The news can be humorous

I spend an unusually sizeable amount of time glued to MSNBC. I realize that it may not be so healthy to watch and listen to the news as much as I do. I think I picked up this habit from my step-father, the blue rat, though. KYW was always playing in the background while I was growing up.

This afternoon, Contessa Brewer of MSNBC was interviewing aviation security consultant, Michael Boyd about the TSA and the most recent restrictions enacted in light of terrorist threats. With one ear tuned into the tv and eyeballs fixed on my laptop, I over hear Mr Boyd make the following assessment of the TSA. He called them:

"The Pointy Object Patrol."

I can see no more fitting moniker for the TSA. I am sure the men and women working to protect our interests and safety are fine folks. But the logic is so inherently flawed, the measures are beyond ridiculous that there is no possible way to ensure security for those who are flying. When one is consumed by searching for nail clippers, files and cigarette lighters one just may lose focus on something relevant and truly dangerous like...um...explosives.

The TSA, through no fault of their own, is "The Pointy Object Patrol." And a major thorn in my side as a traveller who smokes. Although...I have discovered that one can sneak a lighter by security by hiding it among the tampons in one's purse.

If an unassuming woman with an addiction to tobacco and taste in fine leather goods can slip a Bic past a security guard, what could a person who actually thinks about smuggling and destruction do? Given the choice between being blown up mid-flight and losing my civil liberties, I should always opt for the former. A quick death is always preferable to a slow, painful one that entails losing the freedoms I treasure the most.