Echo power tools has a new television ad for their chainsaws that takes some liberties – though some would say not many – with the intimacy of TSA pat downs. The comical commercial features a man passing through airport security being subjected to a fairly aggressive, yet thorough, pat down of his crotch. Meanwhile, inattentive agents allow his chainsaw to pass through the X-ray machine undetected. He comments that, while he’s willing to put up with a lot of things, he requires that his chainsaw be reliable.
All passengers getting off a train at that station were forced to have their belongings checked, and some (including kids) underwent a pat-down.
The whole thing stinks – and the TSA of course issued their usual (non) apology. But now someone with some real authority has weighed in – the chief of Amtrak Police has told Trains Magazine that he is outraged.
Police Chief John O’Connor first thought the reports of the TSA checkpoint were a joke – but once he discovered that this “VIPR” (Visible Intermodal Protection and Response) team was performing a real search of all Amtrak passengers, he banned the TSA from all Amtrak property until a formal agreement is drawn up.
Of all the stupid things the TSA has done in the past (and there are a lot of them), stopping and forcing train passengers to undergo a forced checkpoint really is the worst.
To most people, the airport checkpoint is where we line up, get partially undressed, and attempt to get through as quickly as possible, without incident or drama.
To others, the checkpoint is an opportunity to make a point, show off or get in trouble. We’ve collected ten funny photos and videos from the security checkpoint that’ll make you want to get through it even faster next time you fly.
From a half naked lady with a poodle to a man who picks the X-ray machine instead of the metal detector, these are some of the funniest clips we could find!
Not entirely sure what the context of this video is, but it appears to be genuine. In the video, a young girl seems to be setting off the metal detector, and decides that walking through it in her underwear is the only way to stop it beeping.
This is someone who wants to make a point – she clearly doesn’t appreciate the lack of privacy at the checkpoint, so walks through in her bikini.
This one showed up in Twitter earlier this year when a local TV station tweeted the photo asking for more information on the man in his underpants.
Another speedo guy walking through the checkpoint. Yeah – not everyone can get away with this.
Check out this guy at a Las Vegas security checkpoint getting the full pat-down. The Marvin Gaye music only makes it better. If this were a movie, the TSA would have made it a PG13.
Partially naked Germans protest invasive security scanners. I think they could have made their point without getting naked, but that probably would not have made it on to YouTube.
“Crazy man in X-Ray machine” – clearly not happy with setting off the metal detector, this guy pops himself right inside the X-ray machine…
And what it actually looks like when you go through the X-ray machine…
And finally, here is a golden oldie from Australia – a TV commercial for mens underwear.
The latest in baggage scanning technology looks kind of like the CT scanner hospitals use to to look inside the human body much like a loaf of bread, one slice at a time. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials hope this new tool will do a better, faster job detecting explosives in baggage.
The Explosives Detection Systems (EDS) machine runs with CT scan technology, modified to detect explosives in baggage and taking the place of TSA agents manually swabbing each bag. Fully-automated, the machine can scan at the rate of 240 bags an hour. TSA has installed 455 of the machines in airports since January.
Rather than multiple 2D images in traditional x-ray scanners, this new generation CT-like scanner displays dynamic images using a baggage scanning technology called Array Motion Imaging (AMI). AMI presents a moving image of baggage to the machine operator, as though someone were turning it around from side to side or up and down, enabling them to see all areas of the bag.
In the past, careful packing might have allowed prohibited items in baggage to pass by TSA machine operators not “seeing” them. This scanning technology lowers the odds of that happening substantially with new, multiple views as baggage passes though the system.
“It can be deployed anywhere,” said Jeffrey Allison, TSA acting federal security director told thenewsstar.com. “It is portable and can be moved from one location to another. It is a great service for the passengers and it reduces the number of false-type alarms.”
Built by Reveal Imaging, the $340,000 EDS machines are being paid for with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestmant Act of 2009, a $30 million fund earmarked to improve airport security across the nation in all areas.
TSA began using advanced imaging in 2007. An evolving program, imaging can detect a wide range of threats to security in a matter of seconds to protect the flying public. Imaging is an integral part of TSA’s effort to continually look for new technologies that help ensure travel remain safe and a step ahead of evolving threats.
The TSA imaging program encompasses more than just baggage, it also includes the “scanning” of people as well. Too big to fit through a machine, human beings are handled differently, using a a variety of non-invasive methods that are preferred over unpopular pat-downs.
Since imaging technology has been deployed at airports, over 99 percent of passengers choose to be screened by this technology over alternative screening procedures. According to a CBS poll, 4 out of 5 Americans support the use of advanced imaging at airports nationwide.
Additionally, passengers with joint replacements or other medical devices that would regularly alarm a metal detector often prefer this technology because it is quicker and less invasive than a pat down.
“We are always looking for new technology and procedures that will both enhance security while strengthening privacy protections,” TSA Administrator John Pistole said.
Mr. Show with Bob and David is, arguably, the greatest sketch comedy show ever. When they took on the nerve-wracking experience of trying to smuggle marijuana back from Amsterdam, it was hilarious. While the TSA has made the airport experience stressful even if you aren’t doing anything illegal, this scene hysterically captures what happens when backpackers try their hand at something that professional drug smugglers struggle to do: act natural.
Of course, we at Gadling neither condone nor recommend drug smuggling. Furthermore, there is certainly more to do in Amsterdam than just smoking pot (not to mention that, pretty soon, tourists might not even have access to weed in Holland). However, this clip had us laughing as hard as we did when it first aired years ago. Travel safely and always be sure to remember where you packed your shampoo!
If you have a great travel video that you think we might enjoy, share the link in a comment below. We could feature it as our next Video of the Day!