The column is about a teenager who had trouble at the airport because she had an image of a gun sewn onto her purse. Low-level bureaucrats tend to get in more trouble if they think, so it is in their best interest to do really dumb stuff that is, nonetheless, by the book. The columnist's discussion of this is apt, but is decidedly less cynical than I am.
My issue is with this non-sequitor:
I am OK with the full-body scanners that were so controversial earlier this year, and I’m happy to put my travel-sized liquids in a resealable bag.
...All citizens deserve freedom and privacy, whether or not they’re in the air.How are full-body scanners and precise inane instructions on how to carry your personal items consistent with "freedom and privacy." They're not! This is not a matter of some aspects of the TSA abusing some power. This is a case of a bureaucracy being given way more power than is legal, and running with it.
I don't understand why these scanners aren't banned yet. They're banned in all of the EU (except for the UK which is holding out, but only for one airport). I went through a scanner once and was still pat down because I kept my belt on. It was humiliating. The only choices shouldn't be rape-a-scan or molestation.
ReplyDeleteThe next time I get on a plane will be this March and it will be to leave this country.
@Sumit - how terrible. They're not banned because they are an effective tool for the police state, bureacrats, and corporatists. Good luck on your flight home - I hope you can avoid the worst of it (I have links on this website to resources to help you navigate the system here a bit).
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