GUWonder

Even healthy newborn babies have metal in their body -- some metal is needed for the human body to function normally even absent surgery.

The TSA should just ban human passengers for having metal and too much water in them.

Section 107

thats pretty funny - until you remember the reports on the people who have spontaneously combusted/exploded in attacks on government officials. Okay, maybe not spontaneously, but definitely exploded!

GUWonder

If government officials ban non-government personnel/passengers from having any and all water and metal, the government officials will be safe from all but government officials. "The Other" humans can't survive without water and metal.

Section 107

Ah, see, now you are catching on! And after a while we wont have to worry about them at all. Nice when a plans comes together.

Section 107

improbable, yes. but not so impractical according to this from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite

The reaction between potassium permanganate and glycerol or ethylene glycol is used as an alternative to the magnesium method. When these two substances mix, a spontaneous reaction will begin, slowly increasing the temperature of the mixture until flames are produced. The heat released by the oxidation of glycerine is sufficient to initiate a thermite reaction.[13]

Apart from magnesium ignition, some amateurs also choose to use sparklers to ignite the thermite mixture.[25] These reach the necessary temperatures and provide enough time before the burning point reaches the sample.[26] This can be a dangerous method, as the iron sparks, like the magnesium strips, burn at thousands of degrees and can ignite the thermite even though the sparkler itself is not in contact with it. This is especially dangerous with finely powdered thermite.

Similarly, finely powdered thermite can be ignited by a flint spark lighter, as the sparks are burning metal (in this case, the highly reactive rare-earth metals lanthanum and cerium).[27] Therefore it is unsafe to strike a lighter close to thermite.


I dont know how much pomegrante juice and de-icer liquid is needed - but I suspect if its packaged well enough TSA wouldnt catch it; take a route with very light passenger loads or a redeye and there should be more than enough time to light a sparkler.....

GUWonder

Pomegranate juice? Yummy. Readily available airside at some airports. I hope they don't ban pomegranates.

A little of that metal sodium and a little H20, and "bang". Is that the "liquid" bomb the TSA characters had in mind since the beginning of the TSA's "war on water" and other harmless L/G/As began? No. But that won't stop TSA from reacting to everything and nothing.

It's nice that some in government consider the possible WEI smuggling methods, but what are they going to do about it that isn't a dog and pony show? Worrying about problems without a practical solution doesn't really do much good, or does it?

halls120

I like the way DHS OIA classified text which can be found all over the Internet.

eyecue

I am not free to do that. I would cost me my job. I think you need to look up definitions of hearsay and anecdote.

chollie

Is it hearsay or anecdote that there are secret rules in place at DEN (and not other airports) governing the dimensions of 'dual purpose assistive devices', ie, clear lucite canes (no concealed swords or drugs) that look like fake sci-fi light swords?

That's information that is not available to the travelling public (except when it was posted here). Fortunately, you didn't lose your job and the explanation was appreciated.

GUWonder

The US economy has picked up steam and new job opportunities and job offers have been increasing.

Does the TSA have current or former employees who have been prosecuted and convicted for sharing the hokey-pokey SSI material?

KDS

OK, I'll play. I took 15 seconds to go get some definitions after enduring another TSA grope tonite:

Anecdote: An account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=definit...66d5f5090c1432

Hearsay: Unverified information heard or received from another; rumor.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hearsay

Loren Pechtel

More likely something along the lines of the liquid rules--restrict the amount of metal to less than could bring down a plane.

WillCAD

Naw, you guys are not thinking in Gubment Newspeak.

This particular "threat" assessment will undoubtedly be debated hotly by a bunch of TSA bigwigs who don't fly commercial (or bypass screening when they do), and the inevitable outcome will be an amendment to the 3-1-1 rule which extends the prohibition from liquids, gels, and aerosols to liquids, gels, aerosols, and POWDERS.

Naturally, this will upset anyone who carries powdered cosmetics, baby powder, or spices and seasonings, but the upset will be small enough that the rule extension will be practical and workable for the front-line TSOs.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot - the 3-1-1 extension would bring any and all POWDERED SUBSTANCES (like talc or sugar or various illegal substances that look like them) into the "TSA is REQUIRED to search for them and test them" realm. As a happy side-effect, TSA will then be specifically looking for any powdered substance and chemically testing it to make sure it's not a thermite bomb, thus catching many more drug smugglers. It's not rust or aluminum powder. Then what is it? Kinda looks like heroin. Better call the airport police! BIG CATCH!

But maybe I'm over-reacting to the whole "powders as primary search objectives" possibility. I do that sometimes.

Flaflyer

On a ten hour flight, fifty terrorists on one plane with nail files can scrape enough powered aluminium off their tray table supports and seat arm rests to create a thermite device.

Obviously the solution is to ban all aluminium parts from commercial aircraft, out of an abundance of caution.

RadioGirl

First, the liquids rule doesn't actually do that - it restricts the amount of liquid per container and the number of containers. Per passenger. Per transit of the checkpoint. Multiple passengers, multiple passes through the checkpoint = as much liquid as you want.

Second, I'm not an expert but I imagine the amount of metal in a laptop or two smart phones would be "too much". Or the frame/handle/wheels of a rollaboard, or a cane, or ... Commercial air travel would collapse if you ban those. And that's before you consider (as TSA never does) several passengers combining their allowances.

Not to mention that the aircraft itself is largely made of metal, for example: