Air marshals secretly monitored US passengers for years

[Pogo]

I hate to fly. And it shows. Too much of a PITA.

I'll drive if I can, always.

When I read this, the first thing I thought of was a friend of mine so terrified of flying that she paces, sweats, swears and drinks heavily prior to boarding. lol She's on a list somewhere.

I really don't see the problem here. If they aren't arresting anyone for acting nervous, just keeping an eye on them, what in hell is the problem? They are keeping us safe; it's their job.

I have no fear of flying as such; that part is fine. I don't pace, fret, drink or worry. It's just all the hassle of (a) getting to the airport, which has nothing to do with where I'm going... (b) hanging around for an eternity waiting, in lines or in a lobby blaring a TV I don't want.... (c) hanging around on the tarmac going nowhere, hot and surrounded by body heat.... (d) the crying toddler that never should have been brought aboard that always finds the seat right behind me..... (e) the obnoxious fat fuck that invariably finds the seat in front of me and insists on using the knee-crushing "recline" function that ensures once we do get off I'll be barely able to walk.... (f) hanging around waiting for a robot machine to spit out my luggage, if I was forced to bring any, if it's still intact (and there).... (g) looking around for yet another transportation shuttle to get me where I was originally going in the first place, having been gouged on both ends..... and oh yes (h) the TSA and their strip search X-ray Men metal detector fantasies, almost forgot about that. And THEN --- (i) once I do get there I'm helpless to get around and have to depend on cabs and shuttles because I don't have my car.

You have to understand I've been on a lot of planes. At one point I just told the company, don't buy me a ticket, just pay me what you would have paid the airline, and I'll drive. And I pocket the difference because a lot of places if not most I can drive it for far less. Fatter o' mact for an example if the destination is Nashville -- a bit over 300 miles -- I can get in the car and drive to where I'm going faster than I can take a plane there, just because of all that bullshit downtime getting to and from the flight.

Doesn't always work though. One time they sent me to Honolulu.

Nothing you can do without the bridge being finished. I didn't mind being in the air for seven hours (may have even used the rest room) as much as having to suffer the indignity of changing planes in the George Bush International Airport.


Oh I've been in a near-midair-collision too. It looked just like this one at 6:35.... I got to watch it out the portside window.

​

And I should have added (j) having to wake up before the sun in order to catch a flight that's obsessed with keeping neurosurgeon's hours, and (k) having the company send me on an airline I detest --- won't mention any names but it rhymes with "Shmelta".....

And just to nitpick (who me?) let's toss in the deplaning where the sheep stand up seemingly oblivious to the fact that they ain't moving until the front of the plane gets off. And they just stand there wondering why they can't move.

Actually that's a fun part. I just sit in my seat and make lowing cattle noises. That prolly gets me some attention but what are they gonna do...........

 

[Pogo]

I hate to fly. And it shows. Too much of a PITA.

I'll drive if I can, always.

When I read this, the first thing I thought of was a friend of mine so terrified of flying that she paces, sweats, swears and drinks heavily prior to boarding. lol She's on a list somewhere.

I really don't see the problem here. If they aren't arresting anyone for acting nervous, just keeping an eye on them, what in hell is the problem? They are keeping us safe; it's their job.

I have no fear of flying as such; that part is fine. I don't pace, fret, drink or worry. It's just all the hassle of (a) getting to the airport, which has nothing to do with where I'm going... (b) hanging around for an eternity waiting, in lines or in a lobby blaring a TV I don't want.... (c) hanging around on the tarmac going nowhere, hot and surrounded by body heat.... (d) the crying toddler that never should have been brought aboard that always finds the seat right behind me..... (e) the obnoxious fat fuck that invariably finds the seat in front of me and insists on using the knee-crushing "recline" function that ensures once we do get off I'll be barely able to walk.... (f) hanging around waiting for a robot machine to spit out my luggage, if I was forced to bring any, if it's still intact (and there).... (g) looking around for yet another transportation shuttle to get me where I was originally going in the first place, having been gouged on both ends..... and oh yes (h) the TSA and their strip search X-ray Men metal detector fantasies, almost forgot about that. And THEN --- (i) once I do get there I'm helpless to get around and have to depend on cabs and shuttles because I don't have my car.

