America Security is top notch, indeed.

HaAGen DaZS · Post by **HaAGen DaZS** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:32 am

This starts off as completly hilarious.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 417847.stm

This is the aftermath, I can't find the original story, when the pigs threw her in jail.

Pebkac · Post by **Pebkac** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 3:33 am

I don't know why you're getting so bent out of shape about this. The "pigs" were doing exactly what they are supposed to do. Perhaps this dimbulb didn't see the signs posted at the airport that warn against such tomfoolery. They make it quite clear that any such "jokes" will be taken seriously and lead to a very bad day for the joker. This has been policy at U.S. international airports since at least 1983 (when I was first made aware of it).

I applaud your defense of this harmless person, but it was her own MONUMENTAL STUPIDITY that landed her in this predicament. Let's not forget that.

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 3:51 am

If somene says they have a bomb, they go to jail. Simple.

Tyranny · Post by **Tyranny** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 4:07 am

hrm....nice to see it isn't just blondes in the US that are dumb as ****.

Flabby Chick · Post by **Flabby Chick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 5:48 am

Yep! She's dumb.

A few days ago i took my mother to Ben Gurion airport to catch her flight back to the UK after her xmas visit. As i was standing with her during the security checks (which some of you wouldn't believe btw) i got into a conversation with a group of american buisness men who wre flying to New York. We got onto the subject of my latest beef which is the finger printing and photo checks that's been started in the US and to my surprise they started laughing and relayed stories how crap the security still is over there. These guys said they travelled constantly and said that US airports have a hell of a long way to go before they catch up to European standards. I was quite surprised by that, and i thought i'd share it with you.

FC

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 7:28 am

So what has this story got to do with lax security? Her statement pretty much sums up her problem:

"Asked what was she thinking when she made the bomb claim, the student replied: "I wasn't thinking, that was my problem."

And HD, the pejorative "pig" is so 60's

Pebkac · Post by **Pebkac** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 8:07 am

Heh! It must be a Euro thing. Here's a news link from the same story.

This is what happens you don't put the fear into these clowns.

FC, give me a play-by-play on the Ben Gurion security procedure, por favor. I'm curious as to how much of a b!tch it is.

Flabby Chick · Post by **Flabby Chick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 9:50 am

No problem Pebak. This is what happened when i took my mum and aunt last two days ago.

First off there is only one entrance to the airport and every car and truck has to go through a roadblock. The Uzi toting guards make face to face contact with each person in the vehicles and if anyone looks suspicious they're stopped, taken to the side, and their identification is checked.

There are security cameras (obviously) and patrols going through the car park.

On entering the airport building (departures in this case) there are guards on the outside, they're dressed in casuals so as to blend in and theres a constant round of checking the bins.

Inside. My mum and Aunt had a preliminary interview with a fairly decent young blond chap with around twenty background type questions. (I was also questioned seperatly to crosscheck-it actually makes it easier if i flash my israeli ID card)

Then the suitcases and the travellers go through the big old x-ray machine in an excrutiatingly slow moving queue during which we are interviewed again by a sexy but stroppy israeli girl in her twenties. (i swear to you that the second lot of interviews were all carried out by a team of pretty women. If this is planned? Your guess is as good as mine) Then pretty but stroppy has a conflab with decent young blond chap then they ask you to open all cases and a hands on check with 3 types of hand scanners.

This goes on for every passenger it's a 100% check, not random pickouts.

I then say goodby to me mum, who goes upstairs through another bodyscanner to a part of the airport that only passengers can get to.....a few tears and hugs at this point.

She then relates to me what happened upstairs by mobile when she got to the UK. All shoes were taken off and scanned seperatly, phew...the smell. She was also asked with others to go downstairs again to check certain luggage again. It turned out the dates that she'd packed were of a similar consistancy to plastic explosives when looked through a certain scanner...she was told this by the decent blond chap....who was getting on my mums nerves by this point.

I must admit even for Israeli standards this was the longest check i'd witnessed since coming here in eighty-six and i don't think it would be practical to do the same thing world wide. You do feel safe though when you board aan El-Al flight though, and for me it's worth it.

The only other airport i've been that comes close to Ben-Gurion in terms of security is Frankfurt, Germany. I was on my way to Bogota, Columbia when flying from there...so i guess you can imagine what i went through. lol

FC

Dedman · Post by **Dedman** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 10:46 am

FC please enlighten me if you would.

Stroppy?

Conflab?

Flabby Chick · Post by **Flabby Chick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 11:18 am

LOL!!!!!

Sorry i forget my mancunian slang somtimes. Stroppy is bad tempered and conflab is an intense conversation.

FC

bash · Post by **bash** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 12:07 pm

The Brits (or, Israeli, in this case) have the greatest slang in the world. FC, is there a site where all these Brit-isms are *translated* for those of us who just substitute *f*ckin'* for every needed adjective?

