Yes, you definitely don't want anyone disrupting your status quo. It might require real analysis of the basis of your beliefs. Not a good idea.

The racial chatter is veering dangerously into TOS-violation territory. Return to the topic at hand, please.

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essxjay
FT TS/S moderator

I trust that this chatter includes the expression "sheeple?"

If not, I have a huge problem with that.

Your response is appreciated.

Edited to Note: I have advised the moderator in a Private Message that if "Sheeple" is considered an appropriate expression, compared to the others, my participation in this forum is permanantly terminated, and I will consider this to be a board that openly encourages bigotry.

Bye Bye!

And again, anything that releases you from contemplation of the emptiness of your own collective position is such a relief that it won't even occur to you to defend the rights of others that disagree with you.

All in favor of liberty, as long as only your own point of view is considered. I am sure you will find this thought too threatening to consider.

I think you would agree that if you show up at the airport less than an hour before departure time, then you are pretty much at risk of missing the flight. Most airlines start boarding 20 to 30 minutes before departure time and start calling stand-bys at approximately 10 minutes before departure time. If you reverse it from boarding time to include a reasonable expected time in the line to check-in (if applicable) and security, I think you would agree that it's prudent to plan on being inside the airport ready to stand in line no less than an hour to an hour-and-a-half prior to departure time, depending on several other factors (turning in rental cars, transportation to the departure terminal, etc.) Add in time for unexpected surprises such as the pocketknife you forget was in your carry-on, and I don't see what's so unreasonable about planning ahead. I'm not saying you should show up half a day prior to departure. I am saying that if you think you can rush to the airport within an hour of the scheduled departure time, then you are increasing the risk of getting caught behind a long line either at security or to the ticket counter, being a selectee and having to undergo the full Monty, and having to deal with a prohibited item in your carry-on.

If you travel as frequently as you claim, then you probably ensure that your carry-ons don't have any prohibited items inside. Furthermore, if you travel as often as you claim, then your criticism of infrequent travelers who take longer to process through the walk-thru is invalid because you would accept this as a reality of mass transportation. If not, then you are living in a dream world, my friend.

Failure of your ability to plan ahead does not constitute an emergency for me. Key word here is reasonable planning.

As for lane closures, again, open your eyes. Congress is holding TSA's feet to the fire on the 45,000 screener workforce limit. TSA has repeatedly explained that it needs at least 55,000 to properly man the nation's checkpoints, but it falls on deaf ears. Deal with that reality, friend. We screeners have no choice but to work within the limitations placed upon us.

TSA enforcement has become somewhat more consistent over the last few years, but you never know when a screener will decide an item isn't permitted. Remember the lady who wasn't allowed to take her rolling pin? :rolleyes: THere's no difference between surrender and confiscation. You lose either way, and paranoia wins.

That is your perception. There may be things going on behind the scenes that you arent aware of.

We dont have to be introspective. There are things that go on behind the scenes that affect the checkpoint. Pax might see it as screeners doing nothing but there is a reason.

TSA may require 55,000 screeners if it continues the shoe carnival, treats rolling pins as prohibited items, and is forced to perform selectee screening on large numbers of American travelers. This waste of screener resources is why lines are so long on occasion. Moreover, the cyclical nature of hub operations also results in waits at certain times.

"Behind the scenes" - what, is TSA starting to screen cargo? What will Ma and Pa Kettle think if they do not see screeners checking shoes and children? Oh well, if TSA screeners are just standing around, they are not confiscating or causing the surrender of :rolleyes: dangerous instrumentalities such as bookmarks and rolling pins.

I live in MSN, so my departures there don't require a lot of time. I frequently leave my home an hour before departure time because I know that in MSN I've NEVER had to remove shoes, etc. I check in online, so I go straight from car to security. I always arrive at the gate at least 10 minutes before departure and I've never missed a flight.

It's the other airports where I have problems. It's at the other airports where people bark at travelers to remove their shoes. It's at the other airports where I wonder if I'm going to have to go through secondary screening because not removing shoes equals a secondary screen.

If all the airports were MSN, there would be no complaining. But many travelers don't know that -- and those travelers remove their shoes and belts without even thinking about why they're doing it. That makes them sheeple, sorry to say, and there's no way that term is on the same level as the racist terms that another poster mentioned.

You know I didnt mean that. I am talking about such things as leads and supervisors that dont have to be active in screening pax. You'll see them appearing to do nothing. They dont have to. There are line monitors and there are people on breaks. A casual observer really has no idea why a screener is standing there. Thats what is meant by behind the scenes.

If you can't adjust to other airports, then whose fault is that? Do you expect everything in life to accomodate you? Again, this is not realistic.

As for the term "sheeple," I don't think it's racist; however, I do think it's condescending and reflects an arrogant attitude on your part. I tend to regard your so-called sheeple as pretty smart. After all, who is it that goes through security without hassle and who is it left standing wondering whether or not to remove a pair of shoes?