51st State

7.3.2kX

Does anyone remember back in the 70s and 80s when there would be news reports about a bar in West Germany - frequented by GIs - that got blown up by some terrorist group or another? The bomb would be in a backpack or small sac that the normal-looking terrorist would innocently leave under the table they'd been drinking at - often cozying up to the very GIs they were about to blow up. Jerks.

It happened at airports, too. These were not really booby traps, just innocent-looking luggage or items that didn't draw much attention to themselves. They belonged to someone.

I was waiting to jet to the desert last Saturday, and in the terminal observed a fellow on a phone call sitting across from me at one end of a row of seats; his wheelie at his side. I looked up from the book I was reading: A book about US paratroopers in WWII and the off-the-hook crackpots they were. I looked up in astonishment of what I'd just read. I looked up and there he was, getting pretty excited on the phone. He got up and walked off. I went back to my book.

A few minutes later I looked up again (again in astonishment), and noticed he had not returned. I glanced around the gate-area and there he was, on the phone near the windows, his wheelie still near the seat he had sat in. As I watched, a girl came over and sat in the very seat. A short time later, some kid sat on the floor right next to the wheelie, which now looked like it belonged to the girl. Telephone wheelie-abandoner was still on his call.

They called my boarding group. I queued. Boarded. Jetted. Don't know what happened, but didn't expect anything would.

This morning, on the radio, I heard a news report that a security inspection at LAX revealed some pretty big holes. One of which was seemingly-abandoned luggage was allowed to sit for long periods without being investigated.

No shit.

Tonight - Two-fer: We'll start off early at the The Knockout for "Bingotopia" followed by Argus Lounge for $5 Maker's Mark specials after 9pm!

Oh yeh: TNSC Birthday Greetings to JPo and Joan Bittner!

bye-ee!

whrr ... clik!