Michael Roberts looking for a ride
 

I've committed to join one of the panels at the event and am now looking into travel options out of Memphis. I don't see any way to fly through the passenger terminals without at least subjecting myself to the possibility of a frisking even if I travel in uniform, so that's pretty much not an option.

As a side note/rant, I'm a little disappointed by those people (both on and off this board) who plan to attend yet appear willing to subject themselves to TSA's abuse in order to do so. And, by a little disappointed, I mean WHAT THE FOXTROT??? If we would all simply stop putting up with this madness right now, there would be no need to come up with strategies to end it at some point in the future. Otherwise, what are we even doing? We are all free to choose whether or not we will participate in and comply with the state's power grab. Not participating and not complying are far more important than attending a seminar to talk about it. Jeeze!

Anyway, I'm not sure if my jump seat privileges are even valid while I'm on leave of absence from my airline. I don't think so, but if they are maybe I could hitch a ride on FedEx. Otherwise, it looks like it'll be a road trip for me. I noticed a couple of BNA folks on this thread... if they or anyone else within striking distance of MEM would be interested in sharing a ride, please send me a PM or email at 'michael AT fedupflyers.org'. Since I haven't had a paycheck since Oct. 15, I'm trying to minimize the expense as much as possible!

And I'll be sure to tell the feds at the conference that the folks at FlyerTalk said hi. No doubt my name is already up towards the top of their list of domestic extremist/suspected terrorists, so there's not much point in hiding from them now. ;)

They're working on streaming video ...
 

We'll put the details here once we know them.

There will be a Twitter feed too, hopefully with some two-way conversations.

Excellent. ^

Unfortunately it looks like I won't be able to attend, but would be more than be willing to pay a reasonable fee to view a webcast.

Good luck to Capt Roberts and all else who will be attending/presenting!!

(A thought, upon a re-read: Capt Roberts, you are fortunate enough to live in a city that has Amtrak service. I know it'd be a longer journey but might it work for you to take the train up to Chicago, then east?

I contemplate driving to MEM for this exact journey fairly often...)

According to this site, live video will be available at http://epic.org/events/tsa/

FYI - there is also the B30 Metro bus:

1. Picks up at the end of the E concourse, arrivals level (right next to the Light Rail station)
2. Drops off at Greenbelt Metro (Metro Green line - take Green line train to Fort Totten, switch to the Red Line train and follow the directions in post #27)
3. Costs $6.00, one way
4. Timetable link

If I was not going to be airborne, I would attend; however, I will be enroute to a customer site that day (BWI-DTW-NGO).

ROAD TRIP!

I'm in DFW. Have an open calendar. Anyone want to share a rental car with stops along the way?? If we get a few people we can all make the trip with relay driving to avoid one night hotel on the way out and back.

Anyone in the area of DFW, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, or Knoxville interested? If so, post on here or PM me. I have free hotel nights that I could try to use/donate for the overnight in DC.

^^^

If I did not have to be somewhere this weekend, I'd definitely join in! Make sure to play, Spot the SPOTNik :)

That's me :-) I got email confirmation from EPIC that the video will be streamed, but they're still finalizing the logistics.

CRAP. CRAP. CRAP. I wanted to go to this soooo bad. And a roadtrip with TS&Sers! It'd be just too good.

Unfortunately I just could not make the schedule work with a 12 hour drive on both ends. Here's hoping for more notice for the next one (although I get that these things get put together on the fly and sometimes the advanced scheduling is just not possible.)

Reading JDP's link just posted (http://www.talesfromthe.net/jon/?p=2318)...EPIC needs citizen activists, including folks to draft letters. I and other FTers have posted a slew of 'em here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-airlines.html

Anyone who likes is hereby encouraged to use mine and modify it to his/her own ends, as long as s/he's working against current TSA practices.

I'll try to update the letter in the OP in the next day or two, to reflect the new fresh hells of stronger AITs, portable AITs, etc. (FTer FliesWay2Much is in possession of some TSA funding details on these damn things.)

{Edit} Here's the hourly schedule for the event. I have a longish afternoon meeting...maybe I'll be feeling "too feverish" to attend so I can stay home glued to the Internet. :p Unless by some miracle this will be archived for review later in the day...?

http://epic.org/events/tsa/schedule.php

Someone Please Grab An Attendance List
 

Earlier in the discussion, we had talked about the probability of TSA/DHS "watchers" being there today. If you are attending (I can't, unfortunately), please try to snap some pictures of the suspects. They may be taking pictures themselves. If EPIC publishes a list of attendees, some DHS people may actually sign in. If someone can send me the list (scanned copy or link), I can give it a quick skim and look for DHS people who registered "under cover."

Late-breaking news: My mid-morning meeting just got canceled, so I may be able to catch the last couple of hours of the morning or afternoon sessions.

Thanks for the sample letters, divinemistress -- I forwarded them on to EPIC and suggested using those as starting points.

FliesWay2Much, TSA and other DHS folks are invited to the conference. Nothing here's secret; in fact one of the goals is to send a strong signal that people are organizing and we aren't going away.

First, I have to snap out of my senior moment to realize that the conference is tomorrow and not today. I would have had the conference room to myself today. Oh, well...

FYI, I wasn't worried at all about EPIC being "secret" or limiting attendance. Based on experience, I was speculating that the DHS and TSA would overtly "ignore" the conference but try to sneak in a few people anyway to "monitor" the proceedings. That's what I was hoping people would try to notice.

Not that we will ever know, but I am curious if the DHS will try to use a National Security Letter to gain access to any attendance rosters that EPIC creates for the event...