Common Sense Lives

A friend was lamenting today about having to throw away an expensive bottle of hairspray in order to pass through airport security. That would be bad enough, but then she commented that it was her own fault. That is the truly tragic part. We have all been assaulted with the TSA’s ridiculous propaganda for so long now, that we are actually starting to believe that it is wrong to travel with things like hairspary. It’s not, by the way. The TSA is wrong, and it’s not your fault!

Don’t allow yourself to be brainwashed into believing that the current theater that passes for airport security is a necessary part of life in this country! It’s a fad. It’s all part of the knee-jerk reaction that this country had to 9/11 that continues to play out even today, eight years later. But make no mistake, it is a temporary condition. Common sense is on life support, but it is not yet dead. We can resuscitate it and get our lives back.

Every once in a while, there is a story in the news that offers a glimmer of hope — what we used to call good news — and today’s Post Dispatch offered evidence that common sense may be making a comeback. The story, TSA changes procedure after Lambert incident, revealed that the fear-fueled hysteria does have limits. Steven Bierfeldt was inappropriately grilled by TSA personnel for trying to travel with a large sum of money. After facing a lawsuit from Bierfeldt and the ACLU, the TSA revised their rules to require their agents “to stick to matters related to flight security rather than policing airports for other crimes.” Gee, ya think?

So be patient, fellow travelers. As common sense recovers, and continues its physical therapy, these small victories will continue until things return to normal. And one day, as we spritz our hair before boarding our plane, we will all look back at the dark days of the TSA as quaint and unnecessary.