TSA, the Fun Never Ends..

[RonDawg]

I just feel bad for some of them, and you can see it on their faces. I travel so much from the same airports, that I even know a few of them now by name. They're just people like you and me. Doing their daily grind. That's all.

I've had my fair share of annoyances as well while waiting for security. But some of the people in line just disgust me with their ridiculous comments and gripes.

I own a few retail stores, and deal with the angry customers when things happen. It sucks. That's all I can say about that.

Having worked both retail and now government, I can say that people tend to treat government workers much worse. I guess the whole notion of "I pay your salary" gives some people an excuse to simply treat government workers like trash.

That's not to say there aren't government workers with bad attitudes, because there are. Not that I'm guilty of the same thing

I'm not a defender of the TSA, but the individual workers do have a difficult job. They're expected to be the first line of defense against air terrorism, yet they are poorly trained and almost as badly paid. They work for an agency that was a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11, an expectation from a populace that expects top-notch security, but doesn't want to pay for it nor does it want to be inconvenienced by it. They are hamstrung by laws and policies enacted by a bunch of overpaid legislators and other officials back in Washington DC, but get crap from some mere citizen who didn't bother to read the signs and the regulations and expect to be exempted "just this one time."

It's a tough, thankless job. Sort of like mine, except I get paid better.

 

[Diver Dennis]

What gets me is the shocked look on some people's faces when they are told they have to leave the gallon jug of sunscreen behind...

 

[Cacia]

who didn't bother to read the signs and the regulations and expect to be exempted

no...it is a moving target, depending which airport you hit. Look, I fly a lot lately, and frankly the travelers seem to know more about it than the TSA. Did you see my post about the "Zip lock" brand bag?

Anyway, you cannot convince me that people treat the TSA workers badly. I have not seen that. If you travel more than me this month, and you see it, then give some examples. We have cited very specific examples in here. And your side has not. People bashing government workers...I don't see that. I see government workers bashing citizens.

Support your argument, don't just say it is so. tell me please, why would a person consumed with keeping track of their money, their flights, their kids, their stuff, decide to target poor TSA workers?

Okay...TSA workers are frustrated for the reasons you listed.. 1) low pay
2) poor training 3)confusing regulations, so they take it out on travelers. THAT is what is happening my friend. They are frustrated and unhappy so they get on power trips. I never once said anything to them unkind. It is not my problem if they hate their jobs...they should go get one they like. It is not that hard. My 16 year old does it till 1:30 am some nights, and then goes to school at 5:30. Trust me, she is not in there copping an attitude with the customers in the restaurant, or she would get kicked out on her haole butt. Cuz it ain't the government and there aren't any benefits either, BTW.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I was in Hong Kong last month Catherine and some guy had to leave 3 bottles of Ice Wine behind because he bought them outside the airport.

 

[tedtim]

what is unpleasant is dealing with whiny travelers constantly complaining about everything. I'm not saying the job itself is difficult. just unpleasant

You should try working a cash register at your local grocery store. Watch out if the scanner is not working quickly, or if the price is not the same as on the advertising flyer.

My wife is a florist. The stories she tells me about the inconsiderate plugs buying flowers is rife with the unpleasantness that you speak of.

 

[joystershell]

My 16 year old does it till 1:30 am some nights, and then goes to school at 5:30.

Sorry for the thread highjack, but aren't there child labor laws that forbid that kind of scheduling? I know that there are in Florida.

 

[AXL72]

I told them they were a bunch of idiots and that as soon as I got to my room, I was ordering a big steak from room service and that on that tray would be a steak knife that most likely was sharper and longer than my dive knife. I told them that just to make things even. I planned on stealing their knife!! ha ha. What silly BS!

I feel for ya MP. What I don't get is why there are several cases of weapons on the airplanes?

Cases you say? Yes, cases. Do you realize how sharp a torn aluminum soda pop can is?

If you have 100 passengers, you know they have at least 100 soda pops in cans. Rip the cans in half, and you have two razor sharp weapons each, for a total of 200 weapons.

Sheez. In first class, the nice wine glasses can be broken for a juggular piercing weapon.

This must be one of those inconsistancies in level of security?

 

[Cacia]

Sorry for the thread highjack, but aren't there child labor laws that forbid that kind of scheduling? I know that there are in Florida.

maybe...

She used to man an exotic bird store alone at ten, in Santa Barbara, cashed out the register and everything..I know that was illegal. The girl likes to work, and there just is no stopping her. Well, I guess I could, but she makes good grades, so I just keep watching for signs of stress. The whole place is Thai too, and they work so hard. Honolulu is kinda funny with labor. The owner probably never even thought about that, if I had to guess. She does not need the money.

What is ice wine Dennis?

 

[Bill51]

Well, Bill, what would you think about optional pre-airport clearance? I am very puzzled why everyone gets the edge with my personal data except me. Is it not for me to decide if I would like to broker it for an advantage?

(And as a side note, when they say "brought in on auto" is that different than an instrument landing? In fog, for example. Since you fly..)

I love the idea of pre-clearance – if done sanely. It needs to be setup to update or compare the database against NCIC and State Department on a regular basis in order to be effective and it needs the ability to monitor all your air travel habits.

There are varying degrees of accuracy for instrument landing systems based on the airport facilities, the aircraft, and the crew qualifications. The most accurate and capable of landing in the lowest visibility and ceiling conditions requires the aircraft be capable of automatic landing with automatic throttle operation, so it gets nicknamed an auto approach, but it’s nothing more than a type of instrument landing. They are technically called Category III (or Cat III) approaches and the most sophisticated combination, a Cat IIIC, requires the plane to have at least 3 functioning autopilots since it requires no runway visibility and no decision height above the runway and is even capable of guiding the plane all the way to the terminal.

 

[The Mushroom King]

I think Bruce Schneier was already quoted earlier in this thread, but if you want to read some good stuff about security in general and also some of the fun the TSA makes us go though, I recommend that you read his blog. If you think the TSA is making us safer, he'll at least make you think twice about it. Also a good read for any computer geeks out there.

http://www.schneier.com/blog/