.
Posted By Ducklady on January 25, 2010, 10:30 AM
Oh no, Patty!! Because as soon as we stop to think about it, we all know that sure-as-the-world-turns, TSA would get those flights mixed up, and put the biggest scaredy-cats right next to the bearded guys carrying the prayer-rugs! A nice thought tho!
Posted By IndyMo on January 25, 2010, 2:07 PM
Was this former TSA agent put on the no-fly list after he was terminated?
Keep in mind that security is an illusion. Don't readily relinquish your rights and freedoms for an illusion!
Posted By Observer on January 25, 2010, 2:29 PM
The one-and-only time I tried to go through screening using the bar code on my PDA screen as a boarding pass, the TSA agent grumbled a bit about not having the scanner at his lane and then called out to another "Hey, hand me the gun--I mean the scanner." But it was far too late: He'd yelled out "gun" and the whole screening area ground to a halt, uniforms appeared, I'm being questioned, he's trying to explain, it's a complete nightmare for several minutes.
I can hardly imagine what it's like if there was a real problem--if they detected a real problem. I frequently get on a plane and realize that my purse contains a 'dangerous item' that TSA didn't notice: a tiny Swiss Army knife or a tube of hand lotion.
Posted By Glenda on January 25, 2010, 3:31 PM
Hallo an alle! Diese Website ist fantastisch und ich bin sicher, dass ich wieder hier zu sein.
Posted By wypadek w pracy on March 7, 2012, 6:28 PM