[HANASHIR:13741] RE: No Strings Attached!

[Adrian Durlester <adrian...>]

My understanding is that the AFM (American Federation of Musicians) was
working with the TSA (Transportation Security Adminsitration) to relax some
of these stringent and inconsistently enforced policies.  More information
can be found on the MENC site here:

http://www.menc.org/information/infoserv/traveltipsformusicians.html


Adrian

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at) 
shamash(dot)org] On
Behalf Of Jeff Klepper
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 11:03 PM
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Subject: [HANASHIR:13737] No Strings Attached!


Hi Folks,

This past weekend as I was scurrying through the x-rays at Logan Airport on
the way to a gig, I was stopped and questioned about my guitar by one of the
new Federal screeners.  He rifled through my gig bag and took out all my
extra guitar strings!  Said they were a potential weapon.  I always knew
that music was a weapon of peace (upon Woody Guthrie's guitar was written:
"This Machine Kills Fascists" and Pete Seeger's banjo says: "This machine
surrounds hate and forces it to surrender" - but I digress...) but there was
no changing this man's mind.  He did, however, say that the strings which
were on the guitar could stay on.  Whew!  Close call.

I tried to retrieve the strings he took when I returned, but no dice.  I
complained to the supervisor.  He told me that someone big and strong could
have TAKEN MY GUITAR STRINGS FROM ME AND USED THEM TO STRANGLE SOMEBODY.
Well, now we can all sleep better knowing that our chance of being strangled
by a guitar string on a plane is vastly reduced.

Anyway, my friends in gig-land, to prevent this from happening to you, do
the following:

Pack your extra strings in checked luggage.   Or, carry with you a thick
self addressed envelope, scotch tape and plenty of stamps, so that if you
get busted for guitar strings, (or scissors or nail clipper) you can mail
them back to yourself at the airport.

Ever yours from gig-land,
jeff klepper






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