What is the point of airline security?

Is it to provide jobs for underbrained who couldn't handle the deep fryer for that Scottish restaurant company?

Is it to piss off and distract us passengers so that when we finally get on the plane and then crammed into tiny little seats made for tiny little people and force fed pretzels and soda we don't notice?

Is it to make us all feel "safe" knowing that no pair of scissors will EVER make it on board our flight?


And why do they make us take of our shoes at one airport and not another?

Are there just more foot fetishists in New Jersey (where they make you de-shoe) than in Florida (where they don't)?

And what are they looking for on the X-RAY machine?
An object shaped like a knife or gun?
Or maybe they are looking for bombs. You know the kind. The round black ones with the long fuse coming out of the top.

And how 'bout that person they call " THE ID CHECKER"?

...don't even get me started on that clown...

I bring up this question in all seriousness because after unpacking my carry on from this weekend's trip to MCO, I realized that my large, multi-tooled TSAK (Trusty Swiss Army Knife) sneaked passed both the EWR and MCO screeners.

For the record, I spent 39 minutes on line on Friday morning leaving EWR.

Now if some half-a-retard like myself can smuggle aboard (unintentionally, of course) a 4 inch, razor sharp blade with optional corkscrew and fish scaler, then what could a trained terrorist do if he (or she) wanted to cause widespread harm with that same knife?

But wait, aren't the cockpit doors locked shut now?

Am I the only one confused?

Peace and Love,
ENM


PS. Has anyone taken a Greyhound lately?

I never had to take off my sneakers on the A to C EWR transfer before, but I did yesterday. About a month ago they picked out my large nail clippers with a file on them, they have been through more than 50 checkpoints, no body looked before, then they had a big discussion (5 security people) and gave them back to me. Also why do they tell you to carry your BP through security and then never look at it?

they are there to waste your money and to make the stupid once a year travelers feel 'safe'.

I think that if your shoe soles are more than an inch thick you have to x-ray them.

What is the point of posting this in the CO forum?

pick a letter

A) I departed from terminal C, which is mostly, if not all, CO

B) I like CO forum the best, the participants are the smartest, funniest and best looking of all the forums.

C) To give you a reason for your most recent reply.

D) It never occured to me to post it anywhere else.

Peace

The point of airline security in this country is to waste more of your tax dollar by employing idiots who ebjoy the power trip. I make a point to chellenege the TSA people whenever they try going on a power trip with me... I have yet to lose...

-Vincent

FWIW, LAS has more of a shoe fetish than EWR. The other day they were "suggesting" that people de-shoe but telling them that if they didn't they'd be subject to a secondary screening. When I complained I was told that this is a new procedure, that they change their procedures all the time, and that it's, "To keep 'them' on their toes." I told the screener that that was a big lie and that she was wasting people's time. I didn't see a supervisor and was running late so I left it at that.

As far as the CO forum is concerned, this really belongs in the TS&S forum so over it goes...

Xyzzy
CO forum moderator

How silly of us, elite nomore. Now that we have seen the light, we should just do away with security checkpoints and go back to how things were pre-1973.

As far as I can tell most of the "security" is just supposed to make people feel good. I guess there's some value in feeling good, but the problem is that security theater stops having that effect as soon as people look behind the curtain and realize what's actually going on. And, more importantly, it's often a distraction from doing things that actually improve security.

WRONG!!!

When I travel out of Hawaii, I always wear thong flats...just so it is easier to take them off. They are plain black, no decorations, and the brainless airline security morphs always make a big deal about taking them off and placing them in the basket. Give me a break!

Elite Nomore,

In the not-so-"brave-new-world-after-9/11", isn't your admitting to having gotten a knife past the TSA grounds for prosecution and/or an administrative fine? That's how far this cancer called idiocy has advanced.

Okay, now that this is no longer in the CO Forum, I suggest that we non-CO Forum types really maul the OP!

I'm with Doppy. The purpose of terminal security is, first and foremost, to make the huddled masses feel good (or more specifically, to make them feel secure).

It would not have been politically acceptible for the politicos to say that 9-11 was caused by incompetence of the agents and screeners (and their supervisors) at Logan and Newark. Something had to be done, so they did something. Anything truly effective would not have been politically acceptible. If you'd like to read more about why most airport security is worthless, and what some effective measures would be, check out Bruce Schneier's website at http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html. Just put "airport" in the search tool.

Still in doubt? Check out this NY Times story, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/na...screeners.html, reporting that airport security now is no better than before 9-11.

During the Great Chicago Fire, two Congressmen stood next to each other, looking at the panic and mayhem. One turned to the other and said "What can we appear to be doing?"