back to article US allows visual inspections of nipple rings

The US's Transportation Security Administration has announced some good news for aficionados of nipple piercings - they will no longer have to remove them with pliers before boarding internal flights. The policy review came shortly after 37-year-old Mandi Hamlin fell foul of a handheld metal detector in Lubbock, Texas, while …

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  1. Bad Beaver
    Flame

    @ Rachel

    "So pretty much, you have more of a backwater airport with a couple of idiots who want to press their power just because they can.

    I'm sorry, but there are quite a few of these guys who exist in the world."

    Rachel, this, and precisely this, is the problem. We are at the mercy of dimwits each and every day of our lives. This, and the corresponding suffering, is a major part of the human condition. We have therefore invented, over a long time, sets of rules—in great variety as a matter of fact—to define what is acceptable, decent, tactful, lawful, in order to protect each other from the more outrageous forms of other peoples' possible behaviours. For a while, the finding of some of these rules was even subject to vaguely democratic principles. Now lately, a subset of idiots—hopelessly beyond tact—has declared that the given rules will either not apply to them at all, or be changed as they see fit, when they see fit, in the name of some pseudo-idealistic goal, without general consensus—and they managed to spread that "backwater" area way, way out beyond its "normal" dimensions. Accepting and somehow learning to deal with the countless retards out there is a normal aspect of life. Allowing the retards to take over without resistance is not.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    @Jeff Fraser

    Agree totally. I travel with work practically every week to interesting places in the EMEA region, and not once has my PA set off a metal detector.

    Whenever I travel I never wear a belt or watch, I always wear soft shoes, and make sure no metal is on me, yet still never it goes off.

    The only times I've been randomly screened after a clear metal detector are once at Heathrow with that weird full body scanner thing they were trying, which just had them pull a face like their eyes were going to explode, then quickly whisked me through security forgetting to x-ray my laptop bag, and once at Copenhagen where they just assumed the beep from the hand scanner was the zip on my jeans.

    And for those scared of the PA and other piercings, I just dare you to search for sub-dermal beads...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Brother in law's colleague

    My brother in law's colleague travelled to America and was stopped at security. She had a doctor's certificate confirming a pin in her shoulder, the wand beeped over her shoulder and she had to take her shirt off in front of everybody before they believed it.

  4. Blake Davis
    Alert

    Airport Metal Detectors

    I can't count the number of times ive flown through Texas's airports. I currently have 8ga titanium rings and 14ga steel barbells in. I have never had a walkthrough or a wand metal detector be set off by them.

    On my most recent trip through Texas, I had just had fresh piercings made the night before and got to explain to the TSA luggage inspector why I needed my 4oz bottle of saline spray for medical reasons. Once I said the word 'piercing' he let me through...

    To say the least, there is NO WAY I would remove a body piercing for a security guard. I don't care how high and mighty they might feel they are.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    so what's next?

    Handing you a scalpel to remove those pesky pacemakers and replacement hips and titanum rivets holding your leg together?

    In the name of all that's fucking sane -- WHEN are people going to start saying NO?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    But what about underwire bras?

    These are REALLY common, and security has no problems. Given that they could EASILY disguise something nasty, we should make these be "removed". Wouldn't that be a sight!

    Yes, it WAS stupid. Of course the TSA goons (they really aren't TSA due to an exception, but they are goons) at San Francisco wouldn't have a problem.

  7. dave
    Coat

    But you can still buy glass bottles of duty free

    But you can still buy glass bottles of duty free grog to take on board. WTF

  8. b166er

    Bullies and the bullied (clowns to the left, jokers to the right)

    WARNING: Hypocritical self-indulgent rant ahead.

    To those who criticise the actions of the snickering agents, I agree.

    To those who were abjectly rude and offensive in their opinions, why don't you fuck off somewhere and pull that pole out of your arses? :~)

    You wanna pay more to fly? You wanna pay more to have your rubbish collected/street cleaned? You wanna pay more for better education, health and social welfare services?

    No, you just wanna sit there and pontificate while indulging yourselves in self-agrandisement.

    There, balance restored, carry on.

  9. Anton Ivanov
    Pirate

    @Mike Banahan - bulgarian airbags

    Not new. Basaev's black widows did that two years back:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3596354.stm

    Fake pregnancy "bumps" and fake tits. Enough for two airplanes.

    Oh, sorry, they are brave freedom fighters, not terrorists. Mea culpa

  10. kain preacher

    X ray machines

    Are not allowed in the US because some privacy groups say it shows to much, then they hooked up a with a fringe medical nu t group that says all those X-rays cause cancer.

    Funny I dont see these same privacy group complaining about being randomly stripped searched.

    Also I'm surprised the TSA bowed to these nuts

  11. Charles Manning

    @Airport Metal Detectors

    My Casio Gshock watch (all metal) is pretty sturdy and all metal and has never set off any airport metal detectors. I'd think a few body mods won't have any effect.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just sack the lot

    And all the rest of the 'being seen to be doing something even if it utterly useless' so-called security staff around the world.

    But the regularity with which the TSA gets headlines of this sort is almost monotonous. They seem to lead the league in dumb stupid mindless violence to travellers.

  13. John Munyard

    Unbelieveably stoopid

    I can see it now :-

    "You must show me your tits in the interests of National Security. The procedure says you must comply"

    Only in America eh... they'll be pulling people's fillings out next...

