I’m a frequent traveler. When it comes to airports and security, I know the drill. And don’t mess around. I wear the right shoes, rarely wear or carry crap I don’t need and am a master when it comes to navigating lines. The movie Up In The Air – that Clooney character could be me. Except that I’m not quite as anal when it comes to packing.
These new TSA rules about scanners and patting folks down didn’t bother me much at first. As much as I value my personal privacy, I really hate terrorists. Especially ones who might want to blow up airplanes and kill a whole bunch of people in the process.
Back to security. It doesn’t really bother me to have to step into a scanner – seriously, anyone who’s going to get their jollies looking at my junk in the trunk – well, they need to get a life. But someone else – my 72 year old mother-in-law, for instance. Well, she might freak out at the prospect of having to have her privacy violated in that way. And I get that.
But it’s not just passengers who are a little concerned about this latest wave of security changes – even the pilots’ union has a beef about some of these new rules – and I get their concerns. Even our hero pilot, Sully Sullengerger, disagrees with some of the TSA policies as they relate to pilots. But when it comes right down to it, passengers being required to go through scanners doesn’t really bother me – I’m cool with it.
But this patting down business – that’s something else. I’ve not had it happen to me yet, but watching this interview on Fox Business News of my friend Owen JJ Stone a/k/a the infamous Ohdoctah and recently named Sexiest Man Alive, made me rethink my position.
Don’t get me wrong – I think the TSA performs an important job and I respect the responsibility they have for helping to keep us safe. And I’m also well aware of the crazies out there who wake up every day working toward their goal of killing people like you and me, in fulfillment of some higher calling. That sucks. And we need to do all we can to protect ourselves against them. But reaching inside someone’s pants, touching their genitals, their butt, between their legs – I don’t like it. But then, I don’t wear baggy pants or clothes. So maybe it doesn’t apply to me. Just to guys like Owen and other baggy-pants-wearing dudes. Does that matter? Should it?
What about you? This stuff bother you at all? Is it over the edge or all in the name of safety? What do you think?