One would have thought the genius Feds would have been checking under hats and turbans all this time, but apparently no. Instead, they’ve been feeling around my underwire bra. Yeah, lots more can get in there. Not.
And, of course, the only people upset about the new rule are those who wear turbans. Cowboys don’t seem to mind. Nor do the beret-wearing French. As reader Julia notes in an email about this issue, a person can hide a hell of a lot more in their turban than they can their shoe. Sikhs and Muslims have ‘religious’ objections, but let’s get real here. They remove their turban for convenience in a myriad of other situations, such as to shower, have sex and to sleep. Hopefully in that order. The solution here is for anyone who’s upset by this to get over themselves. If you’re wiling to remove your turban for comfort and ease, then remove it, briefly, for an issue involving life and death and the safety of others. Last time I checked, btw, Sikhs and Muslims die like everyone else when a bomb explodes. Your turban won’t protect you from that, but removing it for a security check can.
Hats, turbans part of new extra screening at airports
WASHINGTON – Was it the monkey smuggled under a man’s hat on a flight into LaGuardia Airport earlier this month? Or does the new hat screening policy reflect concerns that terrorists will find novel means to bring explosives onto airliners?
The Transportation Security Administration won’t say. But an Aug. 4 directive advising the nation’s 43,000 airport screeners to scrutinize anyone wearing a head covering that might hide explosives — be it a turban, baseball cap or beret — is prompting bitter denunciations by Sikhs and Muslims, whose head coverings are part of their religious observance.
“We have complaints from our community that the way it’s being conveyed on the ground is a mandatory pat-down [of turbans],” said Neha Singh of the Sikh Coalition, the nation’s largest Sikh civil rights organization. “People who travel all the time tell us that they’re stopped every time.”
Cry me a river.
Why don’t they rig some of those old buffont dryers from the beauty salons up w/ X-Ray gear so these toppers can have their comb-overs analyzed. Just can’t imagine the scalp situation under the rags…
Because X-Ray machines are only as good as the people operating them. Once upon a time, during the whole liquid scare, I forgot to put a bottle of cologne in my checked baggage and had it in my carry-on. Nobody noticed a thing. IMAO, we should call Marcinko out of retirement and start up a new Red Cell to check airport security.