Wednesday, November 21, 2012

TSA Explains: Artist Was Arrested AFTER Watch Deemed Unharmful

The very cool watch that set off TSA drama.


TSA Blogger Bob explains the TSA/"law enforcement" logic (my highlights):
An odd watch that was discovered at Oakland (OAK) a few days ago has been creating quite a bit of chatter on the web. As you can see from the picture, this is not your everyday watch. If I could show you what our employees saw, you would see that it looked even more nefarious to our officers viewing it on the X-ray monitor.

From comments I’ve read on the web, some think we overreacted to a piece of steampunk art, while others understand why we would be concerned.

Is this watch dangerous? Not at all. However, we didn’t know that until the explosive detection team arrived and cleared the item. You see, when something is considered to be a potential deadly threat, it is protocol not to open the bag.

Terrorists take everyday items and attempt to manipulate them to make improvised explosive devices. Our officers are trained to look for anomalies such as this one.

After clearing the watch, law enforcement officers (not TSA) made the decision to arrest the passenger. TSA officers do not have the power of arrest.

Please take a moment to think about what you’re traveling with and how it might appear to TSA. I happen to think this watch is pretty cool, and I’m a fan of all kinds of art and homemade DIY gadgets, however, they’re not always the best things to travel with.

13 comments:

  1. This is ridiculous. Arresting someone for not having a bomb. It is completely subjective as to what looks like a dangerous item and if this is all it takes to be arrested, I should be happy I'm not in jail. I once had a airport security agent (after 9/11 but before the TSA) open up my bag and tell me my fly tying vice looked like a gun so I needed to put it in checked baggage. Here is a link to the item that looked like a gun to them: http://www.dyna-king.com/dtl_vises/?id=371&cat_id=4

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  2. Someone just shut down the Oklahoma City airport by "accidentally" bringing a disabled hand grenade that had been to them, at a party, as a joke. But he was a celebrity, so he got a free pass.

    Can you say, "double standard"?

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  3. Turns out he was charged with "possessing materials to make an explosive device", which apparently included having insoles in his boots. What a country.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49920789

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  4. The first step towards fixing this system is to require a requesting officer to cite the specific offense, the statute violated by identifying number and word for word. If the officer arrests someone and does not do this or is unable to do this then the person arrested is free to go with a $10,000 penalty paid for from the arresting officer's jurisdiction, and the arresting officer is fired and imprisoned for five years. There is absolutely ZERO reason any one should be out "enforcing" the law if they cannot recite precisely what the law is. If the law is too complicated to remember then either get rid of the enforcers or get rid of the complicated laws. I doubt any state or local government would ever need more than 10 pages to write out a complete and functional legal system.

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    1. One argument I often hear against constitutional governance js tht the constitution is old and imperfect. I think a new constitution would be bettter than no constitution, and if that ever happened I would be very happy if the issue yoy bring up was addressed. 10 pages of laws soubds too much to me hobestly, but a lot would depend on writing style. Mayve make the goal a legal system that was simple and clear enough for the average adult to be able to represent themselves confidently in court.

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  5. The watch is objectively abnormal. Nothing wrong with checking it out. That said, arresting the man after clearing it is just retarded.

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  6. And consider the size of those "dynamite sticks"! You might be able to destroy, like, your complimentary snack bag. Maybe...

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  7. The TSA is right on this one. You look foolish slamming them.

    The passenger was a jackass. He wanted the publicity. If you go to the police station and hop around wildly menacing with a plastic toy gun, you may reasonably expect to be shot. Whose fault is that, then? The police, because the gun was plastic, or the artist whose performance art just wasn't very good?

    The "artist" here wanted to create a stir. Fine. He created a stir. He's famous. Now he can explain to the judge why he wanted to board a plane wearing a watch that looked very much like a cartoon bomb.It will cost him a few thousand dollars to acquit himself. Since "artists" are generally at bottom more interested in money than art, he'll rethink his aesthetics next time.

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    1. It would be the fault of the police. If the neighbor's kid is in my yard swinging a plastic gun around and I shoot him what happens to me? The police force is composed of people just like me, who also happen to have a badge. Unless you are making the argument that the badge is a literal license to kill outside of all societal norms and in violation of the law, you need to rethink your statement.

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  8. I'm not pro-TSA but think about how much they would've been bashed if they *didn't* check that watch and it turned out it *was* some sort of bomb or detonator. It would've been like "how incompetent can these people be?!"

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    1. They are incompetent. Do a swipe test and run the wipe through their GCMS or whatever it is they use. I don't know the specific methodology they use but I imagine they look for different nitrates. If they don't detect those its not a bomb. Anyone with the resources to make a more sophisticated bomb isn't going to advertise it in a stupid watch, and would have zero trouble smuggling it onto an airplane.

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  9. I was arrested for having having a Bible!

    I was traveling domestically last year with a case of 2,000 year old manuscripts. Copies of portions of the Christian Bible. Along with them, photocopies of them and printed into book form.

    These Bibles were referred to as "terrorist training manuals". One of the other crimes I committed, was when the TSA was man-handling my precious documents, I shouted "be careful with those!" They said it was an admission that there was something dangerous in them, possibly an explosive.

    No! It was ancient Biblical materials I was taking from my home in California, to do a presentation at a university in New York.

    I was charged with possession of terrorist materials, explosive paraphernalia, looking suspicious, resisting authority, and 20 other charges. I lost 6 months of my life in JAIL, before they released me with no charges. How can we hold someone in JAIL for SIX MONTHS for carrying Biblical/Educational materials?

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    1. Oh yeah, I remember reading about your case in the NY Times.

      HarHarHar...

      Is this story for real??? Can you give us a link to some news account?

      Or????

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