It's my intention to try to keep up with the happenings here, so, before I crash for the night, I'll make a short entry.
I left Lexington, KY, at about 7pm, had a brief layover in Cinci, and then headed out to Portland. CWest got on the plane in Cinci, and there was apparently one other OSCon person on that plane - Garrett Rooney - who I met when we got off in Portland.
Waiting for the plane were Schwern and hydo (can it seriously be that I never caught his real name?) who graciously had agreed to meet me and give me a ride. They were waiting with a sign which read "PANTS || ENOPANTS", and immediately recognized me because I was wearing The Hat.
To get things off to a good start, in the spirit of OSCon being a memorable experience, the vehicle in which we were to travel was completely packed with stuff, and it took a little time to clear enough space for us all to squeeze in. Casey had is own transportation, so it was just the 4 of us and luggage in the car. Really not too bad once things were rearranged.
It was a quick trip to the hotel, and, since it is 3:10 am my time, I'm pretty wiped out.
One further remark. I had thought, since I was not subjected to indignities in the airport, that I had actually escaped the unpleasantness that has plagued my last few trips. I find the procedure at the airport to be impolite, ineffective, and quite counterproductive, in that it makes honest citizens feel like criminals, and deters the criminals not at all. So, I was fairly pleased at having avoided this. However, arriving at the hotel, I discovered that the lock on my suitcase had been forced and my stuff rifled through "to protect you and your fellow passengers." Doesn't our constitution *specifically* protect us from this? I think that if I wasn't so tired, I'd be outraged. I expect this to happen in Zaire, or in Kenya, or in Rwanda, but not in the USA. It is shameful that it has come to this. I guess I'm supposed to be confident that they didn't steal anything. My knives are still where they are supposed to be, and I don't *think* anything is gone. But this is just wrong. I feel violated, and I feel that if we are willing to give up basic human dignity in the name of "national security", then perhaps national security is not worth having. What, exactly, did national security gain by destroying my personal property and violating my privacy? Fortunately, they gave me an email address to which I can send my concerns. TellTSA@tsa.dot.gov And a phone number. 1 866 289 9673. I plan to contact them to express my displeasure. Fascism in the name of national security makes me wonder, if we have to change who we are in order to protect who we are, then what are we protecting?
OK, time to get some sleep.
This is my first time here and was wondering how often posts are made?
Posted by: Evita on February 21, 2004 12:43 AM