REAL security doesn't involve turning everybody into a spy in a police state because of a shoe shine bottle. As I, and others have stated before, if that tiny bottle is that dangerous, why are Uhaul sized trucks(unchecked/screened) allowed unimpeded access to any aircraft rampside, or the tsa, baggage and maintenance personnel for that matter?

Whatever that pax had in that bottle would have probably, somewhat fit(I'm guessing) somewhere else where nobody would have seen him handle/hide it when he was already in the security line. So I guess we must have body cavity searches now. That's only logical, isn't it? If we have to make sure that not a single item goes unscreened when carried by a pax(pax only now), then body cavities must be checked?

Actually there was no TSA involvement in any of this (other than the original implemtation of the liquid rule)

But it does involve CATSA which as I said earlier does often exercise common sense in allowing liquids over 100ml.

My mistake then, I'd read that earlier, but switching back and forth between threads I had forgotten. I'll remove the offending assumption regarding the tsa, though the security, or theater at least, still applies.

I agree that a lot of the prevention takes place before the terrorist ever gets to the airport, but I disagree that security has never helped against terrorists. The Anne Murphy case is a prime example.

Various studies have indeed shown that security staff often become jaded and go through the actions without really noticing what they are doing - I remember study carried out by some UK ministry in which IIRC 25% of suspicious (bomb/weapon - like) materials passed unnoticed through the security x-ray machines. Then again, this may say more about training or staff/site efficiency.

D.

"I feel bad, cuz I didn't want to get him in trouble on the one hand. But on the other hand, this did look a bit suspicious to me. I guess he was just trying to get the shoeshine through security even though it looked like it was over 100ml."

Although it seems fairly unanimous that most posters (including me...) think that a lot of airport security checks and procedures are useless, I believe you did the right thing.

If you think a fellow passenger is acting suspiciously - according to the best of your judgement - hands down let someone know.

D.

46 replies in the space of 2 flights? wow. ok so it seems like it's about 10 to 1 in favor of passing judgement on me being a d0uchebag rather than a genuinely concerned traveler.

Here are some things I do want to say in response to some of the comments above:

1. I was concerned, not out of a terror of having my shoes shined surreptitiously, but because of the way he went about hiding the item - first putting it in his front pocket, then thinking, and switching it to his back pocket.

2. I was also concerned cuz he was flying the same airline as me (to Europe), and chances were, he'd be on the same flight. Not that I wouldn't have spoken up otherwise, it just made it a more personal decision.

3. I was willing to stick around as a witness. I did talk to CATSA right at the security line fully knowing that if they decided to throw the book at this guy, I may have been stuck there for a while.

In that moment, I felt that I was doing the right thing, given the choice between being silent or speaking up. I did feel that it was a difficult choice, and was conflicted about it, which is why I came on here and posted.

Basically it's this - I'm a liberty-loving, Nudeoscope-optout-ing, common sense kind of person. But, to me, an airport is a bad bad place to be seen trying to conceal something - anything. And it's the concealment that's what made me speak up.

:confused:

You ASKED if it was the right thing to do. You invited judgment as to your actions. You got a variety of responses. Now you making commentary regarding feminine hygiene products because people took you up on your query and may or may not have judged you? I don't get it... but I'm blonde so maybe that has something to do with it. If you are okay with your choice, own it. You don't need the forum's approval as you may not like the answer they give you.

:confused:

I'm just making an observation about the number and slant of the responses - I'm not saying anything else like whether I expected it or wanted it or like it not.

You are not a bad person, but you did a bad thing. Please don't do it again.

Recall if you will the period immediately after 9/11 when every little suspicion was acted on - thousands of ordinary people like you and I had their homes raided by FBI pigs and people being jailed and deported for the simplest of things...

1) Picking up a prescription for cipro
2) dozens of people (families, with kids and all mind you) congregating at a home and bringing suspicious looking metal cannisters with them - it turned out to be a pot luck party at someone's house, but their racist neighbours thought they were preparing chemical weapons
3) Woman purchases an Exacto Knife at Michael's - FBI show up at her house
4) Pizza delivery boy asks a policeman to take a picture of him overlooking a lake - arrested, tortured, deported. His room mate also arrested and deported.
5) Boy playing MS FlightSim aroused the suspicion of a teacher at school.. The pigs raid his home, beat up the father when he protests the ridiculousness of the visit, take him and the Flightsim away, then a few hours later ICE shows up and arrests the remainder of the family who are then deported.
6) I'm sure you are aware of people being thrown off planes just for looking suspicious.
etc, etc, etc.

So please, the next time you see something that looks suspicious, err on the side of caution and walk away - DO NOT report it.

It saddens me to think that the prison population, the mafia, and even corrupt cops would know the right thing to do.

You can NEVER trust a rat.

I'm gussing someone already told you, but want to reiterate.... Cigar Cutters are allowed expressly by the TSA.

http://www.seatguru.com/articles/tsa...ited_items.php

One in a thousand (or fewer) false alarms may lead to bad things happening to good people. What about the times when wary (or nosy...) civilians saved the day ? I'm sure there are just as many of those.

Advising people to do this is irresponsible at best. Unless you're absolutely sure that there really are no terrorists, at all (yep, terrorists are a myth), or that flight security are so good that they'll get them all and there's no chance, absolutely none, you'll spot something they won't which could lead to lives saved.

Great...

Everyone who whispers looks suspicious to me.
Large men are threatening to me. (i'm short)
People who dress shabbily look suspicous.
People who dress too nice for economy.

Heck, I want to nark on all of you. I trust no one.

No-one likes a tell-tale.

Actually, my position is MYOFB. ;)