Video & Multimedia
Related: About this forumBig government is coming for your crotch anomalies
Is "gropier" actually a word we can use in Scrabble ?
Or has our Nation's Leader inspired the invention of a new word, conjured into existence for our sojourn through this Age of Alternative Reality ?
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)I flew a LOT. I spent several years as a 'road warrior'. A typical week was leave the house at about noon on Sunday and drive to the airport, fly somewhere, finish up early Friday afternoon, fly home arriving around midnight. Rinse. Repeat.
Even after I changed jobs to one with ostensibly 'minimal' travel I still managed to spend over 100 nights in hotels per year.
I remember the 'good old days' when I could arrive at the airport 30 minutes before a flight, get checked in, get my upgrade, head to the gate, and board with time to spare. As things changed it took longer and longer. I still have my American Airlines frequent traveler card, embossed with the notation '2 million miles', which grants me lifetime 'platinum' status.
But as the lines got longer and the security more onerous I flew less and less. It got to the point that anything less than 600 miles from home was 'within driving distance'. I finally quit flying altogether. The last trip I took was to drive from Kentucky to Oregon for my dad's 90th birthday party. I simply refuse to fly anymore. I refuse to subject myself to the invasive searches, the interminable lines, the cramped seats, the degradation of in flight service, and the like. And the proven fact that a determined terrorist will find a way to strike and taking away a passenger's nail clippers or shaving cream is not going to change that fact. TSA is just another way to turn us into complacent serfs who willingly give up their rights for the illusion of safety.
Ben Franklin famously said: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." I for one have decided that there are some essential liberties that I refuse to give up. Unreasonable searches are one of the things I choose not to submit to.
Pluvious
(4,276 posts)On our last flight, my SO was randomly subjected to enhanced screening, and became literally traumatized by the poorly executed processed, I muttered the comment, "maybe we should just drive next time." One of the agents promptly responded "that is your option."
And that is now, months later, our plan.