MN National Guard soldier on terror-list for having gunpowder on boots!

[Lobotomy Boy]

Last night I saw a news story about a Minnesota National Guard soldier being detained at an airport on his way back from Iraq because he had gunpowder residue on his boots and he is now on a no-fly terrorist watch list. ***? I have gunpowder residue on every pair of shoes I own, and I'm sure that is true for many of us. Will this make us unable to fly on commercial flights?

 

[beerslurpy]

My bags always have gunpowder residue on them whenever I use my range bag to travel. That is a stupid rule, especially in america.

 

[JesseJames]

Dude, if story is true. Just reinforces the fact that bureaucrats do not possess common sense.

 

[P0832177]

LB is not BS'ing! http://kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=122933

 

[ball3006]

That is an idea.......

I hate to fly and SWMBO makes me go visit the outlaws every year. If I can get on a "you can't fly" list...........Flying is too much hassle nowadays....chris3

 

[HankB]

A Guardsman with powder residue on his boots gets put on the watch list? A man who puts his life on the line serving his country, and this happens?

Insane.

Let's just hope someone doesn't respond to this nonsense by getting a can of powder and discretely sprinkling it on walkways, shuttle busses, etc. outside the secure area where hundreds, or even thousands, of people would walk through it.

That would really mess things up, add thousands of names to the watch list, and I for one wouldn't like getting caught in the lines, which are bad enough already.

 

[real_name]

This reminds me of a case in England back in the '70s. We were dealing with regular attacks from the IRA on English soil and as a result people from Ireland or of Irish descent were treated with great suspicion.
Some individuals were detained after a bombing and were tested for explosives residue. They failed the tests and after a trial were incarcerated. It later transpired the 'explosives residue' found on their hands was instead from the plastic coated playing cards they had been handling on the train journey prior to arrest. Apparently the coating has some similar properties to Semtex.
My memory is clouded but I think it took about 10 - 15 years for this to come to light and for them to be released from prison.

Then as now, terrorism makes people jittery and too quick to conclude.

 

[Harry Tuttle]

gee, how long until he guy from the lawn & garden department gets on the no-fly list?

 

[seeker_two]

Let's just hope someone doesn't respond to this nonsense by getting a can of powder and discretely sprinkling it on walkways, shuttle busses, etc. outside the secure area where hundreds, or even thousands, of people would walk through it.

That would really mess things up, add thousands of names to the watch list, and I for one wouldn't like getting caught in the lines, which are bad enough already.

Now wouldn't THAT be a shame....


(Now, where would one find loading data showing a good powder for an Air Jordan?...)

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Let's just hope someone doesn't respond to this nonsense by getting a can of powder and discretely sprinkling it on walkways, shuttle busses, etc. outside the secure area where hundreds, or even thousands, of people would walk through it.

Why do I have the feeling that the spreading of gunpowder around airport public areas would be some form of HAZMAT violation or federal crime? I can see it now. You are wearing your "Great Prison Break" pants with socks in each leg that release their load when you pull a pin in your pocket. So there you are, shuffling around, spreading gunpowder, and some guy tosses down his cigarette behind you as he goes in the terminal, causing the poweder to the ground to flash and that flash setting off the powder in the socks, cooking each leg.

 

[doberman]

The article says he's a Marine and not MNNG.
Just wanted to point that out.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

The article wasn't yet available when I posted. I just heard this from my bathroom as I was brushing my teeth getting ready for bed and came out to catch the tail end of the story.

We truly have become a nation of cowardly incompetents who deserve neither safety nor liberty.

 

[HankB]

You are wearing your "Great Prison Break" pants with socks in each leg that release their load when you pull a pin in your pocket. So there you are, shuffling around, spreading gunpowder, and some guy tosses down his cigarette behind you as he goes in the terminal, causing the poweder to the ground to flash and that flash setting off the powder in the socks, cooking each leg . . .

Forgot all about that movie . . . now forming mental image . . . uh-oh . . . must . . . wipe . . . coffee . . . off . . . monitor. LMAO.

 

[rallyhound]

Too bad that soldier couldn't contact a local Marine general and maybe some good ol recon boys to show up at the airport and kick some TSA butt.

