You're not thinking of the children, are you?

I do.. but I dont think TSA is thinking about the children... all they think
about is the chocolate milk thats in the hand of that child

Uh no, there are 3 different containers that we use at OMA one for knives and other prohibited items, one for lighters and the big blue trash can for the liquids. Like I said in an earlier post we've been threatened with our job if we even take a bottle of water. The box with the knives are emptied once a week and only one person has the key and then the items go into a storage room at the main office and then the items are picked up once a month by gov't contracted salvage company.

Some of us carry pocket knives in our pockets as a matter of routine. In spite of post-9/11 TSA hype, the primary use of a pocket knife is not as a weapon or hijacking tool. Given the frequency at which many FTers fly, it is not unreasonable to expect that once a year or so, they're going to forget to divest the knife at home or in the car, get to the checkpoint, pull their keys out of their pocket, and go "oops, I still have my knife."

I did exactly that once, back in 2003-ish, even though I have NO KNIFE written in big bold all-caps letters on the bottom of the packing list I go through before every trip. I was pre-WTMD, so TSA had not "found" or "confiscated" the knife. I stupidly gave the TSAer the knife, intact. I should have broken the blade before doing so.

TSA is supposed to give you the choice to take your confiscated item back to get rid of it (and then be rescreened). Rather than give TSA valuable articles, I would rather take the item back, destroy it, and go back through the line.

Much better than the odds of terrorists mixing improbable liquid explosives in the lav of an aircraft.

I have all the ingredients for the concoction I described in my laundry room. Not because I'm a terrorist, but because I clean my home once in a while and don't like wearing dirty clothes. All the ingredients described are available in a corner drugstore, unlike the ingredients for the supposed liquid bomb threat. (in the concentrations required to make an explosive, peroxide for first-aid or bleach doesn't count as an explosive precursor)

Setting terrorists aside, IMO the odds of some ill-mannered high-school or fraternity pranksters pulling the ill-conceived stunt I described are pretty decent. All it would take is a couple of leaky containers being tossed in the bin. The ammonia/bleach reaction could happen by accident too; given some of the weird things some people bring to the checkpoint, who is to say ammonia and bleach might not be among them. But TSA merrily throws them all in the same bin.

Many of the prior posts have pointed out that some states auction the goods on E-bay. Others have pointed out that there is questionable wisdom in auctioning off goods that were confiscated because they posed a threat to airline travel.

I can advise you that some of the goods are sold by TSA. I am cursed as a smoker, and upon exiting a local airport found myself without means of lighting my cigarette. Fortunately there was a TSA agent also taking a smoking break, and offered to sell me a lighter for $0.75. Having agreed, whereupon she produced about 6 lighters and allowed me to choose one. $0.75 for a Zippo isn't bad considering the one I surrended on my departure was a $1.29 Bic.

In addition to providing enhanced security at the airports, TSA is also providing another service for which we should be appreciative of. They are providing often needed goods, and I was fortunate that this particular agent did not ask for a userous price, unless the price is set by TSA or they have a policy to the contrary. It was refreshing not to pay exhorbitant prices, as some other airport vendors demand, because one is in a sense a "captive audience."

One footnote which hasn't been mentioned. Should the purchaser of a product obtained through the TSA or an associated organization become ill from using the product or worse, is the surrenderer subject to any liability. I realize this might be difficult to track down, as whenever I have tried to gain access to the video survellience information I have been told that it is not available to me, or that the equipment was malfunctioning.

Any thoughts?

This reads more like a troll than anything else.

I doubt that the TSA agent would appreciate your referring to them as a "troll".

Remember as part of our enhanced security all phone and internet communications can be monitored by the Government, to make sure that your rights, including life, liberty and the persuit of happiness, are not being violated.

Need I have to point out that we havn't had a serious breach of security since Homeland Security was established along with their suborganization the TSA. For that matter we haven't had a sunami on the East Coast, since the government committed their resources to setting up a global sunami warning system. And to think there are some people that feel their tax dollars are being wasted.

Another reincarnation?

I'm starting to think that, but I'm sure there will be more fodder for us to see.

Quite high, actually.

A leaky pop bottle filled with standard household bleach placed near a similarly leaky container of standard household ammonia = bad thing. It's not wise to store them in the same cupboards at home, let alone allow them to mingle in a public trash bin along with heaven knows what else at an airport security CP.

But at least one person holds that key. Is that person trustworthy?

Uh... Haven't you just violated of 1520.7?

The same kind of person that dutifully packs up her little quart-size ziplock bag full of toiletries and then at the last minute absentmindly tosses a > 3 oz. tube of tooth paste in her purse cause she likes to have minty-fresh breath during her 3-leg journey from the Caribbean back to Las Vegas. They confiscated it in San Juan. I was sad to see it go, but I learned my lesson.

Not at our airport, everything goes in the trash, it's open season there if you're willing to go dumpster diving...

All confiscated items like swiss army knives and the like get placed in a locked recepticle...

[QUOTE=essxjay;6858088]Quite high, actually.

A leaky pop bottle filled with standard household bleach placed near a similarly leaky container of standard household ammonia = bad thing. It's not wise to store them in the same cupboards at home, let alone allow them to mingle in a public trash bin along with heaven knows what else at an airport security CP.

The thing is your probably going to smell the bleach or ammonia if its leaking and those two liquids are handled in a totally different way than ordinary liquids because they are considered hazmat.