"No Fly List" vs USMC Douchebaggary

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-04-13 11:23pm

'No-fly’ list delays Marine's Iraq homecoming
Minnesota reservist detained after being identified as possible terrorist

Updated: 11:06 a.m. ET April 12, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS - A Minnesota reservist who spent the past eight months in Iraq was told he couldn't board a plane to Minneapolis because his name appeared on a "no-fly" list as a possible terrorist.

Marine Staff Sgt. Daniel Brown, who was in uniform and returning from the war with 26 other Marine military police reservists, was delayed briefly in Los Angeles until the issue was cleared up.

The other reservists arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as scheduled, but instead of immediately meeting their families, they waited on a bus for Brown.

"We don't leave anybody behind," said Marine 1st Sgt. Drew Benson. "We start together, and we finish together."

Brown arrived more than an hour later.

"A guy goes over and serves his country fighting for eight or nine months, and then we come home and put up with this crap?" Brown told the St. Paul Pioneer Press upon arrival.

Problems at LA airport
Brown, 32, of Coon Rapids, was returning from service in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq, known as the dangerous Sunni Triangle. He ran into problems at the Los Angeles airport on Tuesday morning.

"I was told it was going to take some time because they informed me I was on a government watch list," Brown said. "People at the Northwest counter said they had to call somebody to get me cleared."

The presence of Brown's name on the watch list apparently resulted from an airport incident when he was on his way to Iraq.

He was trying to board a plane last June for training in California before heading to Iraq in September. But Transportation Security Administration screeners found gunpowder residue on his boots — likely left over from a previous two-month tour in Iraq.

"I tried to explain what was going on, that I'd just got home and was going back again," Brown said. "They made a big stink about it, and I ended up missing my flight to California."

A spokeswoman with the TSA told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday she was unfamiliar with Brown's case and not comment on it. A TSA spokeswoman did not immediately return a message from the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Yeah, because "Dan Brown" sounds alot like "Abdul al-Jabaar" or whatever. And he was travelling with his platoon!!

What does this "No Fly List" do again? First a US Senator, then newborn babies and now veterans of the war in Iraq?

Maybe it's because he shares a name with TEH EEEVIIILLL author of the BLASPHEMOUS Davinci Code!!!11

Sure I'm probably overreacting to the stupid government bureaucracy but this is just outrageous. I wonder why the Marine returning from Iraq has gunpowder residue on his shoes?

Link

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2006-04-13 11:26pm

Wow. Just. Wow.

Y'know what's sad.

This administration never ceases to fail to surprise me.

I'm just too fucking jaded.

LongVin · Post by **LongVin** » 2006-04-13 11:36pm

You are also put on a watchlist for extra security measures if their are multiple people on the flight with the same name.

I learned that when I was travelling with my Dad and they kept sending one of us through "high security," based on which one of us checked in second.

Of course this tougher security was a joke. They tell me to go a special line which NO ONE was monitoring. Finally a guy comes out, I pass through the metal detector he looks in my laptop case then punches a hole through my ticket to symbolize I "passed security," and can get on the plane. It was a holepuncher, not a seal or a dated stamp just a HOLEPUNCHER. I truly feel safe.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-13 11:41pm

note they flagged him because his military uniforms and boots HAD GUNPOWDER RESIDUE, that the chemical sniffers set off...

appears a whole flight of folks with GSR on their clothes and gear, sets off a flag even when they are all with military ID... Can't wait till they extend this to police too...

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-04-13 11:42pm

Could the TSA possibly be any more stupid and useless? I've never heard a single positive story about this agency.

LMSx · Post by **LMSx** » 2006-04-13 11:43pm

He was trying to board a plane last June for training in California before heading to Iraq in September. But Transportation Security Administration screeners found gunpowder residue on his boots — likely left over from a previous two-month tour in Iraq.

At least the gunpowder screeners work.

Sad that the veteran missed his flight, but I don't find this too exceptional. There are going to be some hilariously bad fuck-ups anytime you try and construct a No Fly List covering millions of people.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-13 11:45pm

yes, they tend to eventually get things fixed on aging aircraft, of course this is only after people die.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-04-13 11:49pm

The Yosemite Bear wrote:yes, they tend to eventually get things fixed on aging aircraft, of course this is only after people die.

