Tuesday, September 13, 2005

New Node from NYC & Warning about GE EntryScan3 Machine at some airports from Jon Hammond

Hello all Blog & Vlog Heads out there!
Jon Hammond coming to you from Times Square NYC...I just flew out here from San Francisco yesterday and when going through a secondary screening by TSA at SFO Airport, after I passed through the metal detector I was told to step in to a big machine that had a big GE on it and told by the TSA agent that I would feel a "Puff" of air and then wait for the green light before exiting. I had never seen this machine before and I travel alot..anyway I'm used to submitting to the search and very pro-security anyway so I went ahead and stepped in to the machine..the next thing I knew the "Puff" was a "BLAST"...it blew Ion air that totally blew out my eardrums..went directly in to my ears, nose and every other orfice..at the same time the electrical or X-Ray field it was emitting gave me an instantaneous headache. I waited until light finally turned green and then stumbled out of the machine...I said to the TSA agents, "What the HELL was that?!"..and they were laughing telling me that yeah, we tell the old people not to go in there. I told him I was 52 and no teenager and now my eardrums were blown out which is not good for a musician or anybody. He then told me I had an option to get a "pat-down" search but of course I wasn't told that until it was too late and I had already been assaulted by their machine, as I found out later it is popularly known as the GE "Puffer Machine" or the "EntryScan3" walk-through explosives and narcotics detection device.
I placed a formal complaint on the spot and it's still bothering me...went to the doctor today and was told the inside of my ears are all red and inflamed. So folks, next time you go through the TSA Airport Screening process..if you are asked to step inside the GE machine (EntryScan3)..opt for the pat-down!
*I have emailed TSA and no response yet.
Now I'm getting ready to play a band gig with my combo this Fri. night at a nice club called Cleopatra's Needle NYC http://www.cleopatrasneedleny.com
On the band will be:
JOE BERGER-guitar
TIM ARMACOST-tenor sax http://www.timarmacost.com
UWE PETERSEN-drums (just moved here from Germany..welcome Uwe!)
JON HAMMOND-XK3 organ/bass
*as seen on The Jon Hammond Show TV Show and HammondCast

For those of you who have Quicktime Player and a good solid internet connection, try clicking here for my new Video Node: http://www.ourmedia.org/node/56333 we just did that in Frankfurt Germany.
My heart goes out to all the people suffering in New Orleans and surrounding areas at this time,
Jon
JON HAMMOND International, Inc.
*Member AFM Local 802/Local 6/ASCAP *Behind The Beat: http://www.ascap.com/jam