I'm European, I think I'll never go to the USA. They are just too aggressive/paranoid with security. Of course, I have no rights there.
Don't Fly During Ramadan
81–90 of 986 posts
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#82Contrarian perspective: He fits a certain profile. Triggered a bunch of attributes (address move, chemicals on him, etc.). The 9/11 attackers walked through the scanners with knifes. The Boston bombers were flagged, but still traveled freely. After both attacks people were laughing at the stupidity of the enforcement agencies, uselessness of the TSA, etc. Here, the process worked. His account is subjective, everyone…
What was the purpose of denying him water? Of taking the picture?
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#83Contrarian perspective: He fits a certain profile. Triggered a bunch of attributes (address move, chemicals on him, etc.). The 9/11 attackers walked through the scanners with knifes. The Boston bombers were flagged, but still traveled freely. After both attacks people were laughing at the stupidity of the enforcement agencies, uselessness of the TSA, etc. Here, the process worked. His account is subjective, everyone…
Though for the most part you have a point, I'm not sure if denying him water counts as 'doing their jobs'.
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#84Extremely disturbing. This was well written and very interesting to read, but I do wonder how one could recall the details so specifically?
he probably told this story many other times before
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#85When the TSA Agent said he wasn't detained yet refused to return his stuff, was that not theft?
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#86It is a terrible ordeal, but for all of the other factors brought up the critical factor is that he set off an explosion detector (and clearly it doesn't get false positives often given the response they showed). Everything else (about Ramadan, being Hindi, the color of one's skin, etc) may be nothing more than decorations, and no one here knows what would happen if John Smith Anglosaxon set off the same detector in…
Agreed. If I set off an explosive detector, I would expect to have a hard time, too.
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#87It really seems like "Flying While Brown" is this century's "Driving While Black". These and similar stories are shocking and demeaning all involved.
Since the OP is here, and it wasn't totally clear in the story, I'm just wondering: if and when did you point out you were a Hindu not a Muslim†, and whether doing so and possibly additionally pointing out the historical enmity between those two groups might have helped or hindered.
And it seems minor amongst everything else, but them making jokes about your credit card in that situation really pisses me off. Its adding insult to injury. However, it seems to me that people make jokes when they are uncomfortable. That guard probably was uncomfortable with that he was doing, and if he was, maybe he should complain to their bosses, stop doing their job in that way and/or quit.
† Lest anyone get the wrong idea, I do not condone this intimidating, brown-shirted bullshit for anyone; I'm just wondering if it is possible to get away from being pigeon-holed.
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#88What I don't understand: If you are detained for several hours, why don't people call a lawyer? Why did he speak to the police (end even the FBI!) without legal counsel?
As I mentioned in the post, they claimed I "wasn't being detained". I asked more than once to use my phone; they denied me. Maybe I could make that more clear.
Alright. It was a genuine question - ok, they said you weren't detained at the beginning, but the moment you were forbidden to use the phone and the door was guarded you effectively were. I'm just surprised that didn't trigger the "I want a lawyer/I will leave now" impulse. But I admit to not having been in the same situation myself, especially not in a dangerous country like the USA.
The symptoms you described are most probably caused by an extreme low blood-sugar level - combined with the stress of the situation, you were close to collapsing. Or it was simply shock, dangerous as well. I was glad when not reading about that collapse.
Edit: Just to make that clear - the situation wasn't your fault regardless, didn't want to imply that (just realized one could interpret my comments that way). Absolutely unacceptable treatment by both the airline and the police.
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#89Contrarian perspective: He fits a certain profile. Triggered a bunch of attributes (address move, chemicals on him, etc.). The 9/11 attackers walked through the scanners with knifes. The Boston bombers were flagged, but still traveled freely. After both attacks people were laughing at the stupidity of the enforcement agencies, uselessness of the TSA, etc. Here, the process worked. His account is subjective, everyone…
> Here, the process worked.
So a false negative is it "not working" but a false positive is it working? How about no.
Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan
#90I couldn't even make it to the end. Land of the free, home of the brave.
Author here. I'd recommend reading until the end - unfortunately, it didn't end when I was released from airport.
Regarding the last part, have you asked if your landlord (or someone on their behalf) entered your apartment? For a newly rented out apartment, they may have had some kind of work to do or something to check over, and since you were away, may have just let themselves in.