(borrowed from Stacy Tabb)
I flew a lot this summer, and it wasn't the travelling I came to mind. What bothered was never knowing what to expect during a "security" check. What humiliation would I have to endure? How would my privacy be invaded? In Minneapolis, I had to watch while a security troll rifled through my wallet. As I began to lose my patience with the moron, I met my wife's gaze. She had already made it through the "security" checkpoint, and the look in her eyes made it clear she didn't want to get on the plane alone. So, I endured the invasion of privacy in the name of expediency, all the while wanting to gut the moron who did everything but grab my scrotum and then tell me to turn my head and cough.
Of course, then there were the airports, like Houston Hobby, f'rinstance, where I could almost have walked through wearing a pair of bandoliers and carrying an AK-47. I understand the hasty and unorganized reaction to the events of 9.11, but this smacks of slamming the barn door shut after the horses have escaped.
The reality here is that none of the measures taken are really about increased security. It's about creating the illusion of increased security so that people will continue to fly. If perception is indeed reality, then people need to FEEL safe, even if in actual fact they are not.
I can understand the reaction of the author of this article. My experiences may not have been as invasive or egregious, but they didn't feel far from it at the time. Is it any wonder I would much rather drive?
