A little power run amok
My father is almost 80. He has parkinson's disease and has had for about 15 years. My parents were just in Grand Prairie to see my little brother and his family. My brother drove them to Edmonton and they flew to Saskatoon from there. When they were going to board in Edmonton, my father, who also uses a walker when there is room to use it, was asked by security if they could look at his cane. It was handmade by his great uncle, and looks handmade. The young security guard asked if it came apart, was told no, and then proceeded to try and twist it apart. During this ordeal he was also told to hand over his walker so they could look at it. The youngster was very adamant about getting into my fathers cane, and asked my dad if it had a rod inside or a pipe. When told that he didn't know, the kid told my dad that he would just have to break the cane so he could examine the inside and make sure that this 80 year old man was not smuggling drugs from the drug metropolis of Edmonton, or maybe he had a sword built into it so he could take over the plane. What is wrong with some people. Maybe he was bored and hadn't been able to push anybody around for a few hours. I mean, how many suspicious looking characters fly from Edmonton to Saskatoon aboard a local West jet flight. Are all people who use canes and walkers now going to be accosted by overzealous security people. Some people just need to be taken out behind the barn and slapped really hard until they get it. They really aren't that powerful or important. My father with his fantastic attitude only saw that this whole act was just a little silly. The rest of us, me included would file a formal complaint and have this kids plastic badge.
Maybe I could learn something from this, I don't know though. I would have felt injured. I would have felt that I deserved better treatment than this. I should be treated with respect. I hate when I am taught a lesson right in the middle of feeling indignant about how badly I was mistreated. Oh wait, it wasn't even against me. And yea, the kid did carried away with his power a bit, especially considering who he was interrogating. Oh crap, this didn't turn out at all how I wanted it to. I wanted to continue to stand on my soap box and shout this injustice to the world until I got enough encouragement from all of you that I should do something about this. I should on behalf of my father file a formal complaint and take it as far as need be. BUT I WOULD GET AN APOLOGY!!!And then I would feel soooo good. I had overcome the system. The little guy had fought big business and won. Not only big business, but the government. All of a sudden I would have the power, I was now the big guy and nobody would push me around........oops. I think I just saw what a little power could do in the wrong hands.
Maybe I could learn something from this, I don't know though. I would have felt injured. I would have felt that I deserved better treatment than this. I should be treated with respect. I hate when I am taught a lesson right in the middle of feeling indignant about how badly I was mistreated. Oh wait, it wasn't even against me. And yea, the kid did carried away with his power a bit, especially considering who he was interrogating. Oh crap, this didn't turn out at all how I wanted it to. I wanted to continue to stand on my soap box and shout this injustice to the world until I got enough encouragement from all of you that I should do something about this. I should on behalf of my father file a formal complaint and take it as far as need be. BUT I WOULD GET AN APOLOGY!!!And then I would feel soooo good. I had overcome the system. The little guy had fought big business and won. Not only big business, but the government. All of a sudden I would have the power, I was now the big guy and nobody would push me around........oops. I think I just saw what a little power could do in the wrong hands.
posted by John at 7:50 PM
22 Comments:
wow... i can't believe that happend to grampa... yeah, i'm all for a behind the barn beating... just say when and where... this time my services are free of charge
I think I would say something. I am horrified and mad. Of course I am a bit of a sh** disturber anyway but I would say something. I wouldn't care. That is just wrong. I think I will call West Jet myself..can you give me a few more details??? No seriously, I really don't know what I believe about keeping my mouth shut. Unless I get a direct order from God, I would blast them for sure.
Keegan read the blog. And once he was in his flying uniform with all his security badges and they actually asked him to remove his shoes and belt. He thinks you should complain. I'm not sure if you go through the airline company though. They really have nothing to do with the security guards. But they would probably point you in the right direction. Those buggers are brutal. They will do anything if they think they can get away with it. Keegan hates them.
did they actually break grampa's cane?
No trav....they just said they would have to if they really wanted to see what it was made like inside. It was just a wee bit of power gone way bezerk.
oh and trav.. thanks for the offer of help. you hold him......i'll slap him. How does that sound?
