TSA Shenanigans?

Dave Rishar

Dave Rishar

Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
3,178
I'm currently in Maryland visiting relatives. I'd purchased a Kumar WWII Villager a little while back as a gift for my brother; I decided to take it with me on my trip and to present it in person. I packaged it up in my seabag, carefully bundled my clothes around it, and spent a day hopping planes.

Fast forward several days. I manage to link up with my brother, present the khuk, and give him some instruction on it. The first thing we both notice upon drawing it is approximately 2" of rolled edge on the sweet spot. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? It hadn't looked like that when it had gone into my seabag...we figured that the bag may have been mishandled, causing the rolled edge. (I mean, what else could have happened? It wasn't like anyone had gone into my bag or anything...) No harm, no foul - I had a chance to instruct him on how to use a chakma and the damage was repaired with ease.

The next day, I was digging through my seabag for a pair of socks and noticed a flyer; it said that TSA had selected my bag at random for a search at the airport. Suddenly things began to make a bit more sense.

Inspection + mysteriously rolled edge = impromptu baggage handling khuk field test?

We may never know the complete story behind this although I obviously have my suspicions. My mother, who works for TSA, wasn't the least bit surprised by this. I only hope that no baggage handlers (or bags) were harmed during the test. :rolleyes:

The next time I fly with a khuk I'll leave an instruction sheet tucked in with the scabbard so that the handlers will at least know how to fix the edge after they're done. :)
 
My cousin works for TSA in Maui. Interesting stories, and a *lot* of free knives from the checkpoints. Last family trip, my sister lost her multitool she forgot to check. It was in her carryon. Oops.

Also on that trip, I had a well-equipped first aid kit in my carry-on. Did some hiking, etc. They pulled me aside and pulled out the kit. They opened it and pulled out the EMT sheers (really strong bandage/clothing scissors made for use against the skin). Blunted tip. Luckily, they realized I wasn't a terrorist :) and let me keep my first aid supplies. Oh well, I'd rather have them check more comprehensively than less.

Nam
 
But, but, "To Federalize Is To Professionalize"

John Perry Barlow writes about his ongoing encounter with TSA going a little beyond their mandate to keep the airlines safe.
They claimed to have discovered this contraband in the bottom of a bottle of Ibuprofen, still three quarters full of its original contents. This bottle had been discovered in the depths of my bag by an employee of Covenant Security, a subcontractor of the TSA, while she was searching it for explosives. They had opened my bag after detecting wires in one of its external pockets. The wires in question were part of my laser gloves, a bit of Burning Man finery, and were far removed from the Ibufrofen bottle in question. What they found in the bottom of that bottle was not an incidental discovery during the course of a mandated search for something else. They had dug deep and purposefully. This was no joint in the ashtray casually spotted by the officer while writing a speeding ticket. A closer analogy would be the joint discovered on the floorboards of your car after the officer removed its carpeting while writing a speeding ticket.
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DannyinJapan said:
no offense intended....
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If you're talking to me, none taken. :) Cousin's sort of a joker, anyhow.

In fact, if anything, my cousin just gives me first-hand knowledge of TSA shenanigans! :D All those free knives and corkscrews make me envious! :p

Nam
 
Recent reports on television here gave quite a bit of info (including film from hidden cameras) on the theft rate by some of the inspectors. Actually, it looks like a fun job...getting to go through anyone's stuff at will.

Makes me glad that when I fly, I always pack my dirty clothes stuffed loosely in the bag. Must be terrible to dig through my dirty socks only to find nothing worth stealing.
 
I always hope the pretty gal working at the Dayton airport will want to strip search me...no luck so far.
 
Nasty said:
I always hope the pretty gal working at the Dayton airport will want to strip search me...no luck so far.
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Methinks the pretty little gal would have to get permission from your other half Uwinv and I don't see that forthcoming.:rolleyes: :D ;)
 
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