Our crackerjack airport “security,” just this week, singled out a developmentally disabled man for an enhanced patdown.
Drew Mandy, 29, has the mental capacity of a 2-year-old. He was traveling with his family to DisneyWorld when his adult diapers got the attention of a TSA agent. When his father tried to explain, the agents waved him off, saying “please, sir, we know what we’re doing.”
They then decided that a six-inch-long plastic toy hammer Mandy had carried as a comfort item for more than 20 years was a security threat, so they confiscated it. Don’t worry, though. Calling it an “isolated case of bad judgment,” they’ve “reached out” to the family.
So, see? It’s all better now. No need to be upset. They apologized. I’m sure Drew is fine now, aren’t you?
How are we doing on airport security reform? I’ve floated and/or recirculated lots of good ideas in this space before. Israel, easily the country with the greatest sustained interest in getting it right in the world, gets it right. Are we studying their methods for possible implementation? Or how about that whole express/voluntary background check thing for frequent travelers? The guy who’s flown from Chicago to Boston once a week for the past ten years isn’t a security threat. Can we get him a pass that says so?
Or do you even care anymore? Or did you ever? An enraged electorate is the only thing Our Betters understand (sometimes not even that; see the 2010 midterms), and we’re not enraged. The Fourth Amendment has essentially perished.
Wonder which one is next?
You might also like:
- The Capitol fence must come down
So argues U.S. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton in this piece on National Review. I think she’s … - “We love the time, we spend with you, to share a song, and a laugh or two…”
Mrs. Chili came to church with us this morning ahead of another top-notch meal at ‘seester’s, this o… - The phrase is “radical Islam,” Mr. Holder
Listen to our attorney general’s tortured avoidance of it: Political correctness is so much more imp… - There are only three things in my letter to my 16-year-old self
I’ve encountered the idea of a letter to my 16-year-old self more than once this week, which makes m… - Yes, make good choices, because it’s all you control
In the fall of my senior year at UAH, I was an intern at Champion International Corporation in Court…