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Today was the day...(The Michael Roberts/ExpressJet Story)

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Today was the day...(The Michael Roberts/ExpressJet Story)

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Old Oct 16, 2010, 10:18 am
  #16  
 
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I applaud you sir.
I haven't been forced to opt out from ATI yet, but that day will come and I am not looking forward to it. In addition, traveling through LHR seems to be out of the question now. I love to travel and fly, but I wonder when the cost of dignity will be too great in order to do so.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 10:23 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by star_world

And did I miss something - you are in favour of opting out, right?
No, I'm in favor of cowardly pansies who think that the Nude-O-Scope should be used at all opting-in to this disgusting, un-American strip search.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 11:22 am
  #18  
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Welcome to flyertalk, SpatialD ^ and thank you for your post (and thank you for standing up for what you believe in ^^^) but if I may, you might want to delete your name and also the personal information at the end of you post and substitute "please pm me for contact info" as you never know who reads f/t
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 11:30 am
  #19  
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Originally Posted by goalie
Welcome to flyertalk, SpatialD ^ and thank you for your post (and thank you for standing up for what you believe in ^^^) but if I may, you might want to delete your name and also the personal information at the end of you post and substitute "please pm me for contact info" as you never know who reads f/t
goalie, I believe the OP is already well known as he has published an article on the subject of WBI:

http://www.prlog.org/10891401-airlin...a-tyranny.html

Originally Posted by star_world
I find going through a TSA checkpoint therapeutic sometimes after reading some choice quotes here

I couldn't care less whose defense fund you've contributed to. My point stands - the OP is in the wrong here by deciding that the rules don't apply to him. I don't know what outcome he was expecting.

And did I miss something - you are in favour of opting out, right?
It's not your place to tell others what is right or wrong. OP made his choice, took a stand at perhaps great personal cost and every one of us needs to stand up and applaud him.

Last edited by Kiwi Flyer; Oct 23, 2010 at 2:44 am Reason: merge consecutive posts
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 11:52 am
  #20  
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A big thank you to the OP! ^
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 11:56 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Wimpie
You sir, are a great American!

We need more people like you, with a little more viability and a lot more guts than the average sheep, to get the word out about the tyranny that our government is dishing out, without any LAWS being passed to allow for this.

As many have mentioned, this is the "boiling frog" procedure, and I'm glad to see someone jumping out of the pot in time.

Please do your best to contact the press, legislators, and get as much publicity on this travesty as possible. This matter is getting completely out of control.

And my personal WELCOME TO FLYERTALK!
AMEN!
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 12:24 pm
  #22  
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Bravo, Michael! I applaud you for having the courage to stand up to the Constitution-ignoring TSA, and at no small professional risk, too. Welcome to FT, and please keep us informed. Perhaps a letter-writing campaign to ExpressJet in support of your actions is in order.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 12:30 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by PTravel
Perhaps a letter-writing campaign to ExpressJet in support of your actions is in order.
If Mr. Roberts is okay with it, I have no problem sending and email or writing a letter to his Chief Pilot or other upper management, letting them know that he has our support.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 12:35 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by star_world
To the OP - I doubt you'll find any material support from the majority of posters here.
Strike 1.

The vast majority of this board is highly supportive of the "Opt-Out" approach, which means receiving a manual pat-down instead of going through a WBI device.
The vast majority of this board will refuse AIT. That does not mean that anyone supports the "enhanced patdown" that, all too often, involves genital fondling and manipulation. Strike 2.

Why do you believe that you should be exempt from this? You may disagree with the rules, but that doesn't give you the ability to selectively decide which apply and which don't.
Because he is a pilot. The lunacy of screening pilots who, if they chose, could bring down their aircraft whenever they wanted, is obvious to everyone. Well, almost everyone.

Strike 3.

You're out.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 12:43 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by goalie
Welcome to flyertalk, SpatialD ^ and thank you for your post (and thank you for standing up for what you believe in ^^^) but if I may, you might want to delete your name and also the personal information at the end of you post and substitute "please pm me for contact info" as you never know who reads f/t
I hear ya', but the fuzz has me on their list now, so my information has already been compromised. All others are welcome to call and chat or check me out (the media are especially encouraged to do so - and I'm still soliciting recommendations for a good attorney). It wouldn't be that difficult to track me down anyway - just trying to make it easy to verify my story.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 12:46 pm
  #26  
 
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I think it is pretty telling when a credentialed pilot is prohibited from entering the sterile area after not setting off the WTMD and yet, every day (several times a day in fact) workers with a simple ID pushing palates of various items waltz right by security and into the sterile area with a wink and a nod from the bored TSO guarding the exit area.

