Comments on: Incompetence in the Air http://www.rluxemburg.com/2009/12/27/incompetence-in-the-air/ It's Latin for 'Let there be Light' Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:23:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: W. Curtis Preston http://www.rluxemburg.com/2009/12/27/incompetence-in-the-air/comment-page-1/#comment-1281 W. Curtis Preston Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:22:09 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1768#comment-1281 @Steve Yeah, that's their job. It's just like the terrorists. RIGHT... @Nick The report I saw was that he was on the watch list but not on the no-fly list. "Sweet-talk?" How hard is it to walk through a security checklist with liquid explosive in your underwear? What exactly were they looking for that they missed? I don't know about the last statement you made about them being tipped off. But I believe the TSA guys "did their job." It's just that their job is not correctly defined. If the guy's on the watch list AND they had barcode scanning at TSA (most airports don't) AND their directives were to then subject anyone on the watch list to additional screening AND someone patted him down enough to feel the "full" underwear, then MAYBE he would have been caught. BUT... Most airports don't have bar scanners, I doubt their directives are to do an additional search, and if they are we (the people) don't want really invasive additional screenings (especially ones that might be feeling our undewear)... SO... I'd say that the TSA is doing the best job they can that we ALLOW them to do. I do agree that this recommendation does nothing to help and everything to punish those of us who fly. So the bad guy has to blow up a plane more than one hour prior to departure. So what. But the report I read said we're also limited to one carry-on that has to stay in the overhead bin. The way i read that is no laptop. Or I have to switch to a combo clothing/laptop carry-on that I've seen. Other ways to get there? You mean like SHIP? These rules (as I heard it) only apply to international flights. @Steve

Yeah, that’s their job. It’s just like the terrorists. RIGHT…

@Nick

The report I saw was that he was on the watch list but not on the no-fly list. “Sweet-talk?” How hard is it to walk through a security checklist with liquid explosive in your underwear? What exactly were they looking for that they missed? I don’t know about the last statement you made about them being tipped off. But I believe the TSA guys “did their job.” It’s just that their job is not correctly defined. If the guy’s on the watch list AND they had barcode scanning at TSA (most airports don’t) AND their directives were to then subject anyone on the watch list to additional screening AND someone patted him down enough to feel the “full” underwear, then MAYBE he would have been caught. BUT… Most airports don’t have bar scanners, I doubt their directives are to do an additional search, and if they are we (the people) don’t want really invasive additional screenings (especially ones that might be feeling our undewear)… SO… I’d say that the TSA is doing the best job they can that we ALLOW them to do.

I do agree that this recommendation does nothing to help and everything to punish those of us who fly. So the bad guy has to blow up a plane more than one hour prior to departure. So what. But the report I read said we’re also limited to one carry-on that has to stay in the overhead bin. The way i read that is no laptop. Or I have to switch to a combo clothing/laptop carry-on that I’ve seen.

Other ways to get there? You mean like SHIP? These rules (as I heard it) only apply to international flights.

]]> By: Nick Kwiatkowski http://www.rluxemburg.com/2009/12/27/incompetence-in-the-air/comment-page-1/#comment-1280 Nick Kwiatkowski Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:41:03 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1768#comment-1280 It's sad... Not only was he on the watch list, the no-fly list, but he managed to sweet-talk his way through two security check-points where they let him bring banned items onto the plane. To fowl it up even more, according to the news reports this morning, the NSA was tipped off that there was a potential threat on that particular flight! Like you wrote, had the rules simply been followed, he would have not been able to board the plane and there would have been no issues. But because it was the holiday season, and the traffic was heavier, the TSA agents didn't do their jobs and they let this schmuck through the door. And guess what, we all get to suffer now because of it. I for one will look for other ways to get to my destination. I've been flying a LOT lately, and the no-bathroom and nothing-on-your-lap rule is it. Traveling has become bad enough, and most of the traveling just won't be worth it if this continues. It’s sad… Not only was he on the watch list, the no-fly list, but he managed to sweet-talk his way through two security check-points where they let him bring banned items onto the plane. To fowl it up even more, according to the news reports this morning, the NSA was tipped off that there was a potential threat on that particular flight!

Like you wrote, had the rules simply been followed, he would have not been able to board the plane and there would have been no issues. But because it was the holiday season, and the traffic was heavier, the TSA agents didn’t do their jobs and they let this schmuck through the door. And guess what, we all get to suffer now because of it.

I for one will look for other ways to get to my destination. I’ve been flying a LOT lately, and the no-bathroom and nothing-on-your-lap rule is it. Traveling has become bad enough, and most of the traveling just won’t be worth it if this continues.

]]> By: Steve http://www.rluxemburg.com/2009/12/27/incompetence-in-the-air/comment-page-1/#comment-1279 Steve Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:03:17 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1768#comment-1279 The entire goal of the organization is to instill fear into (amongst others) the American public. "Safety" isn't really their goal. Control is. They're in much the same business as the "terrorists", in some respects. The entire goal of the organization is to instill fear into (amongst others) the American public. “Safety” isn’t really their goal. Control is.

They’re in much the same business as the “terrorists”, in some respects.

]]> By: John Dowdell http://www.rluxemburg.com/2009/12/27/incompetence-in-the-air/comment-page-1/#comment-1278 John Dowdell Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:55:45 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1768#comment-1278 Makes sense, but the TSA is a political organization, and CAIR exerts strong pressure against any politician who would dare to speak such sense, particularly after their success with The Flying Imams case. Makes sense, but the TSA is a political organization, and CAIR exerts strong pressure against any politician who would dare to speak such sense, particularly after their success with The Flying Imams case.

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