After reading Halcyons thread about his 9-11 stance, I thought I would share what happened to me at the Honolulu airport 2 days ago.
First let me say that now (the past year) I always politely ask for a hand inspection of my shoes. The ground that you have to walk on barefoot is a bacteria playground and I have already had 2 warts removed since walking on them AND had several cases of athletes foot. The podiatrist says this has become very common with travelers since the new rules about removing shoes.
So now when I pass the security I politely ask for a hand inspection of my feet and shoes. However this time I really was not going to remove them because I sliced my feet up on coral while surfing. The last thing I wanted to do was walk barefoot with cuts on my feet, over bacteria hell.
The conversation went something like this:
SECURITY: Do you have a laptop?
ME: Yes. Also, can I please get a hand inspection of my feet, I sliced up my feet pretty bad and don't want to get an infection.
SECURITY: You mean you won't remove your shoes? *Yells over to another security person almost in panic* This passenger will not remove his shoes. I need security please.
ME: Whoa there, I'm not trying to make problems, I just need a hand inspection for health reasons.
* At this time 2 other security officers escort me to an area and sit me down*
SECURITY: Why won't you take off your shoes?
ME: Because I cut them up surfing and I don't want to get an infection. That is very dirty where I would have to walk.
SECURITY: Let me see your feet.
ME: OK. * I remove my sandals and show my feet and the cuts*
* One of them leans down and actually touches one of my cuts *
ME: OUCH! What are you doing? Stop!
SECURITY: I need to inspect this.
ME: I'm sorry but nobody but medical personal is going to touch the wounds on my feet.
* At this time the guy radios to someone *
SECURITY: (on radio) I need support. I have a passenger that is not being cooperative.
ME: Come on... this is getting a little out of control.
SECURITY: I need your boarding pass and ID.
ME: Uhhh... OK. (give it to them)
* At this time about 4 more people come over and start asking me questions about where I have been, where I stayed, why I was there, how I cut my feet... and on and on. I was still polite. *
SECURITY: Sir, you are going to have to remove your shoes and walk through the detector.
ME: I will not. I will give you my shoes and you can run them through the detector just the same as all the airports around the world would do. I don't understand why this is an issue.
SECURITY: You are in no position to tell me what to do. You will do as I say or you will not be getting on your plane.
ME: I want to talk to the head of airport security. This is out of hand. If I walk through there and my feet get infected, I will sue you, this airport, and the airline. You are out of line, I want to speak to your supervisor right now. I also want to use my phone to call my attorney.
* Pissed, he makes a call. I wait for about 15 minutes until some guy comes over. Apparently he is running the show. *
HEAD OF SECURITY: What's the problem.
* I tell him in detail *
SECURITY: He has been a problem sir.
HEAD OF SECURITY: I don't see a problem, just scan his shoes, can't you see his feet?
ME: THANK YOU!!!!
* At that time they scanned my shoes and made me wait for my ID and boarding pass until I almost missed my flight. I had to full sprint to the gate. *
Un-fucking-real.
I travel non-stop and ONLY when I step onto US soil do I ever have problems.
