Kidding

As in, "You've got to be fuckin' kidding me."

WASHINGTON - Starting Thursday, air travelers will have to leave their lighters at home. Unlike guns, knives and other dangerous items that a passenger cannot carry aboard but may stow in checked bags, lighters are banned everywhere on a plane.

The rule change is expected to produce a large number of seizures of lighters even though airports, airlines and the government have been telling travelers for the past 45 days about the impending ban{...}

The reason behind this is pretty simple: they don't want anyone starting any fires on planes. Well, ok, but guess what?

{...} The ban does not include matches. Passengers still may carry aboard a plane up to four books of safety matches. Not allowed on planes are "strike anywhere" matches, which can be struck using any abrasive surface.{...}

Oh, good God, people.

You can't take a lighter on a plane because we can detect those, there being little metal parts in them that a metal detector will catch. But bring all the matches you want, because there's no way in hell that we can detect those, so they're a lost cause. (Are you reading this, Mom? Don't bring your lighter with you the next time you fly or they'll hoark it.) When I just mentioned this to the husband, he felt the need to inform me that the reason they're actually doing this is because with a lighter you have a flammable fluid (an explosive) under pressure and it could be used as a bomb. Well, ok, but if it's such a problem, such a threat, why did it take them three and a half years to ban lighters? Why, If lighters in checked-baggage have been banned for years because of the dangers to the cargo hold, have you been able to keep your cigar lighter in your suitcase and no one's given a rat's ass about it? Why hasn't that nice Colibri been confiscated before now?

{Insert slamming of head on desk here}

I believe it's time to ask this question: do you feel safer flying since all of these post-9/11 changes have been introduced?

Because I don't.

While I do believe airport security needed to be tightened up, I believe the TSA is now just going through the motions. They're doing stuff for the sake of doing stuff. They're trying to give the appearance of security, where none is going to be found in actuality. I don't feel one iota safer because they're x-raying my shoes, confiscating nail clippers, or feeling me up when I forget and wear an underwire bra instead of the sports bra. I will also say that I REALLY don't feel any safer because they let the first class/business class passengers skip to the head of the security lines because I've seen what happens when they go through the metal detector, and, just in my humble experience, they're not subjected to anywhere near the level of scrutiny that I have to go through as a coach passenger. They're whisked through as quickly as possible, because God help the TSA officer that doesn't allow them to get to their flight on time. They paid more for their ticket; they're special.

Does any of this make you feel safer? Does it make you feel as if there will never be another 9/11? Do you whistle your way through security, secure in the notion that this increased scrutiny is preventing another horrible terrorist incident? Or do you feel as if it could happen because the TSA employees are a. Union workers and b. even if they do care, still miss quite a bit because everything has to be scrutinized to the utmost?

There is something to be said for deterrence. All of this increased security is supposed to be a deterrant from someone attempting another 9/11. Do you think any of this is actually going to deter a terrorist? Or do you think they'll just be cleverer in the future and that we should be paying attention to that instead of banning cigarette lighters? Because you know someone out there will come up with a cigarette lighter that is undetectable. They've done it with knives and guns. Why not with cigarette lighters?

Throw your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Kathy at April 14, 2005 10:06 AM