Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Don't Fly During Ramadan

varnull.adityamukerjee.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

371–380 of 986 posts

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#371

Post by danielharan »

rayiner wrote: post #348

I was reading that whole story waiting for a punchline. He repeatedly set off the explosives sniffer while trying to go through airport security, and speculates that someone searched his place while he was away. And? I'd imagine that repeatedly setting off a bomb detector would be probable cause for a warrant to search his place. I'm not sure what the "is" is here, other than it's a major hassle caused by a screening…

And? And they stole a religiously significant item, letting him know he's not safe at home -- without knowing whether it was law enforcement or a robber.

I guess you'd be fine with that happening to you?

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#372

Post by unhappyhippie »

danso wrote: post #29

On an offbeat note, this reminds me of the only time I've ever been thoroughly patted down at an airport. It was in Shreveport and during a weekday, with very little foot traffic. I was with a friend who looks like the classical all-American girl and me, well, I'm a minority but a "Golden Minority" (being facetious about that term, not serious...). Anyway, the TSA people were very nice about pulling us aside and patt…

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "Golden Minority?"

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#373

Post by 51Cards »

mindcrime wrote: post #254
Tloewald wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an appalling story and the behavior of the TSA is often reprehensible, but seriously -- this is not a fair comparison. So yes, security guys don't know Hindu from Muslim or Indian from whatever, but it's well-known there is a heightened alert right now, US embassies all over the middle-east and Africa are closed out of security fears, and this guy fit a crude profile AND did something slightly unusual (opted out…

What a load of shit. "Security guys" should be fucking competent or they shouldn't be "security guys" at all. And who cares about some "keep the sheep fearful and in line" propoganda shit the US government puts out about supposed threats to embassies or whatever? The "opt-out" he elected is explicitly defined as a valid procedure by the TSA, so citing that as "suspicious" is bullshit. And "behavioural red flag?" Are…

Seriously, FUCK the TSA. Those assholes are the terrorists as far as I'm concerned.

That one comment just undermined 100% of any credibility I had placed in the remainder of your comments in this thread.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#374

Post by cobrausn »

rayiner wrote: post #361
greedo wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, considering that red teams are routinely able to smuggle weapons and simulated explosive devices on aircraft fairly routinely, the current procedures are shit. Security theater at its finest. And you can't detain someone without reasonable suspicion which gives you the authority to investigate whether a crime has occurred. This detention can't be indefinite, and can't even come close to lasting 24 hours. Once y…

Setting off an explosives detector isn't reasonable suspicion?

My wife set off an explosives detector once. They asked her if she had used any lotions, she said yes, hand lotion, and they let her go.

This was about a year ago.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#375

Post by gknoy »

Zimahl wrote: post #286
gutnor wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By coincidence I was watching again the "Don't talk to the police" video on youtube. Seems to me that this guy had to talk a lot, answer a lot of questions, without any of the protection the 5th amendment is supposed to provide.

You don't get protection from the 5th without actually using it. He didn't have to talk to the police/TSA/FBI/DHS but he willingly did. If he simply said 'I don't want to talk' and shut up that would've been the end of the questioning - but obviously not the ordeal.

I suspect that the rules regarding interactions with the TSA are likely to bypass that. And, good luck getting food or water in that time.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#376

Post by mvzink »

kareemm wrote: post #327
enraged_camel wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>Anyway, I look at this like the lottery, but in reverse. Sometimes you lose the reverse lottery and a day of your life gets fucked up. But ultimately, life moves on and you have an interesting story. You can say that the government is an oppressive regime that is out to get you for your political views, or you can say you rolled the dice and lost. The view you have expressed here demonstrates that you have literall…

The explosives detection machinery doesn't care what you look like or believe. I don't know about you, but I want the TSA / FBI / NYPD to look into it so that they're sufficiently convinced the individual is not a threat.

If the explosives machinery did indeed detect permethrin, then they still have a lot to account for. Excuse me if I doubt that a white Christian would have faced the same ordeal and found their home burglarized over insect repellant.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#377

Post by mark-r »

kareemm wrote: post #327
enraged_camel wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>Anyway, I look at this like the lottery, but in reverse. Sometimes you lose the reverse lottery and a day of your life gets fucked up. But ultimately, life moves on and you have an interesting story. You can say that the government is an oppressive regime that is out to get you for your political views, or you can say you rolled the dice and lost. The view you have expressed here demonstrates that you have literall…

The explosives detection machinery doesn't care what you look like or believe. I don't know about you, but I want the TSA / FBI / NYPD to look into it so that they're sufficiently convinced the individual is not a threat.

Once they've determined he isn't carrying actual explosives he shouldn't be considered a threat anymore. The detection machine might single you out for additional searching, but once the search is complete you should be free to go.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#378

Post by pc86 »

ck2 wrote: post #133
JackFr wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you an American? I'm curious, because in my experience the American interment of Japanese is fairly well known among Americans and Japanese, and not well known by everyone else.

Internment is a revisionist word to make it sound less harsh. They were concentration camps.

Please point me to the source showing that we used them to manufacture munitions, or to the one showing me that we gassed and burned them.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#379

Post by greedo »

rayiner wrote: post #361
greedo wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, considering that red teams are routinely able to smuggle weapons and simulated explosive devices on aircraft fairly routinely, the current procedures are shit. Security theater at its finest. And you can't detain someone without reasonable suspicion which gives you the authority to investigate whether a crime has occurred. This detention can't be indefinite, and can't even come close to lasting 24 hours. Once y…

Setting off an explosives detector isn't reasonable suspicion?

Yes, it's reasonable suspicion for further questioning; meaning he can be detained for a short period. When nothing else came of it, he should have been released, or arrested. Obviously, they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him. They just abused their authority.

Re: Don't Fly During Ramadan

#380

Post by unimpressive »

waqf wrote: post #191
steven777400 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My bags have set off the explosives detector before, twice. (In both cases, due a heart medication that apparently triggers false positives). I was not taken into a back room or interrogated for hours. They searched me and my bags in more detail, asked some questions, and concluded it must have been a false positive. The experience took about 15 minutes each time. This was a few years back, but I don't recall if it w…

> (In both cases, due a heart medication that apparently triggers false positives). Presuming that this was nitroglycerin, then in some sense it's not a false positive at all. It's a dessert wax and a floor topping! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitroglycerin

>dessert wax

What happens if you put a candle in one of these desserts and let it burn down to the food? (Or it tips over)

Post reply on HN