What the hell happened

[Caribou]

I had to share this one.


What the hell happened to OUR country while we were gone?"
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As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan , I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan , We flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards. Our first stop was Shannon ,Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis , Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That's where the stupid started.

First, everyone was forced to get off the plane - even though the plane wasn't refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.

It's probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren't loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs.

The TSA personnel at the airport seriously considered making us unload all of the baggage from the SECURE cargo hold to have it re-inspected. Keep in mind, this cargo had been unpacked, inspected piece by piece by U.S. Customs officials, resealed and had bomb-sniffing dogs give it a one-hour run through. After two hours of sitting in this holding area, the TSA decided not to re-inspect our cargo - just to inspect us again: Soldiers on the way home from war, who had already been inspected, re-inspected and kept in a SECURE holding area for 2 hours. Ok, whatever. So we lined up to go through security AGAIN.

This is probably another good time to remind you all that all of us were carrying actual assault rifles, and some of us were also carrying pistols



So we're in line, going through one at a time. One of our soldiers had his Gerber multi-tool. TSA confiscated it. Kind of ridiculous, but it gets better. A few minutes later, a guy empties his pockets and has a pair of nail clippers. Nail clippers. TSA informs the soldier that they're going to confiscate his nail clippers.

The conversation went something like this:

TSA Guy: You can't take those on the plane.

Soldier: What? I've had them since we left country.

TSA Guy: You're not suppose to have them.

Soldier: Why?

TSA Guy: They can be used as a weapon.

Soldier: [touches butt stock of the rifle] But this actually is a weapon. And I'm allowed to take it on.

TSA Guy: Yeah but you can't use it to take over the plane. You don't have bullets.

Soldier: And I can take over the plane with nail clippers?

TSA Guy: [awkward silence]

Me: Dude, just give him your ********* nail clippers so we can get the F**K out of here. I'll buy you a new set.

Soldier: [hands nail clippers to TSA guy, makes it through security]

To top it off, the TSA demanded we all be swabbed for "explosive residue" detection. Everyone failed, [go figure, we just came home from a war zone], because we tested positive for "Gun Powder Residue". Who the F**K is hiring these people?

This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns - but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.

Can someone please tell me what the hell happened to OUR country while we were gone?



Sgt. Mad Dog Tracy

[awkuby]

My son in law shipped out to Iraq a couple of years ago. Similar situation boarding plane carrying weapons and then had shampoo taken away because it wasn't 3 oz or less.

[Texas Heart Shot]

Sorry, while you were gone fighting a war for us, the f g idiots elected an illegitimate SOB to run our country. Hope ya can can help change this mess come next election.

[ajr2820]

Thank you for your service. I am not sure what happened while you were gone, but I plan to work to rectify the situation and return the USA to "WE the People".

[NCGunDude]

Thanks for your service and welcome home.

Apparently, nothing is going to be done by Congress until after November. In January 2013, extended unemployment benefits run out, tax cut extension expires, and $2.4T in across the board cuts are implemented. All of this spells an unmitigated disaster. The parabolic debt curve must be arrested. The ONLY way to do this is to reduce the size of government, which has essentially replaced the private sector.

Considering it is unlikely we will go what is right, then what is likely depends on whether Obama or Romney are POTUS. Obama will expand government, to what end no one knows, and Romney will allow corporations to continue to loot the national treasury. Either way, we have new masters and everyone else is left to fight for the scraps, meaning the housing and labor markets are toast.

It's possible Obama is the lesser of two evils considering the reality of our unsustainable debt trend. Growing government is better than allowing corporations free reign. What is unholy is a corporate government alliance, against which we don't stand a chance economically. I don't know if that's feasible after everything else has been abandoned, there just isn't enough to go around.

So, while corporations continue to move offshore, and government continues to grow, the only unknown is how long the US will be able to borrow money. That is an international concern, as friction overseas translates into dollars invested in Treasuries. There may be a period of calm when the US needs to borrow money, and no one is willing to lend. At that point, there will be no private industry, and corporations will be in the wind. At that point, it will be too late to discuss limiting government and regulating industry. We need both, the lack of which is the legacy of post WWII America.

Bottom line: while you were gone, it was business as usual. The noose only tightened a bit.

[MH52]

Thank you for your service to our nation. I am sorry you had to go through the TSA stupidity (an organization that needs to end). Thank you again.

[Finlander]

Welcome home, and thanks for your service. Sorry about your airport fiasco, you've just witnessed the "dumbing down" of the USA. No foreign country could ever take us by force, it will be an inside job.

[ellwood45c]

Thank you for your service an god bless u anyour family. Sorry for the trouble you had to endure. You should have had them taking the best possible care of you , instrad of harrasing .

[Nightmare45]

Should have hit the TSA AH between the eyes with your butt stock, then "still want the nail clippers???)
Thanks for your service the idiots are watching the asylum. God Bless America.

[50SR9]

Sorry, while you were gone fighting a war for us, the f g idiots elected an illegitimate SOB to run our country. Hope ya can can help change this mess come next election.

Well, the new TSA security regulations came about under Bush's wreckedency after the 911 attack.I am not a flag waving supporter of Obama, but I do like to keep the events straight, and I think Bush did nothing but drive this country into the ground for 8 years. That is for another forum tho, so enough of that.

Caribou,
Thanks for yours and your fellow military personnel for what you do. I have a son-in-law now in basic, I pray that he makes it through his hitch safely as I pray all of our military personnel do. This country has been taken over by the spineless, don't offend anyone, must be politically correct, save everyone BUT the people in this country idiots. I feel sorry for what you have gone through both over there and here. None of us, unless some drastic changes take effect soon, are going to be very happy with our country or leadership. Unfortunately, I don't believe any of the bullbutter that ANY of the candidate hopefuls are spouting. Let what the people want to hear come across their lips, and then do what the hell ever when elected. Oops, I am beginning to rant...