Michael Wurzer Following my post the other day on gross glasses at hotels, this is the second in probably a two-part series on travel challenges. This time the target is airport security, or the lack thereof, and the outrage we should be expressing about having to endure the hassle of inane security procedures that do nothing to protect us. I’m spurred into writing this post from a call to action in The Airport Security Follies on the Jet Lagged blog at the New York Times. After covering in detail the “irrational, wasteful and pointless” security policies for passenger screening, the article turns to the travelers:
In the end, I’m not sure which is more troubling, the inanity of the existing regulations, or the average American’s acceptance of them and willingness to be humiliated. These wasteful and tedious protocols have solidified into what appears to be indefinite policy, with little or no opposition. There ought to be a tide of protest rising up against this mania. Where is it? At its loudest, the voice of the traveling public is one of grumbled resignation. The op-ed pages are silent, the pundits have nothing meaningful to say.
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How we got to this point is an interesting study in reactionary politics, fear-mongering and a disconcerting willingness of the American public to accept almost anything in the name of “security.†Conned and frightened, our nation demands not actual security, but security spectacle. And although a reasonable percentage of passengers, along with most security experts, would concur such theater serves no useful purpose, there has been surprisingly little outrage. In that regard, maybe we’ve gotten exactly the system we deserve.
This is a call to action. We should not accept the idiotic policies being foisted upon us for no good reason. I’m sending a link to this post to my North Dakota Senators, and encourage you to do the same for your local representatives. I’m skeptical that anyone will listen, but it’s better than being silent. If you have other ideas as to how we can better express outrage and opposition to these policies, let me know.
P.S. Here’e the text of the e-mails I sent to Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, the North Dakota Senators:
Dear Senator Dorgan:
My name is Michael Wurzer and I am a North Dakota resident tired of being subjected to ridiculous policies at airports and am asking you to try to change the policies. The New York Times has a great opinion piece that summarizes the insanity we’re enduring and I recently posted about it on my blog as well, asking for others to participate in this call to action. Please let me know what you can do, and I’ll do what I can to promote your efforts.
Sincerely,
Michael
Michael Wurzer
President and CEO
FBS Data Systems — An Employee Owned Company
800.437.4232 x140 (office)
701.306.9341 (mobile)
www.flexmls.com/blog