| Tuesday, June
15, 2004
We are home, and once our tickets were switched to
American and we got into the American lounge, past our second
TSA strip search all was well. However, the TSA managed to scratch the
lens of my camera, then insist that nothing they did could have done that.
All I know is they took my brief case, I saw several of them looking at my
camera (an Olympus digital) and later when it was returned not in my brief
case the lens had a scratch. The supervisor said they didn't do anything
that could have done that, so therefore they didn't do that.
This was at the concourse in Jacksonville which leads to
American. There are three concourses at Jacksonville, each staffed with
numerous TSA people. This makes for a lot of employment, and may explain why
they choose people to be strip searched, so they can look busier. Perhaps
not. I don't really expect logic. I do know that if the purpose of all this
is to make enemies for the United States they are doing it pretty well.
My knee kept setting off their metal detector in their hand search. I had to
sit there in an uncomfortable position with one leg raised while the man
went over it again and again. It hurt a bit. By that time I wasn't going to
say anything: over at the other concourse I had been told that if I took the
badge number of the agent who was being repeatedly rude -- he clearly wanted
the others to know what he was doing but he had trouble getting their
attention -- I wouldn't be allowed on the airplane. I admit I was
intimidated. But it is never comfortable to sit with one leg raised while
someone keeps running a wand over it. They all used that
artificial polite mode they've been trained to use, and I suspect a couple
of them understand the enormity of what they are doing, but for most they
are only following orders. In any event it was during the
metal detector incident that I saw others with my camera. They took
everything out of my brief case. One wondered why I had three sets of
earphones in it. Since he didn't make that a direct question to me, I didn't
say anything to him. I really didn't want to talk to them, for fear of being
kept off the airplane. I did complain about the scratch on the lens, but
when I was told it was impossible that they could have done that since they
don't do that, I saw no point in continuing the conversation. Clearly it
it's impossible that they could have done it, they hadn't done it.
My wife, watching them go through her carryon, later speculated about some
of the unpleasant things she might have put into the bag. I suppose that's
illegal, though. For all the thoroughness of their pawing
through both my brief case and the Number Nine rollaway (I could get away
with only a shoulder bag, but that's heavy for long trips, so I generally
put the computer shoulder bag in the Number Nine bag, which then serves as a
rolling barrow for both itself and the brief case) -- for all the
thoroughness, and their puzzlement at three sets of earphones, had I wanted
to destroy the airplane and myself with it, it would have been no great
trick to have carried aboard explosives and detonating equipment. I won't go
into how, but I suspect most of you can figure that out, and I am quite
certain any competent engineer can: and there are many engineer graduates
among the upper ranks of the terrorist organizations. There really is no way
that TSA can prevent someone determined to destroy the airplane and
themselves with it from doing it. Or, for that matter,
without being killed as she destroys the airplane. When we got into the
airplane we found we had bulkhead seats up front. The airplane was about
half loaded, and at least half the seats behind us were filled. People
milled about, there was baggage in the overhead compartments. Then there was
an incident that so far as I know only we witnessed: a young lady, with a
big backpack containing at least two bottles of water visible through
netting, came from the back of the airplane and got off, explaining to the
steward that she was on the wrong airplane. I watched all this very
carefully, because of course if I wanted to destroy an airplane and not be
on it, I would have got on, left something in the overhead luggage, then got
off; and while her backpack apparently was full, it need not have been.
She left the airplane. I decided to say nothing, because it
would have resulted in clearing the airplane (and the Dallas airport?) and
there was nothing about the girl to warrant any suspicion that she was
anything other than a bit confused; but after all the tender attentions we
had from the TSA it would have been the cream of the jest had we then been
blown up in the air by a time bomb... The whole experience makes
me regret that I have accepted another invitation to be guest at another
convention next month. I was looking forward to going, and I will do it, but
at this point I want never to be on an airplane again. If the purpose of the
terrorists is to harm American business, then imposing the TSA on us to
convert citizens into obedient subjects has certainly given them success.
