Write "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" on your baggage, get detained.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yep. Your gubmint experts keeping us all safe up there hard at work. . .



http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/28/idiot.baggie/index.html



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Wisconsin man who wrote "Kip Hawley is an Idiot" on a plastic bag containing toiletries said he was detained at an airport security checkpoint for about 25 minutes before authorities concluded the statement was not a threat.

Ryan Bird, 31, said he wrote the comment about Hawley -- head of the Transportation Security Administration -- as a political statement. He said he feels the TSA is imposing unreasonable rules on passengers while ignoring bigger threats.

A TSA spokeswoman acknowledged a man was stopped, but likened the incident to cases in which people inappropriately joke about bombs. She said the man was "a little combative" and that he was detained only a few minutes.

The incident has ignited some chatter on Internet travel Web sites. More than 83,000 people have clicked on a FlyerTalk.com forum devoted to the episode, and the forum has grown to include 30 pages of comments.

Bird, the vice president of a company that manufactures industrial equipment, said the encounter occurred at Milwaukee Airport on Tuesday, the day the TSA eased restrictions on carry-on liquids, gels and aerosols.

Bird entered the airport checkpoint with a see-through resealable bag containing small containers of toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash and hair gel -- in keeping with new TSA requirements.

"My level of frustration with the TSA and their idiotic policies has grown over 2 ˝ years," he said. "I'm frustrated that poorly trained TSA people can pull random passengers out of line and pat them down like common criminals. The average traveler has no recourse."

Bird put the marked bag in a plastic tray along with his shoes and cell phone. A TSA screener saw the bag and went to get a supervisor, who grabbed it and asked Bird if it was his.

"It was obvious that he was already angry," Bird said, adding that the screener told him, "You can't write things like that."

The supervisor told Bird he had the right to express his opinions "out there" -- pointing outside the screening area -- but did not have the right "in here," Bird said.

The supervisor called a sheriff's deputy, who checked to see if Bird had any warrants for his arrest, Bird said. Bird asked the officer if he was under arrest, and was told that he was being detained, he said.

A supervisor said he was going to confiscate the bag, but after Bird refused, he just photographed it, Bird said.

Bird said he filed a complaint about the incident with the TSA.

A TSA spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether Bird had filed a complaint, but described the incident as insignificant.

Screeners looked at the bag to "make sure it wasn't anything like a bomb threat," she said. She said the man was "a little combative" and that a law enforcement officer came over, briefly interviewed him and determined that he hadn't broken any laws.

"Everyone's entitled to their own opinion," she said.

A spokeswoman for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said the TSA did call the sheriff's office to report an upset customer at the checkpoint. A deputy went to the scene, interviewed all of the participants, ran a wanted check on the man, and referred it back to the TSA after determining no crime had been committed, Deputy Darice Landon said.

Landon said the original call came at 2:21 p.m., and it was unclear how long the man was detained. There is no indication that he was combative, she said.


"TSA". "Thousands Standing Around" or "Tenured Shoelace Analysts". . . I feel soooooooooooo much safer knowing they're on the case. . .

[jorian]

Ticks me off just reading it.

[Nostril Cheese]

He brought it upon himself. You don't yell FIRE in a movie theatre

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Nostril Cheese
He brought it upon himself. You don't yell FIRE in a movie theatre

But he didn't. He did the equivalent of writing "Hollywood sucks" on his bucket of popcorn.

[IROC]

Originally posted by Nostril Cheese
He brought it upon himself. You don't yell FIRE in a movie theatre

I disagree. This really shows what's wrong with the whole system these days. These TSA people got bent out of shape because he wrote something on a bag? Good grief. Bid deal. They should have chuckled and said, "Have a nice day.". Instead they detain him? Crazy.

I accidentally walked past a TSA agent at the Newark airport awhile back that was checking boarding passes before you could get in line to go through security (she had her back to me talking to another passenger and I didn't even notice that she was a TSA agent) and you would have thought I had just mowed down a group of nuns with an AK47. I mean she's hollerin' and screaming and other TSA agents are running over to prevent me from getting in line. Sheesh. They need to lay off the Red Bull...

Mike

[jorian]

"He brought it upon himself. You don't yell FIRE in a movie theatre."

Yeah, that's exactly the same. Good analogy.

[svandamme]

so what , he didn't yell fire, he yelled "some dude is an idiot"

i don't even know who this kip hawley is , so big deal
could be "Dubbya is an idiot" for all i care ,
freedom of speech isn't that quite big in the US or what?

