Airline Security: Annoying AND Useless

All the annoyances we put ourselves through at airport security are basically forms of voodoo: by going through a ritual that looks like it has something to do with security, our magical minds convince us that we are actually more safe. The charade is pretty transparent though, and it annoys the crap out of me. Now that I have a baby son, all those annoyances are magnified tenfold. And these measures don't even stop relatively straightforward attempts to get dangerous devices on planes:

A report made public Wednesday said government investigators smuggled liquid explosives and detonators past airport security, exposing a dangerous hole in the nation's ability to keep these forbidden items off of airplanes.

The investigators learned about the components to make an improvised explosive device and an improvised incendiary device on the Internet and purchased the parts at local stores, said the report by the Government Accountability Office. Investigators were able to purchase the components for the two devices for under $150, and they studied the published guidelines for screening to determine how to conceal the prohibited items as they went through checkpoint security.

Not only did investigators get the items through the checkpoints, but they also brought them onto the planes, GAO told lawmakers Thursday.

Devilstower on DailyKos:

Another 9/11 was impossible on 9/12, because all that made it possible was the assumption that the best way to survive a hijacking was to go along with it. Absolutely nothing needed to be done to make air travel safer.

Everything we've spent there has been more about congressmen looking busy than making people safe.

The fact that this stuff is so obvious yet doesn't get acted on is a pretty damning indictment of our political system. Or maybe it's just more evidence for my thesis that we are fish out of water: tribal barbarians living in a world where tribal instincts are always fucking us up. Human beings are obviously beta products that don't scale well. Let's hope the Robotrons who replace us are better.