Thanks to Jedinews.co.uk for reporting this one.
Peter Mayhew, on his way home was held at Denver Airport by security staff because they were concerned over his walking stick that has been fashioned into the shape of a lightsaber. You can't make it up. The Star Wars actor who played Chewbacca tweeted while being held,
"Won’t allow me through the airport with me cane! Giant man need giant cane. Small cane snap like toothpick. Besides, my lightsaber is just cool. I’d miss it.”
Staff at the airport soon came around (or was it a Jedi mind trick?) and let the 69 year old board the plane.
Report by the Sun but read more at Jedinews so you don't have to endure the ridiculous puns over on the Sun newspaper.
**UPDATE**
Over on Peter's Facebook page he posted this response to the Airport fiasco:
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT BY SHARING & RETWEETING!!! Before last weekend’s fiasco at Denver International Airport I thought the only scoundrels I would ever meet were Lando Calrissian and a few others in the Mos Eisley Cantina. However the three TSA officers pictured in the photo I tweeted certainly top that list. Instead of protecting us against aggression they became the aggressors. I, my wife, and my agent were pulled aside by the TSA and told that they were going to have to confiscate my light saber cane because it could be used as a club. After five minutes of them acting like I was going to cut a hole into the cockpit, take the whole plane hostage and return to my Wookiee homeland of Kashyyyk the only thing the TSA officers had to say was that I should use a cane that’s too small to be useful for my 7’ 2” frame and that we can’t have it back. Then my agent quick wittedly pulled out his cell phone, snapped a photo of the officers holding the cane and said “We’re going to tweet this.” That is when we learned that the magic word is no longer Please or Thank You, it’s Twitter! Shortly afterwards they returned the cane and said “Make sure to tweet we released your cane.” The problem here is that things like this happen all of the time and often nothing is done about it. Because of my celebrity status and twitter followers the situation was handled and I got the only cane that is tall & sturdy enough for me to walk with back. I hope all the attention we have received will assist the TSA in better serving the disabled.
THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK
THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER
THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+
I guess these days if you don't do well in school, it's no longer "you're gonna flip burgers at McDonald's"....it's "you're gonna work for the TSA"! WHAT A BUNCH OF DUMB A$$ES!!!
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