A Passenger Bill Of Rights Sounds Good To Me
According to the CFRA news site
The Toronto Star reports Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon will announce new measures today for airline passengers.
It will include measures setting out minimum standards for compensating passengers for bad experiences, including delayed or cancelled flights, lost luggage, and being bumped because of overbooked flights.
Can we include harassment by CATSA in that — or will “bad experiences” cover those a$$holes?
Last week-end I took one of my “sanity saving” trips up north to visit my son and dip a line in the river, and while expecting the security hassles that CATSA always gives me I was definitely not expecting what I got.
Knowing that the idiots security conscious authoritarians agents are ever vigilent lest some terrorist security threat make it on to a plane during their watch — and knowing that their definition of a terrorist security threat includes anyone with hair longer than military regulation length, dark well worn jeans, combat boots, tattoos, and just possibly a beard — I am all to familiar with their stupidity security measures and generally not surprised by them.
As such absolutely everything went out of my pockets and into the little bin they provide - cell phone, wallet, coins, keys, sun glasses, the plastic bag that the initial security greeters put my matches in to keep them from being a threat, and even an expired OCTranspo transfer…… everything but (maybe) some stray pocket lint.
My belt came off, as did my combat boots, my leather hat, and my shoulder bag — all into a seperate little bin…. just in case somehow they all manage to work together to thwart x-ray machines I guess.
I stepped up to walk through the ‘abandon ye all hopes of sneaking something nasty on the plane because we will catch you‘, walked through, and did not set off any alarms. This is not exactly a rare occurance, but it’s certainly not something that has ever deterred the little authoritarian assholes ever vigilent CATSA agents in the getting of their jollies performance of their duties so I was directed to assume the position of the crucified while an agent ran the omnipotent wand of detection over me… up and down, left to right, back and forth, front and back - and lo, it uttered not a single beep.
The obvious next steps should have been for me to retrieve my things and go to my plane - but that was not to be.
What did happen was that I was asked to take my combat boots from the end of the conveyor at the end of the x-ray machine they had just passed through and run them through again, and when I asked why the answer was “I’m just doing my job.”
No nefarious terrorist security threat substances were detected when my boots went through the second time, but that was still not the end of it.
Once again I was told to assume the position of the crucified while the agent again ran the omnipotent wand of detection over me… up and down, left to right, back and forth, front and back - and lo, it still uttered not a single beep.
Rather than the (really) obvious next step of my retrieving my stuff and going to my plane the agent looked confused, fiddled with her wand a bit, lifted the front of her shirt slightly and ran it over her belt buckle - it beeped.
With a satisfied look on her face she started towards me for the third time, at which point I (very politely I think… but maybe there was a trace of sarcasm in there) told her that if she would but let me put my belt on, and retrieve my keys and coins, or my cell phone, that her wand would most certainly beep so that she could find something if that’s what she was determined to have happen.
The stern reply, delivered with a stern look, was “I’m only doing my job.”
Enough was enough, my reply was, “No, you are not. Your job ended the first time you ran the wand over me and found nothing, your job ended when my boots and hat and carry on luggage had been inspected and found to contain no banned items. At this point you are, for reasons that I do not understand, simply harassing me, making me late for my flight which is probably boarding right now, and in the process delaying other passengers, who also have flights to catch. All for no reason, and if this continues I will demand to see your immediate supervisor to discuss your conduct and take as many other people as have the time, are willing, and who have watched your conduct, with me.”
– and then left her standing there, mouth open (quite obviously unused to being confronted about her conduct) while I collected my things, and left…. all the while (truth be known) expecting to hear the yells and pounding foot steps of dozens of CATSA agents, 6 airport security guards, and at least one taser armed RCMP officer, coming to restrain me.
That (fortunately) did not happen and my assumption is that as I was not detained and arrested on the spot, or refused entry to the plane when I turned up running to the gate as they were announcing final boarding, the ever vigilent CATSA agent either sucked it up, or took out her frustration on some other poor passenger - and if that’s the case I do most sincerely apologize.
Do these people really think that long hair, a few tattoos, combat boots, or a leather hat — alone or in some or any combination — is an indicator of any sort of threat to the travelling public?
Do their profiling geniuses really think that those who do pose a threat are completely unaware of CTASA’s idiotic profiling and wouldn’t make allowances for that?
– and lets hear none of the “random enhanced security check” b/s either, if that’s the case I’m the most random guy on the planet because I’m always subjected to more screening than the suit and tie, or kaki clad, nice shoe wearing, crowd.
Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Dollar Traveler, The Amboy Times, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, Democrat=Socialist, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, third world county, Allie is Wired, Woman Honor Thyself, The World According to Carl, The Pink Flamingo, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
“When a stupid [person--Shaw wrote "man" but we can't have that in a world that allows the TSa to exist] does something [s]he knows is wrong [s]he always claims it is his duty.”–the Centurion in Shaw’s “Antony and Cleopatra”
A ,”Passenger’s Bill of Rights” should include clear references to Dr. Tarr and Mr Fether in conjunction with Thugs Standing Around.
Here’s hoping you weren’t slapped with a $10,000 fine with notice to be mailed to you. It’s happened.
(OK the TSA fines levied on passengers have been US TSA crap. Hopefully it’s better where you hail from. Hopefully.)
Maybe she (CATSA agent) just liked you. Or maybe CATSA reads your blog, and figures anarchists must hate airplanes and airports…for reasons unknown.
Catch anything?
I can’t speak to that, but I can say that within an hour and 20 minutes of hitting the [SUBMIT] button our good buddies at gc.ca showed up in the logs as reading about the complete and absolute stupidity I was subjected to - not that anything would ever result from that.
Far too many sheeple are have bought the government line and are convinced that they are made safer by being forced to walk through a metal detector in their sock feet — look little Billy, they’re x-raying our shoes so we’ll be safe — for anything to change at this point.
I’m seriously considering wearing a swimming suit under my cloths next time I travel and stripping right down to them before walking through the metal detector in an all but naked state….. it probably wouldn’t help, you never know what might be hidden under a tattoo ‘eh?
Or in a beard.
Catch anything?
It may have been the leather hat, because my bearded, tatooed brother, wearing a suit, was subjected to similar treatment on a flight from … North Bay, to … Sudbury. One can easily appreciate the extra care required on such a flight, a well-known terrorist target, especially since he was going on a six-passenger leer jet, and he knew everyone on board.
Maybe it was his tanned complexion. My family tans quiclky. That was probably it.
I must say a Leer jet from North Bay to Sudbury looks suspicious on it’s own.
I dunno about the beard or tattoo…maybe the long hair. But it’s not YOU…it’s because you are so “normal”. Bad guys try to look like you. That’s what I’ve been told because if anyone is going to be searched in a line up - I will be pegged. It’s one of the reasons I hate flying and any travel outside of Canada. The searches are humiliating. On a flight from Kamloops to Vancouver I was patted down and had my purse emptied and every container opened all in public viewing. My car has been pulled over at the US border and I always get stupid questions…the best of the worst “Do you expect me to believe you own this car?” (the car was an eight year old Sunfire!)….the list is long. And I don’t have a beard or tattoo…but I do have long hair.
It is because we are too afraid to properly profile that this nonsense has to be thrust upon us. I have not gotten on a plane since that day, and it’s not because I’m afraid of flying. I am not. I do, however, know my temper! ;)
Have a great weekend, and I’m very glad this nonsense is over for you…for now at least.
Properly profile? There is no way to properly profile, you cannot look at an individual and say this person, or that person, is more likely than another to be a danger to others — unless of course they are carrying a big gun or refuse to stow their carry on bomb properly under the seat in front of them… those folks are the exception.
Homerun Sarah Barracuda…
I loved Sarah’s speech. It seemed more like a conversation than a speech. Were there any memorable statements? Drill Baby Drill! I loved her attack on the press about her not having any experience….
A smart terrorist will do his best to blend in, he sure as hell won’t want to resemble your hairy self. He will be clean shaven, neatly dressed and preferably not too dark.
You complain, Stagleft: “I’m always subjected to more screening than the suit and tie, or kaki clad, nice shoe wearing, crowd”. Do a test, clean up your act and see how it goes just to see. Report back.
WOW, what a great idea…. rearrange my entire personal appearance to fit in with what some anal pencil pushing government security specialist from the 1940’s thinks is ‘acceptable in our society‘.
….. maybe we should all get buzz cuts and wear gray coveralls, I saw a movie like that once, they were very security conscious as well, it didn’t paint a very pretty picture of society - have you seen it?
How about we all just start stripping down to our respective boxers for them?
I’ve talked to a number of people about this and my chosen course of action is to make sure I have a pen (not a fine point, they might take that away from me) and a note pad to note the name and employee number of each and every CATSA agent that (in my sole opinion) hassles me at any airport and launch formal complains against them - and I would encourage each and every person who is subjected to this sort of crap to do the same.
Then may I suggest you wear a speedo.