That's the FAA, which was established by a competent administration. The TSA is exactly what small-government types said would happen when they made airport rent-a-cops into Federal employees.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-13 11:52pm

oh yeah, worse they are not paying those rentacops overtime, making them work 70+hours a week, adding fatigue factors to their fuckups.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2006-04-14 12:15am

LMSx wrote:
He was trying to board a plane last June for training in California before heading to Iraq in September. But Transportation Security Administration screeners found gunpowder residue on his boots — likely left over from a previous two-month tour in Iraq.
At least the gunpowder screeners work. Sad that the veteran missed his flight, but I don't find this too exceptional. There are going to be some hilariously bad fuck-ups anytime you try and construct a No Fly List covering millions of people.

If he was flying to cali for training, I got to believe he was either with other guardsmen, or had fucking orders. Truely, we have silly ass 'zero tolerance' rules in effect that allow low paid flunkies to pawn off judgment and plain common sense just to save someone's buerocratic ass.

SpacedTeddyBear · Post by **SpacedTeddyBear** » 2006-04-14 12:21am

All the money in the world that one can spend on "security" won't do jack shit if you don't have the common sense to use it. Apprently something that is a highlight of this administration.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2006-04-14 12:21am

I usually have a problem blaming "low paid flunkies" for anything because usually, they're just doing their job.

It's usually the fault of the people who construct zero-tolerance policies, not the people who implement them. I can't blame a customs guard for not wanting to throw away his job.

Brian

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-14 12:23am

well common sense like emperical observation flies in the face of his dogmatic theocratic, big business beliefs.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2006-04-14 12:31am

RedImperator wrote:Could the TSA possibly be any more stupid and useless? I've never heard a single positive story about this agency.

What do you expect? The guy screening you today was probably flipping burgers a couple weeks ago. The guy supervising the ex-burger flipper got his job because he was too incompetant for other government work. His boss is yet another flunkie, and so on & so forth. Trying to find a competant TSA worker is probably harder than finding an ugly model in the SI Swimsuit issue.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-04-14 12:31am

brianeyci wrote:I usually have a problem blaming "low paid flunkies" for anything because usually, they're just doing their job.

It's usually the fault of the people who construct zero-tolerance policies, not the people who implement them. I can't blame a customs guard for not wanting to throw away his job.

It doesn't matter. You, average joe who these policies actually affect, don't get to meet the people in charge who set the policy but you do by necessity meet the guys on the ground who are paid to implement that policy. What makes them immune from being blamed simply because they're the grunts? They might not be as bad as the ones who dream up zero tolerance policies but they're nevertheless willing to do it and get paid for it too.

Oni Koneko Damien · Post by **Oni Koneko Damien** » 2006-04-14 03:15am

The other reservists arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as scheduled, but instead of immediately meeting their families, they waited on a bus for Brown.

"We don't leave anybody behind," said Marine 1st Sgt. Drew Benson. "We start together, and we finish together."

Despite all the other bullshit in the story, that part made me smile.

mingo · Post by **mingo** » 2006-04-14 08:41am

Could it be because the NSA is wiretapping El, Dan Brown Akbar Jazzer, to listen into his conversation with the Al Quida sleeper cell in the Florida Quakers?

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2006-04-14 08:49am

No...they detained Dan Brown because of his conspiracies about the Jesus surviving the cross and marrying Mary Magdalene.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-14 12:19pm

not to mention Tom Clancy and DALE BROWN got on the list for giving those terrorists ideas.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2006-04-14 01:44pm

I've heard to many horrorstories to be suprised

1. A good friend of mine had his Swiss Army knife confiscated while on his way to Afghanstain with his unit. Keep in mind he was in full combat dress, boots, M-16 w/clips, Kbar in his belt and the Screen's pitched a hissey fit over the 2inch blade on the SwissArmy knife. (He bitched to his Lt who thankfuly bitched to his Commander who bitched to his General and he got his knife back about a month later)

Here's the kicker, they tried to confiscate it on the way BACK! But my friend was smart enough to keep the offical TSA letter of appolgy he got from the first round of screwups and that convinced the International screeners to let him pass, that and the threat to sitin till the general showed up agian/

2. My own utility key(It's a key that unfolds to a screwdriver and an "edge") I've losted two to TSA screeners because it's a pointy bit of metal, even when I've pointed out my cars keys are a good deal sharper they've tried to knick it. So I put them in my carreyon's now and they don't complain.

