Ever since 9/11, we have had to redefine the way we travel by air. The travails of the traveler going through security have become more than a hot topic. The ultimate result? The terrorists win another victory.
I am convinced that the wonderful guys that shocked us into panic those years ago continue to succeed in winning the little battles in the war on terror by virtue of the fact that we cannot enjoy the simple little freedom of getting on a plane and going where we want to go. The initial shock of the Trade Center going down has been replaced by the fact that because of it we are no longer able to take security for granted like we used to. Now we have to be nearly groped and strip searched to hop on a plane.
I also believe that the continued attempts and dopes that get caught like the shoe bomber and the underwear guy are plants to keep the fear factor up. They're step-ups to make us keep twitching. It works.
I'm not saying that we should back off by any means, but I firmly believe that we have hardened our collective target to the point that even our own law abiding citizens are scrutinized as terrorists.
Check this link for a wonderful airline over reacts story: http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2010/11/adam_c_pearson_pulled_off_delt.php
Now I might not care his ink display, but Adam Pearson certainly need to be pulled off of a plane because of having "Atom Bomb" emblazoned on his knuckles. I realize this isn't TSA, but it speaks to the whole freaked out flier mentality. If we banned everybody with a questionable tattoo from an airplane, we'd be flying the empty skies.
TSA has a tough job to do. They have limited resources to ensure every American can travel safely and no other groups of terrorists can crash planes into critical or significant infrastructure. Instead of complaining though, we need to go into the security zone prepared to be checked with a knowledge of the rules and regulations. Unless we stay vigilant, we'll have an even stricter set of hoops to jump through just to get on an airplane.
They're not going away. Neither are the terrorists.
Chip Grefski
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