CAUTION — Elderly terrorist crossing
An 83-year-old Canadian man, who had received a radioactive dye for diagnosis of a heart condition, set off radiation detectors at the U.S.-Canadian border.
The Vancouver Sun reported on Aug. 16 that border guards stopped 83-year-old Stanley Smith at the Peace Arch crossing on August 11. Smith wanted to visit a casino in Ferndale, Wash., but the dye set off alarms during a routine security screening.
Smith was quickly surrounded by heavily armed security guards and questioned. They took his passport and his medical documents.
Smith said that the U.S. customs agents accused him of potentially trying to make a bomb. After half an hour of intense questioning the authorities finally accepted Smith’s explanation that he had undergone an injection of radioactive material the previous day.
Smith said, “It was a nightmare, believe me. “All I heard was buzz, buzz, buzz, and I thought, ‘What in the hell is that for?’ I had no idea I was radioactive. I got the injection in the hospital, but I didn’t know what it was … There must be a lot of people who get these injections, and don’t know. Today’s security is so tough. And those security people, they have no sense of humor whatsoever.”
At least we know the machines work on heart patients.
I think the police may have been a little heavy-handed, but I support their intent. We must screen for nukes, and with “suitcase” nukes available (any MIRV could fit in a large bag, one doesn’t need purpose-built devices) any person could be smuggling one in. Who’s to say he wasn’t someone’s mule?
Having said that, as I first mentioned the problem is that cops are often ham-handed and abusive when tact, professionalism, and courtesy would have worked just as well.
And those security people, they have no sense of humor whatsoever.
I don’t know why…..but this was funny to me.
I am sure a terrorist would put the MIRV in his checked baggage. Jeez.
This is at a border crossing, not an airport.
I had the same thing happen to me. I pulled up to Customs and Immigration at the bridge in Detroit (White-haired driving a Grand Marquis) and the officer said “been to the heart doctor have we?” I told him yes, got pulled over and checked (me and the car) with a Geiger counter. They were courteous and apologized for any inconvenience. At least now I know what the yellow towers are for.
those TSA guys are lucky they didnt scare the old guy into a heart attack or a stroke…
I personally feel that the TSA has this senior threat well covered..
I flew with my in-laws, both 85 and mother 95 from Minnesota to Florida and back. Canes, wheel chairs, complete accouterment package. They were subdued and practically strip searched at each check point.
I tried to take a picture, Dvorak style, but was seriously rebuffed and reprimanded, hence no proof.
Maybe they are now concentrating on the invalid threat. TSA may indeed be secretly profiling, clever devils.
Again, another example of TSA looking in the wrong places. Why check IDs? Why check for radioactive poop plugs? They should be checking luggage, briefcases, purses, etc.
My wife and I crossed into the US with a pickup truck filled with plastic rubbermaid-like containers of our stuff. The border patrol guy looked at them and sighed, then asked what was in them. We said clothing, etc. He sighed again then said ok, go on. Basically he didn’t want to go through the hassle of opening them all. I even look somewhat arab.
Checking an 83 year old man’s ass is probably more fun for them.
Why should they be anything other than ham-handed and single-minded? People who are polite, courteous and professional find better ways to earn a living than being a border security guard. If we want better people, we have to pay more in which case we’ll simply go broke trying to protect ourselves.
Re 7: It is perhaps because your parents could be just faking age. They could really be 20 and just disguised, with their canes/wheelchairs/ect. the equipment to make a nuclear bomb. That or I’m paranoid and have watched them make Orcs on the LotR bonus disks too many times 😉
I’m going with the TSA on this one. They handles it as well as could be expected.
They did have a radioactive alert and investigated it further. Sheesh, what would you have expected them to do? They questioned him for ½ hour before coming to the conclusion that all was, in fact, well. The guy wasn’t stripped and probed, held incommunicado for three weeks, sent to a Navy Brig in North Carolina, or had some overzealous Federal Prosecutor claiming they had apprehended a dirty bomb terrorist.
Last year there was another woman who set off the metal detectors. It turned out there was still a metal retractor inside her from an operation six months earlier. At least the woman knew why she was still experiencing pain.
Geez Fusion….your getting so, ahhh…so calm about the TSA…..guess it must be sinking in that Bush is gone in 2 years 🙂