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2006-04-14 01:58pm

Stofsk wrote:It doesn't matter. You, average joe who these policies actually affect, don't get to meet the people in charge who set the policy but you do by necessity meet the guys on the ground who are paid to implement that policy. What makes them immune from being blamed simply because they're the grunts? They might not be as bad as the ones who dream up zero tolerance policies but they're nevertheless willing to do it and get paid for it too.

Easy for you to say Stofsk. I assume you don't have a job on the line enforcing one of these zero-tolerance policies. If the grunt's rulebook says hold the guy for an hour, he'd better hold him or he could lose his job and his livelihood, his career. It's why I don't blame the Principal for expelling the kid who handed in the knife or the soldiers who went to war in Iraq.

The responsibility is up the chain of command, never with those on the bottom. This isn't a case of "just following orders" it's likely "follow orders or get fired" or "follow orders or lose your job and you're out on the street." or "follow orders or lose your career." Since the guy was probably doing his job, unless you have evidence he wasn't, it's not his fault for holding the guy.

Brian

brianeyci · Post by **brianeyci** » 2006-04-14 02:03pm

EDIT : To clarify, no doubt someone stupid like Lord of the Abyss and say that I'm saying that "following orders" is an excuse and say that my logic would let Nazis get away. Well it's not, there are degrees of harm and compare losing your career or your job with delaying a guy for a little while. So obviously you do your job and delay the guy since it's a little inconvenience to him compared to a life changing one for you. But if you compare killing someone or not killing someone, obviously "following orders" is not an excuse at all.

Brian

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-14 03:48pm

I still say the best one so far has been my brother's honeymoon. They confiscated two bottles of wine and an opener that was in their luggage prior to their trip to Europe. There just aughta be a law against taking wedding gift alcohol away from newlyweds....

Darth Lucifer · Post by **Darth Lucifer** » 2006-04-14 04:49pm

brianeyci wrote:If the grunt's rulebook says hold the guy for an hour, he'd better hold him or he could lose his job and his livelihood, his career. It's why I don't blame the Principal for expelling the kid who handed in the knife or the soldiers who went to war in Iraq.

The responsibility is up the chain of command, never with those on the bottom. This isn't a case of "just following orders" it's likely "follow orders or get fired" or "follow orders or lose your job and you're out on the street." or "follow orders or lose your career." Since the guy was probably doing his job, unless you have evidence he wasn't, it's not his fault for holding the guy.

I do place a degree of fault on TSA employees who harass people who are patently NOT terrorists, like a platoon of United States Marines or 80 year old ladies with sewing needles. I have bigger problems with school principals who punish honest, rule-abiding children as well.

Why? Because I'm a vindictive asshole. You pointed out that if they were to do so, they would lose their livelihood. Conceded.

Brianeyci wrote:...there are degrees of harm and compare losing your career or your job with delaying a guy for a little while. So obviously you do your job and delay the guy since it's a little inconvenience to him compared to a life changing one for you.

Repeated instances of inconveniencing United States Marines and little old ladies will inevitably result in harmful life-changing consequences for this screener and others of his ilk because if this kind of shit keeps happening, the TSA will end up being dissolved. I think Mr. TSA-rent-a-cop needs the authority to exercise discretion in matters like these, which currently they do not have.

As for the principal who expelled the kid over a knife he admitted to having, that goat fucker should be fired; an expulsion on a kids' academic record can do more than inconvenice him; it can fuck up his choices for schooling/college, thus affecting his future career and means of livelihood.

Oni Koneko Damien wrote:
The other reservists arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as scheduled, but instead of immediately meeting their families, they waited on a bus for Brown.

"We don't leave anybody behind," said Marine 1st Sgt. Drew Benson. "We start together, and we finish together."
Despite all the other bullshit in the story, that part made me smile.

Me too.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-14 05:05pm

actually I think what was making my brother's incident more annoying was that they basically demanded a bribe, either allow them to confiscate the two bottles of wine in his luggage, or they were going to take his full nikon and kit. He bitched a lot about having to turn that over, He expects such treatment in Mexico but not at SFO....