Klarinet Archive - Posting 000868.txt from 2002/11
From: Nick Simicich <njs@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Post 911 Travel with Instruments
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 00:01:36 -0500
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At 09:55 AM 2002-11-19 -0600, R. Williams wrote:
>Hi:
>I'm going to be heading out to the West Coast and wondered if anyone has
>had any issues traveling by air with their instruments. The reason I ask
>is that I spoke to a session musician who had all kinds of problems a few
>weeks back with security while traveling with his clarinet. He was delayed
>to the point he missed his flight because security had issues with his cork
>grease, then had a fit about the tuner and finally insisted that he
>assemble the clarinet and play "something" to prove that it wasn't all a
>ruse to sneak something onboard. He said one person said "well, you could
>use it as a club."
Before 9/11, I had a job that required that I travel a lot -- I used to do
more than 150k/year on one airline. British ticket agents invariably
asked, "Do you have anything in your bag that could be used as a
weapon?" My answer was always, "Of course." After a suitable pause and a
shocked look on their face, I would continue, "If nothing else, I could
strangle them with my socks, and threaten to make them smell my dirty
underwear. Or for that matter, I could hit them with the bag itself. What
you probably meant to ask was, are you carrying that is inherently a weapon
as its primary purpose, such as a gun or a knife. The answer to that is
no." Sometimes the conversation would continue, and I would ask if there
was surprise at my answer, and if they had ever thought about the issue
before. The answer would be typically, no, and yes they did admit that
most people simply gave out with a pro-forma lie without thinking about the
answer to the question. At that point, I would hobble on down the row
towards the airplane, supporting myself on my lightweight metal cane with
the sharpened carbide tip that one uses for walking on ice concealed by the
easily removable rubber cover that one uses to keep the carbide from making
little holes in the polished floor.
I traveled so much that a few months later I would invariably see the same
agent again, and would be asked the same question again. I would say yes,
the agent would look up and then smile. Once or twice they would recognize
me and change the question before I had to say yes.
I have not travelled by air since 9/11. It is not that I would not, I
simply have not had occasion to since I am now retired.
But the reality is that 9/11 has forever ended the chance of someone taking
control of an airplane with a "minor weapon" such as a box cutter, or a
knife, simply because there are too many passengers and too many impromptu
weapons. Trays, carry-on bags, laptops, books, fists. It is possible, I
guess, that someone could take an airplane with a gun, and enough bullets,
but I doubt it. The charade of removing everything sharp from people is
ridiculous. They should concentrate on explosives, and should recognize
that even that is not going to be a sure thing unless they cavity search
everyone.
Improved cockpit doors and the policy change of "keep the door closed" have
ended the risk of airplanes being hijacked and used as weapons. Yes, they
should be suspicious of cork grease, because they do not know it is an
explosive. Once it is demonstrated, that should go away. But that is about
it. What they will actually do? Confiscate the springs if they are made
from needles and still sharp?
--
If you doubt that magnet therapy works, I put to you this observation: When
refrigerators were first invented, in the 1940s, they were rather
unreliable, but then they became significantly more reliable. The basic
design of the refrigerator did not change, and we all know that quality was
important back then, so I doubt that newer refrigerators are made better.
Refrigerators have become more reliable because of the rise of the
refrigerator magnet.
Nick Simicich - njs@-----.com
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