confiscating non-"weapons"
Jul 16, 2012, 2:32 pm
#31
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How do aeronautical charts of any kind threaten flight safety?
If I won't promise to not say boo are you going to feel unsafe?
Jul 16, 2012, 2:34 pm
#33
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Not necessarily, but it would draw unwanted attention and if said book included details on how to get the bomb on a commercial airliner that would probably move them to do so.
Jul 16, 2012, 2:40 pm
#36
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They proably don't and I never suggested that they did.
I never mentioned a single word about me feeling unsafe. I only spoke about what THE TSA might think was unsafe and how making them feel so (or disrespected) would not work to the OPs advantage.
Jul 16, 2012, 2:42 pm
#37
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Jul 16, 2012, 2:44 pm
#38
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Jul 16, 2012, 2:44 pm
#39
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If he was really going to blow the plane up, most likely he'd have figured out to do it without carrying the instructions....
Jul 16, 2012, 2:46 pm
#40
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Unless you think that only books with 72-point titles shouting "HOW TO BRING A BOMB ONTO AN AIRCRAFT" are worthy of scrutiny.
Or unless you are trolling.
Jul 16, 2012, 2:46 pm
#41
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How true! While I may not particularly desire to be on any future flights with said individual, while still in the "research" phase the risk would be inherently low.
Jul 16, 2012, 2:54 pm
#42
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The TSA is a multi-flawed organization and, generally speaking, the people they hire as TSOs are poorly educated, poorly trained people who have literally seconds to make decisions that they don't have the experience and training to make. I'm in no way disputing that, nor am I sticking up for them. I also don't feel that what they did to you was legally or morally correct.
My point (nothing more, nothing less) was that when dealing with authority figures (regardless of whether you're legally or morally right or wrong) getting them off side is never a wise move. This is ESPECIALLY true when dealing with under educated, under trained people who have a huge amount of authority, such as TSOs.
Jul 16, 2012, 2:55 pm
#43
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No TSA cannot confiscate items. At least not legally.
TSA must give the traveler a choice to give the item to someone else, check it in checked luggage, return it to their car, or mail it to themselves.
The OP had his/her property stolen by a TSA employee. That TSA employee should be charged for theft and tried in a court of law. There can be no tolerance for TSA abuse of the public and it will not stop until these TSA criminals are taken to task.
TSA must give the traveler a choice to give the item to someone else, check it in checked luggage, return it to their car, or mail it to themselves.
The OP had his/her property stolen by a TSA employee. That TSA employee should be charged for theft and tried in a court of law. There can be no tolerance for TSA abuse of the public and it will not stop until these TSA criminals are taken to task.
Jul 16, 2012, 2:59 pm
#44
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Now, what if the book is in Arabic (or any other language not spoken by the screener). Is it any less dangerous because the TSA has no idea what it says? Should they let it pass? Should they confiscate all books or papers that the screeners can not understand?
I realize that I'm going a bit overboard here, but the fact is that the OP's airline charts are:
1. legal to own
2. not prohibited by TSA policy (except maybe those super secret policies that we can't see but are still expected to abide by)
3. not particularly suspicious
The TSA screener in question had no more right to demand to see a pilot ID and then confiscate the charts than he would to see a medical license if someone is carrying a copy of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Jul 16, 2012, 3:05 pm
#45
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