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97 Comments
- bixby1, on 10/12/2008, -2/+45It's that moment we all have when we say to ourselves, 'am i really taking off my shoes right now...really?'
won't. miss. that. - samard2002, on 10/13/2008, -0/+37Your safety is an illusion. If someone tries to light their hair on fire while on a plane, we'll all have to shave our heads next time we try to fly.This is just reactionary *****.
- Haoie, on 10/13/2008, -0/+32Damn "shoe bomber".
Why couldn't he hid it in his hat or something? - revjustin2, on 10/13/2008, -0/+28It's all ***** if you ask me. None of this ridiculous crap they do at airports does a damn bit of good. Sure - go ahead and X-ray my bag. Sure - make me walk through a metal detector, but the shoe thing? One airport (Manchester, NH) made my wife and I take the shoes off our 9 month old baby. Even if we did pack a bomb in her shoe, it would be like a firecracker. Also, wouldn't any weird metal set off the detector? I've had 3 kids since 9/11 and have taken multiple trips with each and I've never had anyone ask to take the shoes off an infant before - even in that same airport. It's all arbitrary *****.
- TheCoreh, on 10/13/2008, -0/+27Will probably cause cancer.
- RockSlice, on 10/13/2008, -0/+17Have the heightened security at airports actually discovered any terrorists trying to blow up or hijack planes?
Edit: and even if they have, is it really worth the discomfort and logistics nightmare the inspection creates? - gluesniffined, on 10/13/2008, -0/+16Travel internationally; you'll never have to put up with this kind of crap outside of the US. On my recent trip I was in Dublin, Prague and Rome. Not once did I have to go through the shoe removing crap or laptop unpacking until I arrived back in the 'Free' Democratic Republic of the United States. The entire time I traveled through Europe there were no pat downs, no random full searches, no $8.00/hr flunky whose sole job is to harass travelers, no shoe removal, no laptop un-bagging, no 2 hour+ security lines. Hell, I even brought a half consumed bottle of Coke Lite with me and got nary a second look.
I swear that as soon as my first connecting flight landed back in the US I almost felt like I was in Soviet Russia. And now you're telling me that I have to get X-rays shot up at my nut sack? Yes, I read the article and it isn't really X-rays....but c'mon.......... - ayfour, on 10/13/2008, -0/+15Didnt the shoebombers setup just have plastic explosives and wick? That wouldnt exactly show any metal on a scanner.
- Cararan, on 10/12/2008, -3/+17Finally it was a hassle to do that every time at the airport.
- Bith8654, on 10/13/2008, -0/+12Never?
- duggdowncatisad, on 10/13/2008, -0/+12I hope he has to take his shoes off for inspection whenever he comes back from yard.
- trafficlight, on 10/13/2008, -0/+12Wrong attitude. Just because one country's methods make the US's look tame, doesn't mean it's right to begin with.
- CanadaKyle, on 10/12/2008, -1/+12I hate taking my shoes off when flying. Another thing I hate doing is taking my belt off, solve that and I will be happy.
- lead2thehead, on 10/13/2008, -2/+13I hope the shoe bomber is getting raped in jail right now.
- Lionhart, on 10/13/2008, -0/+10Am I the only one who has noticed how disgusting the floors have become at security checkpoints in airports?
- samard2002, on 10/13/2008, -0/+9Get a brass buckle. I never take mine off.
- malex, on 10/13/2008, -0/+9Hey, if he really wanted to be difficult, he could have tried someplace far, far worse.
- Askee, on 10/13/2008, -0/+9I've never taken off my belt and it's never set off the detector. I've also managed to bring a knife on board because I "forgot" it was on my key-chain, even though it's just a 1 1/2in pocket knife, it could still be dangerous in the right (wrong?) hands. Safe my ass, all we've done is give up freedoms for the illusion of safety.
*Waits for FBI to kick in door* - Soave, on 10/13/2008, -0/+8This seems like the most obvious solution in the world... why didn't we do this before?
- understudy, on 10/13/2008, -0/+8For every 1 lunatic attempting terrorism, 100,000,000 lose another right or privilege.
_ - F34RInc, on 10/13/2008, -0/+8***** Airlines & the RIAA
- miralize, on 10/13/2008, -0/+7when you say soon, its really about 2 years.
- inactive, on 10/13/2008, -0/+7I would like a hand job station at the boarding gate. I get nervous before flying and that would really put me at ease.
- mdoerr, on 10/13/2008, -0/+7If by "soon" you mean 2017.
