I'm sorry to say this to all you weary travelers who do a lot of it. The airport screenings are a necessary evil and one that we all must go through every time we want to fly somewhere.
Security is not going to be as laxed as it once was, not after 9/11. They're not going to let you through with something they perceive as dangerous and they're sure as heck not going to listen to you pout about it either.
With that being said, there are certain situations that you have the right to complain about, I sure have. My wife and I had purchased a conk shell from St. Lucia while on our honeymoon. It was a great souvenir for us to bring home, something we could look at and remember the great time we had.
Well, apparently their security would not let us bring it on board with us, that it was something that needed to go into our checked luggage. When we offered to go back and re-check it, they refused to give it back. A woman, who was very kind to offer this to us, came out of her little shop at the airport after seeing how visibly upset my wife was, offered to give us a box to put it in so we could get the shell back from security.
I walked back there and notified their agents that a box had been offered to us. The girl I talked to wasn't very happy that a store owner had gotten involved and began getting angry with me until I told her that her assumption was incorrect at that the store owner had come to us, not the other way around.
She agreed to give the shell back to us if we got the box. I put the box together and walked back to them to get the shell and package it back in the box. The girl I talked to originally wouldn't talk to me and another girl that was there refused to give it back. A cowardice move on their part and one that didn't sit well with me.
Not to give them satisfaction of hearing me go off on them, for fear of being detained for whatever reason they could come up with, I instead stared the girl down for a few seconds before thanking them for taking a piece of a treasured memory away.
I know I got a little long winded with that story, but it was to prove that there are things that are worth complaining about. I also don't understand the ounces they come up with as well. Meaning, how are you going to confiscate a tube of toothpaste that is over two point something ounces? Really? Or how about contact solution being confiscated for the same reason? That makes me shake my head and wonder if this is getting a little ridiculous.
However, on the flip side of things, the xray machines and the scanners are something that needs to be done in order to keep 9/11 from happening again. What if we had had those same security measures in place then? Would that event have been kept from happening?
I know it's not something we want to think about, but the reason we have the measures in place is to keeping that kind of catastrophic event from taking place ever again.
I know there was audio that came out from some jackpole thinking he was being clever by recording a TSA agent explaining that he was going to be patted down. It spawned the "don't touch my junk" saying that we've all heard about over the last week, but after hearing he was facing charges for something, I couldn't help but laugh.
These guys are doing the job they're asked to do. For those of us that have traveled enough, we know what to expect, so why act like dueche just because you want some national attention? This guy went on a few national shows and acted like a smug, arrogant, moron, like he had just pulled one over on the TSA and that he showed them what's up.
No, all you showed them is how big of a bagdragger you are.
Are we really going to act like we're children every time we go through security now? Are we really going to act like we shouldn't have to go through this every time we fly? Is this how far society is fallen and have we really obtained a "holier than thou" attitude?
Come on people. Shut your traps, you know how this works, so take three minutes out of your life, do it right, and go on your way.
If you don't want to do that, find another way to get to your destination, don't make the rest of us watch your tantrums because I can promise you that there will be those in line with you who will put you in your place and make you look foolish.
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