Epic Banality

I hate flying. Actually, that’s not true. I’m indifferent about flying. When I’m in a hurry to get from place to place, it’s the best method of travel. What I hate—and I mean I hate—are airports. I never liked them pre-TSA and now, with the whole Homeland Security nightmare, it’s worse and it continues to get worse. I’ve never flown with ID and still do my best not to, though I fear my days are numbered in that regard. For those interested in the policy change, it can be found on TSA’s website.

Why on earth does someone need ID to get on an airplane? What does it prove exactly? I’m not opposed to better security scanning and random checks and such. Those are fine since they actually accomplish something. If I’m carrying an explosive in my bag, checking my bag will theoretically prevent that explosive from getting on the airplane. Checking my ID will not. This obsession with ID has become a point of insanity in modern life. So, let me explain my most recent fiasco.

As noted before, TSA changed its policy in late June to tighten up ID policies further. In the good old days before that when I flew without an ID I had to go through extra security which often took me ahead in line and made everyone extra certain I wasn’t a terrorist. My bags were checked and they put me in that air spraying thing. Whatever. Done and done. It was a hassle I could deal with. I guess that’s not good enough now. In both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City I had to spend 15 - 20 minutes with some TSA goon answering questions about where I lived, if I had any cars registered to me, who my parents are, etc. Salt Lake was, as I had expected, much worse. Mormon occupied zones tend to be particularly fascist. Given the early history of the Latter-Day Saints and their oppression at the hands of the US government you’d think they’d be a bit more opposed to this nonsense. I guess less than two centuries can change the core philosophy of anything it seems.

So, we go through this process, they still can’t seem to verify anything and finally just send me through the additional security screening as they did before late June. Only now—and this is the part that I find particularly hilarious—they didn’t search my bag. Not in Las Vegas and not in Salt Lake. They wiped my laptop down with something I’m presuming makes sure my MacBook isn’t a thermonuclear bomb and did the same to my cell phone, but didn’t look in my bag at all. Now, I’m sure the scanner told them, “Hey guys, there’s nothing in here but dirty clothing, so even if he is a terrorist, unless he can fashion himself a deadly weapon from all natural toothpaste, deodorant and sweaty shirts he’s pretty safe.” However, if the scanner is that good, why did they used to check my bags? And if it’s not, what’s the point of increased security?

The 9/11 hijackers had legit ID and people who work with terrorist networks that are adept at infiltration tend to be able to obtain IDs without issue. It doesn’t prove anything or make us safer. It’s just another way for our ever expanding, ever tyrannical and ever fascist government to increase its power, scare its people and continue to remind them that they are cattle for the harvest.

This is a pretty vicious and stark contrast from my experiences yesterday. I watched almost all of the very fantastic John Adams HBO miniseries with Tacita. I can’t put into words how disheartening it is to go through airport security and see what’s become of the America built by men like Adams, Jefferson and Madison. I guess just over two centuries can change the core philosophy of anything it seems.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 at 9:25 am and is filed under Politics, Rant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.