Security Theatre Act VIII

We can’t have any of that reading on an airplane!

Apparently there is at least one TSA agent who believes there is a limit to the number of books you can bring on an airplane. (Thanks to BoingBoing) Inasmuch as these screeners have the authority to make their own judgments about what might be prohibited items, he is right because he says so. But in what way is it potentially “dangerous” to have more than two books in your carry-on? How could you use a third or fourth book as a weapon?

And what exactly is to stop anybody from buying as many books as they can carry at the newsstand on the other side of the security checkpoint?

Seriously, most people are not going to begin a vacation looking to finish out a dozen books. But what about traveling salespeople, who must carry catalogs and literature about their products? He can’t check that because he has to keep track of it; he has to know where it is and that it will really arrive at his destination. What about people returning from conventions or other events where they receive or even buy books and book-like materials? Sure would be a pain to pick up the latest edition of, oh I don’t know, “Procedures for Primary Care Physicians” at the big AMA convention only to have it confiscated by the TSA. What about students looking to catch up on some studying when they go home for Spring Break? And how do they define a book?

I think most of us would be a little more tolerant of this type of behavior if the TSA were doing a good job, but they aren’t. Even conservatives are unimpressed. The British press reports “Gaping holes” in US Security, including but not limited to thousands of unauthorized airport workers (dozens of whom were illegal aliens), ignored risks at smaller airports, airport workers who cause security breaches, and a soon to be missed deadline for baggage screening.

Nope, we are too busy worrying about how many books you have in your bag.

In closing, kudos to Howard Dean for standing up and saying what most Americans think: “The issue is: Are we going to live in a theocracy where the highest powers tell us what to do? Or are we going to be allowed to consult our own high powers when we make very difficult decisions?”