It was an entire flight of military personnel flying back from the Middle East forced to debark and be re-searched... after previously clearing security and customs and being contained in a secure facility where they had no contact with anyone or anything not already cleared by the TSA and customs.

That's the absurd part.

Redstate? Really? REDSTATE?!

Apparently the TSA sucks badly enough to unite red and blue against it? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" kind of thing?

There are some really awesome trips to take on the Amtrak :)

Don't forget that I accidentally (really!) walked through USA international security with a Waiters Friend (Corkscrew & Knife combo) in my carry-on luggage that was put through the scanner. I gave it to a very surprised barmaid in the transit lounge.

Added to quotes for posterity.

Don't care. Someone screwed up and missed it the first time. So what? He still shouldn't have had it.

The absurdity has nothing to do with that fact that he was military, that the entire plane was military, that he was carrying an unloaded weapon, or any of the other circumstances. It's absurd that nail clippers are banned, the particulars around this instance of someone being "caught" with them are irrelevant to me.

Oh fine GD, just be all logical and everything!

When I flew out of John Wayne Airport (Orange County - SNA) on Sunday, there were body scanners or pat downs (at least that I saw). I don't think there are any yet in Des Moines (DSM), but I will let you know after I fly out today.

I am really on the fence about this. On the one hand, I am ambivalent as to whether I am scanned - if someone gets off on looking at my junk, then have at it. On the other hand, I am concerned as to whether we are having our personal liberties slowly chipped away at.

And as far as the hazard to one's health and/or effectiveness of the scanners, I believe it is too soon to say conclusively one way or the other on them. Yes, either side can point to expert testimony either way (on either point: safety or security) saying yea or nea, but who knows who is right. Eventually it will be found out that the machines cause (fill in the blank) cancer, but as with most measures like this, we will probably never know what it prevented.

Really? You can't tell?