Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/21

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Peter goes abroad, returns to tell about it!
From: Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>
Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 10:47:50 -0700 (PDT)

Ouch, Ken, that sounds difficult.  Surely there must be a way to contact
an airline and arrange some of this stuff beforehand, isn't there?  Some
pre-screening and an airline rep helping you through the rent-a-cops might
make things more possible.  The rent-a-cops are trained for average
circumstances, and clearly, yours are not average.

Your diabetes and dialysis requirements are bona fide disabilities, and
last time I looked, the Americans with Disabilities Act was not repealed
post-9/11.  I can't believe that no airline is willing to accomodate your
genuine needs.  Perhaps a letter to a Congress member or an FAA person
might help, too.

I know I spoke lightly of the security inconveniences, because I believe
that the best way to deal with things you can't control is to laugh at
them.  Of course, for me, the security stuff was just an inconvenience,
and evidence presented on the LUG suggests that one or two x-rays is not
going to mess up my ISO 400 film.  In your case, it's a bit different.

Still, though the civil libertarian in me balks, I would rather be
inconvenienced than blown up.  

- --Peter

On Tue, 21 May 2002, Ken Wilcox wrote:

> Peter,
> 
> An interesting story. I, for one, do not feel any safer for the 
> Draconian procedures and civil liberty violations being undertaken in 
> the US and elsewhere.
> 
> As a photographer with serious health problems I would not even try 
> to fly anymore. Medications all must be in original packaging. (I buy 
> large quantities that would be onerous to carry along.)  I am 
> diabetic and must bring testing equipment and syringes along. I also 
> must take along a large electronic piece of equipment, a dialysis 
> machine and supplies of liquid dialyte. Any special food that I need 
> to bring I MUST PROVE are actually foods.
> 
> All the foolish and useless restrictions simply make air travel for 
> me, and those like me, impossibly difficult.
> 
> Ken Wilcox
> 
> >Second, let me add a couple of data points to the airport X-ray 
> >arena.  As I've always done in recent years, I took all my film out 
> >of the plastic canisters and put it in zip-lock plastic bags.

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