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[sams]

Would have been fun to remind people that the Custom Agents Shenanigans aren't hyperboles, but are how many countries are ... I fact I will be stripped clean this christmas by morons who want to make sure I don't bring computers, cell phones or anything I can sell.

Kuddos to our fine art team 

[spudit]

See, this is why I take the train.

[AzureLupine]

Bwaaaahahahahahaaa!  Now now Seamus, what was that about equinimity?  This is why I make sure my "important sh-t" either on my person, or in my carry-on, this way they can't "lose" it, only openly confiscate it.

[UncleRice]

Yep, Luna needs conquered by a Arti Libertarian Military Dictatorship. It would do them all a favor.

[raven268]

LOL! Sometimes Seamus can be awfully naïve.

Sams, TSA officers have been known to steal valuable property in the USA. They are underpaid, overworked, work with a hostile public, and are forbidden to unionize, so plenty of motivation and opportunity for abuse of power there.

BTW, gastric ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection, H. Pylori. In a culture so medically advanced gastric ulcers aggravated by stress in otherwise healthy people are likely to be entirely unknown.

...or maybe Seamus is just remembering a time when they weren't.

[TYPE-Mercury]

...Interesting. Apparently Seamus is old enough that his swear habits are rather different than the 'common' swears of the day.

[Frank Bieser]

LOL! Sometimes Seamus can be awfully naïve.

Sams, TSA officers have been known to steal valuable property in the USA. They are underpaid, overworked, work with a hostile public, and are forbidden to unionize, so plenty of motivation and opportunity for abuse of power there.

Considering the service they provide, I'd say they are over paid.  Also, TSA officers belong to the AFGE (American Federation of Goverment Employees).  Along with salaries, they have access to higher end health care benefits and very generous retirement benefits (based on the promise of politicians of course - so whether they realize that one or not is a coin flip).  The abuse of power comes from being granted the power to abuse. 

[spudit]

Is Luna based on any specific culture of today?

[Scott]

Ah, that would be telling. Better, I think, to just tell the story, and let people make their own comparisons.

[ML]

...Why is Seamus screaming at the person who is least likely to have been responsible for losing Seamus's bags?

[VonZorch]

Because in such a society as Luna, the only people who dare to loose their tempers are VIPs.  Normally a minor functionary like the luggage clerk can keep you cooling your heels for hours, while they do nothing.  If you start screaming at them they assume you are someone who can really put them in the hurt locker, and jump.  Note how the uniformed goons are highly deferential to Seamus after he throws a hissy fit, as opposed to how others lorded it over him at the entry gate.

[AzureLupine]

...Why is Seamus screaming at the person who is least likely to have been responsible for losing Seamus's bags?

Because the poor shmuck at at the counter gets all the abuse, irate folks indeed enjoy 'shoothing the messenger'.  (btw, I  am the shmuck at the counter).

[Homer2101]

TSA agents have been known to steal property, but not very frequently, and I don't recall reading about any such incidents in over a year at least. Since the premises involved are rather well monitored, it's fairly easy to catch anyone attempting to pilfer through baggage, and since airlines are liable for missing or damages baggage aside from electronics, they have particular incentive to ensure that customers get their bags undamaged even if we ignore the harm airlines would suffer if baggage theft became rampant.

I'm not terribly familiar with customs, but I did not have a particularly troublesome experience the last time I had to go through customs even though I was not a US citizen at the time. The agents were polite, if tired, and just checked to make sure we weren't bringing in any illegal items like foreign seeds or drugs. We were in and out within perhaps thirty minutes, tops. Usually, so long as you're polite and don't try and make life difficult for them, people won't make life difficult for you, certain individuals aside.

The TSA is essentially the same. There are a few bullies, but most TSA agents are merely doing their jobs, which usually involve getting customers through security with as little hassle as possible. I happen to think that most of the extra security procedures are worthless, but being a jerk to a low-level TSA employee won't change anything besides make that employee miserable if he's a decent sort, or make him very happy if he's the bullying sort and now has a reason to harass me.

We see the results play out with Nicole's situation. Nicole may think she's amusing, but the customs agent may have been dealing with grumpy tourists for hours and thinks she's being difficult on purpose, so he dumps her into extra screening. It's not professional, and not justified, but it's also in large part Nicole's fault.

[MirrorField]

Interesting approach that Seamus took regarding his gear and interplanetary contracts.

However, I think that even if locals search carefully, it might be that the luggage is simply gone and our friends Mr. Graves and his sidekick are the parties responsible.

If that is the case, Seamus can lose his temper all he wants, possibly get few hapless low-level people sacked and enrich lawyers, but it won't get those bags back...

[Tucci78]

Interesting approach that Seamus took regarding his gear and interplanetary contracts.

However, I think that even if locals search carefully, it might be that the luggage is simply gone and our friends Mr. Graves and his sidekick are the parties responsible.

If that is the case, Seamus can lose his temper all he wants, possibly get few hapless low-level people sacked and enrich lawyers, but it won't get those bags back...

In light of his planning demonstrated thus far, if Dr. O Murchada let the contents of his luggage get out of his sight at all, the "items that are the core of the gravitic displacement detector and the electro-shield" are not only "bonded and sealed against examination" under a treaty having the status of law on bureaucrat-blighted Luna but also booby-trapped.

Might not blow off body parts, but such rigging would be crafted to reduce the "proprietary secrets" these gadgets represent to useless rubble.

Doubtless this is what the thieving government thugs have already discovered, in which case Seamus is about to collect a buncha valuta in hard currency - no "Miltons" - from the Luna government as penalty for having permitted an international treaty violation to take place under their overcontrolling authority.