The Rhode Island Incident
This is a true story....
On my way back from some time well spent at Sarah and John's in Cape Cod, I had what one would call a potential disaster that thankfully didn't realize it's full potential. As I arrived at the airport I began to prepare for the security line. I took my shoes off, took the change out of my pocket, puled my belt out of it's loops and took my laptop out of my back pack. I mention my backpack last as that is where my troubles began.
I love my backpack..it's like an extension of me. It's my constant travel companion. It's my travel with me everywhere I go backpack...my backpack that's seen India, Amsterdam and the mountains of western Maryland where I go camping. Camping....I love camping. In fact I went camping last week for a few days. Had a great time! Beautiful weather...nice breeze...quiet peace. Now, one thing I like to do when I go camping is carve things out of sticks or branches that I find. I'm not really good at it. it's just something I like doing. I just like carving.
Now think to yourself...what is the one tool that you need to carve wood? Hmmmmm....if you guessed knife you'd be correct! Well that knife was still in my bag when I got top providence airport, but I forgot about it. As they passed nmy bag through the scanner they all stopped to take a look. Then they passed it through again..then a 3rd time. I started to get a little worred when they called the supervisor over to look a the screen. As he stared at it for a minute he said something and then they all looked over at me all with a look of evil suspicion on there face. At this point they called me over to the scanner and the supervisor asked me to describe what was in my bag. I'm listing off the contents of my bag to him (notebook, camera, webcam, wallet, pens, pencils etc.). After I get throguh all I can remember he asks "What about anything metal? Maybe a knife?"
As soon as he said that my jaw dropped, I turned white and literally almost passed out. They must have seen this reaction because they were all gave me this look like "Thats' right...we got you!". So , they take me and my bags over to the secure center and pull out the knife. They guy asks me how long the blade is and I hold my fingers up saying about this much. He asks how many inches is it and I didn't know. He then says that if it's 3 inches or longer they will be arresting me! I was dying! So he takes out the knife and measures it and it's 3 inches exactly!!! he looks at me, shakes his head and tells me to sit down and that I will not be making my flight! At this point I start shaking. All i'm thinking is that instrad of going to India I'll be going to jail. I was freaking out. Now the thing that pisses me off is that I had flown from BWI Airport (take note future jihadists!) 2 days earlier with that same knife in my bag and got through with no problems or questions. However, as the police, FBI officers and TSA security would later repeat to me over and over again...I wasn't flying out of BWI. I was in Rhode Island and there are rules in Rhode Island, and they might be different than the rules in Maryland. They just didnt want to admit that BWI TSA official's screwed up.
Now as the cops, FBI guys and other TSA people stared to swarm around me the cop took the knife and measured it. I notice he's taking a long time and calling over the FBI guys. They spend like 5 minutes measuring my damn knife then call the TSa guy over. After another 5 minutes they call me over and tell me I got lucky. The TSA guy measured it wrong and the blade was only 2 7/8'! LOOL Saved by 1/8'!!! Well that was almos the end, but then they decide to check the rest of my bag. Now Sarah...this is where you come in!
Sarah kindly decided to give me some leftover malaria mediaction for my trip to Inida. Now as the cops looked through my bags they discover the pill bottles and are like "HOLD UP!". They start grilling me about what they are, who is sarah symons, why do I have her prescroptions and so on. I was like OH MY GOD PLEASE TAKE ME AWAY FROM HERE! LOL. I explained to them that they were malariaand traveller medaication which at first they didn't believe. So they had me sit back down and called up another FBI guy to take a look at the pills. The other FBI guy tells me and I quote.."If we find out that these are narcotics and not malaria meds you are fried!". So the FBI comes up...looks at them and does something on his computer. they then take one and put it in some kind of test kit and test it. It comes up not a narcotic. After about an hour they finally let me go as I was almost collapsing from stress and fear! LOOL... I literally made it to the gat eas they were shutting the door and they had exactly 1 seat left onthe flight! CRAZY!
That's my story of almost being arrested for drugs and weapons smuggling instead of going to India! LOL
