KC/Topeka prowling with Mr. Rigdon

From: Gary Hildebrand <ghldbrd_at_ccp.com>
Date: Sat Jun 1 17:29:16 2002

Sellam Ismail wrote:

<snip snip>

 
> I always expect a good cavity check every time I fly now since I'm Arabic.
>
> The first time on the way to Austria it was relatively hassle free. They
> ran my bags through the X-ray machines but all the electronics and metal
> didn't seem to phase whoever was at the helm. Coming back I had a nice
> big old East German (as in DDR era) computer I bought at VCF Europa 2.0
> and got stopped in London. Security took me down to a stairwell near the
> tarmack and had me open the boxes to show them what was inside. I also
> explained who I was and what I did for good measure. They were satisfied
> and let me on my way (and held the plane up for me).
>
> The last time I got checked on my way to Germany. In San Francisco, they
> ran my bags through the X-ray machine and saw lots of alarming wires,
> metal, etc. They checked through each bag thoroughly, which sucked
> because then I had to make sure everything was packed firmly again since
> I didn't want Hans to yell at me when I got to Munich with his stuff all
> broken up. On the way back I was hauling just a disk drive and some
> Atari carthridges not expecting any hassle, but the customs guys were
> complete dicks in Atlanta and held me up while they checked through my
> luggage. That's the first time I've ever had the full customs check.
> Atlanta sucks.
>
> Whoever tells you the checks are "random" and not based on ethnicity or
> appearance is just trying to be PC. I'm sure there is a bit of randomness
> involved, but that's for the non-Arab, non-Muslim flying contingent.
> There's only been one time out of perhaps ten where I didn't have to go
> through the extra pre-boarding check before a flight. I'm convinced that
> me and my peeps get red flagged and added to the "check thoroughly" pool
> as soon as we step in the airport, and other "regular" folk are just
> thrown into the pool at random to make it look like "we" aren't being
> targeted.
>
> Welcome to the New America.

Same old America we've always had, ask the Japanese that were interred
during WWII . . . paranoia ran rampant then and runs rampant now. We no
longer have the Soviet threat (cold war), so we have to have another
scapegoat.

Gary Hildebrand
St. Joseph, MO
Received on Sat Jun 01 2002 - 17:29:16 BST