Interrogators want to reduce prisoners to the status of dogs begging
privileges, even their food and water, so that they can condition them to
cooperate. Is not the TSA accomplishing the same purpose with
all the people of America? But we were born free. And
see mail and also see below
====================== On my walk I have thought of some
points to make in an essay on future of foreign policy. They were in part
sparked by today's letter from an
Army officer and my response to it.
====================================
MICROSOFT releases RC-2 of SP-2 Dr. Pournelle:
"Microsoft announced the second release candidate
(RC2) of Windows XP Service Pack 2 as it strives to meet its revised,
end-of-summer delivery deadline."
http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/breakingnews.jhtml?articleId=21800286
....although the final release has slipped to the
third quarter this year, due to compatibility testing issues.
Rick Hellewell
I will get it and install it on a couple of machines and let
you know. I have had few problems with RC-1, so I expect it to work well.
Reports when I know, but this is good news.
more at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/sp2preview.mspx
In order to install RC-2 you must REMOVE RC-1; this can be
confusing. I'm doing that now on Sable, a machine not usually on the
Internet, so effects should be minimal. I won't uninstall RC-1 on this
machine until I am certain things work properly on Sable, then on Lisabetta
the Tablet. More when I know more, and of course more in the
column. And see mail.
Uninstalled RC-1 from Sable. Requires restart. Logging on: it has been a
minute that the system remains grey, having accepted the password and user
name (I think) then locked on the grey screen. Nothing seems to be
happening. I'll go to lunch and see if it ever logs on. This
system uses a Chaos Manor logon -- there's the music. Logon is done. Took a
long time. I am now headed for Microsoft Update to install
the new RC. More updates. No long delays in logging in after
restart. All well so far. Have cleaned up the system, and now
RC-2 is downloading.
It takes half an hour or more, but it does install, and
everything looks clean. Clearly it must reboot. Hmmm. There is a blue
screen. Not the blue screen of death, but "Wait" then another -- now there
is a Windows XP black screen. And Please Wait. And I am waiting...
And waiting... I have the new DVD's of FIREFLY, but the
machine I will watch them on is still saying to wait. Of course I wouldn't
have time to see anything now anyway. And waiting.
And waiting... Aha. Now I am asked if I want to turn on
Automatic updates, and there is my login screen. Back to a
blue screen with nothing on it, not even greyed out -- aha. Here we are.
Music and I am on, and it looks all right. We will now go to
the update site and see if it need aught else... But first it
wants me to send info about my system to Microsoft. Sure. No problem. All my
tray items seem to work OK.
There are no updates to install. The machine,
a 3.07 GHz Pentium 4 Northwood with a GB of memory, 533 MHz bus, and
Hyperthreading, seems to be working just fine. =============
Regarding TSA, I am told that I was certainly within my
rights to write down the badge number of King68427 at
Jacksonville, Florida, about 9:30 AM at the Delta concourse Monday 14 June
2004; but Sheila, the Supervisor, told me that if I did I wouldn't be
allowed to take my flight. I didn't get Sheila's number. She made me cross
out King's but I had memorized it and wrote it later. What
happened: before we got anywhere near TSA some gate checker to the Delta
corridor gave us these long yellow TSA things, about 18" by 4". They weren't
explained, and I paid no attention. Each of us got one. I held mine with the
tickets. American had stapled all three of our tickets together so I had
them all, for all three of us.
When we got to the TSA belts our identification was demanded
again, but not the tickets. Then I was told to start putting things in a
tray, but then told not to do it, because my wife was in front of me, and
she had to put all her stuff in first. I was told, rudely, that I couldn't
start yet. This in harsh tones without even the artificial politeness that
they sometimes feign. I said "This is insane." There was no reason why I
couldn't be putting stuff in one basket while my wife put her stuff in
another. There was no crowd. There were plenty of baskets.
