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But my personal TSA low point came last December, flying back to Austin from Chicago-Midway. I've gotten to the point where I wear loafers when I'm flying, as it makes getting in and out of my shoes so much quicker. But never before had anyone asked that I take my son's shoes off--at the time, he was 11 months old. Even if I'd wanted to pack C4 into the soles of his shoes, I couldn't have hidden enough to scorch the seat. So now I not only have to put my shoes back on, but my squirmy baby's back on too. For no good reason.
And while I'm thinking about knives, when we were delayed in Cincinnati on another flight, we spent our meal vouchers at one of the nicer airport restaurants. Where I couldn't get a proper steak knife, because regulations prohibited steak knives behind security. On the upside, at least they went out of their way to make their steaks extra-tender, but it seems like there are better ways of handling that, as well...like having the server collect any sharp knives when the check is paid and make sure he/she has the same number he served.
But it's no wonder, really, that there's no serious protest. Who wants to risk rotting in an airport holding facility and missing their flight? The government has made damn sure that the price of disobedience outweighs the annoyance. They've got us by the short and curlies and they darn well know it!
