The dog and pony show continues

"Weren't no bombs that knocked down the World Trade Center," he replied. "It was those knife things..."

Indeed. While riding the Blue Line here in Chicago, one end of which connects to O'Hare, I'm saddened by the outward appearances of those who I see commuting to and from the airport in their TSA outfits. Don't judge a book by its cover and all that, but I'd be surprised if these were the sorts of people who were well-trained to look for all likely threats. They unfortunately don't appear to be any more experienced than the people from whom I occasionally order a chalupa at 1 am.

If I were the sort of person who opposed healthcare reform, I'd hold the TSA up as a prime example of a government operation that is run poorly, expensively, and ultimately fails to achieve its goals. Meanwhile they continue to work on the same premise--that we've gone back in time to September 10th, 2001, and we have to stop that horrible event from happening again. And so it goes.

I happen to be "Muslim-looking" with a foreign name, and someone who travels a fair amount both for work and for vacation. As a tip, I've found that knowing the drill ahead of time--shoes, jacket, wallet, phone, keys, belt, liquids bag, and laptop in bin, and ID and boarding pass in hand--while going through the process with your best Pan Am smile will help prevent you from being singled out. Knock on wood.

Is it sad to have to go through this process? Of course. But it's what we're stuck with for now.