Is That Legal?

I'm flying later today and I'm afraid that, having read this story, I will do something very stupid out of sheer contrariness.

Thanks for recounting your experience.

You may find this of interest:

http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/argenbright/argnbrght41700inf.pdf

My experience has been like Hasbrouck's, with the difference that I never tested the system by asking any questions. (Good for him!) I have never, anywhere in the world, seen such self-important, rude, ineffective, and stupid gatekeepers (of whatever stripe) as at the US airports. The "anywhere" refers to Europe, the old Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Near, Middle and Far East, a couple of southern African countries, Australia, and several countries in the Pacific.

The totalitarian principle of the thing is a disaster by itself, but with RFID and identity theft added to the mix, it's disaster squared.

Sad and Scary....suppress the general population w/ scare tactics lies and threats....they should be fired...

I've thought for the last 5 years that the long lines and inefficient security procedures at airports have very little to do with keeping us safe and everything to do with keeping us afraid.

If the government was serious about airport security, they could contract for efficient procedures, and for trained officers, like they do in Israel. The whole point of what happens in US airports is to reminde people that they need to fear, and to delude them into thinking the Bushies are doing something to protect them.

But I never say that in the airport - because I don't want to deal with the uneducated, untrained bully-boys (and girls) who have bought into the fear most of all.