NOOOOO! PLEASE, PUT DOWN THE NIPPLE RING! THERE ARE CHILDREN ON THIS PLANE! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
Is it wrong that I think Darwin is probably at work when a plane full of people couldn't overpower a woman with a nipple ring?
Did you link me to the story where a guy was late to get on his plane because the TSA agents had never seen a Mac Airbook? Seriously. What are the qualifications to work for TSA these days?
Yes. Frightening, no? What bothers me about both the Mac Air incident and the nipple ring are that there were other agents who did not stop it. In the Mac case, there was a younger agent who kept trying to tell them what it was. In the case of a nipple ring, there were at least three agents surrounding this woman and making her take it off, including someone who had to get the pliers. Did it not occur to anyone at all to consider what possible harm she could do with a nipple ring?
Really! And if she needed pliers to remove it, it would be pretty difficult and painful for her to rip it off mid-flight and do what ever ninja mastery they imagined she could.
Many people do join the police, TSA, or similar jobs solely to have power over other people. There are good people who hold such jobs, mind you, but there are also people just wanting a paycheck, as well as bullies who enjoy the power.
I doubt any future president will be able to put an end to that until we put an end to these ridiculous draconian measures that are in place in the name of "security".
I know there are bad apples in every bunch, and that most TSA agent just want a nice, slow, uneventful day. The best way to combat abuse of the system, however, is culture. For abuses like this to occur (and the innumerable stories we don't hear), coworkers and supervisors have to allow it as well. The agents themselves have to undergo a change where they go back to the notion that 99.9999% of those they see in a day just want to get to their next destination with their luggage and dignity intact.
It has served this Administration well to spread the myth that there are terrorists around every corner. It is easy to drive public opinion with fear, far easier than thinking.
I just want to hear how (or if) our Democratic candidates propose to make the cultural change necessary to put thinking and order into the system.
I have not heard any candidate discuss lowering security. In this atmosphere of artificially generated fear, it would be political suicide to suggest any such thing.
Enough events like this, lawsuits from those violated, and media publicity (it barely made the morning news ticker, and then only on one of the two channels I watch), and some brave candidate may be able to grasp the issue and shake the shackles off without losing votes. But first the public needs to understand not only that this "security" is cruel and unusual punishment, but it provides very little actual security. The latter is the biggest problem.
Comments 7
Is it wrong that I think Darwin is probably at work when a plane full of people couldn't overpower a woman with a nipple ring?
Did you link me to the story where a guy was late to get on his plane because the TSA agents had never seen a Mac Airbook? Seriously. What are the qualifications to work for TSA these days?
Reply
Reply
Reply
I doubt any future president will be able to put an end to that until we put an end to these ridiculous draconian measures that are in place in the name of "security".
Reply
It has served this Administration well to spread the myth that there are terrorists around every corner. It is easy to drive public opinion with fear, far easier than thinking.
I just want to hear how (or if) our Democratic candidates propose to make the cultural change necessary to put thinking and order into the system.
Reply
Enough events like this, lawsuits from those violated, and media publicity (it barely made the morning news ticker, and then only on one of the two channels I watch), and some brave candidate may be able to grasp the issue and shake the shackles off without losing votes. But first the public needs to understand not only that this "security" is cruel and unusual punishment, but it provides very little actual security. The latter is the biggest problem.
Reply
Well, maybe not "period," but to get their jollies too. Several of them could be heard snickering while this was going on.
Reply
Leave a comment