Pants on Fire

Ok, ok, ok. So, on Christmas Day, some Al-Quaeda nut tried to cause an explosion on a Detroit-bound jet using explosives he smuggled in his underpants. As is the case with most ideas pulled out of one's ass *ahem* the plot did not quite go as planned, and the bomber merely managed to light himself on fire. Not the best situation, to be sure, and definitely something to take a closer look at, but, as usual, TSA and the government are overreacting. Man tries to smuggle explosives in underpants?!? Time for virtual strip searches for all! He went to the bathroom in order to get the explosives out of his crotch? No potty breaks in the last hour! So, now, you have to take your shoes off, can't take more than 3oz of liquids through security, get virtually strip-searched, and have to have a full bladder (or worse) for the last hour of your flight (a flight, which, more than likely, is over-crowded, late, and over-priced).

Come fly the friendly skies?

You know, before more knee-jerk regulations go into place, how about trying this: enforce the regulations already on the books. The alleged bomber, Umar Abdulmutallab, had his British visa revoked in May 2009 - what did they know that we didn't (and should have known)? The man's father went to the American embassy in Nigeria in November with concerns that his son had become radicalized and might do something violent - why wasn't the bomber's visa revoked at that time, or, at the very least, re-evaluated? This isn't a case of the terrorists getting smarter, it's a case of the US Department of Homeland Security and TSA remaining ignorant. And, like the sheep we are, Americans are in an all-fire hurry to give up what little rights we have left in order to "feel" safe while traveling.

The terrorists are winning. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are, with each passing airline incident, becoming more and more passe.

Here's a radical idea, though, folks. Instead of everyone saying "Baaa" why not say "WTF TSA?!? Do your jobs!!!"