Yeah, tomk, I heard the same story. Makes ME feel safe.

I heard a related story (wish I could reference it here) that one of these "Dave Nelsons" now goes by his middle name and breezes through airport security without a hitch.

The terrorists would never think of that :-o

What really burns me about this issue is that the plight of all the David Nelsons has been well documented in the popular media for months now, and yet, THE GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM! Where the hell are the outraged congress-people? Why can't these guys sue the frickin' incompetent TSA? Doesn't this screw-up simply show the terrorists what a joke our security really is? This is SO something right out of _Brazil_, it drives me bug-sh*t.

But at least we're protected from Gilmore and his "Suspected Terrorist" button. [Insert sound of my head exploding.]

Edited by author 08-03-2003 03:14 PM
What really gets me is the dumbass way these things are handled. I mean, David Nelson (as in Ozzie and Harriet's David Nelson) gets all the hassle too. It reminds of of about 15 years ago when Levar Burton was stopped by the cops in Gilroy, Ca., because he was black and driving a BMW while wearing stylish clothes -- and they kept him there for a hour and a half before letting him go with no charges. I mean, this was one black guy half the country knew, from Roots and Star Trek, and their kids knew him from Reading Rainbow. Yet they couldn't figure out, even with his distinctive looks and name, that he was an actual rich black guy who no doubt bought the damn car. If even celebrities get hassled like that, what happens when I get stopped? I've got an awfully common name -- how many lists is it on?

Look, even before 911 getting onto a plane with the name "David Nelson" would have been unacceptably provocative.

We are ALL Dave Nelson!