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I had red badge clearance at IAH when I was bartending/managing at the papadeaux there.

I could go down to the dock and get anything through there. The checkpoint is a hired security guard that sits there and reads and doesn't inspect a single crate. Huge, uninspected, boxes of food, chemicals, knives, and alocohol go in unchecked everyday.

All that is required is a background check. People with clean backgrounds are always for sale.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:TSA = Thousands Standing Around.

SIA

I thought it was "Team Sexual Assault"

I flew through 5 airports with a small knife in my carryon, no one detected it until I was leaving Beijing. They found the knife, and told me to 'Go over there and talk to the policeman.' Oh great. Policeman takes the knife, asks to see my plane ticket. Writes down my flight number and seat number, puts the knife in an envelope and tells me to pick it up at baggage claim at my destination (Seoul).

In freedom loving America, they would have confiscated my knife. The Chicoms treated me much better and showed more respect for my personal property.

I walked onto a plane from Austin to Virginia for a summer camp shortly after 9/11... totally forgot that I had my pocket knife clipped to my pocket until I was through the metal detector and on the plane. I freaked out when I noticed it, but just calmly unhooked it and slid it deep into my pocket. It made the return trip in my checked suitcase.

Oddly enough, even with the 4" blade and a push-button light built into it, that knife had accompanied me through several Six Flags metal detectors as well without setting off any alarms.

TSA is a prime example of one of government's flawed approaches to any situation. When something fails because existing policies were not followed, in the panicked need to "do something" they create more policy instead of addressing the failure to follow that which is already in place. That's why we still see things that have been banned for years, like knives and guns, getting past TSA despite any new things they try.

MasterOfNone wrote:TSA is a prime example of one of government's flawed approaches to any situation. When something fails because existing policies were not followed, in the panicked need to "do something" they create more policy instead of addressing the failure to follow that which is already in place.

If that's not hitting the nail on the head, I'm not sure what is. Our government (especially the feds) need to realize that doing something is far less important than doing the right thing (which may, in fact, turn out to be nothing).

My question is, why do we need to rely completely on human eyes to detect this stuff? In this day and age with all the advances in AI, why can't we have a "weapon Image database" linked to the computer and scanners? There's imaging software that is available to the everyday consumer, when they buy a camera or smart phone, that can detect a persons face at almost any angle. If this technology is available on a consumer level, surely Federal agencies have access to far better gear for this purpose. Why can't our government link these machines with a federal database, that could at least up the odds of detection for public safety? It's not like they don't have this info already on almost every weapon available. If they were really trying to stop the terror threat, it seems to me that they would implement this type of technology instead of making a better x-ray to see people naked. Just saying...

NOS wrote:My question is, why do we need to rely completely on human eyes to detect this stuff? In this day and age with all the advances in AI, why can't we have a "weapon Image database" linked to the computer and scanners? There's imaging software that is available to the everyday consumer, when they buy a camera or smart phone, that can detect a persons face at almost any angle. If this technology is available on a consumer level, surely Federal agencies have access to far better gear for this purpose. Why can't our government link these machines with a federal database, that could at least up the odds of detection for public safety? It's not like they don't have this info already on almost every weapon available. If they were really trying to stop the terror threat, it seems to me that they would implement this type of technology instead of making a better x-ray to see people naked. Just saying...

There is a consistent pattern with most governmental programs:
1. They have a stated purpose which is right up there with motherhood and apple pie. Few could or would disagree with the original intention
2. Through implementation of policies, especially over time, the original intention is all but completely lost in favor of minuscule policy variances which have little to do with anything other than the policies themselves.
3. Flagrant abuses occur which defy the original intention and those go almost completely unchecked. Example: prohibition

It is my belief that TSA is no more about protecting airline passengers than the Department of Energy is about reducing our dependence on foreign oil. DOE's stated purpose was establsihed after the 1973 "gas shortages" - many of which proved to be artificial.