NY Times: Arrive early and smile (and don't look behind that curtain!)

Another travel season, another advice column on how to try to minimize stress-while-flying. I'm not at all surprised to see a piece in a prominent publication acknowledge that security add to the stress, and you make the best of it by being extra cooperative. Specifically, arrive early and be polite.

It's like the traveling public is the codependent partner to an abusive spouse.

Throwback: The story behind Thousands Standing Around

I recently came across this old story about the heroic TSA agent (now ex-TSA agent) who was behind the Thousands Standing Around whistleblowing blog. It's a good read, and quite revealing. 

Arbitrary power and identity politics don't mix

The LGBT community periodically pushes back against airport security, and for good reason. As the writer of this article in Slate, who describes herself as "butch", says:

There’s little rhyme or reason to when people mistake me for male, and sometimes it happens when I least expect it. It rarely bothers me, but when someone in a position of power over you can’t interpret who—or what—you are, it can have negative repercussions.

The fact that people get flagged for what's under their clothes is proof that naked scanners are a gross invasion of everyone's privacy.