The True Cost of Security
"I don't mind more security, so long as we're safer." Have you heard this stupid statement over and over again on television when they walk up to Joe Average American in the airport? Ever wonder why someone would make such an inane statement? Likely because they don't travel very much, have showed up at the airport 5 hours in advance, and don't mind standing in line after line after line.
Do these lines make us safer? Are you kidding? Take, for example, our return trip home from Grand Cayman. We had spent a wonderful week with Cathy Church, and Jack and Sue Drafahl. It was a whirlwind of underwater photography, digital imaging, and other fun. Of course, this type of week is equipment intensive, and we have to carry multiple hundred pounds of luggage with us whenever we go, as well as a LOT of batteries. Thus began our first "fun with security."
The trip from Dulles to Charlotte to Grand Cayman was relatively painless and uneventful. The lines at security at Dulles weren't that long, and things moved relatively smoothly. This was not so bad. Arrival at Grand Cayman, clearing customs, etc. was no problem. On the way back, however, we were greeted with the airport lobby being literally PACKED with people. They were hand checking ALL of the checked baggage and making us remove batteries. Yes, batteries. We had to take the batteries out of our checked baggage and put them in our carry on baggage. Of course, this is after we had carefully packed everything we didn't need into our checked baggage.
Setting aside the insanity of making you take your batteries out of your checked baggage, think about what a tempting target many hundreds of people make in the Grand Cayman airport. They are stuck in line. There is nowhere to run. You can't possibly get away. You are completely trapped. And given that most of the people stuck there waiting for US flights happen to be American Citizens....you just have to stop and think for a moment. Is this "added security" a good idea, or a really lame one? I asked the security people why they were doing this. They said "FAA regulations." I, being the nasty person that I am, told them there was no such FAA regulation. The security person insisted that there was. I informed her that I was an attorney well versed in FAA regulations, and there was no such regulation to remove batteries from checked baggage. The supervisor came over and apologized, saying that it was a CAA regulation (Cayman's version of the FAA) and that this wouldn't dissuade people from vacationing at their lovely island. I suggested that perhaps they inform the hotels that this was the regulation so that divers who generally carry many battery powered things, could plan accordingly when they pack. I am not hopeful that this actually occurs.
So, once our bags were pawed through and everyone had to repack their stuff, we were herded into yet another line with no escape to wait for our carry on bags to be screened. This took much longer for us, since batteries come up black on the scanner, so they had to go through our carry ons to make sure they were actually batteries. Then, yet another line for exit immigration. LOTS of opportunity for bad guys to do bad things, as "security" is added to the process.
Upon arrival at Charlotte, we found US Customs and Immigration lines to be refreshingly short. Many lanes were open. We did find a surly officer, however. She stared at us, did not return smiles, did not return a "good afternoon," and merely scanned in our passports, stamped our form, and grunted that we could leave. More unhappy grumpy people populated customs, as we were basically growled at, and then left for the baggage recheck line.
So, after all of this, the entire group leaving customs and immigration was funneled into yet another line where, guess what? We had to go through security AGAIN. These bags that had already been screened had to be once again opened, laptops removed, shoes removed, bags opened and checked because of the batteries contained therein, after yet another line with dozens of people who were again sitting ducks for any type of attack. Charlotte must have some type of vortex of unhappiness, because the TSA people were also serious grumps.
What's the real point here? Why are American Citizens being put through this nonsense? And why are American Citizens who weren't trusted in the first place, suddenly trusted if they provide all of their personal information to the government in order to give them special travel status so that they can breeze through security? I truly don't understand this concept. Either American Citizens are trusted or they aren't. We obviously aren't, because otherwise, Americans who had cleared Customs and Immigration could be exempted from the process of going through security AGAIN to get their carry ons screened. So if we are inherently NOT trusted, then how can providing extra personal information change the fact that we aren't trusted?
So if American Citizens aren't trusted, why are foreigners trusted enough to be given basically a free pass into the country by the Bush Administration who wants to let illegals work and not throw their butts out? The "if you can sneak in through our porous borders, we will let you feel right at home" approach is most confusing after being treated like a non entity by grunting Customs Officers and surly TSA officials.
Are we more secure? Hell no. And what have we had to give up to obtain this still insecure joke that passes for security? I daresay we've given up too much. Travel is no longer fun, nor even pleasant. And it's definitely not worth the exchange.