A French three-letter word costed me 450 euros at the Roissy aiport last Wednesday at 6 AM.

After a long, uncomfortable flight coming from Asia, I endured a 20-minutes check from the French customs. The police officer scrutinized every thing, questionned me about a 250 euros electric piano (I had yet paid all the taxes), looked at my socks, counted the cigarettes (I had 150, the limit is 300), checked my laptop, etc. I finally got angry, he pressured more and I said what I thought. They keept me in a sort of custody during two hours. I had to pay with credit card to be free...

I remembered all the hassles the Stones endured in customs controls, and I finally found myself in good company.

That officer must have been having a really bad day. I took the Brittany ferry from the U.K. to Ouistreham back in March and all they did was stamp my passport and say "have a great day!"
Then again, back during the liquid ban here in the States, I was rejected by an over-zealous officer for carrying liquid medicine even though I followed the proper procedure for doing such.
I think it all depends on who you get.

i'm sorry, Joker - and i'm putting on Connection in your honour.

Doesn't sound good value to me - 450E for one three letter word. Wonder how much, "F*ck off you red nosed c*nt" would have cost ?

We are allowed to call police-offisers for "a fûckin' horsedick" in northern Norway, but it's not allowed in the south....swear-words are a part of the heritage up here. There were some court-trials about this, some years ago.
It's not against the law to show a police your finger either....(or however you say that English...the "f*ck you"- thing)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-18 18:33 by Erik_Snow.

Jolly good company!
Back in ma heydaze (-88) a customs geezer in Dover tried
to prevent me from catching the ferry by repeatedly asking
why I didnt get a stamp in ma passport
while entering the UK.

At the eighth time he asked why I didnt have no stamp
I responded: "I @#$%& dont know"
amd was this *shows* close to get busted.

...Sorry. but that reminds me about a funny episode
(will tell the whole later) when a East German Officer
headed me for Siberia. At a train.
He wanted to have a transit fee, and I was drunk and negative.

that's f*#@ed up, Joker. a-holes like that are all about ego/power, not nat'l security. keep the populace in fear, but let bin laden escape and don't engage in international airline standards/dialogue or practical measures like install reinforced cockpit doors. like the 'liquid ban', a theoretical-only process almost impossible to carry out on a plane unless you're on the plane by yourself and have a beaker and thermometer (mix it too fast or slow and you just blow up yourself, not the plane); did you notice they recently dropped ALL charges against those folks? the US made the ongoing British investigation jump the gun before they had enough evidence, just for political timing. most of them didn't even have passports and thus couldn't have flown anyways. the British investigators were pissed!

at least you're out of it without jail time. hang in there.

Erik_Snow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We are allowed to call police-offisers for "a
> fûckin' horsedick" in northern Norway, but it's
> not allowed in the south....swear-words are a part
> of the heritage up here. There were some
> court-trials about this, some years ago.
> It's not against the law to show a police your
> finger either....(or however you say that
> English...the "f*ck you"- thing)


I suspect being called a "horsedick" is rather a compliment, don't you think?
Unless the inspector is a woman?

rocks off Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I suspect being called a "horsedick" is rather a
> compliment, don't you think?
> Unless the inspector is a woman?

I see your point! Still...it would be a compliment if one said..."you must have a fûckin horsedick", I'm not so sure if *being* one is a good thing though.

Point well taken !!

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-18 01:07 by Beelyboy.

I don't like people who take drugs. Especially customs officers.

That's why I hate flight traveling I feel like a criminal

Edith Grove Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Then again, back during the liquid ban here in the
> States,

it's still going on here - i did a lot of flying to shows in october and november and had a lot of stuff taken when i was late for a flight to atlantic city and didn't have time to check my luggage.

zzzzzzz

I have incurable excema. Violent, terrible skin. A doctor today said we don't see many like you. So as I use 1kg parrafin creme a week, I took 8kg in pre-sealed pots to the airport for a trip. With the doctor's prescription. Just in case. The customs confiscated the creme. Even after asking me to rub some on my red skin. Also 2 lipsyl and 50 of 100 CD,R's. @#$%& is the word that comes to mind. I bet the rotters took my CD'Rs home. I felt crazy in a crazy world. What did they think I was gonna do? Creme everybody to death? I have since been advised I could take legal action. But I just don't need any more stress.

Remember It works both ways...Go in with an attitude, and at the end of an officers long hard day you'll be the loser..Fair?..Nope..Just life..How do I know?..As a Police Officer I have to deal with the wise cracking, smart alecs every working day..As much as you slag off these guys, and by inference other professions that try to keep the lid on things..when it all goes pear shape, were the ones that run towards the problem..Rant over

Nowadays one is sheer smile all over the customs.

But it aint easy all the time...
Couple of months after 9-11 I went for a charter trip
from auld, peaceful Sweden... Left the luggage for a half minute
(let go 2-3-4) & *wham!"-gone... The security staff had
put it away. They were so (for me, then)
unbelievably mad at me.

Believe clue is, you cant protect yourself 100%.
Less flights = better environment, less terrorism?

