Turn Your Trnasponders Off!

[RotorAndWing]

I'm an individual not a statistic. If I (as in me, not my race, religion, or people that share my name), haven't committed a crime or displayed any indication that I'm about to...I should have the right to be judged as an individual and not harassed/profiled. Because when we see profiling in this country, it's usually accompanied with harassment.

Do you believe if a white westerner travels to the Middle East, Asia or Africa they are being "profiled"?

 

[redtail]

Do you believe if a white westerner travels to the Middle East, Asia or Africa they are being "profiled"?

Oh I'm sure they are to some degree.

 

[denverpilot]

This was about 7 years ago when it happened to me, so current tests might be different. I had been handloading one evening and had residue all over my hands, and went to pack up my laptop in its case for a business trip the next day. When I got to the airport they swabbed my case, triggered a full search, sat in a room with some guys asking questions for about 2 hours, finally managed to catch the next flight after the one I missed and still got business taken care of.

Oddly enough, the trip home didn't key up any suspicion at all, so I thought nothing of it. Two weeks later I'm going out again, same swab test, same alert but this time they remembered me and the two hour question-and-answer session was shortened to about 10 minutes and a lecture to get rid of the offending laptop bag, which I did.

Since then I've been very careful to wash thoroughly after loading ammo, and haven't had any issues with commercial air.

And the moral of the story is... anyone with two brain cells trying to smuggle something made of that stuff onto an airplane, probably knows to wash their hands. (Beat head here...)

 

[Skylane81E]

I agree with your position that profiling is wrong but I admit that I am guilty of it.

Profiling isnt wrong,

Profiling based on things outside of a persons control (ie skin color) is

 

[Rigged4Flight]

I've wondered about that. So they look for gunpowder residue, what if I was just out shooting? Nothing illegal about that and I show up with no gun or ammo, but have the residue on me. Then what?

You get searched, and you go on your way.

I've gotten the enhanced screening on several ferry flights, and in one case my bag tripped the sniffer. They searched it, found nothing, and sent me on my way. Took maybe an extra 10 minutes all told. In all cases I was treated courteously and professionally.

Pretty much this. My boots and pack almost always have some kind of residue in/on them. I budget my time so that if I get a full body search with some Q&A thrown in I don't end up late for my flight.

Surprisingly, though, most flights I go on don't result in the TSA alerting on me or my stuff. But I can never count on that being the case.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

I left the US over a year ago. While I was boarding the airplane with my family we were stopped in the jetway by USCBP "agents" in paramilitary outfits. They asked (demanded) to know where we were going, why we were going there. Then we had to produce all of the cash were were carrying, my wife's purse was dumped out on the floor and searched.

I get boxes shipped to me from the US with various goods in them for our personal use. Each of these boxes are opened by USBPS and searched. Why? Why are they concerned about boxes leaving the US?

My wife and son went to Guam last month. They were detained for 2 hours by Immigration (she and my son are US permanent residence card holders). The questioning went beyond bizarre and amounted to harassment.


You guys live in a police state, plain and simple. You have allowed this to happen and continue to allow this. You, as American citizens have no one to blame but yourselves.

Instead of being more concerned about the upcoming football season or what the Kardashians are doing why don't you go to the polls and start getting theses despots out of office? Instead you all sit back and are waiting for someone else to do it for you. You b!tch and moan about Congress and how they must all go, but then you say "well my guy is Ok".

As long as Americans continue this apathy expect more and more "security" to take place.

Why were you stopped? The actions you describe aren't the norm, so you must have some idea of why they did it.

Do you believe if a white westerner travels to the Middle East, Asia or Africa they are being "profiled"?

Every time I pass through Dubai I'm pretty sure the passport/customs/immigration guy would LOVE to throw me in an arab pound-me-in-the-ass prison. Everyone else I interact with there is pleasant and easy to work with, but those passport checker guys...if looks could kill I'd be dead many times over.

