Saturday's Stateman has a stupid article about Austin City Council Member Jennifer Kim. Turns out she's pissed - and actually willing to make a huff about it in the press - because she can't simply show airport security her council badge and walk around the terminal with no intentions of flying.
She said it's "ridiculous" that she can't flash her council member badge to federal screeners at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, go through the same security as passengers and access the restricted terminal area - even if she has no plans to fly.Am I the only one that feels absolutely no sympathy for her? Granted, she points out that she's not trying to skip the actual security check-in (the shoes off, the laptop out of the bag, the uncomfortable desire to say "that's the bomb!" just to see if you can get away with it), but it turns out that she's just trying to avoid lines:After all, she said, "it's our airport."
Records show that Kim, who is serving her second year of a three-year term, began asking city workers this month for essentially the same privilege as airport workers, who show special credentials, go through screening and then go to their jobs. Even Mayor Will Wynn and City Manager Toby Futrell don't have that access.
And when city officials told her that wasn't possible, Kim said, she then asked for - and was denied - an airport employee badge.
Kim said she thinks it's possible for her to get a special pass from airlines to meet their passengers while still going through screening. However, she said she didn't want to do that because of the wait at the ticket counter.And widespread weeping and gnashing of teeth erupts across central Texas! It's just not fair, people! Lines!She said she recently planned to meet a visitor from the Ford Foundation and was delayed because she thought she could go through the security screening line without a boarding pass.
"I didn't know it was a (Transportation Security Administration) issue," she said. "I thought since it was our airport and we own it, and if we are pre-cleared, we could get through.
"Now we just have to go through all this bureaucracy to extend politeness to other people."
A word of advice: either suck it up and meet your guests in baggage claim or suck it up and wait in a line for five minutes. Or pick them up outside in a stretch Hummer, because nothing says "Austin" like a 75 foot SUV.
It think you are being conservate on the time wait, it's usually about two minutes.
Doesn't she know that she has the same skin color as the fuckers that are blowing people up with bombs and that she should be double checked?
The nerve of these brown bastards.
She "didn't know" it was a TSA issue? Is she, like, totally stupid or what? Can't wait for her to run for Congress so she beat up capitol cops. I'll bet she believes when she farts rose petals fly out her ass, too....
I helped UT host former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak a few years back and was part of the airport arrival group. We had a Diplomatic Security Service, Israeli MOSSAD, and APD SWAT escort at the terminal and they all had to wait in line with the two of us to get our guest passes at the airline counter so that we could pass through security to meet him at the terminal.
It’s good to know that the airport doesn’t let people through just because they think they are hot shit.
If Councilwoman Kim’s train of thought holds validity, they all of us should be able to pass through security without a pass because we “own the airport.” You don’t own it lady, you represent it.
I didn't think she'd been in office long enough to develop such a sense of entitlement. Tell me again -- how is she more equal?
anyone who doesn't proudly line up like cattle in an airport obviously supports terrorism.
She should keep her broomstick at her council office, not the airport.
Jennifer Kim brings her dog to work violating city rules.
She is a very arrogant person.
She's such an idiot... maybe we can get Rick Cofer to run against her...
/not
She learned politics as a staffer for Senator Z, so she assumes that she's entitled to special treatment.
When she worked for Z, she was very rude to even her own co-workers.
She always came late and left early.
How do some people get elected!?
From her bio:
"As a legislative aide for State Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) from 1993-1995, she protected disadvantaged and minority communities from environmental threats including a sludge farm, a low-level radioactive waste facility, and a coal strip mining project. She was also involved in protecting the Edwards Aquifer for San Antonio and Central Texas."
Since when it is acceptable to boast of your Senator-employer's endeavors as your own? Some of what she lists wasn't even successful. (The strip-mining moved forward and the radioactive waste site located to Andrews County in the Panhandle.)
Lena Guererro, anyone?
Who the hell does she think she is? My experince with this woman is the same as many of the posts above. She is arogant and now has a sense of entitlement. Get a clue KIM. This is the last office you will ever hold.
C U Next Tuesday
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at January 29, 2007 10:47 AM
Now that the public at large is learning what people who actually know her and have worked with her have known for years, it'll be one term and out. Good riddance.
Two words:
Life. Coach.
I think the airport's feng shui was off that day..
Can I get a special badge? I just want to hang out at the airport and people watch.
Wok 'n' Roll in the east concourse is a pretty good place to eat. Nuff said!
will someone please run against this person who thinks she's better than the rest of us?
we need a pragmatic woman to step up and take back place 3 for the good of our fair city.
someone. please. run.
princess jennifer is an embarrassment to all of us who call austin our home.
You ain't kiddin about the life coach. that's hilarious. But I guess she needs all the help she can get.
The feng shui, the arrogance, the shitty staff treatment, the sense of entitlement...oh my!
Is it necessary to make ridiculous cultural references whenever an American of Asian ancestory is featured in articles?
And, y'all cry foul about folks not wanting to assimilate due to their hyphenating their identity (Asian-American, ect...) How can they when they're always made to feel foreign?
Idiots.
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I have heard she does not treat her staff very well.