Re: [Leica] airport security . ;-)

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>]

Tina Manley wrote:

>>When I finally got to Honduras and unpacked my bags, I discovered
> that the bag with my prescription medicines that was in my carry-on had
> been taken out somewhere and not put back in.  I did without hormone
pills,
> allergy pills, sleeping pills, and arthritis medicine until doctors came
> the next week bringing replacement medicines.  My bag has never turned up
> anywhere.<<<<

Hi Tina,
Not as serious as yours by any means, but I pass this along as a word of
caution.

In the Victoria airport... after the camera equipment bag went through the
carry on scanner a security person said, "You have a cork screw in that bag
may I see it and there were shadows I would like to look at"

"OK no problem, the cork screw has been traveling with me for about forty
years in various camera bags all over the world."

Guy opens bag, lifts out a couple of cameras and makes their usual pointless
look through viewfinder and asks to uncap a couple of lenses and looks
through them. Then goes big time after the cork screw. Finds it, a very
small in plastic case that has opened many a fine distillation. ;-)  Points
out they are a weapon and puts it back in the case.

But at that moment I look to see where my wife Irene is and my bag is pushed
back to me closed up. "OK sir, you can go."   I assumed  .... one should
never ever assume anything    ....    the puller had been returned to the
bag.

When I arrived in Seattle to go through the second check of the day
....... "No cork puller!"

I wasn't told it had been taken, nor any comment about  keeping it nor
sending to my home or pick it up on your return... nada!

So as Tina lost her medications and I, my sentimental cork puller with many
assignment memories attached, I think in the future I wont trust the
security people to be honest with me, nor will I take my eyes off them for
fear they're ripping me off without any consideration of returning what they
take.

Heck I want to comply as much as anyone, but I don't feel the security
people have the right to take items and then not arrange to return them by
whatever means is necessary. And certainly they should inform the traveler
they are confiscating any item.

I thought of going back to the airport on my return, but figured it would be
the "security run a round" on National Security grounds "we can't divulge
what we do with confiscated items"  bull!

Now I've sworn never to take my eyes of those guys, as you never know how
they'll rip you off on the pretext of National Security.

So Tina, you know what to do the next time you fly south. Don't take your
eyes off the bags and the guys handling them. Like, if you can't trust the
security guys for your safety in the air, who the hell can you trust?
ted.



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