Daughter Singled Out Going Thru Airport Security

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My 2nd grade daughter got pulled aside for a random check going through airport security. Yep she looks very suspicious in her pigtails and smile. The one good thing was it isn’t one of those naked picture type scanners as we were going through a security section where there are only two gates. It was simply her lucky number. The poor little monster was scared when they singled her out. She didn’t understand why.

The security was as nice as possible. The additional check was rubbing some crap on her hands. Anyone know what this is? My guess checking her for explosives – I know she is quite intelligent, but this kinda falls out of her interests.

The unfortunate thing was I wasn’t there as I was parking the car and hadn’t caught up with them yet. So I missed out on this. She was convinced it was because she dragged her feet through the scanner thingy. One good thing of this all – I now have a very good tool to prevent her from dragging her feet which she irritatingly does quite frequently.

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@Linkat,

The swabs on the hands are indeed explosives checks. And I think it's bullshit that your daughter had to go through stuff like this.

Security theater, makes me want to puke

Cycloptichorn

2 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

So you can't imagine someone would give a child something to sneak through security?

It was a random check, it was just her number. What? Are they supposed to say, "we're going to pick every 25th person, unless it's (fill in the blank)" Someone who was trying to get through could then pose as that type of person, or give something to someone who fits the bill.

I'm sure this didn't cause her any lasting phychological damage.

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@Cycloptichorn,

Yeah I know. I am glad it was only that - I've heard some recent horror stories about kids being singled out and being physically searched.

0 Replies

@chai2,

chai2 wrote:

So you can't imagine someone would give a child something to sneak through security?

Explosives? No, I can't imagine it. And to the best of my knowledge, it's never happened before in the past, so I have no idea what directive said that it's time to start searching 9-year olds for bombs.

Quote:

It was a random check, it was just her number. What? Are they supposed to say, "we're going to pick every 25th person, unless it's (fill in the blank)" Someone who was trying to get through could then pose as that type of person, or give something to someone who fits the bill.

I'm sure this didn't cause her any lasting phychological damage.

Is this serious? The whole 'security' system is a joke. It doesn't provide actual security, just the ILLUSION of security. It wouldn't stop a determined bomber or hijacker from getting anything on a plane at all.

We've been lucky in this country that nobody has tried a serious suicide bombing attempt yet. They don't need to get on a plane; they could just do it IN LINE at the airport. It would paralyze travel tremendously and there's nothing our security could do to stop it whatsoever.

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@chai2,

It's dumb - not because as you noted that some one wouldn't use a child - but these sorts of searches are so random it isn't going to catch squat. Just theater I'd agree to give a false sense of security.

I think more intelligence needs to be used in deciding who gets searched or not. This sort of random search is useless.

And to add to the irony - my husband had liquids in his carryon and he forgot to pull them out and put them in the separate clear bag. Those got through without any question.

1 Reply

@Linkat,

I regularly travel with liquids that are above the so-called limit, I've never once been questioned on it. Which is a good sign, b/c the whole 'liquid bomb' idea was bullshit to begin with.

The Israelis do a pretty good job searching folks - but it involves highly-trained individuals, not rent-a-cops like our current group.

Cycloptichorn

3 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

That was precisely what I was thinking about the Israelis when I mentioned - checking for this by an intelligent method. They have been very successful. Our techniques stink and really does little to prevent a potential problem.

I was also checked when I was pregnant. Another huge threat. Children and pregnant women.

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A girl ahead of me, and I were taken to the side and put thru the full monty.

SHE was young, foreign looking (Black or Arabic), dressed in ethnic garb, and I am a 62 year old American grandma. Pretty whie bread.

I watched her get patted down and thought 'Holy ****" - that woman is really getting familiar. I was NOT comfortable at all . . .

Just when her "exam" was almost over, I got a tap on my shoulder and was told to go on thru.

The morale of the story?? Look who is in front of you or in back of you. They may want to make it appear "random" so they will take a group so they can examine the real suspect.

1 Reply

@PUNKEY,

I've gotten the full-on patdown recently. I just gave the guy the death stare the entire time and ask him how my penis felt to him. He had the grace to be embarrassed about the whole thing.

Cycloptichorn

2 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

Cycloptichorn wrote:

I just gave the guy the death stare the entire time and ask him how my penis felt to him. He had the grace to be embarrassed about the whole thing.