  14. Jon Minhinnick
    Black Helicopters

    Works for me...

    I have a 5" metal plate in my leg holding my knee together, and screws in it the size of my little finger. Goes fine through scanners at the airport.

    But I carry the Dr's certificate just in case.

    It's the terahertz wave scanners that worry me... what do they do to pregnant women?? (Or more specifically, their babies)

  15. Eddy Ito
    Black Helicopters

    Even worse

    "They chose the most denigrating option and then snickered about it. Morons - insensitive morons."

    The saddest part is that lady accosted knew there was an option and requested the feel up... err, pat down rather than removal and the fucking wanks refused. The "change in policy" is double speak to cover the asses of those who said they were following policy. In truth, anyone who had read the policy on the website before the "change," like the victim in this case, would know they are full of shit. It simply can't be said enough, never, never, never a.) trust anyone who works for government at any level or b.) believe anything written, spoken, or carved in stone that was produced by or for any or all government entities.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    more metal work....

    Thanks to a nice "blind" taxi driver some years ago, I have a hip replacement in my early forties, wire holding my shoulder together, plates and screws in both wrists, and further plates and screws in my pelvis. I do have a doctors certificate, but the one place I've ended up having attention paid was SFO. At the time I was hobbling about on a walking stick. Didn't stop em demanding shoes etc, etc, walking sticks etc .... and they didn't appear happy about the plateage, certificate or not. Nonetheless I made my flight in good time.

    Perhaps if the screeners were paid more than minimum wage with decent working conditions they would be more motivated to do the job properly and less motivated to be miserable buggers who excel at what we have here.

    As with much of what goes on post 9/11 security screening appears more about perception of security than security itself.

    Having said that, after an hours wait in an arrivals hall jammed to capacity with passengers to get through immigration at Miami on my last visit, a hall with no aircon, seats for the elderly, disabled or kids, no drinking water....... I might yet think twice about a future trip.

  17. JK
    Flame

    Bah

    Real terrorists won't be caught that way. It's been demonstrated time and time again that this is just security theatre and it won't stop them. Frankly, the whole piercing thing is just retarded. What are they gonna do? Crack it open and check for a micro nerve agent in the tip? You know, something that a russian agent might be using?

    Given that the TSA haven't even gone to college, I doubt that.

    Why didn't the money just goto the local police, say, to better fund SWAT teams for anti-terrorist threats at airports, train stations, and so on? At least those guys understand the law, and can actually do something about threats.

    PS: Fucking wikipedia. I didn't need to see that image. At work, even.

  18. Roger Moore
    Boffin

    Re: X-ray Machines

    "Are not allowed in the US because some privacy groups say it shows to much, then they hooked up a with a fringe medical nu t group that says all those X-rays cause cancer."

    Sorry but this is not a fringe medical nut group: X-rays DO cause cancer. The risk is small and acceptable for medically required diagnostics (obviously otherwise they would not be much use!) but I would be against their use at an airport on a routine basis. The increase in cancer risk for routine exposure is precisely why, when you have an X-ray, the technician goes and hides behind a lead glass partition.

    While the dosage may be lower at an airport scanner if they only need to penetrate clothes there is a big difference in the risk I am willing to accept to detect potentially serious medical problems vs. the risk I am will to take to get on board an aeroplane.

  19. Dave Bell
    Boffin

    Is any searching method safe enough?

    There are those special radar sets they've tried.

    We're told they're safe, but if millions of people get scanned, will they be safe enough?

    Metal detectors modify the electromagnatic environment about a person, and somehow detect the effects of a piece of metal.

    Think of the Children!

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    She only has herself to blame

    She should have worn TSA approved locks on her jubs.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Serves her right

    Anyone who takes part in expressionist self-harm deserves some public humiliation.

    I thought a snicker was a chocolate bar with peanuts?

  22. Andus McCoatover

    Reid - you were amateur!

    Blimey, all this talk of "Bulgarian Airbags" got my sad, fuc*ked up mind thinking...

    What about a C4 'vampire's packed lunch'*? Who'd inspect THAT??

    TSA: "Tampons oot for the lads, ladies!". In one of those grey plastic trays??

    Lovely.

  23. John Dawson

    Berlin Gay LeatherFest - problems for airport security?

    I've just returned from the Berlin Gay LeatherFest held over Easter. At least 2000 leather men in the city, most with piercings, quite a few with PAs, I should think. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in the airport security zone as all that metal set off the bleepers, and then the officials had to investigate "manually"!

    John

  24. Andus McCoatover

    @andus - to me

    Forgot the obvious instruction...

    "Light the blue touchpaper" - or, string

    Priceless.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Re: @andus - to me

    As long as it's blue and not red.

    </coat>

  26. Cameron Colley

    @Jon Minhinnick

    In case you're still reading the comments -- I thought one of the things going for Terahertz scanners was that they are passive?

  27. VulcanV5
    Stop

    Gawd's sake. . .

    It wuz Lubbock, OK?

    Lubbock International Airport, where goats graze the grass growing on the runway.

    The morons employed by the TSA at Lubbock are not representative of anything other than local in-breeding, so to all those on here getting high 'n mighty about the state America's got itself into. . . lighten up.

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