Parents ought to take a stand here. I can't blame them entirely when they submit at the gate. This is out of a combination of ignorance and intimidation. I like to think that I would protest if I were in that position, but the consequences of this could be quite severe (including separation from my child, which would be frightening even if for only a few minutes), and it's possible that I would ultimately submit. This is why I am now doing my best to avoid these situations by not allowing my child to fly on commercial airlines in the US.
Incidentally, I am curious whether it is possible to get to Europe (in less than a week and without spending a fortune) and avoid these types of rights infringements. Is crossing the US-Canada border still relatively free? Are scanners and pat-downs absent from Canadian airports? Which European airports are best for avoiding the gestapo?
I did manage to cross into Canada twice this summer without proper documents. I did have passports, but I didn't have authorization from my wife, which I was supposed to have. For reasons I can only guess at, they let me in both times. I blogged about it - stories here:
ReplyDeletehttp://bborsk.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/saturday-in-the-park/#more-88
http://bborsk.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/little-car-on-the-prairie/#more-359
European airport security isn't quite as bad as TSA. They will take away liquids, but you can keep your shoes on in most cases. No porno scanners. The pat down looks somewhat invasive, but you only get it if you set off the alarm in the old school metal detector. I guess I should mention that I've been to four London airports, Oslo, Geneva, and two in Spain. They all seemed the same to me security-wise. And Spain doesn't even make you fill out a landing card! :)
Thanks, Adam!
ReplyDeleteKat, I drove to Toronto from Vermont for the PDAC conference back in March. Elliott and I also drove into Quebec for our honeymoon. I forget the border crossings I went through, but it took probably about 30 seconds to enter and exit. They ask a couple questions about where you're going when you enter and where you're from when you leave, and if you're carrying any animals or fruits/vegetables etc. but it's pretty quick and painless.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there's still a chance that you could be asked to submit to a more thorough search - and there's really no backing out of it once you're at the crossing.
But if you have your passport ready, and are able to answer their quick questions it's much, much easier and less intrusive than any security check I've gone through at an airport.