My knife package was inspected by the Dept. of Homeland Security

fulloflead

fulloflead

Joined
May 3, 2002
Messages
6,192
I just got a knife I bought a from a guy in Malaysia. He shipped it in a bubble envelope by air mail and declared it as a "tool". It's been opened, inspected and resealed with green tape that says:

INSPECTED BY BORDER PROTECTION
and the logo for the Department of Homeland Security.

That's new. :eek:

It's a good thing it wasn't an auto. ;)
 
I'm not surprised. Malaysia has had a few of its citizens associated with Al Qaeda and other groups, plus a metallic object like a knife might have set off some sensor being used by customs or wherever our packages go now. :confused:
 
X-rayed it? It gives me the willies that the US is starting to do things like that. Makes me think of all the stories I heard when I was little about the USSR. :(

Frank
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
X-rayed it? It gives me the willies that the US is starting to do things like that. Makes me think of all the stories I heard when I was little about the USSR. :(

Frank
Click to expand...

Except, if it was the old USSR, instead of me making this post you guys would be like...

"Hey, has anybody heard from fulloflead? He hasn't been around for a while."

And that would be the end of me. ;)
 
Let's not get this thread moved. ;)

There's a lot of people who don't hang out in the Political forum who might find this thread interesting.
 
This particular tape may be new, but Customs has opened and inspected a fraction of incoming packages forever.




Years ago (pre 9/11) they came within minutes of blowing up a shipment of timing synchronization modules for the company I worked for at the time. The modules were made in Israel. These little modules, which were worth about $1500 each, take over year to make (most of which is spent in burn-in and testing. The final test takes four months.). They're only made to-order. There's no way we could do without them and there was no way we could wait another year.

So, I voilated the speed limit all the way to the Customs office at the airport and pleaded for our modules. The problem was that they'd failed a gas chromatography test. this is where they put the box into a chamber and then pull a vacuum and sample the gas coming off. Our modules, which were made in a clean room, were giving off explosive residue gases! It turned out that the shipping clerk who had packed them in Israel had been out shooting a gun over his lunch break. Apparently, powder residue from his hands transfered to the outside of the sealed boxes which the modules were packed in and that was then detected by customs. This caused them to x-ray the box and what they found were circuit boards with wires leading to square un-xrayable blocks (the double-walled metal crystal ovens). I literally arrived about one minute after the bomb squad got there. Fortunately, I'd brought a timing module with me so I could show them what was inside the box.
 
Nice save Gollnick.

I tried to get a gift wrapped lead crystal flower vase through the airport once. The lead in the crystal must have set off the machine. It didn't help that the vase was kind of shaped like a warhead. I'm sure it looked strange under X-Ray. They made me rip open the gift wrap and show them the vase. I explained that it was a gift for my mother so they brought over scotch tape and helped me tape it closed. The wrapping looked like crap afterwards but Mom loved the vase. :D
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
X-rayed it? It gives me the willies that the US is starting to do things like that. Makes me think of all the stories I heard when I was little about the USSR. :(

Frank
Click to expand...

I believe a recent US Supreme Court decision allows police to make you identify yourself without an arrest if a state requires it. Combined with the fact that we will have standardized driver's licenses, we will have a national ID card.

Soon we'll be walking down the street and hearing "Your papers, citizen". Won't that be fun?
 
It was a LNIB Spyderco Chinook II. :)

It's still LNIB, but now it has balogna stains all over it from going through the Department of Homeland Security. ;)
 
I'll bet there was a small crowd gathered around it ohhing and ahhhing and eventually the inevitable "What does anyone need one of these for?!" subject came up.:eek: :rolleyes: I'll bet at least one of them had second thoughts about letting it go thru. :mad: :rolleyes: :barf: Sorry, I just have no need for nosey bureaucrats.
Anyway, I have a Chinny II also and it stays with me most of the time. It's one of my top three carry folders. The other two currently being an 806D2 and the 5.5 Maxx. It's hard to try to put anything else into the pockets cuz these three are jealous pocket pigs. :D
Great score!
 
I'm glad they did it.

They can do it all day long for all I care. Just make sure my knives get to me and that's fine :)
 
averageguy said:
Well, at least they are doing something. Not nearly enough however. We must seal our borders against illegal immigration.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone is going to try to sneak into the country in a manilla envelope... ;)

Mark
 
fulloflead said:
Except, if it was the old USSR, instead of me making this post you guys would be like...

"Hey, has anybody heard from fulloflead? He hasn't been around for a while."

And that would be the end of me. ;)
Click to expand...

But I hear breaking rocks in Siberia is great exercise! :D
 
They probably did X-Ray it. Heck, they probably have computers that analyze the x-rays and isolate knife-like objects for further inspection.

Much better than the Post Office. They like to open the packages and keep the knives. :)

-Bob
 
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