Passenger Trains > Don Phillips: Amtrak orders TSA VIPR teams off property

Don Phillips of TRAINS writes:

> Amtrak Police Chief John O'Connor, a big Irish cop and civil libertarian, has come down hard on the TSA after the agency screwed up a
> search of some railroad passengers at Savannah, Georgia. He has ordered the TSA VIPR teams off Amtrak property until they can be trained to
> strictly adhere to company policy and constitutional rights. The various breathless blogs got a lot of this story wrong, but the real story is
> worse than they tried to paint it.

The next (apparently MAY) issue of TRAINS will have the full story.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/11 12:23 by GenePoon.

Aside from the fact that Phillips ought not to mention ethnicity in writing, I do wish Amtrak's PDX Chief would order his upstate New York conductors to depart when station work is complete regardless of whether the Border idiots have gotten them selves off the train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/11 11:12 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Aside from the fact that Phillips ought not to
> mention ethnicity in writing, I do wish Amtrak's
> PD Chief would order his upstate New York
> conductors to depart when station work is complete
> regardless of whether the Border idiots have
> gotten them selves off the train.


I hear what you're saying about the ethnicity thing, but am inclined to give Phillips a pass on it since I don't think it's derogatory. It conjures up an image of a traditional wide-chested, conscientious "To Protect and Serve" police chief -- like the Chief O'Hara character from Batman.

St Pat's Day this coming Thursday.

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Aside from the fact that Phillips ought not to
> > mention ethnicity in writing, I do wish
> Amtrak's
> > PD Chief would order his upstate New York
> > conductors to depart when station work is
> complete
> > regardless of whether the Border idiots have
> > gotten them selves off the train.
>
>
> I hear what you're saying about the ethnicity
> thing, but am inclined to give Phillips a pass on
> it since I don't think it's derogatory. It
> conjures up an image of a traditional
> wide-chested, conscientious "To Protect and Serve"
> police chief -- like the Chief O'Hara character
> from Batman.

Too much PC. that is who he is, the idea being is he no bleeding heart.
It was relevant to the story just like the story of the Asian-American immigrant who came here with nothing and made it good. I guess we could say he came from China but not mention he is Chinese.

Bob

Please with the PC crap! Thank God a guy with (shhhhh!) b***s kicked those arrogant goons off Amtrak property. Hooray!
I bet lots of WW II German people were SUPER PC!
Oops, there goes the ethnicity thing again.

Well you just can't be too careful nowadays :either get accused of being a bigot or being too PC. I don't always know the right answer.
In any case, I am glad Amtrak for once grew some spine.

I don't know if TSA has a hand in this, or its just some local yahoo who volunteered to be the "docent" title in San Jose Ca. He has a hat, a name tag, and a set of gate keys to #1 track platform, and acts like he owns the station. When #11 (southbound Coast Starlight) is literally entering the station (!) he finally open the gates BUT you have to be escorted to a little roped-off (actually string) area set up with those orange traffic cones AND STAY THERE UNTIL HE ESCORTS YOU TO THE TRAIN. In the meantime, the Starlight has stopped, doors opened, passengers de-training (or grabbing a smoke) and car attendants waiting for their passengers to get there. BUT YOU CAN'T MOVE OUTSIDE THE STRING. Oh, this is for COACH passengers only: First Class = no hassle.

Screw that noise. I went to the first coach and asked if they were boarding passengers for San Luis Obispo (my destination) and the car attendant said "yeah, head on up" and took my ticket. Meanwhile, MISTER IMPORTANT hustled over and made noises about me breaking the law or violating due process "----->We Have A Procedure!<-----"

I said that was nice and I'm really sure it would be in the papers someday - boarded the train and got a seat.

When last seen, this yoyo was whining to the Conductor about how people should obey rules, etc. and the Conductor smiled, nodded, got on the train and gave him the finger as the train rolled.

djansson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> When last seen, this yoyo was whining to the
> Conductor about how people should obey rules, etc.
> and the Conductor smiled, nodded, got on the train
> and gave him the finger as the train rolled.

Good to see the Conductor gave the appropriate amount of respect.

Let me get this straight. The cop is Irish. But you can't say that in the story? BTW, the terrorist who killed our troops in Germany was a radical Muslim. Oh wait, I guess I can't say that either.

djansson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> When last seen, this yoyo was whining to the
> Conductor about how people should obey rules, etc.
> and the Conductor smiled, nodded, got on the train
> and gave him the finger as the train rolled.

Sounds like he is a prime candidate for early retirement. :)

/J

I agree. I have seen this guy. He makes you stand a long time and there is no seating nearby for people who have difficulty standing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/11 21:05 by loiter2.

In Miami a while back, #98 was backing into the station and first class passengers were called to board the train, even before it was fully backed in. We walked out onto the platform, but as the train stopped they discovered some problem with HEP and said there would be a delay in boarding of a few minutes. Passengers (and their luggage) were marched back into the station (some distance of course); when asked why we could not stay on the platform, we were told it was a security risk to remain on the platform. A few minutes later we were marched up the platform for the third time and boarded. We have always have control freaks, but unfortunately events of recent years have given them more authority than ever.

I don't blame him, but I'd love to see how he can really explain to us railfans why Amtrak still don't allow us to shoot trains at stations! Oh yeah I forgot it's because of the Paranoia Terrorist threat, what else is new!

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let me get this straight. The cop is Irish. But you can't say that in the story? BTW, the terrorist who killed our troops in Germany was a
> radical Muslim. Oh wait, I guess I can't say that either.


You can't say that! Look at Juan Williams; he did and lost his job.
Then again, Congress has defunded his former employer (NPR).

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but even bleeding-heart tree-hugging pinko-commie-paleohippie liberal as many on this board think I am if I was one I would be d*mn proud to be called a "big Irish cop"!!!

Maybe it's because I am at least part Irish.....<GBG>

lowwater

>
> You can't say that! Look at Juan Williams; he did
> and lost his job.
> Then again, Congress has defunded his former
> employer (NPR).

Juan didn't get canned for his opinion. He got canned because he broke the company's standards for journalistic ethics. Simply put, he was told to keep his opinions to himself because you can't be a journalist one minute, and a Glenn Beck wanna-be the next. He disobeyed orders and spouted off on Fox, so they canned him. Best of luck to him.

As for the Amtrak Police Chief, give the man a raise! His common sense is refreshing. Maybe Janet Napolitano should hire the guy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/11 22:30 by radar.

I think we might have figured out Irish from "O'Connor".... oops, maybe only on his father's side.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Aside from the fact that Phillips ought not to
> mention ethnicity in writing...


The PC police knocking on the real police!

robj Wrote:
> It was relevant to the story just like the story
> of the Asian-American immigrant who came here with
> nothing and made it good. I guess we could say he
> came from China but not mention he is Chinese.
>
> Bob


How can he be Asian-American when he is not yet American? BTW, what's wrong with saying he's Chinese? He did come from China, right?

Are we (Americans) offended when we are called Americans in other countries?

I don't get it. When did ethnicity become derogatory?