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Friday, August 19, 2005

Why?

Get this:
Major changes for airline passenger screening protocols could be taking off soon.
The Transportation Security Administration is proposing to lift the ban of carrying razor blades, small knives and scissors. The idea is to reduce the long lines passengers face at checkpoints.
The TSA proposal would also allow things like ice picks, throwing stars and bows and arrows on board. A risk evaluation showed those things wouldn’t be dangerous on a flight.
This brings up two points.

First of all,I am quite sure that most passengers would be happy to continue giving up a few extra minutes each to be screened for these weapons in exchange for the peace of mind that comes with knowing all of your fellow passengers have been similarly screened.

Second, what use could an airline passenger possibly have for an ice pick inflight? Throwing stars? A bow and arrow?
And the fact that a "risk evaluation showed these things wouldn't be dangerous on a flight"? Hello? 9/11? And if that doesn't convince you of the danger items like ice picks can cause, who can forget "Basic Instinct"?

5 Comments:

Blogger Alisha said...

Yes, this is a bit absurd. I'm the first person to say that banning tweezers and embroidery needles is going one step too far, but icepicks and bow & arrows? Are they trying to invite more attacks, chas v'shalom???

9:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the point is that post-9/11, even if some nut brings an ice-pick on board, his odds of using it to take down the plane are minimal, because his fellow passengers will probably tear him apart.

That doesn't address the issue of why someone would need one on board, but it explains why the greater threat is no longer a problem.

- Moishe Potemkin

12:43 PM  
Blogger BBJ said...

I don't like the idea of assuming that passengers will be able to bring down an attacker with a weapon before he brings down the plane, or worse, seizes control of it. I'm sure everyone would try, but just because you've taken a self-defense course, you don't hang out in empty parking lots.

It's just not a big deal to be made to put your ice pick in checked luggage. What are you going to do with an ice pick during the flight? Leather punch work? Make your own cocktails with the block of ice you also have in your carry-on?

Give the embroidery scissors and nail clippers back back, check the ice picks.

5:31 PM  
Blogger orthomom said...

"I think the point is that post-9/11, even if some nut brings an ice-pick on board, his odds of using it to take down the plane are minimal, because his fellow passengers will probably tear him apart."
I HOPE that isn't the point. That's a pretty bad point.

11:27 PM  
Blogger Air Time said...

From what I read, the reason for these changes is not to make it more convenient and quicker for the passenger, but to get people through security faster so that they are not all standing around at a security check point when a terrorist blows himself up.

2:17 PM  

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