RE: MOSR pm MOSX

Michael.Orr@Design-Intelligence.com
Thu, 7 Jan 1999 20:39:44 -0800

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert S. Thau [mailto:rst@ai.mit.edu]
>
> Robert Harley writes:
> > Yup. I expect them to add knives soon. I mean, you might *claim* you
> > want one to cut your Christmas turkey, but perhaps you actually intend
> > to murder some honest God-fearing American citizens! However assault
> > rifles are presumably OK.
>
> Actually I remember hearing about a really nasty story of someone
> already running up against this sort of thing --- the grandmother of a
> friend (if I recall correctly) packed a carving knife in her luggage,
> and wound up getting detained by airport security.
>
> My apologies for not necessarily being straight on all the details,
> here, though; I heard this particular story in the playground at my
> elementary school...

In the early days of airport security scans, I'm going through with a
colleague -- as his briefcase is going through the scanner, the official
barks out, "What's that?"

He looks: "Oh, it's an X-Acto knife."

"KNIFE!!?"

"NO! NO! I mean it's a tool I use for making presentation charts!"

"Oh, okay..."

I'm not making this up. I think it may have gotten less discretionary
since then. I thought the only esthetically proper sequel to this would
have been for him to hold it against somebody's throat and hijack the
plane, but he wouldn't do it. Some friend.

Regards,
Mike