Originally Posted by Bart

Well, I didn't want to come across as boasting. I did, in fact, talk to a supervisor. I explained that it was medicine for an infant, that I could clearly see the baby was sick, and that I thought we should let it go. He told me that the rules were very strict and that it could not be permitted. I then confronted him with, "is this really what we want to do? Are we to become bullies and goons? It's your barbeque, boss, cook it the way you want, and I'll still support you. But look at what we're doing here."

He could have written me up for insubordination and being disrespectful.

On a positive note, yesterday, a young mom checked with me while I was working baggage about taking juice, still in its original manufacturer container, as part of a emergency kit for her diabetic son. Usually, I tell them that this is a matter for her to discuss with the supervisor once she arrives at the checkpoint. Instead, I told her to meet me at the checkpoint entrance, and in the meantime I left the pod to discuss this with the supervisor...the same supervisor I mentioned above. The guidance had changed several times since that first encounter, and I knew what the new guidance was (I report to work early, on my own time, just to review the new guidance and prepare a brief to the crew on any changes) and wanted to make sure he knew the guidance. We were on the same sheet of music and agreed that the juice, as part of an emergency kit, was permitted. I met the lady at the entrance, gave her my name and the supervisor's name and bid her a nice day.

I'm not trying to portray myself as a saint. I'm far from it, the sins of my past will always be with me. Perhaps this is what drives me to be confrontational with my own bosses when I believe we're about to do something stupid, or perhaps it's because of my military background where I'm accustomed to telling it straight, in colorful terms, and expect it to be received as straight talk without the sugar-coating. The supervisor in question is an old intelligence operator, Air Force as opposed to Army, so I think he took my questions as intended: a straight-forward discussion among professionals. Day one we were in disagreement; day two we're on the same sheet.

It works that way.