Note: I thought I had posted this on Sunday (6/16/24), but apparently I only saved it as a draft.
I traveled back to see the family a couple of weeks ago. CC wanted me to bring home something of value.I declined as I usually have trials getting thru TSA. Sure enough, they were already lined up to pull my carry on, shoes and purse before they had made it half way thru the xray.
I'm not sure where they took everything, but it was a good 5 minutes before they came back and put them back thru the system. As a side note, they opted NOT to pull me out and use a hand held metal detector on my person this time - a small win.
Somehow, even before 9-11, I have always been singled out for having ridiculous additional over site done like running an electronic sniffer around and thru every crevice of my carry on, doing hand searches. The most egregious thing they have ever found to closely examine was an unopened bottle of saline for my contacts (that under a medical need was legal at 4oz) and a tube of toothpast that was too large - in which I had them throw away.
They usually don't even try to be discrete when checking my belongings, even tossing out my undies and bras for the world to see. I have literally been yanked out from under the metal detector for a more thorough wand and hand search - even though the metal detector didn't go off.
I'm pretty sure that if I had chosen to try to bring the valuable item thru the airport, it would have gotten confiscated at the screening. Not only was it valuable, but it was heavy and they would have claimed that either:
- It was ill-gotten gains (they don't even have to give you a trial for that to happen - and they don't give it back). They will even take "large" amounts of cash that they deem you shouldn't have.
- It could be used as a weapon (being heavy).
I'm not even sure they would have let me back out of taking my flight so that I could hang on to the item. Yeah, not even tempting fate.
And, putting it in a checked bag would have guaranteed that thing would have disappeared since my bags are, more often than not, searched. Not even saying that would have been a perscribed confiscation - if you get my drift.
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