The Harlequin Posted September 23, 2002 Share Posted September 23, 2002 [font=gothic][color=crimson]Well, as some of you may know, and few may care, on Wednesday I will be leaving this backwater known as the Land Down Under for a fortnight, and removing myself to Asutralia's proverbial best friend. (America for those who aren't up on their political satire) Now, as with any traveller, I've heard the round of horror stories. Ones that came up with frequency were the way people were treated at Customs offices, particular after 9/11. Knitting needles confiscated from an elderly woman and broken, shoes torn apart because the soles were suspiciously large etc. Does anyone except me think that just perhaps people are going too far with all this? A typical family, just come in from somewhere like Australia, with kids under ten, is probably the least like group to harbour a terrorist or drugs or any other particular pastime that tends to annoy people in other countries. Yet there are still violations of rights and privacy in the name of security. I may be just a disgruntled bastard with too much to think about, but I'd like to hear everyone else's opinion on the matter.[/font][/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted September 23, 2002 Share Posted September 23, 2002 [color=royalblue]I think basically you're just a disgruntled bastard with too much to think about. lol Ahem... Anyway, yeah...anything they confiscate from you will be any sharp objects/metal objects/etc... I think it's reasonable. I know that if I were travelling on a plane, I'd feel a hell of a lot safer knowing that these sorts of things aren't making it onto the plane. Remember; the hijackers on Sept. 11 were using [i]box cutters[/i] that were plastic. Nobody suspected that they would be enough -- but they were. So clearly, if some insane nut can use box cutters...then almost any sharp object can be used as a weapon. The only thing I object to is the fact that they search old ladies and stuff like that...I mean, by making them remove their shoes and stuff. That is just a bit ridiculous. Oh and...since when is the land down under a backwater? You must live out in a nasty swamp or something. lol[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Posted September 23, 2002 Share Posted September 23, 2002 Well i would say you can attribute this treatment to the political uheaval of the clinton era. See, in America we ran into this thing called politically correctness. It was based around, amongst other things, racial profiling. So now in airports and customs locations, people feel it nessacary to search and hassle those who are obviously not the problem. The above problem with the 9/11 thing has made this country really hard to get through. I know of a story about a senator that had a replaced hip, and instead of telling the security officers, he kept to himself about the senator thing and just mentioned the hip. He was strip searched. My best suggestion for anyone trying to get into or out of America would be to put on a turbin and walk through the airport speaking an obviously forign language that is not of lineage with any of the romance languages. You just might get through then because the airports are scared of lawsuits and any other trouble. On behalf of my country men, I apoligize. I also want to tell you that certain groups of people, get a 10 point curb on civil service exams. This could also explain the lack of expertise in our airport and customs workers. sorry if this stuff makes anyone mad, its just that its the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted September 24, 2002 Share Posted September 24, 2002 [color=royalblue]Argh, yet again gokents, you're wrong. Let's think about this in all seriousness. What on earth does the [i]current[/i] inept airport security regime have to do with President Clinton? Don't you see that you're making quite a stretch there? It annoys me when people take something unrelated and use it to further a political agenda. Let's just remember that this new airport security came into service [i]after[/i] 9/11. Blaming a former Administration is a bit foolish. I really urge you to put more thought into your posts before you post stuff like this again -- I don't care if you have an opinion, but at least get your facts right. Also, I'm going to close both this thread and another -- we're starting to get a build up of these types of threads.[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts