Begin forwarded message:
From: Greg Brooks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: May 12, 2005 4:53:15 PM EDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: The score thus far: TSA, 1... Zippo lighter camera, 0 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Dave, for IP if you wish)
An update on the TSA's no-lighter policy and how it panned out with a Zippo-form-factor camera...
Although I've had the camera for months and travel at least once a week,
this was the first time it made sense to take it on a trip. Coming through
Philadelphia Airport on Thursday afternoon, I made no attempt to hide the
camera, but I did show the first screener (before the X-ray machine) that it
was, in fact, a camera.
Well. They passed it through the machine and then spent several minutes
playing with it. (Yes, playing with it. This wasn't inspecting the thing -
it was gee-whizzing it.) I encouraged them to take it apart (it
disassembles, leaving you with a camera and an empty steel shell in the
shape of a Zippo lighter), which they did.
Then it got silly. I was told by the TSA decisionmaker that the camera could
come on board *but the empty steel case couldn't.* This seemed so mindless I
politely asked for clarification, but got nothing further than "the camera
can go, but the case can't." Asked for a supervisor and was told "you got
'em." I got out of line, walked a couple terminals away, and fedexed the
camera to myself.
I know this barely moves the needle on the TSA Mindless Idiocy Scale,
particularly in comparison to other stories you've passed along. But it's
still scary (not angering, not frustrating -- scary) to realize our airport
security is under the warranty of brittle rules enforced without much common
sense.
------------------------------------ West Third Group Greg Brooks [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.greg-brooks.com ------------------------------------
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