This has officially moved from "security theater" to security surrealism.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 1:09 pm
  #27  
 
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I honestly should be surprised at the responses that the OP has received here, but I am not.

Surprised because the majority of individuals who have responded have in the past stated that airline employee’s should not receive special treatment at the checkpoint and should be forced to undergo the same screening as everyone else who boards a commercial aircraft. Most have also demanded that airport employees need to undergo the same screening despite the fact that they do not board commercial aircraft for the purpose of transport.

The reason I am not is because this is the “Have my Cake and Eat it Too” crowd. The color of their story changes with any wind that they think is going to make TSA look bad, and it does not matter if it contradicts any statements they have made in the past. It’s the “now” story that matters. Some have done it in this very thread.

OP, I’m sorry that your story ended up as it has, but you were fully aware at the time that checkpoint screening is a mandatory part of your job. If this is too much of a burden to bear then may I suggest that you switch to a private carrier, or a GA contract carrier.

As for the rest, well I can hear the replies now without you ever putting fingers to keyboard. “It’s the AIT that we object to in this thread, what we said in the past has no relevance to AIT”, or “Our position is not contradictory, your just not looking at it right.” Or statements similar. Sorry, your records on this is clear, and every single one of you have just changed with the wind. Not an unexpected outcome honestly, its not the first time.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 1:13 pm
  #28  
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Originally Posted by TNGALINFLORIDA
If Mr. Roberts is okay with it, I have no problem sending and email or writing a letter to his Chief Pilot or other upper management, letting them know that he has our support.
I'm okay with it, and thank you.

In addition, please look beyond me and my little situation here and write to your own airline(s) expressing your views. Especially let them know that you are not flying, or are flying less than you would otherwise, because of these invasive procedures and encourage them to support your privacy interests in the air transportation system. The airline lobby is substantial, and when their source of revenue is sufficiently threatened, you can be sure they will bring their full weight to bear in defense of their customers' freedoms and welfare.

Originally Posted by PTravel

Because he is a pilot. The lunacy of screening pilots who, if they chose, could bring down their aircraft whenever they wanted, is obvious to everyone. Well, almost everyone.
This is true, but I don't believe any law abiding citizen should be made to submit to this abuse as a matter of course in the primary screening process. AIT was originally introduced as an alternative to frisking in the secondary screening regime when there was something amiss in primary screening. But it's difficult to justify such expensive technology when it will hardly ever be used. My theory is that, by insisting that it was an indispensable cog in the air transportation security machine, and that everyone needed to be scanned all the time, they were able to open up a whole world of funding no politician had dared to dream of before. Stimulating, no?
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 1:14 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by TNGALINFLORIDA
Originally Posted by PTravel
Perhaps a letter-writing campaign to ExpressJet in support of your actions is in order.
If Mr. Roberts is okay with it, I have no problem sending and email or writing a letter to his Chief Pilot or other upper management, letting them know that he has our support.
If the mailing address for the Chief Pilots Office could be posted, this will go viral.
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Old Oct 16, 2010, 1:16 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by TSORon
I honestly should be surprised at the responses that the OP has received here, but I am not.

Surprised because the majority of individuals who have responded have in the past stated that airline employee’s should not receive special treatment at the checkpoint and should be forced to undergo the same screening as everyone else who boards a commercial aircraft.
We're talking about a pilot, not "airline employees."

Most have also demanded that airport employees need to undergo the same screening despite the fact that they do not board commercial aircraft for the purpose of transport.
You do understand, do you not, the difference between a hamburger flipper and a pilot? You do understand, do you not, what a pilot does, i.e. "fly the plane."

The reason I am not is because this is the “Have my Cake and Eat it Too” crowd. The color of their story changes with any wind that they think is going to make TSA look bad,
TSA makes itself look bad.

and it does not matter if it contradicts any statements they have made in the past.
Feel free to show me ANY post I have ever made that is contradicted by my support for Capt. Michael in this incident. Just one post will do.

It’s the “now” story that matters. Some have done it in this very thread.
Feel free to point to one.

OP, I’m sorry that your story ended up as it has, but you were fully aware at the time that checkpoint screening is a mandatory part of your job. If this is too much of a burden to bear then may I suggest that you switch to a private carrier, or a GA contract carrier.
Or TSA could simply respect the Constitution, and act courteously and professionally.

As for the rest, well I can hear the replies now without you ever putting fingers to keyboard. “It’s the AIT that we object to in this thread, what we said in the past has no relevance to AIT”, or “Our position is not contradictory, your just not looking at it right.” Or statements similar. Sorry, your records on this is clear, and every single one of you have just changed with the wind. Not an unexpected outcome honestly, its not the first time.
What's not unexpected is your blind support for anything TSA and your utter contempt for everyone who questions your agency.
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