Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/04/02

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Subject: [Leica] What would you do if this happened to you?
From: jplaurel at spectare.com (Jim Laurel)
Date: Fri Apr 2 23:04:07 2004
References: <5.2.0.9.2.20040401144158.0116ea90@mail.infoave.net> <5.2.0.9.2.20040402180207.011ddeb0@mail.infoave.net> <000a01c41944$ab44cd60$87d86c18@gv.shawcable.net>

Ted,
This kind of thing really gets to me.  Just reading your story gets my 
blood boiling.  Obviously, some ham-handed TSA screener decided that 
your locked M7s constituted a threat.

What would I do?  Well, there's not much you can do.   Under the aegis 
of National Security, thousands of half-witted high school dropouts 
have been reborn as Federal employees in the TSA.  There's no 
accountability for damage to personal property.  And I guarantee that 
trying to identify who damaged your cameras while at the airport would 
simply result in your being detained and questioned.  I suppose you 
could write letters, and that might get you an apology, along with some 
platitudes about keeping America safe, but it may also get you a 
wiretap on your phone and black unmarked Suburbans driving by your 
place at odd hours of the night.

My solution is to carry all my gear on board.  I pack my camera bag 
full, and wear a large camera jacket, which has huge pockets.  When the 
gate staff complain about the weight of my bag, as Virgin Airlines 
always seems to, I walk away, stuff things into my vest, and try again. 
  Last I checked, no airline has a restriction on how heavy your 
clothing can be.

We live in a new world for sure, and the threats aren't all from the 
outside.

--Jim Laurel


On Apr 2, 2004, at 10:26 PM, Ted Grant wrote:

> What would you do under these circumstances?


Replies: Reply from gwpics at aol.com (Gerry Walden) ([Leica] What would you do if this happened to you?)
In reply to: Message from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Grits!! (was: Kodak B&W 400 film))
Message from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Grits!! (was: Kodak B&W 400 film))
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] What would you do if this happened to you?)