But My Lip Gloss Was Confiscated!

TSA missed 3 boxcutters on flight from JFK and the TSA said the screeners will get "remedial training."  The TSA, which is very task-driven, loves to enforce rules, which is why they confiscated my favorite lip gloss a few years ago - it was, apparently, in too large a tube.  I was flying with a friend who happened to have a Swiss Army Knife in her handbag and that got through, but my very dangerous lip gloss did not.

I suppose I could have used this gloss to build a make-shift weapon of mass destruction using duct tape and my friend's knife, but I am not very scientifically oriented.  The color was a lovely neutral shade that made me look sun-tan.  Because I eschew tanning to maintain my ivory white complexion, I love using cosmetics to fake it. 

I did have to go through a pat-down at LAX once, and also had to go through the full body scan another time.  They must have word of my lip gloss use, or else it is quite random.  I mean, I'm 62, a grandmother, and kind of short.  Clearly this makes me a threat.  Like most Americans, TSA treats me like a criminal while their own employees tend to get remedial training for various mistakes. 

Let's make sure nobody threatens us with lip gloss again.

Packable Holiday Gifts

Traveling with kids for the holidays?  HipTravelMama shared some tips for the best packable Christmas gifts for kids.  What with all the TSA Regulations, it's fun to pack something soft, light weight, and safe.  My personal favorite is the

Sushi Dinner shown on Etsy. 

Boycott could mean havoc on air travel

Photo courtesy of Gadling

According to an article in Travel Mole, the proposed boycott of the full body scanners could mean long delays tomorrow for air passengers.  The National Opt-Out Day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 24th.  This, the day before Thanksgiving, is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year.  The scan, which leaves little to the imagination, takes about 10 seconds.  The pat-down in lieu of the body scan takes longer, and is very invasive.  The new TSA procedure "includes a security worker running a hand up the inside of passengers' legs and along the cheek of the buttocks, as well as making direct contact with the groin area."  Isn't that what they do to prisoners?

So, between the airlines overcrowding us, charging us to check bags, charging us for blankets and pillows, charging us for food and ear-buds and the TSA treating us like criminals, it's a wonder anyone bothers to go anywhere.  Yet, we do.  We put up with invasions of privacy just to experience the wonder of a foreign place, the relaxation found on a white sand beach, the sensation of awe we share seeing a majestic mountain range.  There was a time when airline travel was part of the wonder of a vacation - we dressed up, we were excited.  We also had room for our knees and we also didn't feel like a fugitive as we went through lines to board the plane. 

I think we should do away with the TSA.  Really, my shampoo and conditioner are not a danger to my fellow travelers.  My shoes belong on my feet, and that bottle of water is not going to short circuit the electrical system on board the plane.  There are professionals who can, discreetly, watch behaviors and analyze who is a threat and who is not.  And believe me, that family of four heading to Hawaii is not a threat.

What do you think?