I believe he is based on the content of past posts. He is a baggage screening supervisor at Tampa airport. His wife also works for the TSA.


[This message has been edited by tazi (edited 01-30-2003).]

Hmmm. Interesting point. Hypothetically, if we were to wonder who might try to foster hostility towards the TSA and post 9/11 security, whom might that be?

Seriously, what kind of response do you expect when your organization 1)Opens bags on a whim (pre-screening machine has a 30% failure rate) 2)Breaks locks on locked bags and opens them without the owner present and 3)Refuses to accept any liability for damage or theft resulting from 2) above?

1. It is not on a whim. It is policy that we must follow whether I agree with it or not.
2. If we had to call every passenger down for every bag we had to open, what kind of delays do you think we would have then?
3. Unfortunatly once it leaves TSA's hands it passes through many others before you receive it. I can only tell you this. There are many eyes on us as we search though bags. I doubt that anyone would risk taking something.

PS I will introduce myself soon. I am short on time.

THIS IS JUST MORE PASSING THE BUCK.

These idiots tell us not to lock our bags, and if we do, they may be required to break the lock. BUT, they do not want to be responsible for OUR belongings if they are stolen.

THIS IS PURE NONSENSE. It did not take long for the "Government Attitude" to take root at the Thousands Standing Around.

I hope that each and every person who has been inconvenienced and ripped off by the TSA remembers on election day that it was Tom Daschle who forced this wasteful agency upon our country.

IIRC, this is exactly what they do at LHR, the busiest airport in Europe and perhaps the busiest truly "international" airport in the world.

Since the TSA does have the proverbial cast of "Thousands," surely it too can duplicate this policy?

As an aside: I'm simply going to check my Glock 19 anytime I need to check luggage. That should, in theory, keep the TSA gurus from cracking open my luggage outside of my physical presence.

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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

[This message has been edited by ClueByFour (edited 01-30-2003).]

I know this will be a bummer for you, but you will have to fulfill your undie-sniff'n fetish elsewhere (don't they have a website for that...www.TSAScreener.com?). This old FFer has a brain, uses it when he packs to have as little to do with you and your comrades as possible, and NEVER checks luggage.

I'll prance through your scrutiny point so fast you won't even catch a wiff of my hair gel.

yah'll cum bak naw, ya hir...and don't be a lok'n yur bags cuz if ya do, we'll sik tsadude on em and he'll jus chew them loks right off. Hell, we toss him a FA or granny in a wheely-chair every once in a while just fer laffs.



[This message has been edited by mwp2paris (edited 01-31-2003).]

Dang,I am glad to see that someone has a sense of humor here. We'll catch you someday and confiscate your gel. I will seek counseling on the fetish thing, I did not realize it was that obvious.

Actually TSA stands for Tough .... A$$hole.

I find it interesting that the makers of these machines all of a sudden realize that there is a 30% failure rate. I think that they knew it all along and will sell the government the software upgrade for a fee.

I long for the day when enhancements to the UBB format allow for the "Ignore Poster" button to become reality.

Mook

I was just thinking the same thing

Hey, I don't know if tsadude is with the TSA or not but I do find his definition humorous. Guess the TSA folks were sick of hearing the Thousands Standing Around thing a hundred times a day and decided to come up with their own version.

Maybe if they were actually doing something instead of standing around with their thumbs up their collective butts, they would not have to hear us TAXPAYERS make those comments.

Now, to get back on topic. . .

First, I want to say that so far my encounters with the TSA have been pleasant and professional. One TSAer even offered me a Tootsie Roll Pop after she finished frisking me!

I am, however, VERY disturbed by the "don't lock your luggage" rule. I do not want to be responsible for what someone has put INTO my luggage, as well as what they may take out. I'm not too concerned about the TSA taking something, but a lot of people have access to that bag after it leaves tSA hands.

So far DEN is the only place where I have not been allowed to be present when my luggage was screened. I asked to be paged if it was necessary to open the bag, and I was told that was "impossible".

I locked my bag anyway, and the check-in agent handed me a slip of paper from the TSA stating that locked bags will be "opened if necessary", and the "process could result in delay or damage." She also said the airline would not be responsible for damage if I "insisted" on locking my bag. Fortunately, my bag was not "selected" for further inspection.

Europe has had checked-bag screening for years, and I have been called to the back several times to be present when the bag needed to be opened. This has always happened while I was still in the check-in area, and did not result in any significant delays. I was told at LGW that they *always* want the passenger present when going through their belongings. It is a very simple and efficient process.

Fantastic defense for drug smugglers! That kilo of heroin? It must have been put in by that guy with the cap!

Aren't you glad they stopped asking those stupid questions about who packed your luggage and has it been under your control? Can you imagine 100,000 passengers a day now saying, "Hmmm? I guess I did leave it on a conveyor belt with strangers for about the last 4 hours before this connecting flight."

[This message has been edited by RS (edited 02-02-2003).]