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Don't let the recent arrests of gun and explosive packing passengers at MacArthur airport fool ya: The TSA is as clueless as ever, according to this expose in the Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, who spent months trying to get arrested by acting suspiciously at airports like La Guardia, where the officer inspecting his carry-on bag removed a Hezbollah flag that features, "as its charming main image, an upraised fist clutching an AK-47 automatic rifle... She finished her inspection, gave me back my flag, and told me I could go. I said, 'That’s a Hezbollah flag.' She said, 'Uh-huh.' Not 'Uh-huh, I’ve been trained to recognize the symbols of anti-American terror groups, but after careful inspection of your physical person, your behavior, and your last name, I’ve come to the conclusion that you are not a...threat,' but 'Uh-huh, I’m going on break, why are you talking to me?'"
Reporter Wonders How Suspicious You Have to Act To Get Arrested At Airports
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Not 'Uh-huh, I’ve been trained to recognize the symbols of anti-American terror groups, but after careful inspection of your physical person, your behavior, and your last name, I’ve come to the conclusion that you are not a...threat,' but 'Uh-huh, I’m going on break, why are you talking to me?'"
Mr Goldberg you have been racially profiled.
now they will be on to all this. way to ruin it for the rest of us.
Was he planning to use the flag as a weapon? TSA may miss the obvious (like the scissors in my pocketbook ..twice!) but a flag, no matter what country/clan/group/NGO it's for, isn't actually dangerous.
TSA did not miss a forgotten Swiss Army knife I had in my carry-on. Embarrassing, but reassuring.
so he's saying that flag poses some sort of threat to the safety of air passengers in flight or inside the 'sterile area'?
Yeah, airline security's a joke, but this joker's meanderings aren't even close to the mark.
For the real deal, go read Bruce Schneier's writings on the subject of "security theater" and follow his references to other credible authors on the topic.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/08/security_theate_1.html
Wow, that last sentence is really poorly written.
Jeffery, next time, pull down your your pants and take a dump on the floor. I bet a grand you'll be in jail in no time.
It's so funny because the typical Gothamist commenters would be all up in arms if they TSA did anything to this person JUST BECAUSE THEY HAD A FLAG. SINCE WHEN DID FLAG CARRYING BECOME A CRIME? THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON.
yada yada yada.
we flew from San Francisco with 6 foil wrapped frozen burritos from El Farillito in our carry-on.We were asked what the 6 neo-natal sized hard foil wrapped objects were and when we explained that they were 6 frozen burritos from San Francisco, we were waved through...but don't try to bring a 5 oz. bottle of Lancome foundation bisque 0 through the gates.....
Hezbollah isnt an anti-American group either - its an Anti-Israeli defense group that began when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. They've been made Americas enemies in minds of many but that doesnt make it so.
Mmmm, SF style burritos.
i had a pocket knife go thru security in and out of new york laguardia and ohio hopkins airport perhaps 5 times and they only caught it on the 6th. i even argued with the guard telling him i've taken it on board lots of times before with no problems.
If you actually click through, he was able to get away with a lot more shit than carrying a flag through. Lighters, knives, liquids, etc.. and he got through security using fake boarding passes.
I don't really understand why Gothamist chose the flag part of the article to highlight, especially when there is this gold:
I had my hand sanitizer taken away because it was "explosive." I told the TSA "agent" that it was, but so was my laptop batter, my shaving cream and every other item in my bag.
He still took my hand sanitizer, which I walked through security and to the magazine shop to replace.
These people are morons. Complete and utter morons who have been given some silly bullshit badge and authority to wreak havoc on weary travelers. And like the sheep we've all become in this "post 9/11" world, we obey.
OBEY! TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!
OBEY! DO NOT BRING LIQUIDS (even though it has been proven time and again there was no threat and no explosive is powerful enough in that small an amount).
OBEY! DO WHAT THE MINIMUM WAGE EMPLOYEE SAYS!
OBEY!
OBEY!
OBEY!
OBEY!
Have ANY of you written or contacted your congressperson with these complaints as I have, or do you just troll around and post messages?
He should have dressed more appropriately for the occasion.