I don't mind a trading a little inconvenience for real security and real safety, but the security theater that has been shoved down our throats over the last few years, typically by politicians who want to appear "tough" or who are afraid to appear "soft" is stupid, expensive, ineffective, and did I mention stupid?
I ran into this idiotic bullshit when I flew up to San Francisco last week, when my deadly, deadly toothpaste was taken away from me, because it was "way bigger" than the three ounces our government protectors arbitrarily-designated as safe. (For those of you scoring at home, "way bigger" is .2 ounces) I didn't mention that my relatively expensive (to its size) Crew hair goop was also taken away from me, because it was 3.4 ounces, even when I opened it up and showed them that it was less than 1/2 full, and therefore well under the deadly 3 ounce threshold.
"Well, we don't know what's really in there," the TSA lady said.
"It's about1 ounce of hair goop," I said. "Would you like me to put it in my hair?"
"Sorry, sir," she said, in a voice that indicated she was anything but, as she threw it into the trash.
Apparently, simple logic and math is lost on these people, but condescending "with us or against us" lectures about how how it's perfectly reasonable to take off our shoes, submit to body scans, endure humiliating searches, and turn in our fucking toothpaste, so we don't have "another 9/11" are well-within their grasp.
Because, you know, there was so much toothpaste involved in that horrific tragedy. And clearly, because I'm annoyed at the policy (I made it clear that I was unhappy with the policy, and even said, "I understand that you're doing your job, but I want to complain about this policy to someone," just to belabor the point,) I love terrorists and go to sleep every night hoping that our nation endures another catastrophic attack.
I swear to god, if I hear one more fucking person tell me that I have to take off my shoes or give up some more privacy, or fall to my knees and worship George Bush so we don't have "another 9/11" I'm going to put three ounces of my foot right in their ass. Stop. Treating. Us. Like. Children.
Why am I so pissed today? It turns out that the whole reason we have to endure this stupid war on moisture can't even stand up to basic scrutiny in court.
Boingboing says charges dropped in "liquid terror" plane plot:
A judge in Pakistan has decided there is not enough evidence to try the main suspect in a purported terror plot to blow up airlines with liquids. This alleged international conspiracy is the reason you now have to carry less-than-3 oz bottles of mouthwash and shampoo in clear ziplock bags when you fly.
O RLY? You mean, even though chemists said that the deadly toothpaste plot wouldn't work, the DHS ignored them and went ahead with a bunch of bullshit propaganda (that had nothing to do with the election, I'm sure) and TSA security theater? Wow. What a shock. I hope someone increased the DHS budget so they can spend another $81,000 of taxpayer money on plaques in some stupid bullshit awards ceremony! Heckuva job, people. Heckuva job.
I won't hold my breath, but I hope that in light of this discovery, the TSA will cut and run from the outrageously stupid war on moisture, and politicians will stop trying to make us all afraid of our own fucking shadows so we run to mommy congress and daddy president to protect us.
Update: Slashdot has a great discussion about this if you read at +5.
