Sorry, when a political cartoon comes up that features a Trek reference, I’m there. Traveled last week, no patdown, no crazy see through my clothes search.
Joe
The Future of Travel?
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Maybe TSA is backing off after all the controversy (and all the YouTube videos and reports from people who felt they’d been violated)? The frisking and strip-search scanners were far too broadly implemented in the first place; if you look at it most if not all the terrorists who have been caught so far have been foreign-born Middle Eastern males, it seems to me putting anyone else through such invasive screening is a waste of TSA’s time and the government’s money as well as a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment. That’s not discrimination, it’s just common sense. The situation with the “don’t touch my junk” guy never made sense to me either, I mean he was fined $11,000 for what? Refusing an unconstitutional search? Seems ridiculous to me. I saw an interview with a guy not long ago who said a TSA agent actually went down inside his pants too–where does it stop?
I like Star Trek too! I don’t think it’s ever going to be reality though, the way the Peak Oil situation is. From what I’ve been reading, at the current rate of decline we’re going to be in a “post-Industrial Stone Age” within the next couple decades.
I was shaved, briefcase and wearing a suit. A couple years ago, I did an experiment. On the outbound flights, I didn’t shave and wore jeans and used a backpack. I was patted down both legs of the trip. On the return flights, I kept the suit on, and was clean shaven, got through no issues.
And they say there’s no profiling….
Hmmm something to think about there…when I travel I’m usually with my kids and we use backpacks for our carry on luggage. Time to change that, maybe. I did get pulled out for extra screening last time, I think they thought the cord to my laptop looked like a bomb on the xray. But that was way before the more invasive patdown that so many people are complaining about was instituted.