 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Breast Cancer / July 2005S. AFRICA: Breasts get US worked up
Millicent Merton http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1730224,00.html Cape Town - Women with silicone breast prostheses are advised to carry a doctor's letter with them if they want to escape inspection by American customs and security officials. The Netcare travel clinics have issued a warning to women who have had a mastectomy and who use external silicone prostheses as they are targeted as a potential terrorist threat by American security officers. Dr Andrew Jamieson, director of Netcare travel clinics, said since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 reports have been received from time to time of people with prostheses who experience problems at airports, especially as a result of increased security measures. According a travel clinic official in America one of his patients, who had undergone a mastectomy, was held for more than four hours by security personnel at Amsterdam's Schipol airport who searched passengers destined for a flight to the United States. The security officers were concerned that her silicone prosthesis could possibly have been used to hide explosives. She was allowed to proceed after the prosthesis had been surrendered to them for proper investigation. Travel clinic operators in die US recommend that women with external prostheses should acquire a letter from a doctor. The contact information of the doctor should be on the letter, should it be necessary to confirm the information. Jamieson said many travellers to the US with prostheses of any description have been targeted in the past. This varies from people with metal joints, artificial limbs and people wearing orthopaedic shoes. "Travellers are recommended to take an official letter with them when they visit the US. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ www.BreastImplantAwareness.org "They may not need it, but it may also be of great value to obviate long and disconcerting delays," Jamieson said. > Millicent Merton > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > a doctor's letter with them if they want to escape inspection by > American customs and security officials. A doctor's letter wouldn't prove that the prosthesis someone was wearing was the original! Mary >> Millicent Merton >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Mary ==================== > She was allowed to proceed after the prosthesis had been surrendered > to them for proper investigation. A doctor's letter might speak to the issue of a patient having had a mastectomy, but 'falsies' can be purchased anywhere and are not 'registered'. I suppose a female suicide bomber could be wearing a falsie made of C-4 http://www.ribbands.co.uk/prdpages/C4.htm What a world we have created for ourselves to live in !! What's Next? Cavity searches on kids flying to visit Grandma? >>> Millicent Merton >>> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > a mastectomy, but 'falsies' can be purchased anywhere and are not > 'registered'. No. And a genuine mastectomy case might use them for smuggling, with or without a letter. Also, a determined terrorist would have no problem forging a letter, I doubt that customs are going to bother telephoning to verify that sort of thing. > I suppose a female suicide bomber could be wearing a falsie made > of C-4 http://www.ribbands.co.uk/prdpages/C4.htm > > What a world we have created for ourselves to live in !! > What's Next? Cavity searches on kids flying to visit Grandma? Quite. In a way I'm quite pleased that I shan't be around in thirty years (probably much less but thirty is almost 100% likely!). There are too many technological 'advances' I'm not happy about as well as idealogical power issues. Mary There is nothing in the breast prostheses to set off the alarms at the airports. I have traveled with different styles for 30 years, through major airports in the US, and have never been questioned about my breasts and never patted down. Unless they are looking for contraband and have a reason to pull someone aside, they wouldn't be doing a pat down. The screeners use the wand to go over a person who sets off an alarm. Because the floors of the airports are full of rebar, to check your feet, they are supposed to instruct you to lift your feet. However, this need was eliminated in major US airports with the requirement that everyone remove their shoes before going through security. They don't even question my daughter's insulin needles or ask for a doctor's letter. Carrol carried a card to identify himself as having stents. I don't think he ever had to show it. I have a more difficult time getting through the security at the local courthouse...and it isn't my prostheses setting off the alarm on the scanners. It was metal ribbing in my purse. > >> Millicent Merton > >> [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > What a world we have created for ourselves to live in !! > What's Next? Cavity searches on kids flying to visit Grandma? I've gone through U.S. airports wearing my 'falsies' and it never set off any alarms. Nor was I asked about them or were they detected via a 'pat' search at airport security. I can see other prostheses with metal used in them being an issue, but how on earth could security detect them in Amsterdam? > Millicent Merton > [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > "They may not need it, but it may also be of great value to obviate > long and disconcerting delays," Jamieson said. >I've gone through U.S. airports wearing my 'falsies' and >it never set off any alarms. Nor was I asked about them or [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >being an issue, but how on earth could security detect >them in Amsterdam? A month or so ago the US Customs office closest to me, on the Maine, New Brunswick border, let a man go through who has just murdered two New Brunswickers, which the agents had no way of knowing at the time. The man had a blue Mohawk haircut, was wearing a bloodstained shirt, and was carrying a bloody chainsaw, a knife, a sword, brass knuckles and pepper spray. He told the agents he was a special Marine who worked for the CIA and had killed 700 people under orders. They let him through because they had "no reason" to detain him. At the same time, they refused entry to a Canadian who was with a group of friends entering for a vacation. The Canadian had a 30 year old conviction for the possession of a small amount of pot. Glad they have their priorities straight. Marilyn > A month or so ago the US Customs office closest to me, on the Maine, > New Brunswick border, let a man go through who has just murdered two [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > worked for the CIA and had killed 700 people under orders. They let > him through because they had "no reason" to detain him. Hi Marilyn, Too bad you didn't crosspost your reply back to the other newsgroup or maybe that's for the better. Coleah happened to be in the marines and that would have caused a ruckus between posters on the other newsgroup. :p Anyhow, I'm appalled at this story. I don't always get the news because I live in the sticks. I can explain it, but don't like it. They can't discriminate based on looks (see photo - or if he had blood on his shirt or what might have been blood on his chainsaw). http://www.rabble.ca/babble/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=6&t=000369 (gad...it says there that the customs officers were playing with the swords, thereby destroying evidence..sheesh!) On April 25, a day before the bodies were discovered, Despres arrived at the U.S.-Canadian border at Calais, Maine, carrying a homemade sword, a hatchet, a knife, brass knuckles and a chainsaw stained with what appeared to be blood. Although U.S. customs agents confiscated the weapons and fingerprinted Despres, the border guards decided that he should be allowed to enter the country." (see his picture) I suppose they don't have testing at the border to determine if it's blood (human or animal . http://frankwarner.typepad.com/free_frank_warner/2005/06/chainsaws_acros.html Despres is both Canadian and a naturalized U.S. citizen. I suppose they (think they) solved the problem by confiscating his weapons. I sure wish they'd let him through with his weapons, then chased after and cornered him somewhere and shot him on sight, because you and I know where this is going. Languishing for years in a US prison (Boston, actually), awaiting extradition and appeals. Huge costs (Gov't paid lawyers, appeals etc...), once back, all paid by the taxpayers for someone we already know is guilty of a horrible massacre. J >I suppose they don't have testing at the border to determine if it's blood >(human or animal . St Stephen and Calais (pronounced Callus) on either side of the border are tiny, but apparently if someone is a US citizen they have to let him in no matter what. Even if they get caught saying they are a Marine when they aren't. Always supposing he doesn't have an Arabic name. <g> I heard another story recently which is NOTcomfirmed that a teenaged brother and sister with dual citizenship were detained at the US border because the brother was suspected of kidnapping the sister. They were on the way to visit their father who had custody. The reason the agents didn't believe them? "Fathers don't get custody". Marilyn >http://frankwarner.typepad.com/free_frank_warner/2005/06/chainsaws_acros.html > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >J > I heard another story recently which is NOTcomfirmed that a teenaged > brother and sister with dual citizenship were detained at the US > border because the brother was suspected of kidnapping the sister. > They were on the way to visit their father who had custody. The reason > the agents didn't believe them? "Fathers don't get custody". > Marilyn Is that true? That fathers don't get custody? Mary >> I heard another story recently which is NOTcomfirmed that a teenaged >> brother and sister with dual citizenship were detained at the US [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Mary Only in the minds of custom agents. Although I believe generally women get custody more often than men. >>> I heard another story recently which is NOTcomfirmed that a teenaged >>> brother and sister with dual citizenship were detained at the US [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Only in the minds of custom agents. Although I believe generally women > get custody more often than men. Well yes, I suppose more women than men apply for it. But to say it doesn't happen displays a lack of knowledge about one's country. Thanks for replying, Mary |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.