 

[denverpilot]

Pretty much this. My boots and pack almost always have some kind of residue in/on them. I budget my time so that if I get a full body search with some Q&A thrown in I don't end up late for my flight.

Surprisingly, though, most flights I go on don't result in the TSA alerting on me or my stuff. But I can never count on that being the case.

Heh... I budget my time for full body cavity searches. I'm usually disappointed.

And no... TSA ineptitude is never something to be surprised about. It's rather normal, actually. LOL.

 

[RotorAndWing]

Why were you stopped? The actions you describe aren't the norm, so you must have some idea of why they did it.

Considering I just left my employment with the Federal government and had to undergo a thorough background investigation before I took that job with them they could access a file and get all of my background information if they wanted to know who I was.

I have my suspicions.

The other bizarre going ons with the government is their obsession with anything leaving the US. It use to be customs only cared about what was brought in the country not leaving it. I suspect they are looking for money being taken out of the country.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

Considering I just left my employment with the Federal government and had to undergo a thorough background investigation before I took that job with them they could access a file and get all of my background information if they wanted to know who I was.

I have my suspicions.

The other bizarre going ons with the government is their obsession with anything leaving the US. It use to be customs only cared about what was brought in the country not leaving it. I suspect they are looking for money being taken out of the country.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

Heh... I budget my time for full body cavity searches. I'm usually disappointed.

I seem to remember a news story about some politician doing something strange in airport restrooms. He could probably hook you up. :wink2:

And no... TSA ineptitude is never something to be surprised about. It's rather normal, actually. LOL.

true

 

[RotorAndWing]

Every time I pass through Dubai I'm pretty sure the passport/customs/immigration guy would LOVE to throw me in an arab pound-me-in-the-ass prison. Everyone else I interact with there is pleasant and easy to work with, but those passport checker guys...if looks could kill I'd be dead many times over.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

True story.

 

[RotorAndWing]

True story.

Yep, so is mine.

You asked a question, I gave you a simple answer. Then you had the courtesy to reply with a tin foil hat.

I didn't go into any conspiracy theories or BS, just simply stated I had suspicions as to why the treatment myself and my family have endured.

I'll leave you to your trolling.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

Yep, so is mine.

You asked a question, I gave you a simple answer. Then you had the courtesy to reply with a tin foil hat.

I didn't go into any conspiracy theories or BS, just simply stated I had suspicions as to why the treatment myself and my family have endured.

I'll leave you to your trolling.

I don't doubt your story - but you have to admit it has all the earmarks of a tinfoil hat theory. Perhaps with more details it wouldn't, but as it is, from this side of the screen and knowing only what you posted ...

It wasn't my intention to make you angry. If I have, I apologize.

 

[Ted]

I'll be honest with you sir. I struggle every day to not make racist, sexist, homophobic, and overtly judgmental statements. I think as I get older I become more like the honey badger and just say things. Statistics are cruel and apply to whole populations WAY better than they apply to individuals. The true true fact is that a statistic just should never be applied to an individual. The math doesn't work.

Kids with ADHD really suffer from parents who don't discipline them well enough.

(yes, I'm make a point)

 

[wsuffa]

I've wondered about that. So they look for gunpowder residue, what if I was just out shooting? Nothing illegal about that and I show up with no gun or ammo, but have the residue on me. Then what?

Typically there's so little gunpowder residue that it's not a problem. Other things can be - some of the hand soap/lotion used in airport rest rooms contains enough glycerine to trip the machines. A collegue of mine had his shoes confiscated by the TSA when it tripped the nitrates detection - he owns a farm & uses nitrate fertilizer in farming.

You get searched, and you go on your way.

I've gotten the enhanced screening on several ferry flights, and in one case my bag tripped the sniffer. They searched it, found nothing, and sent me on my way. Took maybe an extra 10 minutes all told. In all cases I was treated courteously and professionally.

These days, you get hauled into a private room for the search - in some cases they've had folks remove articles of clothing (there's a rather famous case where they insisted that a woman remove her nipple ring & handed her a pair of pliers).

