Well, I'm here safe and sound at my nephew's house. I could not get my boarding pass online before I left, as I usually do. I was told that I would have to see the ticket agent at the airport. Paranoia set in immediately. I assumed that I was on some watch list, because of having the same name as someone else, or because I write critical stuff about Bush, or whatever. Not so. The airlines's computer system for issuing seating arrangements was down. Simple as that. Not about me at all.
I had dutifully put my toothpaste, shampoo, and make-up in the plastic zipper bag to show to the TSA people and removed my shoes. After passing through, as I was putting my driver's license back in my wallet, I noticed that I had forgotten to throw away my 8 oz. water bottle, and there it was in my purse, having passed through the x-ray machine with no problem. If I thought all the "safety measures" made us safer, I would not mind the annoyance so, but my purse has already passed through the x-ray machines with pepper spray in it, which I had forgotten to take out. So you see....
I sat next to a young man who was traveling with a group to a Christian summer camp in Iowa. He asked me if I was visiting family, and I said yes. I threw in the story about the reception for the scholarship winner and that the scholarship was for gay and lesbian young people. (See post below for details of the reception.) He didn't know what to say to that and put in his earphone.
We did not have a gate at either airport, perhaps because we were traveling in a small plane, and it was an up and down the steps with my carry-on affair. Thank God for kindly gentlemen who help old ladies carry suitcases.
We made a very hard landing upon arrival, very hard. I'm surprised the tires survived. It's good to be with the family. Everyone seems to be doing fairly well. I'm pleased that the invitation to the reception was the trigger to get me to make the trip here. It was time I came.
Glad to hear you arrived safely. Keep us posted when you can.
ReplyDeleteHad to chuckle over the stuff about the watch list. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone who visits MP's is on it. At least in the Nixon years, only the best people got on those sorts of lists. ;)
So glad you got there safely.
ReplyDeleteHave a great time!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised if you ended up on the watch list, what with hanging out with that First Draft crowd and all.
The Lovely Mona and I and our daughters have been on lists since the 1980's, what with our involvement with CISPES and stuff. We had a bumper sticker on the bay window of our house in San José, California, which read "PEACE WITH NICARAGUA" during the Contra nastiness, and we received many hate calls on the phone and weirdos breathing heavily into the telephone late at night. But we were right and they were wrong and we're going to heaven and they will probably burn for eternity, if them conservatives are correct in their theology, although I doubt that they are.
I seem to be ranting... maybe I should set up a photo shoot with the dog's toys......
You'll know you are on the watch list when your boarding pass reads "SSSS". This is a matter of considerable interest to me since my partner and I were one of the ACLU's test cases -- we didn't ever find our why were listed -- but many lawyers' billable hours paid by the government later, we seem no longer to be listed. More than anyone wants to know on this subject is linked on the sidebar of my blog.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is a current Wired article on this exercise in security theater -- it's mostly for show as you discovered with your bottle.
Enjoy your trip!
That's interesting information about the watch list. I'll check the boarding pass next time to look for the SSSS.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got through with the pepper spray, I knew the system did not work well.
Yeah, GLBT youth -- That's conversation kindling or killer -- You just never know.
ReplyDeleteyou probably blew that kids mind.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that years from now he remembers you and the conversation. Hopefully it will be a memory that does him some good.
KJ, Dennis, if I keep that up, I'll be able to proclaim on a t-shirt, "Shunned By Christian Youth".
ReplyDeleteThe kids were wearing a t-shirts that said something like "Fantastic Christian Youth Group". Sounds gay to me.
Perhaps they should change their logo to match their wholesome, all-American, manly young men and lady-like young women appearance.
Just in case you are wondering about the efficacy of having your bags checked: neither in Vermont nor at JFK did anyone make a fuss about the corkscrew (that I had totally forgotten about) in my bookbag. Not until returning from El Salvador, where they ran my bag four times through the xray machine did they nab the offending corkscrew (damn; if I had known I had it...! I woud have left it in the room where I usually stay) and they also took my new roll of adhesive tape from me. I thought they were stymied by my oil stock, which usually confounds them.
ReplyDeleteCaminante, yes, the oils. I would think that would confound them. And they took your corkscrew. Poor baby.
ReplyDelete