You have to understand I've been on a lot of planes. At one point I just told the company, don't buy me a ticket, just pay me what you would have paid the airline, and I'll drive. And I pocket the difference because a lot of places if not most I can drive it for far less. Fatter o' mact for an example if the destination is Nashville -- a bit over 300 miles -- I can get in the car and drive to where I'm going faster than I can take a plane there, just because of all that bullshit downtime getting to and from the flight.

Doesn't always work though. One time they sent me to Honolulu.

Nothing you can do without the bridge being finished. I didn't mind being in the air for seven hours (may have even used the rest room) as much as having to suffer the indignity of changing planes in the George Bush International Airport.


Oh I've been in a near-midair-collision too. It looked just like this one at 6:35.... I got to watch it out the portside window.

​

Oh, Pogo, you're so good at describing the joys of flying..

I'm on a roll now. That's why I'd rudder be driving, yaw yaw.

 

[irosie91]

Worked with this Black lady that was biracial. Every single time she flew she got pulled out of line for a "random" pat down. TSA always asked her if she was a Muslim even though her name was white american as could be. Why were they profiling her? Because she looked like she could be Arabic.

100% of 9/11 terrorists were Arabic.

80% of all terrorists are white.

by standard criteria----- arabs indigenous to the Arabian penninsula are white. But lately anyone who speaks Arabic
or is muslim is being called "person of color" "race" is a
very nebulous concept in HUMAN BEANS
they are being called

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

100% of 9/11 terrorists were Arabic.

Did you mean that they speak Arabic?

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

FYI your OP needs personal comment , not just copy n paste.



And I don't think what the big deal is, better safe than sorry sorry at 30,000 feet.

It's a government surveillance program of individuals who are not suspected of criminal activity.

Did you see the part where the surveillance continues after the plane has landed? They stopped short to indicating that they follow you to your final desination whether that's home, your hotel or whereever you ultimately are staying..

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Sorry about the link guys. Usually I can edit what I post but apparently not today. This isn't the original but is from today's headlines:
TSA's 'Quiet Skies' program raises legal and civil liberty questions

 

[HenryBHough]

I guess you have never heard of agriculture inspections.

How do you think the Mediterranean fruit fly managed to get to California? No one bought it a first class seat.

Fortunately my travels never take me to Taxafornia nor to Hawaii.

The states between which I travel have no restrictions on agricultural products. In fact, most of my travel is within a single state. It does your credibility little good to run off at the mouth without full information.

But, since you're used to "agricultural inspections" you likely are a California. One who routinely "clears customs" when driving from Nevada into California. Submitting to having your bicycle (real Californians don't drive motor vehicles) searched at the border.

Never mind that the border twixt Nevada and California has no sky-hall wall to keep bugs from flying across the state line. Never mind that the giant customs station at the border on I-80 can easily be circumvented by taking the Truckee exit just before "customs" and rejoining it two miles west.

I did get an "explanation" from one TSA agent a couple of years back; claims they find it very hard to differentiate between apples and hand grenades. I suggested they try just pulling out the stem from the apples and, if it doesn't explode, it probably was just an apple.

 

[Pogo]

I guess you have never heard of agriculture inspections.

How do you think the Mediterranean fruit fly managed to get to California? No one bought it a first class seat.

Fortunately my travels never take me to Taxafornia nor to Hawaii.

The states between which I travel have no restrictions on agricultural products. In fact, most of my travel is within a single state. It does your credibility little good to run off at the mouth without fll information.

But, since you're used to "agricultural inspections" you likely are a California. One who routinely "clears customs" when driving from Nevada into California. Submitting to having your bicycle (real Californians don't drive motor vehicles) searched at the border.

Never mind that the border twixt Nevada and California has no sky-hall wall to keep bugs from flying across the state line. Never mind that the giant customs station at the border on I-80 can easily be circumvented by taking the Truckee exit just before "customs" and rejoining it two miles west.

I did get an "explanation" from one TSA agent a couple of years back; claims they find it very hard to differentiate between apples and hand grenades. I suggested they try just pulling out the stem from the apples and, if it doesn't explode, it probably was just an apple.

Hell I remember those checkpoints within California. 25-30 years ago.

 

[Canon Shooter]

I love driving, but I have no great hatred of air travel, either. The last time I flew was when my daughter and I went to Scotland in 2019.

TSA doesn't bother me...