Finally I was allowed to put things in baskets. I had the yellow thing in
plain view, and also the tickets. No one was interested, so I put all that
in my brief case which was sent through the machine. Another basket held
shoes. Another held jacket and cell phone and wallets and pens. On the other side
of the machine I started to collect my stuff. At this point several people
started yelling. "Who cleared this?" "Don't touch that!" And
other such things. King shouted at me about my tickets. I took them and the
yellow thing out of my brief case. The yellow thing apparently was the
albatross that indicated to these crackerjack government agents that we were
to be victims of their attentions. King explained to some other TSA man that
I had "hidden" the yellow thing although he saw me put it in the brief case,
but perhaps he was so busy yelling that I shouldn't put things in trays yet
that he didn't pay attention to what he saw. I said I had not
hidden it, I had put it away with the tickets not knowing what else to do
with it. He said something else I did not hear. I said "This is insane."
He began telling me that if I said that again he would call the police. He
then called over another TSA agent and told that one that I had said this
was insane and he had told me that if I said it again I would be arrested.
He then said it to me again and demanded that I acknowledge that I had heard
and understood. I said nothing. He called yet another over to tell him that
he had told me I would be arrested if I said it again.
Eventually that storm ended because I refused to look at or talk to him.
Someone from down the line called out for Doctor Pournelle.
Someone else said "Doctor?" Then we went through this undignified search,
King68427 hovering in the background, with what looked to me like a smirk. I
could have been mistaken. In any event he once again told someone I had
"hidden" the yellow thing -- which had yet to be explained to me, apparently
I should have known by instinct -- in my brief case. I said I had not hidden
it, I put it away with the tickets because no one had told me what to do
with it. When he started to say something I began writing his badge number.
He stopped talking. Sheila the Supervisor rushed over to tell me I wasn't
allowed to write down the badge number and watched as I scratched through
it, looking to be sure that what I had written was illegible.
That is what happened.
It reminded me a bit of the test procedures we used to test
candidates back a long time ago, making up rules on the spot and generally
doing things to harass them to see if they would blow up or give themselves
away; but of course I wasn't a volunteer here, I was just trying to catch an
airplane. Actually I wasn't even trying to get an airplane, just use the
Delta Crown Room since we had over 2 hours to wait for the American flight
(in another concourse) and American has no Ambassador's Club in
Jacksonville. In fact when we went to the American concourse
we were given more of those yellow things, so apparently our tickets were
marked for special attention. This time we knew what to expect. Again they
went through all our stuff by hand. It was at the American
concourse that I saw two TSA men looking at my camera and discussing it, but
I do not know if it was there or at the Delta concourse that the lens got a
scratch. I discovered the scratch on the second search. It seemed pointless
to put in any kind of claim. ==============
For a good picture of Uganda, see
mail... =========== Doctors fight back: "Hospital
administrators and doctors across the nation, furious over what they see as
waves of frivolous lawsuits that have driven up malpractice insurance costs,
are striking back against lawyers with hardball tactics that, in some cases,
are raising ethical questions.
"Some doctors are refusing medical treatment to lawyers, their families and
their employees except in emergencies, and the doctors are urging the
American Medical Association to endorse that view. Professional medical
societies are trying to silence their peers by discouraging doctors from
testifying as expert witnesses on behalf of plaintiffs."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-06-13-med-malpractice_x.htm
An interesting form of class warfare. Remember when doctors and
lawyers were "the professions" and had gentleman status automatically? And
lawyers today try for the privileges of "Esquire"...
One reader from overseas is
amazed. ============ This
is London:
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/
londonnews/articles/11340794?source
=Evening%20Standard
Steaming gang's terror reign
By Richard Edwards
A "steaming" gang has been convicted of preying on passengers in a
four-month rampage on trains and buses.
The gang, sometimes more than 20 strong, attacked up to 80 victims on public
transport.
In an eight-week trial, Harrow Crown Court heard how the mob, aged between
13 and 23, came together from all over London and met at the Trocadero in
Piccadilly Circus.
They concentrated on late-night buses in central London and early-morning
commuter trains from Gravesend, St Albans and Brighton.
They would surround victims, holding passengers captive and systematically
robbing them. As the reign of terror went on, the violence increased. <snip>
=====
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