"This was to be a "private" meeting... I mean, who are these men?"

Well, I'm back..

From where you ask?

No where in particular, I've just been swamped with work and family business that I haven't had time to write since last Thursday.

Today I met Litvshe and Jameel for lunch. I have known both of them for over 10 years and since I hadn't seen Litvshe in about 7 years and Jameel in almost 2 years, I decided to meet up with them after a work-related meeting near their places of work. JoeSettler almost joined us, but he had a meeting of his own at that time.

Lunch was nice, we talked about lots of different things; blogging (of course); families; reminiscing about the early days of hi-tech; told different stories about flying (some good, some pretty horrible); tv shows; movies; you get the point. Litvshe even reconnected me with a friend with whom I worked 9 years ago that I didn't know was back living in Israel.

Jameel had to leave halfway thru because he needed to get home in time to pack for his flight to England this afternoon.

I didn't get a chance to tell them about a close call I once had on a flight back in May '94.

I was still in the Israeli army and was on my way to the states that night for my brother A.'s wedding. Earlier in the evening, I met a friend of mine who was also in the army with me and he returned to me a full magazine clip for a galil that I had leant him a few months earlier. I put it in my knapsack and forgot about it.

Mid-flight, I reached into my knapsack to take out a tape (before I switched to cd's for music) and lo and behold, I pulled out an ammo clip (YIKES!!!)

I didn't know what to do? Eventhough I was in the army, I knew I couldn't just tell the stewardess. I contemplated putting in the pouch of the chair next to me and possibly frame the person sitting next to me.

As thoughts raced thru my head of detainment and many hours of questions, I decided to take the risk and not do anything. I recalled that once in NY, security at Kennedy doesn't rescan your carry-on, so I figured I was safe.

After collecting the rest of my luggage at the conveyor belt, I walked slowly towards the exit, hoping that no one would catch me, because in America, the fact that I was an Israeli soldier didn't mean Jack.

Miraculously, I passed by the security without an incident and was on my way. I stayed at a friends house that evening who was more than willing to take the ammo off my hands


I didn't think much about the situation until I read about the following incident in 2002.

Israeli Lapse
In late January, an Israeli passenger unwittingly carried a gun in his hand luggage on a flight from Tel Aviv to New York, and Israeli airport officials still are trying to determine how their extensive security checks failed to find the gun.

The passenger boarded the El Al flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv, the Israel Airports Authority said in a statement. Only after he landed at JFK airport in New York and arrived at his hotel did he realize that he had unintentionally brought his gun in his carry-on.

Fearing he might be arrested in New York for having a handgun, he turned it in at the Israeli Consulate, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported. He has since returned to Israel without his gun, the newspaper said.

Security at Ben Gurion airport is very strict. Travelers are told to arrive three hours early, and are subjected to detailed interviews and multiple luggage checks.

If El Al missed a handgun, one wonder what else US security misses.

Here's the link to the whole article.

I recall that many people from El Al security were reprimanded for that incident.

Wonder what would have happened had I actually reported my incident back in '94.

Still don't know which is worse and more absent-minded; bringing a gun on board a plane or just and ammo clip.


All in all, it was worth the lunch. Hopefully we wont wait as long til our next one.

Thanks to Litvshe and Jameel.

J.
------------------------------------------------
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln