On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:16:10 +0000, Han wrote:

"David G. Nagel" wrote in
:

HeyBub wrote:
Han wrote:
Entering my place of work (VA Hospital) requires me to show ID and
send my briefcase or backpack through the Xray machine. If I leave
my Swiss Army-type knife in there I get a hard time. As an employee
I go through a minimally active magnetometer, so my pants pocket is
the obvious alternative. It's nonsense, because I have many sharp
or otherwise potentially hazardous things in my lab, but them's the
rules.

Meh!

In January, 2002 (right after 9-11) a senior citizen was discovered
trying to sneak a "Ninja Star" weapon aboard a flight leaving Sky
Harbor airport in Phoenix. Pulled aside and questioned, it was
discovered he was previously responsible for bringing down 34
aircraft with the loss of life of everybody aboard those planes!

His name was Joe Foss.

Foss was the former governor of South Dakota, retired brigadier
general in the South Dakota National Guard, for twenty-three years
the host of the TV program "The American Sportsman," former executive
director of the American Football League, and even graced the cover
of Time Magazine.

He had just left a board of directors meeting of the National Rifle
Association and was on his way to the United States Military Academy
at West Point to deliver a guest lecture on patriotism.

The "Ninja Star" gizmo? It was the Medal of Honor given him by
Franklin Roosevelt for downing 23 Japanese planes during the battle
of Guadalcanal.

When told he could continue his flight if he discarded this potential
weapon ("In the bucket, pops!") he is reported to have said: "You've
done ****ed with the wrong Marine, sonny!"

The only thing that could have made this episode more ironic would
have been to have it happen at Joe's home airport in Sioux Falls. The
name of the airport is "Joe Foss Field."

-----------
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the

CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
to
CAPTAIN JOSEPH J. FOSS
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For outstanding heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty
as Executive Officer of a Marine Fighting Squadron, at Guadalcanal,
Solomon Islands. Engaging in almost daily combat with the enemy from
October 9 to November 19, 1942, Captain Foss personally shot down
twenty-three Japanese planes and damaged others so severely that
their destruction was extremely probable...

Captain Foss entered the service from South Dakota.

/S/ Franklin D. Roosevelt


I wouldn't vote for Edward Kennedy for the position of Dog Catcher
but I was totally incensed when he was refused boarding of an aircraft
in Boston for a flight to Washington. His offense? Some asshole,
somewhere had his name placed on the do not fly list. Kennedy, even
though he was well known to the Boston Airport people was kept off the
plane. It took weeks for him to be cleared to fly again. The same list
has my name on it. So far I haven't been stopped. But a 8 month old
baby was refused boarding due to his name.

This is what is wrong with the defense against terrorism.

Dave N


Common sense is very uncommon, especially among bureaucrats.


It is not only that common sense is a thing of the past. It's also a
matter that the American public has gotten to the point that they believe
they have to put up with anything that is thrown at them. What do you
think would happen if every American in the U.S. refused to fly because of
the so-called security measures that have gotten completely out of hand.
Homeland Security is nothing more than a government agency that is
completely out of control, with no accountability to anyone. As far as I
can concerned that is the case now.

Paul T.

--
The only dumb question, is the one not asked