The term “theater” is also used for organizations including government agencies that have very little power. They act as if they are actually doing something, when in reality it is all smoke and mirrors to calm the waters so it seems someone is doing something on your behalf when actually they don’t have any authority. Politicians use the “theater” approach all the time. They seem to be taking up a cause and make people think that action will be taken, but it is only spin.

Every time I’ve flown in the past 3 years I’ve registered a complaint with the senior officer at the check point objecting to having to take off my shoes, which in the summer don’t come with socks, and having then to walk barefoot on the filthy rubber mat going through the ‘ding’ machine. It creeps me out to think of all the other feet which have gone through there! ICK!

Well, if this is ridiculous, lets get rid of this!

Now this is definitely something that should be addressed. If anyone ‘hasn’t” flown lately, you are in for quite an eye opener. It is a zoo.

I hate flying now. The last time I flew was to and from Las Vegas in October of 2007. The airport in Vegas is the worst, so bad that I vowed I will not go back to Vegas, ever. JFK was not too bad, but with the experience in Vegas I doubt I will be flying anywhere in the near future.

My husband, being a retired military officer, has well over a million air miles and now refuses to fly anyplace anymore. Not only does just getting on the plane create major frustrations and problems,then when you get on the plane you are getting on almost the equivalent of an upscale Greyhound bus. If we can’t drive there we’ll not go there.

TSA is a joke. The ones running it from Washington on down to the individual airport security heads are unbelieveably stupid and self centered. I knew of one who would come in on his days off to play games on his computer in his office and then wander around the terminal with his cup of coffee telling jokes, passing gossip and generally doing nothing useful but charging his hours as overtime. Most of them are unfamiliar with the rules and regulations manuel and make it their mission to persecute and destroy anyone smarter than themselves that might expose them and their games. The usual lines of recourse are there in name only, for whistle blowers and are otherwise worthless. I know of instances in several different airports where it’s the same story so it’s not an isolated instance.

for those of you ‘unaware’—-‘terrorism’ views its main ‘utility’ at bringing the ‘target-society’ down, not simply by its acts, rather, ‘decreasing civil liberty’—- allowing the target guv to exceed Law, which leads to suppression,as ‘the patriot act’ and other Unconstitutional actions—-and JJ GB’s beef—-as Ben Franklin said, ‘You have your republic, as long as you may keep it.’

Patrice, the solution to not walking thru in your bare feet is to take a pair of socks with you. I travel all the time and whether I have bare feet in my shoes or stockings (yes, I do sometimes wear them), I won’t walk thru the checkpoint like that. So I keep a pair of short fuzzy socks in the outside pocket of my bag. When I take off my shoes I slip them on and walk thu in them and then pull them off as I put my shoes back on. Takes just a second and there’s no ick factor.

I fly at least three times a month for business, and I can tell you, it is definitely smoke and mirrors. I’ve forgotten to take my liquids out of my bad before (even though they are in a baggy) and not been checked. FYI, you can refuse to take your shoes off, but then be prepared to be frisked - and not with the wand.

The only flying I do anymore is the 45 minute Dulles to Savannah flight…I have the luxury of keeping clothes at our house on Hilton Head, so I usually fly with just my purse…however…on my last flight I lost my mind and took my needlepoint as carry on…as soon as I laid the bag on the conveyer it hit me…”Oh No! I have needles and a teeny pair of scissors in there!!” Whoosh! It sailed right through! Imagine my relief! When I told an Aunt about this later, she glared at me and then told me about being wanded AND patted down after they found her needles and teeny scissors in her needlepoint! She is in her 80’s…I am almost 50…she said “It must have happened to me because I look old and dangerous!” Hah!

Pardon me if I am mistaken but didn’t the shoes have to come off after the shoe bomber incident? I think that they need to examine all shoes for potential “problems.” The shoe bomb thing was very serious and the bomber was supposedly part of the 9/11 terror and planned to crash into the White House with a fifth hijacked plane. Thankfully that did not happen. What is so hard in cooperating with the authorities at a US security checkpoint? When you gripe, complain and resist the screening you are holding everyone else behind you up AND you are making the job of the security people more difficult. Bring some thick socks to throw on over your feet the next time you take off your shoes for security and be glad that they are checking. Perhaps you’d prefer that none of the shoes of the strangers on board your loved one’s next flight go unchecked …