I've ranted about TSA's policies in a couple of posts, and I wanted to talk about why I feel
some discussion about such things is related to why we all come to this place.

My first flight after 9/11, I was stopped and searched. I knew security would be looking through bags,
so I fedexed what would have normally been my carry-on to my desitnation. Clever, right? Nope.
I was pulled aside and given a thorough going over because I didn't have enough baggage.

Agree with the TSA or no, one thing is very clear... it's better to fly beneath their radar. Don't stand out,
don't fit any profile other than the one most likely to get you through to your destination with the
least amount of hassle. And it's difficult to know, based on individual experience, exactly what that
profile is. If enough of us talk about what we did and how we were treated, maybe we can learn
enough from that to minimize the hassle factor.

There are plenty of news articles about how seemingly innocent behavior is enough to get you hauled
away in handcuffs. My personal favorite is the one about the school teacher arrested for carrying a
bookmark (commercially manufactured and sold as a bookmark) which one TSA droid felt looked
like a weapon link Sure charges were eventually dropped, but she missed her flight, and had to be
arrested in front of all those other people. Stressful? Yeah, I'm guessing a little.

If buying a ticket I don't intend to use allows me to slip through the weirdness at the security checkpoint
so I can meet my parent's flight, I'll do it. If I know ahead of time that Arc AAA's are ok to take aboard,
I'll feel better taking mine. If I discover that a fire steel is a no-no that'll get you pulled aside and
searched, I'll leave mine at home. Whatever it takes to make them put me in the "harmless" bin and
look at someone else. Urban survival.

</rant>