I've been pulled aside for other stuff - with detention of 20 minutes or more even though nothing was detected (Austin). I was *not* treated well in that case or a case at BWI where they didn't like my aviation headset or handheld radio. In DAY, the called a supervisor on me when I objected to the way they were handling very valuable camera/lens equipment.

Pre-check is a godsend, though it appears lately that they're bound and determined to ruin that, too.

 

[Johann]

Profiling isnt wrong,

Profiling based on things outside of a persons control (ie skin color) is

Or like place of birth, oh wait, that happens every time and people accept it as normal

 

[Rigged4Flight]

These days, you get hauled into a private room for the search - in some cases they've had folks remove articles of clothing (there's a rather famous case where they insisted that a woman remove her nipple ring & handed her a pair of pliers).

I've been pulled aside for other stuff - with detention of 20 minutes or more even though nothing was detected (Austin). I was *not* treated well in that case or a case at BWI where they didn't like my aviation headset or handheld radio. In DAY, the called a supervisor on me when I objected to the way they were handling very valuable camera/lens equipment.

Pre-check is a godsend, though it appears lately that they're bound and determined to ruin that, too.

I've been to the private room only once. Lots of questions, full strip search. But over the multiple times I've been stopped due to an explosives hit (swab or particle) I've never had a case where I wasn't treated well. It might be in part due to the fact that I support what they are doing, and I secretly applaud them when they detect explosives compounds on me. TSA employs some real bottom dwellers, but they also have some people that do their jobs and take their mandate seriously.

So I get delayed for a few minutes. So what? I'll get to where I'm going, and I'll have an amusing anecdote to tell at my destination. If I had actually been someone trying to smuggle explosives on to an aircraft that one of you were on we would all WANT them to detain me. A little patience, a little planning, and a little less pompous attitude goes a long, long way.

Some people can't see past their own little world and create a ruckus whenever they are inconvenienced. Those people are the ones I chuckle at as I pass them and their self-centered meltdowns.

 

[ChrisK]

Kids with ADHD really suffer from parents who don't discipline them well enough.

(yes, I'm make a point)

Say again?

 

[RogerT]

Actions taken so far....

3. Corner the little bastard the turned in my tail number and remind him of some very basic laws of GEICO's world.

I favor #3 .. I would have for sure had a little "chat" with the AH. Sounds like
things have gone to h3ll since I left.

Is Pat still the airport manager? Did you talk to him?

RT

 

[el con]

I see your point, just like most of America's mall shootings and school massacres are done by a small population of young white males. Or as the media calls them "troubled kids".
However, the disproportionate amount of racial profiling and harassment (stop & frisk), harrassment in stores, etc, isn't geared towards that element of society.

I shouldn't be stopped and harassed because someone thinks I can't afford that expensive watch that I've just purchased, because I'm black. Nor should I be stopped & frisked while walking to work(or hanging on the corner for that matter, unless there's a curfew in effect)...because most murders are committed by black "teenagers".

Racial profiling is wrong...period. Religious profiling is wrong...period. Assuming someone is up to no-good based on a stereotypical "profile" and nothing else that that person has done...is wrong. IMO

Question: How do we stop the insanity? Whether it's a black kid, a troubled white one, a Mexican or Asian Gang Banger. It's very unfortunate for all the innocent that are caught up in this? Do you not investigate the strangely odd white kid with his AR or is it allowed for the black kid to have his "9" tucked in his gangsta droopy drawers.
Lot's of injustice ,what's the answer?, how do you answer the questions of the innocent victims relative's.
All we have to go on is statistics, playing the numbers.
What else can we use?
It's statistics we use in everything else, investing, choosing a car,etc. ,etc.
It's like the TSA at the airport, do you want to be on that flight that doesn't even question------ anything? I've got nothing to hide, Xray me search me.
I'll put up with it.
I don't know the answer, from your point of view,what's the answer.