This Makes Me Sick

[Skofnung]

I am thoroughly disgusted. I just spoke to my wife on the phone. She is visiting a friend up in NYC and just called to tell me how her day was going.

She told me that she was having a great time, and that everything was going well, except that “they” made her give up her Swiss Army Knife in order to get on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. I don’t know if “they” were TSA, Port Authority, or the Ministry of Truth. I don’t care. What matters is this:

They wouldn’t let a young 98lb female, a citizen of these United States, onto a boat going to the Statue of LIBERTY with a Swiss Army Knife!

I guess Liberty just ain’t what it used to be.

She asked them if they would check it, or hold it till she got back (What a silly yokel, the screener must have thought) but they told her she would either have to give it to them for good, or not get on the ferry. Being that she was with two other people, and that cab fare back to her lodging would be more than the price of her little knife, she gave it to them.

I’m sure some flea market vendor buying TSA “grab bags” off E-bay will be quite happy.

I’m not angry about the loss of a $10.00 piece of steel and plastic. I’m angry that most of my fellow citizens think that this is OK. I’m angry that people think that it is normal to walk through metal detectors and to be subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures by .gov or .gov sponsored goons when visiting symbols of our supposed liberty.

What have we come to… to fear a 3” non locking blade in the purse of a red-blooded American Woman? Are the majority of us that weak?

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I had the same problem when I was in NYC last year. We went to the Statue of Liberty also. I had a small Swiss Army knife also. It was the one that clips to a key chain and the blade is about 1 inch long. Very small.

The National Park Service runs the Statue of Liberty and would not allow even that knife on board. The knife was old, and I decided to toss it so I could go.

But I agree, it doesn't say much about the state of our freedoms. The weird thing is, I believe that the TSA would now let me carry the same item on airplanes without a problem.

 

[theotherrookieshooter]

i know what your talkin about

they wont let me, a 6'2" 215lb. teen walk down the street with my switchblade or my butterfly knives or brass knuckles, its ridiculous!

 

[Gordon Fink]

How did they even know it was there?

~G. Fink

 

[screwman]

I'm not givin' up my pocket knife to see the statue of liberty. Besides it was a gift from a country that couldn't defend their own liberty.


Mike

 

[Erebus]

they wont let me, a 6'2" 215lb. teen walk down the street with my switchblade or my butterfly knives or brass knuckles, its ridiculous!

I know you are being sarcastic so explain all the good reasons these items should be illegal.

 

[Alan Fud]

The weird thing is, I believe that the TSA would now let me carry the same item on airplanes without a problem.

I don't know about that. My in-laws flew in for the week-end (Fort Lauderdale to Newark) and they weren't allowed to bring aboard a sealed bottle of water. My sister-in-law opened it and drank it in front of them before discarding the empty bottle.

 

[Tokugawa]

what you are feeling ,my friends ,is the very outer-most tippity end of the tentacle of terrorism. The touch is indirect but there nevertheless. It will probably get worse- even the the threat of "gangs" has had the police chiefs of major US cities endorsing the idea of herding all pedestrians through street level metal detectors. The front lines in warfare are disappearing and the idea of civilian as innocent is long gone.

 

[JohnBT]

I disagree strongly.

John

 

[Lone_Gunman]

How did they even know it was there?

They are using metal detectors, wands, and Xray machines.

 

[AF_INT1N0]

That's just stupid!!

The more they disarm the citizens the easier it makes the job of the terrorists.

If one passenger had had a 1911 there would have been no 9-11.

 

[Zundfolge]

I’m not angry about the loss of a $10.00 piece of steel and plastic. I’m angry that most of my fellow citizens think that this is OK.

The citizens of New York City aren't really "your fellow citizens" ... they're Europeans who don't realize which side of the Atlantic they're on ... believe me the State of New York would join the EU if they could.


It shameful ... I imagine the former citizens of that once great city are spinning in their graves.

 

[longeyes]

In ten years it'll be called The Statue of Disarmament.

 

[Standing Wolf]

In ten years it'll be called The Statue of Disarmament.

Three.

