Enough With The Packing Already

Not my Boarding Pass

Ever seen one of these ?  It's a "Secondary Security Screening Selection” boarding pass marked SSSS. One summer long ago Jackie and I went to Italy to see Colleen, we stayed for a week in an updated apartment constructed in the 1200s in this tiny hilltop town in Tuscany called Petroio, famous for terracotta pottery.  Every night we went to our village Festa De Unita party sponsored by the Democratici di Sinistra, The Democrats of the Left, and our German Green Party innkeepers/hosts told me that 'Bushie' wouldn't let me back into the US after spending dollars and partying with German and Italian Communists.

Party Emblem

Later that fall we were at SFO and Jackie and I tried to board our United flight for Las Vegas and the Agent said there was a problem with my ticket and she couldn't issue me a boarding pass. She took my bag and separated Jackie and her bag from me. Then a polite but serious young woman, well dressed in a gray business suit, came to the counter and took me aside to a desk and began to question me, she was polite but firm, while typing on the computer and talking on her cell phone with some urgency.

TSA Abuse

She asked many questions, I guess you could call it an interview ( interrogation? ) . After a while she had the Agent ticket my bag and issue me a boarding pass, and the well dressed, polite but firm young woman wrote "SSSS" on it in red pen and told me I was a special class of passenger. When I asked what was going on she told me not to worry about it, and when I asked if this would continue to happen she told me, "Yes, until your profile changes."

Current TSA Note

At the Gate I was shunted by the nylon tape ropes to a boarding line all my own that went to the wall, yes, I was facing a wall, while my boarding pass was examined, finally after some 'enhanced' screening I was seated next to Jackie. I had a 'profile'. At McCarran my bag did not come off the carousel, I dutifully filled out 'ze papahz', kept the receipt and some time later my bag arrived at the hotel with my stuff all messed up and a formal note telling me my bag had been randomly selected for inspection, ahem.

Baltimore & Hurricane Isabel

I thought it was the Revenge of Bush becaused I partied with the Communist party.  This happened a couple more times then stopped, my profile changed, apparently.  I finally figured out what happened. I flew UAL to the East coast with my kids in September, right into Hurricane Isabel.  On the way back I got off the plane at SFO instead of Sacramento, my ticketed 'ultimate destination', by then I learned to fly with a carry on only. Conner told me they came through the plane looking for me. I broke some Airline rule by not completing my flight, according to United. So that was it, the Airline determines this, not the TSA.

I had a few gripes with United when I was a Marine and flew in uniform at three quarters fare, but I'll skip that for now.  I wonder if Mister/Doctor ( did he get his license back ) Dao will get special selection by the airlines when next he flies ?  Hmmm...