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Europe
Sleep well tonight, France is on guard!
2004-07-09
Two-year-old twins from the UK had their plastic toy swords seized at a French airport, say their parents. Olivia and Eva Ryan, from Luton, Beds, were waiting with their parents to check in at Charles de Gaulle Airport after a trip to EuroDisney. The children's father, Peter Ryan, said French officials classed the swords as replica weapons.
I classify France as a replica country
He said the family tried to stress they went with Peter Pan outfits and would be difficult to replace. Mr Ryan told the BBC: "When the swords were taken away the children burst into tears. "She (my partner) was absolutely furious. But I tended to let it go because I do work at airports and thought 'we'll get two swords when we get home'. We get through customs, and you've got a gift shop selling large die-cast metal 11in Eiffel Tower spikes."
With nice sharp points, but they're of a French landmark, so it's ok.
Mr Ryan said he understood the need for security, but felt these officials went too far. "I think it was a little bit of an over-reaction to these toy swords, and an under-reaction to the Eiffel Towers and the bottles of alcohol available after the check-in, " he said.
Well, with US airport security taking away nail clippers and strip searching little old ladies, we shouldn't be surprised.

A spokesman for Charles De Gaulle Airport refused to comment on the incident.
Posted by:Steve

#12  #9 Jarhead...thanks for your service! My point was somewhat about a uniformed officer, but it was more about the P.C. s#it we put up with by NOT profiling. Last I read, all the terrorists that I know of (with the exception of Ireland in the 80s) in recent history have been MUSLIM, and generally younger males (not including the Paleos sending women homicide bombers into Israel). I'm afraid that we may be winning the war abroad, but losing it here at home, with P.C. reigning! Until this country wakes up and realizes that these "lunatic fringes" (as Aris calls them) are not fringes, but what the mainstream Muslims believe, although, most of them don't act on it, we're not aware of "who are enemy truly is."
Posted by: BA   2004-07-09 11:23:09 PM  

#11  JFM - Touche. And I hope that one day some descendants of the men who fought at Castillon and Verdun will come forward to take their place in the WOT.
Posted by: Matt   2004-07-09 7:48:54 PM  

#10  Matt

Joan d'Arc died a virgin. It is more probable that the aiport officials descended from the guys who crushed Lord Talbott at Castillon.
Posted by: JFM   2004-07-09 6:08:51 PM  

#9  I was in uniform w/ID card and everything and got frisked at both Charlotte and Detroit's airports; the security folks were just doing their job but it was still pretty silly imho.
Posted by: Jarhead   2004-07-09 4:35:27 PM  

#8  I replied "only my rapier wit" and was summarily dismissed to a small tent where I was frisked and stripped. Okay, fun at any price.

LOL. I half believe you!

You should have replied "Only my rapier like rapier"
Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-09 2:01:24 PM  

#7  It's almost six hundred years since Agincourt, and these guys are still scared shitless of any English person with a sword.

I am impressed, though, that the French airport officials did not simply surrender on the spot. One of them must have been descended from Jeanne D'Arc.
Posted by: Matt   2004-07-09 11:55:31 AM  

#6  What gets me is that...not only were they children, but girls at that! Man, the Euroweenies are afraid of lil' British girls w/ plastic swords now, eh? Of course, some of the U.S. searches/seizures are just as mind numbing in the name of P.C. and not profiling people. Last year, I actually saw the security people in Jacksonville, FL (would've thought at least some sort of reasoning ability there) stop "randomly" a UNIFORMED US soldier to frisk him! I should've said something to him (Like, Hey thanks for protecting this guy's "right" to search you w/o suspicion) on the way onto the plane, but didn't get a chance, as they wisked him away a little bit to frisk/question him.
Posted by: BA   2004-07-09 11:36:25 AM  

#5  Isn't there some kind of mental illness associated with mindlessly following "zero tolerance" laws?

Perhaps the frontal lobe of their brain, which controls judgement, has been damaged. Large amounts of alcohol can impair judgement for up to six months, as an example.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2004-07-09 11:06:17 AM  

#4  I believe nail clippers are now allowed on flights. But I have one better. I recently flew Business Class out of De Gaulle (Roissy) and after the brutal French security check where I was asked if I had any "sharp objects" I replied "only my rapier wit" and was summarily dismissed to a small tent where I was frisked and stripped. Okay, fun at any price. But at the lounge inside security I was offered dinner and used (switch off suprise meter)perfectly fine sterling silver dinnerware.
Posted by: Jack is Back!   2004-07-09 10:51:37 AM  

#3  It's just because they were English children. If they had been 25 year old bearded jihadis with box cutters, the Frogs would have wished them well and sent them on their way. What a waste of oxygen.
Posted by: RWV   2004-07-09 10:41:36 AM  

#2  Yeah, that sucks folks, but at least the airport didn't collapse on top of you, so it could've been worse.
Posted by: tu3031   2004-07-09 10:41:05 AM  

#1  Well, with US airport security taking away nail clippers

The involuntary nail clipper removal effort is actually a clever plot to stockpile strategic metals and rare fungus for the coming era of low sense.

Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-09 10:39:11 AM  

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