- GarrettGrimsley, on 10/13/2008, -0/+7So how many potential shoe bombers have we caught while screening? Citation please.
- GarrettGrimsley, on 10/13/2008, -0/+7What is worse than in your shoe? Oh, oh god no.
- Skooma714, on 10/13/2008, -1/+7Tyranny: It's convenient now!
- LilRabbitFooFoo, on 10/13/2008, -0/+6You know, we could just have gotten Bin Laden and dealt with the root cause and not the symptom. Silly me.
- linagee, on 10/13/2008, -0/+5They'll just make flammable hair gels illegal. (That would be every single one.) "Sir! You hair is styled! Please step to the right."
- badrelish, on 10/13/2008, -0/+5It's just a metal detector for shoes. It doesn't x-ray them. It just detects metal. Plain old metal detectors don't work for the bottom few inches. Making us walk over a stack of books would be equally effective and a helluva lot cheaper to install. But if it lets me leave my shoes on, then fine, whatever.
- haydesigner, on 10/13/2008, -0/+5From 45 minutes to 43 minutes.
- beachsouthpaw, on 10/13/2008, -0/+5I don't think the problem was ever the hassle taking off your shoes, I think it was always about agents going on random and unnecessary power trips. And I doubt this will change that.
- bentrinh, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4Travel in Japan, their version of the TSA will actually bow and say "Have a nice day".
- DamnMan, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4I got "randomly" searched in Australia a couple of times, Always on flights landing inside the US though.
I seem to catch more than my fair share of those "random" searches. Because of course the religious zealot trying to hide something will have facial piercings,long hair and an AC/DC t-shirt on. - ajamer, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4I'm holding out for someone to try something with their panties
- ZeekWatson, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4Taking your shoes off is security theater, nothing more, nothing less.
- TalSiach, on 10/13/2008, -2/+6Wow , this is great news! I have smelly feet :)
- inactive, on 10/13/2008, -1/+5I am middle eastern and they will select me at "random" anyway. so whatever. And i wouldn't even mind being selected if they would make it some fun. I'de be happy if they said, "Sir, you are the choosen one." like if the lights dimmed and the loud speakers said it in a godly voice. And a guy that looked like Morpheus examined me. and in the end they give me blue and red jellybeans to choose from for participating. yeah.... that'd be fun
- Skooma714, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4Thanks government.
If the terrorists hated us for our freedoms the government is the Neville Chamberlain of our time. - flossdaily, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4Actually, it's not about the lunatic at all. It's about our government, particularly the Bush administration, using fear to retain power.
If our government wanted to keep us safe, they'd take all the money they've spent on asinine airport security procedures, and instead spend money security our ports so that terrorists can't sneak a goddamn nuclear bomb into the country.
But our government is always busy trying to prevent the attack that ALREADY happened, instead of preventing the one that hasn't happened yet. - KibibyteBrain, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4That's exactly why this won't change. The shoe thing was always more psychology than substance.
- ZeekWatson, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4I just got back from Europe and I can confirm that everyone was taking off their belts and shoes in London Heathrow Airport.
I also received a full "pat down" search at London Stanstead airport on a flight to Oslo. I didn't even set off the metal detector.
Going by the number of security camersa in the UK, I'd say they already lost the war to terrorists long ago. - JohnFrum, on 10/13/2008, -0/+4There was never a need. Scanning all of our shoe was an over reaction.
- linagee, on 10/13/2008, -1/+4Reduce waits and stink.
- temujin2012, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3Nice toss in of the RIAA there.
- jordantneff, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3"though the new device cannot yet sniff out explosives."
Oh, well THAT'S effective. I can't see this one going too far. That and sometimes I think the security checkpoint workers get pleasure out of our pain. - inactive, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3Yeah. This is also a US taxpayer funded R&D project that the US Taxpayer will have to pay for the final product as well. We get *****.
- vspazv, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3If I took a liquid binary explosive and injected it into the air soles on a pair of athletic shoes would this detect them?
- spongebue, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3Ugh, I really have to explain this on Digg, again? It's not the airlines' fault, it's our good ol' Department of Homeland Security and it's notorious division, TSA. Yes, the airlines have lobbying power and the whatnot, but they have other things to focus their efforts on (fuel prices, staying alive in today's environment, etc).
- spaceddaisy, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3I take off my shoes and belt too when traveling from Amsterdam, but that's just because I know they'll set off the detector, so it makes going through security a lot faster to just take it off before hand ;)
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