Cycloptichorn

See, something like that is just so useless. More than your idea of how useless the security is.

So you gave the guy who's just doing a job so he can support his family a death stare, and made a comment about your penis to him. Wow, that showed him.
Maybe he wasn't so embarrassed as thinking "How original, that's only the 15th time today someone said something like that."

I'm not going to argue with you cy. You say you can't imagine a child being used to carry explosives. I can imagine it.

I don't fly more than a couple of times a year, so I'm honestly not up as to how much good it does, so I don't have an opinion on that.

I do know though that none of the precautions being taken would embarrass me, and I'd just be cooperative so I could get to my plane as quickly as possible.
I'm just not that memorable a person physcially to cause a stir with security, or cause anyone to talk about me later on. If they did, who cares? It seems narcissictic to me that someone would think the people working there care what you look like, or are getting something out of patting you down.

I do know that in the years I have flown, I've heard my share of people at the airport complaining about whatever measures where being taken at that particular time. Complaining to whoever is standing near them, which unfortunately is sometimes me.

I wouldn't care if I had to fly every 2 weeks, it's just not a big deal.

1 Reply

@chai2,

Quote:

See, something like that is just so useless. More than your idea of how useless the security is.

So you gave the guy who's just doing a job so he can support his family a death stare, and made a comment about your penis to him. Wow, that showed him.
Maybe he wasn't so embarrassed as thinking "How original, that's only the 15th time today someone said something like that."

He doesn't have to have a job that forces him to grope people. He chose to, and then chose not to quit. I wouldn't take or stay in such a job.

But, you're welcome to have whatever opinion you like, of course. Doesn't change the fact that the theater is useless, provides no protection at all, and really is just a band-aid so stupid people will feel safe.

Cycloptichorn

4 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

Quote:

The Israelis do a pretty good job searching folks - but it involves highly-trained individuals, not rent-a-cops like our current group.

The US can't function like the Israelis. Nor do we want to. Israel is a segregated society that allows racial profiling.

The US is a far better country then Israel when it comes to rights and fairness.

0 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

Quote:

he Israelis do a pretty good job searching folks - but it involves highly-trained individuals, not rent-a-cops like our current group.

And it is centered upon profiling....are you now ready to agree to the Arizona immigration law?

0 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

Cycloptichorn wrote:

He doesn't have to have a job that forces him to grope people. He chose to, and then chose not to quit. I wouldn't take or stay in such a job.

A lot of people don't have those kinds of options.

3 Replies

@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

Cycloptichorn wrote:
He doesn't have to have a job that forces him to grope people. He chose to, and then chose not to quit. I wouldn't take or stay in such a job.

A lot of people don't have those kinds of options.

0 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

My 2nd grade daughter got pulled aside for a random check going through airport security. Yep she looks very suspicious in her pigtails and smile.

I think you've seen random selection at work---which they do precisely because they can't go by how suspicious someone looks.

Linkat wrote:

The additional check was rubbing some crap on her hands. Anyone know what this is?

Hard to be sure, but probably something that helps detect explosives on someone's hand.

3 Replies

@Thomas,

Quote:

I think you've seen random selection at work---which they do precisely because they can't go by how suspicious someone looks.

That there is a damn good argument for improving methods. The human mind is prejudiced and profiles, our unwillingness to admit this bites us in the ass.

0 Replies

@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

Cycloptichorn wrote:
He doesn't have to have a job that forces him to grope people. He chose to, and then chose not to quit. I wouldn't take or stay in such a job.

A lot of people don't have those kinds of options.

Really? Why not?

Cycloptichorn

1 Reply

@Cycloptichorn,

Because they've searched a long time for a job -- any job -- and really need one.

It's brutal out there. Getting a little better, but still brutal. A couple of years ago a bunch of the dads I know lost their jobs. One got a similar job to the one he lost -- but had to move out of state to do it (his wife and kids are still having a tough time with the move). One searched for months and months and ended up with a job that paid about half what the old one did. The family is scraping along, the mom is doing some part-time work that keeps them afloat. One of them has been jobless for about three years now. I don't actually know how that family survives, financially.

And these are people with university degrees and a lot of experience.

1 Reply

Daughter Singled Out Going Thru Airport Security

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