http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14807713/

I believe that the TSA screeners also believe that this ban is ridiculous and are ignoring the fact that people have hand cream, shampoo, etc in their bags. Unless a supervisor was doing the search with you, they dont' know if you've ignored something. This is only my opinion, but I really believe that they do see the prohibited items, but are ignoring them.

"Gary Boettcher, a pilot and president of the Coalition for Airline Pilots Association, a trade group that closely tracks security issues, said he constantly sees people drinking from illicit bottles of water or putting on lip gloss when he walks through the passenger cabin. Most of the time, he said, it doesn't bother him.

"They are just doing their routines like they always did," Boettcher said. "An old woman drinking a bottle of water doesn't concern me. . . . The whole screening process is a facade to make the public feel safe, to show that the government is doing something."

"Others, however, say they're simply not going to tolerate the new rules. They admit that they ignore the restrictions, slipping expensive cologne, perfume, lip gloss, lotion and other ointments into their carry-on bags or into their pockets in hopes of sneaking them past security. Some of the items get flagged by screeners, others do not."

That's right, Comrade Hawley. Screw you, you incompetent hack.

"Travelers must realize this isn't a game," Howe said. "The threat is real and it continues, and we appreciate the public's cooperation. Is it the perfect system? No. But does it make it right to sneak things through security? No, it doesn't."

It is a game and a stupid one at that. You can take your cooperation and cram it where the sun don't shine.

"They are just doing their routines like they always did," Boettcher said. "An old woman drinking a bottle of water doesn't concern me. . . . The whole screening process is a facade to make the public feel safe, to show that the government is doing something."

^

The fact that the screeners take the "banned items" out of pax bags and toss them all together into a trash can right next to them, pretty much speaks for itself.

If it's only a 20% increase, I would tend to think that people aren't necessarily checking stuff. They could very easily still pack it on. The Kettles might be checking their bags though.

And at least with what this story says, a lot of people don't seem to care either. ^

The guy in front of me this morning at OAK, lost his shampoo, shave cream, toothpaste and they may have had a 4th item just to be punative. He just looked at me and said I forgot and haven't travelled since 8/10.

2 weeks ago at DFW one of my teammates lost her eye-color makeup. She said she was tired of it anyway. the screener said "We find eveything at DFW we run a tight station".


I have a warm, fuzzy, secure womb like feeling (NOT!)

Baghdad Bob has had a sex change. Or is it gender reassignment?

Sorry, Ms Howe - your boss, Half-Wit Hawley, is an inhumane sack of crap. So is his boss, Comrade Chertoff. Banning water during mid-August is an atrocity, not part of an effective security plan.

Fantastic story. WP is one of the few papers that is not afraid to take on the government generally and the TSA in particular, unlike the chicken-**** New York Times and USA Today (see other recent threads).

Many good quotes including the following: Metal detectors at security checkpoints cannot sense plastic items that may contain liquids or gels.

As I thought. Anybody else planning to use their pockets to carry-on toothpaste, sanitizers and other items that pose no threat to safety?

Yes, and hell yes!

El Comrade and his half-a-wit sidekick, Hawley, severely underestimate the concealment ops available to wearers of feminine undergarments. Garters, thigh highs and decolletage'-enchacing items are replete with strategic hiding places.

Now Spiff watch the vitriol, as we wouldn't want you to get banned

Did any of you click on the "poll" in the link asking if you'd sneak items on board? I'd suggest you do so and respond to it.

According to the poll results, at the time I clicked, over 60% of responders thought that the ban was proper as it was for our safety.

I'm starting to think that the liquid ban is really a positive development. It's impossible to enforce, and people actively circumvent it. It also contributes to a growing recognition that the TSA is clueless and that we, in fact, are subject to "security theater."

At this point, I hope they keep it up.

Yes. I've carried a "banned" item in my pocket almost every trip through security since 8/10.

Great article. I loved the pilot's comments ^

Same here. I carry a small travel-size toothpaste tube. Nobody will ever find it.

Bruce