I was watching a segment on CNN this morning while getting dressed about the TSA. The segment was on three guys with the same name -- James Robinson.
One James Robinson is a retired Air National Guard brigadier general and a commercial pilot for a major airline who flies passenger planes around the country. He has even been certified by the Transportation Security Administration to carry a weapon into the cockpit as part of the government's defense program should a terrorist try to commandeer a plane but can't check his luggage at a kiosk.
There's another James Robinson who served as U.S. attorney in Detroit, Michigan, and as an assistant attorney general in the Clinton administration.
And then there's James Robinson of California, who loves tennis, swimming and flying to the East Coast to see his grandmother.
He's 8.
What's interesting is these guys (and the 8 year old's Mom) have figured out how to get around the TSA's watchlist.
Denise Robinson says she tells the skycaps her son is on the list, tips heavily and is given boarding passes. And booking her son as "J. Pierce Robinson" also has let the family bypass the watch list hassle.
Capt. James Robinson said he has learned that "Jim Robinson" and "J.K. Robinson" are not on the list.
And the reporter who did the segment has tested its effectiveness. You see he found himself on the terrorist watch list also (which is why he does reporting on this). When he runs his first and middle name together when making a reservation online, he has no problem checking in at the airport.
Feel safer
