From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 96 18:31:18 PST
To: Simon Spero <ses@tipper.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Phil Z getting through customs
Message-ID: <m0tbzHU-0008zRC@pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 11:21 AM 1/15/96 -0800, Simon Spero wrote:

>When I was a student and had long hair, I used to always get questioned
>when going throught customs. After graduating, and having normal length
>hair, I had a lot less trouble.

This seems odd.  Logically (okay, I know logic doesn't work with the 
government) any smuggler is going to try to be as innocuous as possible.  
He's cut his hair, and shave, and probably wear a tie, etc.  Which means the 
government should pay more attention to....

Oh, never mind!


>The strictest customs I've been through is at Lod (Tel Aviv); there the 
>assumption is that everybody is going to try and bring in at least 
>some sort of radio/fax machine to avoid the high taxes, so they check all 
>baggage. They do have the best security team in general though, so it 
>balances out.

Some comedian 15 years or so ago (David Brenner, maybe?) had a joke which  went 
something like this:

"The odds of there being a bomb on a commercial airliner is one in a 
million.  The odds of there being TWO bombs on a commercial airliner are one 
in a _million_million_.  Therefore, if you are taking an airplane flight and 
want to feel REALLY safe....Take a bomb!"