A January 7th, 2023 story written by Bob Cronin and posted on Newser.com bears this title: “'Emotional Support' Snake Doesn't Fly: Airline Doesn't Allow Woman to Carry on A 4-Foot Boa Constrictor”.
It seems the TRA (Transportation Security Administration) is reporting that it headed off a real-life sequel of the fictional Snakes on a Plane movie when it found a snake on its way to board a plane.
Agents at Tampa International Airport found a 4-foot boa constrictor in a carry-on bag last month when it showed up on a checkpoint X-ray. When questioned by authorities, the passenger responsible told the agents that “Bartholomew” was her emotional support animal. Thereafter, she found herself in need of a little such support, as the airline she was flying, when informed by the TSA, refused to allow the snake aboard.
While authentic service animals are allowed on flights, the Department of Transportation says that means only dogs that are legitimately trained to help a passenger with a disability. The department also decreed in 2020 that airlines can prohibit animals intended to provide emotional support in the cabin, while permitting them to travel in the cargo hold. Even here, however, certain conditions apply.
Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, tweeted the X-ray image of the boa constrictor. She then added the rather logical suggestion that passengers unsure of the rules should check with the TSA's official website or else utilize “AskTSA” on Twitter or Facebook.
As I read the story, I was reminded that appealing to a snake for emotional support is nothing new. It has actually been going on for as long as men and women have inhabited the world. In Genesis chapter 3, we read about the fall of mankind. Having disobeyed God and then been called to account for their actions by their Creator, the first humans did much the same.
When questioned by God as to why he had sinned, Adam blamed his wife Eve. She, in turn, blamed the serpent! At the end of the day, they had fallen back on the Devil, blaming him for their troubles and attempting to soothe their consciences in the process.
But God was not buying it. While the Devil had certainly done his part in tempting them to sin, Adam and Eve were each held accountable for their personal disobedience and lack of responsibility. Flip Wilson’s famous retort notwithstanding, the Devil did not make them do it!
More to the point, the old serpent had no intention of either helping or supporting them in their newfound fallen condition. He simply moved on to their offspring and set to work tripping them up as well in the very next chapter of Genesis.
What Satan did back then, he still does today. Do not buy the line that says he is your friend. He never has had and never will have your best interest at heart; which is why the Apostle Peter gives us the following sage admonition in his First New Testament Letter (chapter 5, verse 8): “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
Heeding this admonition up front will serve us better than consulting any website the government offers. For it will likely save us not only from the frustration of not finding emotional support, but also from much of the need for seeking emotional support in the first place.
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.newser.com/story/330027/tsa-stops-boa-constrictor-in-carry-on.html.
SEE ALSO:
https://www.tsa.gov/videos/travel-tips-asktsa-0.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm.
It seems the TRA (Transportation Security Administration) is reporting that it headed off a real-life sequel of the fictional Snakes on a Plane movie when it found a snake on its way to board a plane.
Agents at Tampa International Airport found a 4-foot boa constrictor in a carry-on bag last month when it showed up on a checkpoint X-ray. When questioned by authorities, the passenger responsible told the agents that “Bartholomew” was her emotional support animal. Thereafter, she found herself in need of a little such support, as the airline she was flying, when informed by the TSA, refused to allow the snake aboard.
While authentic service animals are allowed on flights, the Department of Transportation says that means only dogs that are legitimately trained to help a passenger with a disability. The department also decreed in 2020 that airlines can prohibit animals intended to provide emotional support in the cabin, while permitting them to travel in the cargo hold. Even here, however, certain conditions apply.
Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, tweeted the X-ray image of the boa constrictor. She then added the rather logical suggestion that passengers unsure of the rules should check with the TSA's official website or else utilize “AskTSA” on Twitter or Facebook.
As I read the story, I was reminded that appealing to a snake for emotional support is nothing new. It has actually been going on for as long as men and women have inhabited the world. In Genesis chapter 3, we read about the fall of mankind. Having disobeyed God and then been called to account for their actions by their Creator, the first humans did much the same.
When questioned by God as to why he had sinned, Adam blamed his wife Eve. She, in turn, blamed the serpent! At the end of the day, they had fallen back on the Devil, blaming him for their troubles and attempting to soothe their consciences in the process.
But God was not buying it. While the Devil had certainly done his part in tempting them to sin, Adam and Eve were each held accountable for their personal disobedience and lack of responsibility. Flip Wilson’s famous retort notwithstanding, the Devil did not make them do it!
More to the point, the old serpent had no intention of either helping or supporting them in their newfound fallen condition. He simply moved on to their offspring and set to work tripping them up as well in the very next chapter of Genesis.
What Satan did back then, he still does today. Do not buy the line that says he is your friend. He never has had and never will have your best interest at heart; which is why the Apostle Peter gives us the following sage admonition in his First New Testament Letter (chapter 5, verse 8): “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
Heeding this admonition up front will serve us better than consulting any website the government offers. For it will likely save us not only from the frustration of not finding emotional support, but also from much of the need for seeking emotional support in the first place.
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.newser.com/story/330027/tsa-stops-boa-constrictor-in-carry-on.html.
SEE ALSO:
https://www.tsa.gov/videos/travel-tips-asktsa-0.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm.