Without the pat-down

[ElNono]

From the SOTU speech last night:

This could allow you to go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. For some trips, it will be faster than flying — without the pat-down.

-----

Anybody else felt terribly insulted when he dropped that line?

[boutons_deux]

Joking about universally objectionable personal invasion by HIS TSA? Yeah, NOT FUNNY, but no insulting.

He doesn't know his own TSA and its corrupting buddies like Chertoff in private industry.

TSA will take over train inspections, too. In fact, terrorists blowing up trains and buses has already occurred many time in Europe. Take the TGV between Paris and London to experience airline-style security checks and scanners at each end.

[ChumpDumper]

Eh, were an enema bomber successful, there'd be clamoring for full cavity searches.

[coyotes_geek]

Didn't bother me.

[xrayzebra]

Eh, were an enema bomber successful, there'd be clamoring for full cavity searches.

Chump, only if I did the searching, and she was pretty and she would respect me in the morning.
(and appreciated my abilities)

:lol

[xrayzebra]

And lest we forget, Obama promised a million new electric
cars, so we can travel in comfort, for 40 miles.

[Spurminator]

I don't even really understand the line, tbh. Is it faster than flying BECAUSE there's no pat down, or faster than flying even if you don't factor in the airport pat-down?

[balli]

I don't even really understand the line, tbh. Is it faster than flying BECAUSE there's no pat down, or faster than flying even if you don't factor in the airport pat-down?

Faster than driving, slower than flying, but without the humiliation of the latter modus.

[ElNono]

I don't even really understand the line, tbh. Is it faster than flying BECAUSE there's no pat down, or faster than flying even if you don't factor in the airport pat-down?

He was mentioning High Speed Rail, which for certain distances is proven to be faster than flying (and has even made some airplanes routes obsolete in Europe and Japan).

[MannyIsGod]

Faster than flying because flying from San Antonio to Houston is the same as driving when you factor in airport bullshit.

A train system connecting San Antonio, Houston, Austin and Dallas seems like an eventual good idea to me.

[MannyIsGod]

I take a commuter train a few times a week. About 20-30 minutes longer on a 50-55 minute drive but it also means I get work done during that time as opposed to driving.

[balli]

Faster than driving, slower than flying, but without the humiliation of the latter modus.

Shit. Damn the f'n second half of the sentence.

[boutons_deux]

Faster than flying because flying from San Antonio to Houston is the same as driving when you factor in airport bullshit.

A train system connecting San Antonio, Houston, Austin and Dallas seems like an eventual good idea to me.

A Texas TGV was in works, but Southwest Airlines did what was best for its corporation, but bad for TX, got the TX TGV killed nearly 20 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_the_United_States#Texas

[Creepn]

Faster than flying because flying from San Antonio to Houston is the same as driving when you factor in airport bullshit.

A train system connecting San Antonio, Houston, Austin and Dallas seems like an eventual good idea to me.

You just don't know how much I would love this! I hated hated hated driving up and down I-35 for 2 years.

[boutons_deux]

"High Speed Rail, which for certain distances is proven to be faster than flying"

HSR is faster up to about 400 miles, I remember reading, but that was a long time ago. That's why HSR works so well in smaller, denser Europe vs the vast emptiness of UCA.

eg, Paris-London 210 miles under the channel is about SA-Houston, or SA-DAL

Paris Berlin 550 miles, 3.5 hours at 150 mph.

Usually cellphone and internet access all the way,meals, sleeping.

[Spurminator]

Faster than driving, slower than flying, but without the humiliation of the latter modus.

Gotcha, so faster than flying... AND there's no pat-down.

That's what I get for reading the speech instead of watching it. Still worth it to skip the applause.

Also illustrates the stupidity of TSA's part in the War on Terror. Why WOULDN'T we need pat-downs on high speed rails? Wouldn't those be just as compelling a target for a potential terrorist as an airplane? But I guess it was a funny joke. Har har.

[MannyIsGod]

Fuck watching that speech. I cant' remember the last time I watched a SOTU. It all bullshit anyway.

[Winehole23]

Usually cellphone and internet access all the way,meals, sleeping.Elitist!

[MannyIsGod]

Nah, he's being a capitalist. He'd be an elitist if he was reading a college textbook.

[Winehole23]

...

[CuckingFunt]

Nah, he's being a capitalist. He'd be an elitist if he was reading a college textbook.

What if he was reading a college textbook on an iPad?

Poseur?

[Wild Cobra]

He was mentioning High Speed Rail, which for certain distances is proven to be faster than flying (and has even made some airplanes routes obsolete in Europe and Japan).
Sure, for short distances. But without a dedicated rail, they will be slowed down by freight train schedules, plus, the track maintenance will skyrocket.

This is a costly proposal that will never occur as advertised.

[Wild Cobra]

Fuck watching that speech. I cant' remember the last time I watched a SOTU. It all bullshit anyway.
Especially when it becomes a political rally cry instead of the intent.

[Wild Cobra]

A Texas TGV was in works, but Southwest Airlines did what was best for its corporation, but bad for TX, got the TX TGV killed nearly 20 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail_in_the_United_States#Texas
The link references a file says:

Southwest Airlines, with the help of lobbyists, created legal barriers to prohibit the consortium from moving forward and the entire project was eventually scuttled in 1994, when the State of Texas withdrew the franchise.[45]
Opening the PDF file (note 45) (ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/stimulus/t_bone.pdf), I would like you to show us those legal barriers. Would you say they were warranted or not?

[MannyIsGod]

Especially when it becomes a political rally cry instead of the intent.

Its been a fucking rally forever. What the fuck are you talking about?

[ElNono]

Sure, for short distances. But without a dedicated rail, they will be slowed down by freight train schedules, plus, the track maintenance will skyrocket.

Works for other countries... and has effectively replaced certain plane routes for them. I don't think it's a solution that works everywhere, but can work for certain regions.


This is a costly proposal that will never occur as advertised.

What's costly about it? Do you have a breakdown of what are the associated costs vs benefits? Let's see it.

[Stringer_Bell]

Its been a fucking rally forever. What the fuck are you talking about?

When Reagan used to do it, it was something else entirely. In fact, only the GOP know what it was intended for and use it correctly.

[boutons_deux]

Sure, for short distances. But without a dedicated rail, they will be slowed down by freight train schedules, plus, the track maintenance will skyrocket.

This is a costly proposal that will never occur as advertised.

HSR, like France TGV, all runs on seamless/welded/dedicated track. There is no competition with bulk freight, although French post office runs its own TGV trains (not freight trains). There is a track for each direction.

And You Lie about track maintenance.

HSR rail won't happen in US because the corps will block, just like Southwest bought enough politicians to kill the TX TGV.

The "cost" will be lost revenues to airline and fuel corporations, NOT the cost of building HSR.

Anyway, UCA is too weak, too impoverished, too corrupt to execute an national infrastructure project like the Interstate Highway system again.