Even before the TSA started bombarding travellers with full-body X-rays, or the alternative punitive sexual molestation, I hated flying. I can bear being on the plane for a long time, just as long as I have ear plugs, plenty to read, and the person next to me is not too gross.
I hate flying because of the incompetent security theater of the TSA. We will never catch a terrorist by making everyone remove their belt and shoes; it just wastes time. Randomly sampling the crowd for extra pat-downs wastes even more time (think grandmas and 3 year-olds). And confiscating liquids... sheer stupidity.
It's been said over and over by security experts that the Israeli model works because they look for terrorists, not things. I really do hope that we move towards this effective, inexpensive, low-tech way of spotting bad guys at airports. All they do at El Al is talk to passengers, ask where they're going, if they have a one-way ticket, where they've been. And it works. The US should do the same.
So, if you do fly a lot and hate the security theater as much as me, be sure to make your voice heard. Opt out of the X-rays this Wednesday and embarass the TSA knuckleheads so badly that they're forced to smarten up. It'll inconvenience a lot of people for one day, but it's for the greater good.
I'm also going to make a prediction about the idiotic reactiveness of the TSA. Some lone terrorist, at some point, is going to try to take down a plane with a cavity bomb. Then the era of probing airline passengers will begin. It's the next logical step, and virtually guaranteed to happen. Send the TSA a message this Wednesday that they've gone too far already.
Thoughts on competitive shooting, gunsmithing, gun control and what it's like to be a Massachusetts gun owner.
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