 

[Hoppy590]

i was concerned about having to go through this ordeal getting on the marthas vinyard ferry. if need be i was gunna snap the blade off my knife and take the handle with me so none of the "security" walk off with my knife or sell it ( its a copy of a S&W SWAT style, so its not worth anything, but it looks real and most of the nit wits wouldnt know the differance)

 

[Skofnung]

Does anyone have any idea what to do about this mess?
How do we beat the fearmongers?

 

[Prof. A. Wickwire]

he citizens of New York City aren't really "your fellow citizens" ... they're Europeans who don't realize which side of the Atlantic they're on ... believe me the State of New York would join the EU if they could.

Zundfolge,

As a resident of a Red County in New York State, I would request that you be a little more specific in your statements.

If you look at a county level map of New York from the last Presidential election, you will see that most of the state is red.

New York City and Nassau County, Long Island Make up 2/3 the population of New York State. Any national level election is decided by them. The rest of the state might as well not vote for all the effect it will have.

Sincerely,

Prof. A. Wickwire

 

[aufevermike]

I have a freind that had the same thing happen. However, all he did was walk away and his his knife under a rock and tried again. After the visit to the statue he went and retrieved his knife.

 

[chaim]

Similar happened to me going to the Liberty Bell in Phily a couple years ago. I had a nice pocket knife on me (~$75-80 stag gripped folder) and noticed the signs ("no weapons") and metal detectors when almost there. Asked the guard my options, leave the knife or leave here. I went back to the car, dropped off my knife, and then came back (I was on a date and my date really wanted to see the display). Funny, that was my last date with that woman (she knew I carried a knife so I doubt that situation had anything to do with it, but you never know).

 

[carpettbaggerr]

... believe me the State of New York would join the EU if they could.

The City of New York, perhaps. Not the State, my friend. I don't judge all of Colorado by Denver, and New York is much the same........

 

[RON in PA]

While NYC is worthy of ridicule and disgust for many reasons this situation has nothing to do with NYC. It's a Federal issue and Federal rules and applies anywhere in the country. The last time I visited Gettysburg there were no weapons signs.

You can thank Osama.

 

[Mr.V.]

If one passenger had had a 1911 there would have been no 9-11.

Unless that one passenger was Mohamed Atta.

Face it, the gun culture is dying. Most passengers don't want guns on planes because they're afraid of guns. Many people don't know how to use guns, they don't know how to handle them, and they don't understand what guns can and cannot do. Without widespread familiarity and personal ownership of firearms, many people simply want them to go away.

I live in L.A. I feel like a leper in my community because I own a .22 pistol. Just 5 miles away there are gangs that have full-auto AKs, but I'm the guy my neighbors fear.

We've got a major uphill battle. And the real challenge is getting people to shoot and own guns again. If we manage to get every law abiding citizen in this country to shoot again, the vast majority of people would be gun-owners and the politics will follow easily. We'd probably even be able to amend the constitution and do away with the "...well regulated milita..." frustration all together.

But I've strained my eyes and have yet to see any of the national gun organizations (one in particular that I gave $35 to) show any sign of starting a grass roots campaign, billboards, tv ads, flyers, etc in the anti-cities to start turning around peoples' opinions. They like to fight the good fight in South Dakota when a town ordinance limits the number of belt-fed machine guns a person can own to 35.

 

[xd9fan]

Hey back off pal, your wife should loose that swiss army knife. Its a small price to pay for security. Theres a war on terror going on and we need to protect the people. Dont you understand that you cant have Rights if your blown up by some attack that could happen AT ANY TIME. The War on Terror is the most important war we have ever faced. Its a war against good vs. evil. People want to kill us because we are free...<cough> free. ok I'll stop I cant keep the BS going......



The issue not the knife....its about liberty. Individual Liberty. The GOP will take us down just as fast as the wacko left. One nation under fear.

 

[c_yeager]

I have a freind that had the same thing happen. However, all he did was walk away and his his knife under a rock and tried again. After the visit to the statue he went and retrieved his knife.

I remember we had a band of enterprising youths who used to hang out around the entrance gates to area concerts and "recover" the impressive assortment of armament and booze that was left in the hedge accross the street.

 

[Psssniper]

Had the hot dog vendor hold my Emerson, bought a couple hot dogs and cokes when we came back for it, seagull swooped down and grabbed my dog.