To the point, FC, I agree about America's security being difficult to maintain at a high level. We're simply too big and have too long been an open door to suddenly go to a locked-down police state in just two years (plus, frankly, airport workers aren't hired for their advanced education degrees). We are still vulnerable as hell, and probably always will be. But we're trying to find that balance of security and freedom so that terrorist acts don't happen again (they will) and still provide Americans with a sense of *secure openness*. I think the two pursuits are at odds with each other (look at all the opposition to the Patriot Act). That's what, imo, is important about this *war on terrorism*; so the rest of us can go back to sleeping with the doors unlocked without fear of intruders.

Boss, yep, that's the way it is. A non-funny joke is taken very seriously. My brother made a crack one time about having a bomb and his life was made a living hell for about eight hours. Some things (such as yelling *FIRE* in a theater, are not particularly good ideas) and *I was just joking* won't gain you your freedom. In fact it will only piss off the authorities moreso than if you really had a bomb.

Flabby Chick · Post by **Flabby Chick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 12:27 pm

http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/

Both are in there Bash. I was a bit surprised at the one below "stroppy"...i'd never heard that one before.

Yep! The airport security teams are all ex-army and very well trained. To train staff on a scale the size of a country like the States would need enormous amounts of funding, i guess thats the reason for fingerprints and wot-not.

You see!!!! even an old git like me changes his opinion every now and again.

FC

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 12:32 pm

I don't know, ppl seem to over react. Looks to me that the incident could have been handled in a more professional manner.

As an alien in the US I really start feeling uncomfortable, esp. when reading stories like this (NYT)..

HaAGen DaZS · Post by **HaAGen DaZS** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:14 pm

i just think that sept 11th managed to happen, but this girly gets a jail sentence for a joke - is prety pathetic...

and FC's conversation with the yankies pretty much justifys my feelings...

I can understand why someone might take some offence to her joke, but like it is hard to scan the bagpack (it already was anyway).

anyway, who the hell admits to having a bomb to secuirty officers!!!

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 3:53 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by HaAGen DaZS:
 i just think that sept 11th managed to happen, but this girly gets a jail sentence for a joke - is prety pathetic...

and FC's conversation with the yankies pretty much justifys my feelings...

I can understand why someone might take some offence to her joke, but like it is hard to scan the bagpack (it already was anyway).

anyway, who the hell admits to having a bomb to secuirty officers!!! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You've answered your own questions and in the process made yourself look like an incoherent ass. Maybe if you stopped to consider for a second, the fact that the jail sentence was given is because the government is worried about another terrorist attack on an airplane as a result of 9/11 happening!! It's called LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES.

But apprently you don't know that, because you continue, "and FC's conversation with the yankies pretty much justifys my feelings..." no it doesn't. FC's conversation with the "yankies" was a discussion between FC and people from here who think that security could be improved! The girl was arrested because security was being enforced! Therefore, FC's conversation with the "yankies" is counter to your argument. Would you have preferred that the security agents said "yeah right" and let her on? That's ridiculous!

Who the hell admits to having a bomb? An idiot maybe?

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 4:22 pm

Somehow HD, you have to understand a bomb on a airliner is no joking matter. To even say you have one as a "joke" shows in-of-itself that you may be a potentially unstable individual and thus given the sheeps hook.

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 6:31 pm

DC, no need for name calling.

Flabby Chick · Post by **Flabby Chick** » Thu Jan 22, 2004 6:36 pm

ditto....

Ferno · Post by **Ferno** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 1:39 am

the security is so great i was able to sneak a bong through the border.

DC: you're lucky I don't moderate this forum.

CUDA · Post by **CUDA** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 8:10 am

LOL, ok someone walks into a bank and says this is a hold up and then after they get caught they say hey I was only joking. maybe we should let them off as well after all it was ONLY a joke. some things are not funny and cost ppl time, Money and sometimes injury or worse, did they have to evacuate the building? did anyone get injured in the stampeed to get out of the building with a Bomb in it? how much did it cost the company and the government to search for this "bomb" to find out it was a prank. she gets what she deserves let her rott IMHO
there is something wrong with a person that gets a kick out of yelling fire in a crowded theater

Delkian · Post by **Delkian** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 8:39 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by DCrazy:
the fact that the jail sentence was given<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Was given? I thought she was just arrested. If a sentence has already been given, now that was one hell of a quick trial.

--

Anyway, the best points of the conversation were given in the first reply. You have to be a bit of a moron to go say (three times, at least allegedly) at a security check that you have a bomb. Of course common sense is often a Good Thing and a prison sentence would be kind of overkill. A nice fine and being considered an idiot world-wide would be enough.

Tyranny · Post by **Tyranny** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 9:09 am

Delkian, she had to serve jail time which is part of the arrest, I think that is what DC meant. Theres a difference between jail time and a prison sentence (which in this case is what you're thinking of).

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Fri Jan 23, 2004 9:44 am

Yes, I didn't mean she had been tried and convicted in the span of hours.

Sorry if my word choice was a little unclear. Basically, she was punished for her actions because there is always the sad possibility that she was telling the truth.