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VMI77 wrote:

cb1000rider wrote:

VMI77 wrote: Yes, but if you're taking that pic through the window with a telephoto lens, it may not be so clear cut. Once, seeing my son off, I spent some time waiting for the plane taking photos and videos inside the Austin airport --including photos of the TSA station and TSA personnel. No one said a word. Then, when leaving, I stopped to take a photo outside where cabs were depositing people, and got hassled by a rent-a-cop who acted like I was a potential "terrorist." I asked her, are you telling me I'm doing something illegal? She said no. I asked her if she wanted to look through the photos and she said no. So, it had nothing to do with security or the law, it was just another small minded person who felt powerful because she was wearing a uniform that said "security" on it.

It also has to do with our state of mind as a nation. She could have easily escalated her suspicions and you would have found yourself in handcuffs detained for quite a while... In the event that such happened, you did nothing wrong, she did nothing wrong, but the constitution gets steam-rolled.

To me it's not much different than the days of the "red scare" where being called a communist would get you in lots of trouble.

I have a friend. He's a software guy and a US citizen. English is his 2nd language, although he was born here. He's a brown man. He's big into guns and 2nd amendment rights. Lots of ARs and "assault" looking weapons. One day coming back from the gun range I teased him that it wouldn't be very pleasant for him (in the current state of the world) if he was stopped due to being reported as suspicious... I wouldn't do that to him, but I bet that he'd be in for one heck of a ride with a trunkful of AR-15s, even if he could prove he was coming from the range... It's just the nature of our society these days to label anything we don't like with "terrorist" and use that word to trample on basic rights.

It was getting there, because when she said no to both questions and continued to hassle me, I started to get angry, and defiant. Ultimately I just walked away and that ended it. And yeah, he'd have a worse time, but any of us might well have a hard time today. When I was in HS me and a friend of mine used to drive around back roads with a car full of guns, stopping, and shooting at things off old back roads. In particular, there was an old shot up car body off a back road where we liked to go shoot. In those days it wasn't a problem, now, we'd probably be in jail and in the news. It's getting hard on an old man because I'm not used to being obedient, and when I was younger the police didn't demand obedience if you weren't a criminal.

Andrew wrote:

filmtex wrote:

G27RR wrote:"Random security checks are voluntary, but a way to keep criminal activity from taking place on-board."

So if you refuse they let you board anyway?

That's a great question.

No. The screening is voluntary, just as it is at airports. If you won't voluntarily submit to screening you can't board.