[Nostril Cheese]

I'm not taking sides here. I think the "security" at the airports has gotten needlessly excessive.

It would be one thing if he was stopped for no good reason. If you call attention to yourself, then you have to deal with the consequences. In my mind, it's the same as having a bumper sticker that says "I hate cops" then wonder why a cop throws the book at you when you get pulled over.

[Nathans_Dad]

I think he should have been searched. If that takes detaining him, then fine.

Man walks into airport with a bag full of goodies. He has written that the head of the TSA is an idiot on the bag. He is getting ready to board a flight full of civilians. If they don't detain him/search him and he blows the plane up...then what? Would the TSA get a pass because they were respecting his civil rights?

If you go to a White House dinner with a shirt that says "Dubya Sucks" I would bet the Secret Service might take interest in you as well...

[scottmandue]

Originally posted by svandamme
freedom of speech isn't that quite big in the US or what?

You just don't understand...

It's necessary to destroy freedom in order to preserve it.

Should be obvious, It's not rocket science ya know.

[svandamme]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
I think he should have been searched. If that takes detaining him, then fine.

Man walks into airport with a bag full of goodies. He has written that the head of the TSA is an idiot on the bag. He is getting ready to board a flight full of civilians. If they don't detain him/search him and he blows the plane up...then what? Would the TSA get a pass because they were respecting his civil rights?

If you go to a White House dinner with a shirt that says "Dubya Sucks" I would bet the Secret Service might take interest in you as well...

searched, fine , how long does it take to look into a bag?

[ben parrish]

Give me a f%^&ing break. His opinion does not constitute a threat. Let's not forget that NO PERSON is going to get by WITHOUT being searched. The treatment he received, in my opinion, constitutes harassment. Never mind that little constitutional right called freedom of speech.
I understand the need for security and I am glad they are at least trying but it has gotten out of hand. Too many "monkeys" running around with a TSA patch and a power trip. The fact is if someone wanted to blow up a plane they wouldn't advertise it on a bag. Come on!!
A typical abuse of power from some overpaid, under qualified, insecure TSA employee.
I used to fly at least 2-4 times a week, every week for work. I saw this same thing a lot and I just had to go with the flow. It made me mad but what can you do?
I finally came to my senses, quit my job, sold the house, bought a sail boat and moved to the family to the Bahamas. No one wants to blow up a plane that is going to the Bahamas. I don't even have to go through a security check point to get here.
I sure don't miss all that crap.

Ben

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally posted by svandamme
searched, fine , how long does it take to look into a bag?

I don't know. Apparently they ran his name through the supa evil no fly list as well. According to the article they only detained him for 25 minutes, I think that sounds like a reasonable time to call a supervisor, do a check and see if he has a criminal record, search the bag, etc.

In all likelihood this guy is happy he got stopped. Now he gets an article in the paper about him and gets talked about on PPOT. If they hadn't stopped him he just be another idiot in an airport.

[jorian]

"Man walks into airport with a rubber chicken on his head or a T-shirt saying I'm with stupid. He is getting ready to board a flight full of civilians. If they don't detain him/search him and he blows the plane up...then what? Would the TSA get a pass because they were respecting his civil rights?"

At what point do you say enough?

[Nathans_Dad]

Um, enough would be when the name on the bag isn't the man in charge of national airport security.

It's kinda the same thing as wearing a shirt that says "I love Jay Leno" vs wearing a shirt that says "I love Osama bin Laden"...

I figured that was obvious.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by widebody911
But he didn't. He did the equivalent of writing "Hollywood sucks" on his bucket of popcorn.

you do that in this town and you might disappear into SM bay...

[Joeaksa]

Do not agree at all. They did their best to screw with him, as was shown buy them running a warrant check on the guy, which was not needed one bit. I would file a complaint and ask for a written apology, and I fly for for a living.

Many of these TSA jerks are just that, jerks and need to be knocked down a rung or three IMHO. Do your job and check baggage but if everyone had an attitude like these inspectors did there would be major problems.

[jorian]

For once I agree with Joe.

[Eric 951]

TSA isn't staffed with the sharpest folks. From my experience many of them take a perverse pleasure in the power which they yield, and do not display a lick of common sense.

[sammyg2]

he's the idiot.
I learned at a very young age that if you go looking for trouble you will find it, obviously this guy never learned that lesson.
The fact that he got what he was after and then complained about it makes me think he's a bit on the unstable side.