Political Conventions: TSA Busts Out New Technology, Uniforms

It's political convention season and if you're a delegate, like Jerry Springer, and you've flown into either Denver or Minneapolis/St. Paul recently, you may have noticed something new and different from our beloved TSA. In an attempt to bolster security for the added masses transiting these airports, the agency decided to throw in a few new technological gizmos like passive millimeter wave radar. This portable system, also known as standoff detection technology, measures energy generated by the human body to detect explosives hidden on a person. Used for years in other environments, this is the first time it has been employed at U.S. airports. The TSA claims the devices are safe and non-invasive, but don't be surprised if you develop webbing between your toes after getting a dosage. Another new gadget being used is the hand-held spectrometer which has the ability to penetrate sealed containers using laser technology to detect solid and liquid explosives. It cannot, however, tell you what's in that old tupperware dish that's been in your fridge for the last six months. Of course, not to be outdone by all of it's new toys, the TSA has had their Transportation Security Officers screeners at Denver and Minneapolis break out the controversial new uniforms to highlight their professionalism to the delegates and politicians alike. Convinced?



[Evolution of Security]

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Ticks on a plane! (I can't believe I just used that title)

A United Airlines flight from Denver to Des Moines was delayed for 6 hours yesterday after a passenger discovered a tick in economy class. Airline spokeswoman, Robin Urabanski, told the AP that between one and three tick were found on the aircraft (that hard to narrow down?). United decided not to continue flight 1178 with an infested airplane so another was flown in to take its place. The tick-plane was cleaned subsequently returned to service later that day. It is unknown to United how the ticks may have gotten on the plane in the first place. Come on, you've seen some of the people that sit in coach, right?

(via USA Today)

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Could smoking pot end air rage?

A group in Denver is proposing to the FAA that allowing airline passengers to smoke marijuana will keep them calm in flight and could prevent bouts of air rage which seem to be at an all time high (no pun intended). USA Today reports that Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER, held a press conference outside the Denver offices of the FAA on Tuesday in an attempt to sell their idea aimed at ending incidents with irate passengers such as Elizabeth Szele who punched a JetBlue flight attendant recently. SAFER's executive director Mason Tvert said about Szele, who was drunk at the time of the incident, that her "outbursts wouldn't have happened if she'd been inhaling instead of imbibing." No surprise, Tvert describes him as "a crusader for legalizing marijuana" and feels that marijuana smoking lounges in airports across the country would make flying safer. Unfortunately for SAFER and pot-heads in the Centennial State Denver International Airport spokesman Jeff Green told the Rocky Mountain News "I can safely say we have no plans to open any marijuana lounges at (Denver International)."

On a side note, Tvert claims marijuana will add another benefit to the aviation industry. With airlines deeper in the red than ever, he makes this claim, "You've got struggling airlines, right? From what I understand, marijuana tends to lead to the munchies. (So,) if more passengers smoked marijuana before they flew and had the munchies, airlines could, you know, charge for snacks instead of for baggage." I think I went to high school with this guy

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