Curious Homeland Security Observation

[Speck Tater]

I just got home from a train trip from Portland OR to Washington DC and back, with shorter side trips at BOTH ends of the trip, including a visit to the coast of NC before Irene chased me away. My Amtrak tickets clearly stated "Photo ID required". I boarded Amtrak at a small town station, changed trains in Portland, OR, changed trains in Chicago, IL, bound for DC, boarded another train in Washington, DC, (for a side trip), a few days later, boarded at a small town Amtrak station to get back to DC. Twelve days later, Boarded a train in Washington, DC, changed trains in Chicago, IL, changed trains in Portland, OR bound for a small town station.

In all those instances of picking up tickets, checking baggage, and boarding trains I was NOT ONCE asked to show my ID. In Chicago, IL the police had set up some kind of checkpoint with sniffer dogs (of unknown type, probably drug or explosive) and something that looked like hand-held metal detectors. I didn't get a close look at the equipment because the cops waved me and my carry on bags around the checkpoint, as they did with several other people waiting in line to board the train.

Just sort of makes me wonder what all that Homeland security money is being spent on if not for "security".

I've done a lot of Amtrak traveling in the last few years and I've only been asked for ID twice; once when I picked up my tickets at the counter in Los Angeles, and once in a small town station when I was actually boarding the train.

[glowing]

1. Kind of glad they are probably understaffed enough they don't care about

train passengers going thru the US. Now, if we had high-speed trains and the type of passenger usage like Europe does, they might be more of a target than they are currently.

[Kennah]

4. My guess is you're correct

Our nostalgic trains aren't as much of a threat, and high speed rail would likely be a bigger threat.

[glowing]

6. And of course, closer to the bigger cities where a bomb would target

a larger number of people.

[catabryna]

2. I've only been asked for ID on Amtrak

when purchasing or exchanging tickets. As for security... the only time I ever saw any sort of security was when they decided to harrass a passenger in Reno, for apparently no reason, because he was allowed back on the train.

[Broderick]

3. It's job creation and luckily the TSA is forming a union

that will increase the jobs required to look at our privates, sniff our crotches and pat us down. It is only just beginning on buses and trains. We need them dressed differently though. Different colors. Maybe black? Maybe bright blue? Maybe a nice rustic brown color?? What do you think?

[rustydog]

5. My guess is you don't look "Muslim" or extremist enough

:sarcasm:

[Speck Tater]

9. You miht be right. I don't look at all "Aryan" enough to be the typical Nordic Terrorist. nt

:sarcasm:

[cwydro]

10. My 85 year old red haired Welsh mom

doesn't look Muslim either...and has been subjected to extra scrutiny almost every time she flies. She's barely five feet tall.

So much for that theory.

[izquierdista]

7. I can confidently say

No one has ever hijacked a train and slammed it into a building.

[baldguy]

8. They're not real "security experts", but they play them on TeeVee.

EVERYTHING Homeland Security does is for show. NOTHING they do makes our lives more secure.

[Zanzoobar]

11. Was your trip on, or about, the anniversary of a very nasty day?

[Speck Tater]

12. No. It was about visiting children and grandchildren who are east of the Rockies now. nt