I was recently asked: Have you ever considered taking a train for travel around the USA?
I might in the future – I’ve always wanted to take a cross-country train trip. Although honestly, unless you are on a major route, it seems like it is slower, more expensive, and with more changeovers. I don’t understand how the industry survives.…
Today, I’m flying out of Kentucky Bluegrass airport in Lexington. We are sitting in the plane right now about to start taxiing.
Kentucky Bluegrass Airport does not use the Backscatter imaging machines for its TSA checkpoint. It does, however, randomly select passengers for the enhanced pat-downs.
I was not chosen for the pat-down. As such, I’m flying home now to see my family!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Matt…
I got a link from my boss today – looks like the story’s been picked up in the UK.…
TSA: A Follow Up
Wow.
First, I want to thank everyone who has been writing me with personal messages of their own. I woke up to an inbox that was full of hundreds of positive, well-written, and well-informed emails. While the large majority were supportive of my actions, a few disagreed with them. But everyone, regardless of their position, was cordial and polite. That is one thing that our country definitely needs.
Second, I want to emphasize the fact that the police officers in this story were amazingly professional. They …
I interviewed with the Cincinnati Enquirer today. Click above for the resulting article.…
This is my interview with Jon Grayson from Overnight America, a radio program on several CBS stations.
Thanks, Jon!…
In response to the frequently asked question:
“Why are they scanning you when you get off the plane?”
Cincinnati International is structured in a way that international passengers are dumped into the “sterile” zone. This means we could convene with other passengers leaving for other flights. Since the US apparently doesn’t trust foreign airport security agencies, we scan all incoming international travelers before they can enter this “sterile” zone.…
As promised, here are the (condensed) audio files of the whole episode. If you only have a short time, skip right to the one called “The Main Argument.” That is the most critical one.
The Lead Up: Pt. 1 (Introductions all around)
The Lead Up: Pt. 2 (More introductions, opening arguments)
The Main Argument (TSA refuses to answer my questions. Police change their moods)
“You don’t need to see his identification.”
On November 21, 2010, I was allowed to enter the U.S. through an airport security checkpoint without being x-rayed or touched by a TSA officer. This post explains how.
Edit: For the sake of brevity, most of the quotes below are paraphrases. I have uploaded the actual audio and it is available here.
This past Sunday, I was returning from a trip to Europe. I flew from Paris to Cincinnati, landing in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
As I got off my flight, I …