 

[Firethorn]

Personally, I'd of liked to see the whole returning unit boycott the airport and contract a bus or something. 'Either we all go on the plane, or non of us'. Military travel is one of the big boosts the airlines get.

I kid you not, I can practically fly first class what the military pays for a coach seat.

 

[mrapathy2000]

Too bad that soldier couldn't contact a local Marine general and maybe some good ol recon boys to show up at the airport and kick some TSA butt.

better yet how about they liberate california and return it back to the U.S.A.

though I would pay good money to see Marines kick some TSA butt.

 

[half elf]

I almost missed my flight from LAX to Atlanta back in 2004, beacause the sniffer did not like my gear. I was there for a 2 week school at Pt Heunime(SP) and apent 2 weeks on a naval base as well as wearing my old beat up shooting jacket. the sniffer tested postive for explosives, and I showed them my Military ID, and orders. They thought about it hemmed, hawed, and let me slide

 

[Can'thavenuthingood]

thought about it hemmed, hawed, and let me slide

So they do have some room for making a decision? It's not just "Doing my job, sir" attitude but a willingness to play with the Authority given?

An opportunity to make someone else's life as miserable as theirs?

or not.

Who'dathunkit?

Vick

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

They have all kinds of room to make decisions. I travel all over the country and each airport has different procedures. I believe that none of them have a clue as to what they are doing, but it doesn't matter because they all know it is pure B.S. anyway. They all follow some sort of vague nonsensical procedures under the theory that we'll confuse the inconvenience they are causing us with actual safety. And most people are stupid enough to do just that.

 

[Gewehr98]

No need for a pound of powder in each pocket.

It's a small chromatograph they're using to check for explosives residue, parts per million or better in sensitivity.

An aspirin bottle of flattened ball or flake powder, something like WW231 or Unique, would be great plenty to "seed" an entire airport concourse.

"Honest, Mr. TSA hourly worker, these are my reloading shoes!"

 

[warriorsociologist]

I think an edit to the post title is in order (no offense to you Soldiers out there).

Semper Fi.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

Apparently only a moderator can edit the title (or am I missing something?)

 

[mountainclmbr]

It really seems to take nothing to get placed on the "list". I am on it, Condi Rice is/was on it, Ted Kennedy Is/was on it. The politicians probably have enough clout to get off the list, but I don't. I had my AMEX card cancelled because my company could not process and pay my business expense reports in time (after changing from 1 month grace period to no grace period to get a higher profit sharing percentage). I used my own credit card for a while, but it was against company policy (no revenue sharing). So I had to get other persons in my company (program managers, chief engineers, etc) to charge my travel on their AMEX cards if they wanted my support (did I mention that this is DoD programs with security clearances?). Well, charges by others will DEFINATELY get you on the list. I have been on it for over 2 years and my company's security office can't get me removed. I can still travel, but I have to allow at least an extra hour for the TSA hassles. TSA, that is another bunch I wish to reverse-Kelo for every thing they are individually worth. Oh, I would reverse-Kelo the idiot at my company that had the bright idea of the zero grace period first !!!

AND AMEX SUCKS!!! I Should, and probably will send bricks for their solicitations with postage guaranteed. American Express really deserves bankruptcy. I can't say enough bad about them.

 

[molonlabe]

"You're in uniform, you're carrying orders, you're carrying an ID card," Brown says. "Let's use a little common sense here."

The buffons hired by TSA HAVE NO COMMON SENSE. Most of them couldn't hold a real job. Thats why they work for the guberment.

 

[ConserVet]

Most TSA goofballs were the part-timers that already worked airport screening desks for minimum wage. When Congress passed the post-9/11 reforms they were hired en masse, but with the commensurate government pay, bennies, and authority. Many were on welfare and had misdemeanors, but that was ignored if they had good work records(whatever that is). They were refused the "promotion" if they had felonies, but I guess Uncle Sam had to draw the line somewhere.

At the federal facility where I worked we all perused the want-ads for supervisor positions at the newly formed TSA. We saw what a trick-bag it would be and there were no takers. We did lose a few guys to the Air Marshals though.