I live in SYD and was trying to return yesterday afternoon.
TSA said my transparent plastic zipper-seal bag was too large: it was supposed to be quart-sized. I challenged this, not recalling having read that. I had looked up the rules before leaving Sydney, and had purchased a small box of the plastic bags, the next size up from sandwich size. However, Sydney uses the metric system, so it would not have had quart size bags in any case.
The bag was OK for TSA checks in SFO and ATL earlier in the week. But not yesterday. Since I did not just give in, but insisted on seeing a written rule about it, the police were called. After more words were exchanged I was arrested. The inital charge was disorderly contact. Nothing about being charged with possessing a quart + sized bag.
Late in the evening, someone else attending my conference who was still at the hotel, bailed me out. I have a court hearing tomorrow at 2 PM.
This experience has been shocking. I have never been arrested before. I would like an attorney to accompany me.
Please - I need assistance. Anyone know Atlanta attorney who can attend this hearing with me? I do not want to experience further time in the hospitality of the city of Atlanta.
Can't help you with an attorney and sorry for your inane troubles but welcome back to the United States where we will bomb you back to the stone age, glass parking lot, etc., until you believe in democracy.
"Land of the free, home of the brave." At least it sounds good enough an ideal to wage battles on others' lands.
I am really sorry to hear the problems you have with the US TSA. I think the problem is with ATL, and not the whole TSA across the country.
I had a problem last Friday that's similar to yours -- except my clear plastic bag was too small! I had a quart size, and the clear plastic bag HAD to be the gallon size. I cleared TLV security 12 hours earlier -- and Israeli security is much more thorough. They are not searching for shoes, nor the size of some frickin' plastic bag -- they are searching for bombs!
I would point out in court that you read the airline's website to find out what the current rules were; that you had cleared security at SFO and ATL with the same bag. The bag came from Australia so sizing is different. And that you followed the spirit of the law.
I think ATL's TSA has more of South Park's Cartman's philosophy of "Respect my authori-tye!"
Good luck and please let us know how things turn out.
David
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Last edited by DavidHatt; Oct 29, 06 at 6:35 am..
Reason: edit it to make posting clearer
I just checked the tsa.gov website. It does state quart size, and give dimensions in inches. It also says it cannot be gallon size.
The rest of the world is metric, and it is not possible to buy plastic bags with a zip seal in imperial sizes in many countries, such as Australia. At least not where I shop.
So the TSA folks were correct, but they could not show me the rule in writing, and they had me arrested. I don't doubt that had I quietly capitulated and allowed them to confiscate my items together with the quart+ size bag, that I would have been allowed to proceed. But I thought I had the right to question them.
I think this is chilling to people traveling from metric countries (i.e. the rest of the world), and to people who do not like police states.
I have obtained the names of some lawyers from the martindale web site.
I am 51 year old overweight myopic female computer programmer, trying to return home from a conference on computer software. Is America safer, having spent its resources locking me up?
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KarenH
Last edited by KarenH; Oct 29, 06 at 12:12 pm..
Reason: delete some details
So sorry to hear about this KarenH. Unfortunately, this is what the USA has reduced to. A police state with no respect for any human rights or liberties. All in the name of "security".
I thank my lucky stars that I don't have or need to travel to the US anymore. Infact, I go out of my way to even avoid transiting thru the US.
The terrorists have gained a psychological victory in the USA. I wonder what our Founding Fathers would say about the condition of democracy in the USA today.
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Sounds like more than asking to see the rules was involved. Calling authorities names anywhere in the world is a quick way to trigger an adverse reaction. Calling an arresting policeman a Nazi is not going to win points.
The rules are silly but they are the rules. Those of us living in the USA should write our representatives. But until changed, we need to live with them and not anger those charged with enforcing them.
Returning home on Friday, my wife and I just packed our toiletries in checked bags. She got stopped. Seems she forgot about a 17 oz bottle of perfume.they told her that since it was not in a clear plastic bag and was not in a separe bin, she would have to either throw it away or go back and check it.
She said she was sorry about the error but did not have time to go back and check it. She asked whether there were other options saying if not she would just give it up. Two TSA agents conferred and then told her to just take it but be more careful in the future.
I am sure if she told them how stupid the rules were she'd have been out. $50 bottle of perfume.
As far as the OP is concerned, the Court will likely figure he has been punished enough and file away or dismiss the charges with appropriate warnings. If the officer is in Court, the OP best make it clear how sorry he is for misbehaving or the judge may just impose a significant fine.
Good luck to the OP. We've all felt like he did at time.
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Are metric sizes really going to be this much of an issue? One quart (US, liquid) seems to be just about 0.95 liters. That should be close enough that anyone but the most insane TSA shoe inspector would challange it. KarenH, you say that your bag was in a metric size, but exactly how large was it? I am currently flying with a 1 liter bag, and there have been no complaints yet.
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The terrorists have gained a psychological victory in the USA. I wonder what our Founding Fathers would say about the condition of democracy in the USA today.
Im sure that if Thomas Jefferson had a few to many glasses of wine at dinner, and some nit-wit told him riding a horse was a "priviledge" he would have flipped him the bird
Sounds like more than asking to see the rules was involved. Calling authorities names anywhere in the world is a quick way to trigger an adverse reaction. Calling an arresting policeman a Nazi is not going to win points.
The rules are silly but they are the rules. Those of us living in the USA should write our representatives. But until changed, we need to live with them and not anger those charged with enforcing them.
Returning home on Friday, my wife and I just packed our toiletries in checked bags. She got stopped. Seems she forgot about a 17 oz bottle of perfume.they told her that since it was not in a clear plastic bag and was not in a separe bin, she would have to either throw it away or go back and check it.
She said she was sorry about the error but did not have time to go back and check it. She asked whether there were other options saying if not she would just give it up. Two TSA agents conferred and then told her to just take it but be more careful in the future.
I am sure if she told them how stupid the rules were she'd have been out. $50 bottle of perfume.
As far as the OP is concerned, the Court will likely figure he has been punished enough and file away or dismiss the charges with appropriate warnings. If the officer is in Court, the OP best make it clear how sorry he is for misbehaving or the judge may just impose a significant fine.
Good luck to the OP. We've all felt like he did at time.
I agree.
Sounds like you lost your cool and wouldn't listen to reason. You also mentioned that you looked up our rules before flying here, which seems like you understand the level of our security at our nation's airports. Taking that into account, you shouldn't of "challenged" their reason as you should of known you were dead in the water with them. Afterall we are talking about a small bag with what must of been everyday simple items...how much are some simple toiletries worth ?
While no one deserves to be mistreated like you say you were, I also must believe that you did your fair part in boiling the water. I hope it all turns out well for you, which I am sure it will...next time just roll with the punches and move on.
Can't help you with an attorney and sorry for your inane troubles but welcome back to the United States where we will bomb you back to the stone age, glass parking lot, etc., until you believe in democracy.
Japan, Germany, western europe, cold war, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Gulf War I. (I will leave out GWII to prevent liberal hyperventilation.)
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Unfortunately, this is what the USA has reduced to. A police state with no respect for any human rights or liberties. All in the name of "security". 