I am far too much like my mother and I have been harassed at far too many airports. I can't believe that little...ooh I'm getting so mad I can barely think straight. I've been threatened deportation before, waited around for hours in embassies across the globe, had my luggage searched 3 times in 10 minutes -IN CANADA! and I have still never heard of anything like this. Maybe the guy thinks that if he acts all tough, he'll get promoted to someplace really dangerous, like Winnepeg. What a jerk. Definately complain, I'll do it if no one else will. And the barn beating sounds great. Now I have to go work, I'd better not get any rude customer support e mails today. Watch out world!!
well as i'm sure all of you know, i'm a security guard myself, and i don't know what part of the law this guy read, but he has absolutely no right to go off like that, that's pure and simple harassment... i looked into it... he could actually face criminal charges and hence loose his job from that... i mean, i've acted justly with extreme prejudice before, and even to the point where i leave people in handcuffs bleeding waiting for the ambulance to come pick them up... the were bleeding before the cuffs were put on them... i stopped as soon as they were cuffed, but that is absolutely ridiculous... what in the world kind of threat is an 80 year old mennonite from osler saskatchewan going to pose on a westjet flight?? this guy deserves to have his lisence pulled, if not face harassment charges
I totally agree with you Trav and Angie. It's very simple to put it through the scanner to see if it contained metal. I'm sure that mom and dad wouldn't have gotten the guys name otherwise I think I would have put in a complaint. I don't know if they would do anything but I still think a complaint should be put in. What a bunch of feisty Brauns!!
I heard about this last night at Art and Carol's. I was ready to go to Edmonton and find the little pipsqueek who actually thought my 80 year old father was a threat to Canada's national security. And, John, I think a behind-the-barn beating is too good., unless you're talking about beating him with Dad's cane.
Thats it. I couldnt take this kind of justified wrath if it was directed at me, and I feel that if I dont file a complaint or at least tell someone "in authority" about this, some of this wrath will be directed at me. Just kidding. But even without the name they should be able to do something since they know what time people work. I will file and let you know right here how it turns out. All this fiestiness makes me so proud to be a part of this family. I feel wound up, excited, like I could leap tall buildings with a single bound. I am going outside to find a train and race it. I think Im faster.
i don't know about the tall buildings uncle john... i mean, c'mon, lets be realistic... maybe climb tall buildings with a real long ladder.... there we go... yeah, that works
The thing is, is that grandpa is a strong man in character and handled it well, and yeah maybe the guard did go to far in threatening to break the cane, but if he is that ludicristly dilegent with an 80 year old man immagine how he is with a 20 year old who does possibly pose a threat with a cane. Just because grandpa would not use the cane as a weapon does not mean that another would not. So I for one feel a little safer when flying because people actually do their jobs, even though in this case it was ridiculous to be so forcefull with grandpa.
Trevor (Cindi's husband)
I agree with you angie. The guy is totally incompetent. If he thinks Grandpa is a 'terrorist' threat, then he really doesn't know what one looks like at all which makes me feel more unsafe like you. Hire some professionals that know what to look for and stop harrassing innocent old men.
i can see where trevor is coming from, and granted, grampa probably handled this better than anyone else in the world would have, but the fact does still remain, what this little maggot did was too far. there is a distict line between being reasonable, and being a jack @$$ and he was definately the latter. the guy obviously does not understand any of the law he should have been taught when he got his job, and yeah... talking about it makes me want to run into him in a dark alley.... but anyways, i thought mennonites were supposed to be passive
I almost laugh when I read this page. Trav, you're right. We are supposed to be passive. But that was our dad and grandfather they messed with. I feel like John. I am proud to be a part of this family. What do you think Dad would do if he could read all these comments. Probably laugh and shed some tears that we all get so up in arms about what happened to him. Anyway, I'm still for hi-jacking Dad's cane and finding the slug who had the nerve to mess with our Dad.
John, I think you may have just passed anyone I know for the amount of comments on one posting. Wow, you should get a reward of somekind. As for passive...who said we are to be passive???
i'm gonna make it an even 20 comments
I'm appalled that someone would do that to an 80 year old man!!!!!!!! The kid should be slapped until he was silly!!!! That would totally make me mad, that's for sure.
Mitz, I'm not sure who said we are supposed to be passive. I think his name was Sandler...Adam maybe...oops. No it was some guy who lives in the 1500s who was the founder of the mennonites..Menno Simons maybe? But, anyway I am first a Christian and not even Mennonite at all. Not only that, Menno's 80 year old father probably newer got accosted by some over zealous punk security gaurd at an airport. So forget passive. Lets go get him.
Sorry to say, although I think grandpa handled this well, I think uncle john handled it better by complaining about it. Trevor, the world would also be a much safer place if we monitored everyones homes with video cameras, and never allowed anyone to travel overseas, or let refugees in from other countries. I guess it depends if you value safety over people and values. Sure the guy was more thorough, but at what cost? Sometimes the price is too high. Besides, there was a way of dealing with the issue of Grandpa's cane that also included him being respectful. I see where you're coming from, I honestly do, but I think the point here is about being respecful, not being dilligent. I agree he should have checked his cane, makes me feel safer that it's being done, but not at the expense of respecting our fellow human beings, especially if they are elderly.
I don't know what the problem is but the website you gave me Ang, when I click on the contact us button, it says this site temporarily unavailable. will try again tomorrow.
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