Leeds82 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Remember It works both ways...Go in with an
> attitude, and at the end of an officers long hard
> day you'll be the loser..Fair?..Nope..Just
> life..How do I know?..As a Police Officer I have
> to deal with the wise cracking, smart alecs every
> working day..As much as you slag off these guys,
> and by inference other professions that try to
> keep the lid on things..when it all goes pear
> shape, were the ones that run towards the
> problem..Rant over


A certain airline has taken out a law suit against the UK goverment for this recent unjust madness. It is over the top madness. I bet the cabin crew have lipsyl on them. Mine I wonder.

Leeds82 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As much as you slag off these guys,
> and by inference other professions that try to
> keep the lid on things..when it all goes pear
> shape, were the ones that run towards the
> problem..Rant over

Maybe, but it is well known there are many pigs in your midst that create problems more than do anything useful to solve them. Trust me, I come from a police family and have endured many Christmases listening to my @#$%& cop uncle going on and on about how he beat the crap out of (supposed) criminals or how he routinely abused his authority for anything ranging from free pizza to getting laid. And when I walk back to my apartment in a rather seedy part of Bangkok at 3AM it is not the rats, the pimps, the drug dealers, the ladyboys, or the guys strung out on meth that I am afraid of. Though I am not engaged in illegal activities of any kind, it's the low life extortionist cops that have me worried I will not make it home with whatever little cash I have left after a night out.

Next time ya will "...use yer well learned politesse", that's what I do with the US CUSTOMS when I go to visit my uncle in USA.

;-) from FRANCE

blues boy

well put, beelyboy and everyone else. kinda makes ya wonder...what happens when the 'terrorists' put 7 martial arts' total masters on a plane and us passengers won't have scissors, penknives, mace, lighters, or even peppermint shampoo or nailclippers (or CDRs of barry manilow) to fight back with.

any holiday fliers from iorr should use yer well learned politesse indeed, blues.boy, exactly.

aslecs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> zzzzzzz

anyone else notice the similaritry between aslecs' snoring and scelsa's?

Joker, hang in there bro.'

Let HS solve this problem for you. First, you must realize that most people that work security at airports (and other places) are "On the OUTSIDE looking IN". That is to say they deal with International travelers everyday, all day long, but yet I would bet almost 100% of them (especially in the USA were only 7% of the population owns a PASSPORT) never go anywhere "International" (maybe the bold ones go to Mexico for a week of drinking and sombrero shopping). So, they have NO IDEA what it feels like to be on a 14 hour flight going through a million time zones and tons of stress. They're basically frustrated, Jealous losers looking to bust someone's balls - probably your balls. Give them ANY lip and they will be more than happy to engage with you BIG TIME. The Skelter has had dozens of encounters with these frustrated retards back in the day (pre 9/11) and has come very close to the old silver cuffs BUT you gotta know when to fold them before the "process" begins. Don't let the guy get so heated up that he's TOTALLY had it with you, back off before that happens. One more word of advice. All this security is an "Artificial State" if you are not a terrorist it has NOTHING to do with you. In order to deal with "Artificial States" you should get in one yourself before you deal with all the crap. So, whatever TOTALLY calms you down/numbs you out (legally) should be used so these "authority figures" can't mess with your head and make you crazy. Take/Drink whatever you need to laugh the whole thing off - make you totally NOT CARE about ANYTHING (that's what meds are for my friends) - it's MUCH CHEAPER then letting them suck you in.Then, you loose and they win - worst case senario AND very expensive, complicated, and srtressful....Don't fall into their trap, Don't play their game......None of it has much to do with REALITY anyway - it's all just a show/circus when you think it through all the way (so don't forget to put on a big red clown nose).....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-19 01:38 by HelterSkelter.

Erik_Snow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We are allowed to call police-offisers for "a
> fûckin' horsedick" in northern Norway, but it's
> not allowed in the south....swear-words are a part
> of the heritage up here. There were some
> court-trials about this, some years ago.
> It's not against the law to show a police your
> finger either....(or however you say that
> English...the "f*ck you"- thing)


That's it - I'm moving to Northern Norway!!

Reading your post made me think of the one funny thing I can remember the present President of Those United States have ever said: "The Canadians are friendly people, when they wave, they use all five fingers" ;-)

I'm as much as Francophile as the next guy (Actually, probably more so than the next guy - I am in reflexively anti-French America right now, after all) . . . but I'm sorry, the great Republique has TOO MUCH BEARUCRACY! Have you ever been to a post office in Paris? Grrrr . . .

More generally, of course, I agree with Billy Random's comments. But France has too many pencil pushers . . .

you can't catch me!

The Notorious NIK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have you ever been to a post office in Paris? Grrrr . . .

Yes it's horrible but I was in London last week and to send a postcard you have to queu to pay for a stamp and then (I guess it's parnoia) you have to go out and put your post card on the boxes outside. In France at least you have the automatic tellers.

You called him CON??

Being and ex-Customs officer and my wife being one (not at Roissy though)I know many of them, I can tell you that most of the incidents are with people being a little stupid. Thousands of people go back and forth crossing borders every day with really very minor incidents.

Of course there are some Customs officers that are just completly a***holes...It's with them that you should be more polite and always remember that they have bosses and you can always complain but don't confront them or you'll be loosing your time and maybe your plane and your money.

So there are stupid Customs officers and stupid passangers.

You know some customs officeers are real jerks. I remember once I was travelling from Toronto to Buffalo and this assh... customs officer went thru my toute bad and took everything out and I had some personal letters from lady friends and that jerk read them. I complained to the supervisor but he said he was doing his job. They are both ass.....!