Ridiculous Airline Security Story #N, N being large....

[Rohit Khare]

I've been flying about twice a week, on average, since Sept 11. This 
is getting more and more ridiculous: today I was asked to remove my 
belt entirely at X-Ray.

Not, please unbuckle and let us hand-search, but take it off 
entirely. This is insane. Without some shred of dignity left, there 
is no point to patronizing the airline system at all, except under 
duress.

Federalizing this -- making it more rigid -- is only going to hurt 
the airline industry further.

For protesting, I was hand-searched *anyway*, after *not* triggering 
the metal detector.

I challenged the supervisor -- a United employee, as per current 
policies -- who told me the usual runaround: FAA has told her buckles 
can be made into shivs, that she doesn't care about policy elsewhere 
in the US in my flying experience, nor even that of other terminals 
at San Jose Airport itself...

I know United has been traumatized. I know that I prefer diversity to 
literal-minded Federalism. I am also beginning to fear I've lost my 
interest in traveling as a hobby.

Not because I'm inconvenienced for a few minutes -- but because I'm 
waiting here in the gate area afraid that I've pissed off some 
employee who wants to add me to the selectee list for even more 
intrusive inspections.

It's the fear of privatized retribution that makes me fear for the Republic...

Rohit