I have always hated airline "security." Step by step, year by year, the TSA and its predecessors have taken away more and more of our freedoms, subjecting millions of perfectly innocent travellers to searches and interrogations and other hassles in the vague hopes of catching hijackers (in the old days) and terrorists (these days). Even if it worked, the price would be too high, but of course it does not work. It has never worked. All of the 9/11 killers strolled through airport "security" without a problem, yet little old ladies in wheelchairs are pulled from line and patted down, people who have never committeed a crime in their life are being forced to remove their shoes and belts and empty their pockets, and cigarette lighters and toy guns and Swiss army knives are being confiscated and sold (yes, that's what they do with those lighters they take from people, they SELL them and keep the bucks).
And now, in the wake of the arrests in England, a new wave of rules and prohibitions are about to be foisted on us by TSA -- no liquids or gels in carry on, no electronic devices of any kind, no ipods, no cell-phones, no cameras (some reports are even claiming that books are being banned, though that makes no sense whatsoever to me). You are supposed to put your electronics in your checked baggage, they say. Your UNLOCKED checked baggage, another infuriating rule foisted on us by the TSA. And of course what happens if your electronics are damaged and stolen en route? Why, nothing... the airlines take no responsibility, and TSA won't either. Will TSA start confiscating iPods and cellphones and laptops at the security gates now? Hey, those will certainly bring in a lot more dosh than lighters when they're sold.
I wonder how long this prohibition on electronics will last, and how far it will extend? If this truly includes ALL electronics, it will effectively end my own ability to travel by air. Forget about book tours in the future, forget about seeing me at any con that I cannot drive to. Right now, I am even worried about how I am going to get to worldcon... though LA is close enough so that, if worse comes to worst, I will be able to drive. Obviously, that won't apply next year for Yokahama, if these new rules become permanent.
What's next, I wonder? Anal probes, x-rays, body cavity searches? Have we become such a nation of sheep that we will line up and swallow all this meekly? If so, let's change the words in our national anthem. Instead of "land of the free and home of the brave," maybe "land of the safe and home of the scared" would do.
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grrm- George R.R. Martin
- George R. R. Martin
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Comments
Disturbing, to say the least.
I wonder if it were only to affect transatlantic flights (which was the supposed target which led to this further clamp-down of security) then what percentage of Americans is it going to cause a problem for?
Will we be getting the boat to Amsterdam after all?
George, you are a phenomenal writer, but please spare me the knee jerk reactions and do your research.
The point of his post is still the same. A steady loss of freedoms.
Stupid world. :p
Take it from someone who thinks the more security measures, the better: this won't last.
Customers will take it for a while, but as soon as the threat level drops down from orange to yellow, it will be back to business as usual. The airlines are well aware that customers won't tolerate this for very long.
(SO glad I don't work there any more!)
Bloody laptops?
Is there:
a) legislation prohibiting them?
b) official airline policies prohibiting them?
And will someone please explain to me why Swiss army knives are confiscated? I had mine taken from me when departing from Trudeau. And when departing from Logan, had my shoes checked (The chap before me, wearing sandals, was told to remove his footwear as well).
If there isn't any official legislation in any country, and there isn't any official, private airline policy, then why do they persist in acting as if there were, and what arguments may be presented which will let us merry travellers continue along our merry little way?
Good thing too, I wouldn't be flying anymore if they were.
The problem is that our government has failed to support the rail system in the States, so Amtrak has been cutting one route after another for the last thirty years, and now they hardly go anywhere.
If the government had given Amtrak anywhere near the same level of support they have given the airlines, we'd have the best trains in the world.
Of course, it is only a matter of time until someone officious decides we need "security" on the trains as well.
Stephen and I are hoping that at the very least, the book restriction will be lifted in a week. The thought of a 16+-hour flight with no books, music, or DVDs has Stephen feeling homicidal. I think the only hope would be tranquilizers and sleeping pills.
Someone on my flight from Portland, OR to Atlanta, GA (almost 5 hours) with 3 or 4 kids this week. Can you imagine doing that with no electronic entertainment in this day and age?
Fortunately, the electonic ban hasn't been implemented...yet.
On the other hand, I am very, very glad that I'm driving to Santa Fe for school this fall, rather than flying. And have no need to fly again until November. With any luck, this will have died down by then.
But they are not going to lower that threat level until every last ballot is counted in November.
Look at it this way, suppose the airlines carried on as normal and one bomber who hadn't been arrested got through. A lot of people would be asking why security wasn't increased, given the police had ample knowlege of a threat. Is temporary hassle that bad?
I am old enough to remember when the first airport "security" came in. We were told those were temporary measures too. In that case, "temporary" has turned out to mean "for the rest of your life."
seriously. i'm buying a freaking boat... screw this airfare buisness.
It also just makes me really sad that every time something bad happens in this day and age I don't get worried or upset about the catastrophe (or threat of one) itself but instead have to worry about have kind of outragerous reaction the powers that be are going to have and what they are going to use it to justify.
Next thing you know they'll outlaw clothes on planes and everyone will have to change into disposable (but probably expensive) hospital gown things to wear on their flights or something.
Even if it worked, the price would be too high, but of course it does not work.
An infinity of annoyances in exchange for 21 planefuls of people? On this day, of all days, that's not a price I think is "too high."
It's not as if the screeners at Heathrow confiscated someone carrying gelginite masquerading as hair pomade, but rather the cops arrested them before they left for the airport.
TK
I'll check TSA's list of restrictions the night before - if they're still fussing about small electronics in carryons, I'm just going to leave my camera and my ipod home, and... well... pack the cell phone, because I have a dozen people to keep in touch with the whole week. At least that's cheaply replaced if something happens. If they're still banning BOOKS, I will be gibbering like a loon when I get off the plane.
I'm accustomed to having to take off my shoes, though - I wear low-profile Docs. heh.
I hope that this is only temporary, as there is nothin worse than forgetting a good book on a long flight :(
This prohibition makes absolutely no sense to me. What the hell is a terrorist going to do with a book? Threaten to read some really bad prose unless the crew fly into a building?
Granted, the conversations didn't last long, because reducing me to saying, "But..but...buh?" isn't much of a way to keep a topic going.
I *know* it's all just there to make people *feel* safer...not actually make it safer. :P
But you know, surely if they are thorough enough to check shoes, they must be thorough enough to catch weapons! At least, in the public's eyes.
Bah. What pablum.
I remember right after 9/11 my mother got her old Swiss Army Knife(which she bought the same summer she met my father) taken away from her. I was peeved then, but the possibility that it was sold renews the annoyance.
This kind of reminds me of how everyone was afraid of knitting needles being taken on board and used for Evil (tm) despite the fact that mechanical pencils could make better puncture wounds and laptop cables would be better suited to strangle a man than the tiny cable on the circular ones.
Why doesn't this country have a better rail system? Europe had great trains that were actually used for travel, and I'd much rather go cross country that way that sit through 8 hours of security lines.
Now I'm going to vent my anger by watching or reading "V for Vendetta" and hoping this clears up before I have to take any long trips